Thread: Avoiding sulfates in shampoo?

I have fine, straight hair that tends to go limp pretty quickly. There seem to be a lot of recommendations to try sulfate-free hair care right now. It's supposedly gentler to the hair itself and cleans without stripping out as much oil, so the oil production in your scalp has less incentive to work overtime. (There have also been claims that sulfates should be avoided for health reasons, but the evidence doesn't seem very solid so it's not a concern for me.)

If you've gone sulfate-free, have you found that it makes a difference in the look and feel of your hair? Found any shampoos you especially like? Thanks in advance for any info!

I do not know if it's sulfate free or not but I prefer Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner. Recently my hair has become a bit thinner and I find Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner keeps my hair from feeling and appearing link and lank. I have had people ask if I added filler-hair. Nope, only change is the shampoo and conditioner. Not expensive, either. It is probably available elsewhere but I usually purchase mine at CVS Pharmacy, Walgreen's or Walmart.

I switched to low sulfate shampoo and silicone free conditioner a year ago and I think my hair is in better condition for it. It seems to have more volume as well. I made too many changes to my hair care routine to be able to say for sure what made the difference. I use Tresemmé naturals.

I've been using Dr. Bronner's Soap and apple cider vinegar in my hair for over four years. I haven't really noticed a difference, good or bad.

However, my hair is thick.

I did a baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine for several years when my hair was very long. I experienced less shedding, and overall healthier hair/scalp with more shine. However there was a difficult adjustment period when the hair was still over-producing oils while I first started the regimen, but that passed within a month (thank goodness for dry shampoo).

Perhaps acv/baking soda might be too extreme for you, but cutting out sulfates is a great choice!

In addition to apple cider vinegar rinses, I also use shampoo and conditioner bars from this place: For The Hair || Chagrin Valley Soap

The Ayurvedic Herb bar worked best for me, but it depends on your own body chemistry. Also it took a number of days for the previous build-up to completely leave my hair, but it was worth it.

I do believe going sulfate-free improved the look and condition of my hair. I tend to use L'Oreal shampoo, http://canadianbeauty.com/wp-content...aleverpure.jpg, I can buy it at the grocery store or pharmacy for roughly $6 per 8oz bottle. Since I only wash my hair once a week, that one bottle lasts me about 5 months.

I do use a lot of conditioner though so it would get too pricey to buy L'Oreal conditioner at that price. As far as conditioners go, I just buy the largest, cheapest bottle I can find at the supermarket.

I LOVE ShiKai Shampoo and Conditioner. Its sulfate, paraben, SLS - free. Its really great. It foams up, but doesn't totally strip your hair. I have tried Jasons, Dr. Bronners, no-poo, and a few other "natural" brands. ShiKai is my absolute fave. Several of my friends have now started using it. I can find it at one of the high-end grocers in my area or order it through my Frontier co-op. I'm sure that you can find it online, if you can't find it at a store in your area.

Warmly
--Natalie.

About a year ago, I started using sulfate-free shampoo from L'Anza - to prevent fading of haircolor. Helped somewhat but geezalou, $$$$$$. I switched to "Wen" cleanser/conditioner and wow what a difference - my fine, thin hair is tangle free and actually stays cleaner longer for some reason. If you decide to try it, be aware that there are different scents and they are for different types of hair. I like the pomegranate one best - it's soy-based, does lather a bit and not much scent.

This is great info, everyone. Thank you!

I've been switching around a lot because I'm frugal (OK, cheap) and have partial bottles of various things to use up. I'd like to get to a point soon where I'm using no more than two brands consistently. I'll definitely be checking out your suggestions. Organix coconut is another one that came up recently -- it smells fantastic.

Natalie, the ShiKai Henna Gold products are my favorite shampoo and conditioner ever! I wasn't entirely sure they were sulfate-free, but now I guess maybe there's a good reason they seem so hair- and skin-friendly. :) For folks who don't know ShiKai: it's made with non-coloring henna, so you just get the shine, and it's safe for color-treated hair.

I quit using regular shampoo years ago. I only use Suave naturals (SLS/Silicone free) and have remarkably healthy hair.... and I have at this point stopped henna-ing as well (due to get back on track shortly) so I've been chemically dying it.

I was using the BS/ACV trick but found the BS dried my hair and I wasn't as happy. Occasionally I do use it to get a "deep clean" as it were because if I don't wash every day or every other it tends to get itchy *not oily- just itchy* I do use 50/50 ACV/water occasionally- I like the toning effect... but otherwise I just wash daily/ever other day with the conditioner and let it air dry. Very happy and very healthy hair (Also I have shorter jaw length hair so it doesn't take regular long hair abuse)

If you transition OFF of the SLS and silicone you will go through a grease monkey period- mine lasted less than a week- and then it took me a few months of trial and error to satisfy my hair needs. I do use coconut oil or jaboba oil on my face and hair sometimes as well. (but its like once or twice a month rather than a daily thing)

Originally Posted by showtime

I do not know if it's sulfate free or not but I prefer Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner. Recently my hair has become a bit thinner and I find Mane & Tail shampoo and conditioner keeps my hair from feeling and appearing link and lank. I have had people ask if I added filler-hair. Nope, only change is the shampoo and conditioner. Not expensive, either. It is probably available elsewhere but I usually purchase mine at CVS Pharmacy, Walgreen's or Walmart.

I highly recommend NOT using mane and tail. It is a product marketed for horses and I don't believe the formula was changed at all. horse hair isn't like human hair at all and given the product is typically not a "daily use" product (very very few people wash their horse's mane's and tails daily- its more like "weekly"- I wash my horse 2x a year unless I'm showing) it's I'm sure a chemical onslaught for daily use- their conditioner has a butt load of silicone in it!

My thin hair does well with the Lush Karma bar shampoo, no conditioner. It certainly does not qualify as cheap, but I feel I get the best value for my money. It seems to make my hair more shiny and give it just a wee bit more body, yet softness. And, I love the smell :-)

I like the Organix products too and just finished off a bottle of Yes to Cucumbers (by Yes to Carrots) this morning, I really liked it.

I did the NoPoo ACV BS route last year but even though I toughed it out though the uber-oily adjustment period, I kept having oil rebounds and my hair felt limp. The same with Wen. I spent a bunch of money on it and my hair was soft but still greasy and not nice looking.

I do always buy paraben and sulfate free shampoo and silicone free conditioner.

I use the Loreal Eversleek and Everstrong along with Argan oil. I like the products and I think that my hair doesn't get as dry as it did with regular shampoo/conditioner especially if I wash it more than every other day. I have very long hair, so typically I don't, but sometimes its necessary.

The reason for both the Eversleek and Everstong is that I found that the Eversleek made my hair far too greasy in the summer and spring, while the Everstong wasn't enough to hydrate it in the winter.

I typically only use the conditioner on the hair in my scalp area and use Argan oil on the length of it. (I hope that makes sense!) My hair goes past my waist and I only need a few drops of the Argan oil, so it seems to last. Also I get it from Mountain Rose Herbs where its significantly cheaper than Sephora.