Sulfate is the main ingredient in almost all personal care products, from toothpaste to shampoo. Almost all shampoos on the market contain sulfate, especially sodium lauryl sulfate, also known as sodium dodecyl ether sulfate or simply sodium dodecyl sulfate.
If you look at the ingredients on the shampoo bottle, you will notice that the main ingredient of the shampoo is sodium dodecyl sulfate. A recent study shows that the use of sulfate is not only harmful to the hair and the overall health of individuals, but also harmful to the environment. Read more about
How to select and correctly use hair care products.
Sulfate
Sulfate, also known as a wetting agent, is a substance that reduces the surface tension of water, making it easy to diffuse. These surfactants increase water humidity and form rich foams when applied to hair. Sulfates in shampoo are ammonium laurate, sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate.
These ingredients are concentrated in shampoo, which can easily remove dirt and grime. These sulfates in shampoo are the main reason why you feel clean and fresh after washing your hair. These sulfates are very cheap and produce rich foams without substitutes.
Is sodium lauryl sulfate harmful to hair?
The compounds in sulfate dehydrate the sebaceous glands and deprive the scalp of essential oil and natural moisture. These compounds can also damage hair follicles, causing hair loss. Sodium lauryl sulfate is extremely harmful to exposed hair follicles because they can become clogged. They can also make the dyed hair fade every time you wash it, thus causing damage to the dyed hair.
Therefore, you must dye your hair again and again, which may cause more damage to your hair and scalp. Although sodium lauryl sulfate is mild in nature and will not cause too much damage to hair, it combines with sodium lauryl sulfate in shampoo. Sodium lauryl sulfate is cheaper, stronger and more effective in cleaning hair and scalp, so it is popular among shampoo and personal care product manufacturers.
Substitute for sulfate based shampoo
There are many organic and sulfate free shampoos on the market, which have the same functions as sulfate based shampoos. Sulfate free shampoo is often recommended by hair stylists and is considered the best shampoo for hair dyeing. Organic and sulfate free shampoo uses various natural ingredients, such as aloe, honey, and mild surfactant ingredients to clean the scalp without causing too much damage to hair follicles. Although you may not be satisfied with clean scalp, it is better to use sulfate free shampoo than sulfate containing shampoo to cause irreversible damage to the scalp.
Another shampoo method is “no poo”. No poo literally means no shampoo. This method includes washing hair with a boar brush and baking soda and apple vinegar. Sodium bicarbonate can clean the dirt on the scalp, and apple vinegar can be used as a hair conditioner. However, when your body begins to adapt to this stage, you may experience a transition period. But the final result is quite satisfactory, it will give you healthy, shiny hair.
