In recent years, attention has been drawn to the safety and effectiveness of using sulfates in shampoos and other personal care products. Becoming knowledgeable about this subject and the ingredients in your shampoo can help you achieve healthier hair and may just save you from many negative health effects.
What is Sulfate?
The sulfate that people are talking about when referring to shampoo is usually Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). SLS is one chemical commonly used in cleaning and hygiene products. Due to its inexpensiveness and it’s ability to be a detergent, foaming agent and an emulsifier, SLS can be found in 90% of all foam producing products. This includes cosmetics, car wash soaps, and even engine degreasers.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and similar sulfates create the foaming bubbles that so many associate with cleanliness due to commercial marketing. But the risks of these foaming bubbles are significant.
What’s wrong with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?
There is wide debate as to whether or not SLS is a carcinogenic. However, studies have confirmed that carcinogenic nitrates can form when Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is manufactured or when combined with nitrogen bearing ingredients used in various cleaning formulas. Studies have also shown this chemical to cause birth defects in animals.
A report published in the American College of Toxicology stated that a 15% SLS formula caused diarrhea, depression, labored breathing, and death in animals studied. This report also confirmed that skin contact with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can cause long-term tissue damage to the brain, liver, heart, and lungs, and immune system degeneration.
SLS can be highly irritating to the skin. At high concentrations, this chemical can kill healthy cells and cause swelling, blisters, and pustules. When used long-term on the scalp, even at low concentrations, SLS has been found to corrode hair follicles, causing hair loss. Dandruff and eczema can also be caused by long-term use of products containing this cleaning agent.
Eye damage is yet another danger of this SLS. This chemical has been associated with development of cataracts, eye tissue malformation, cornea damage. In the eyes of children and infants, exposure to SLS may significantly affect protein formation.
Concentrations of no more than 1% of SLS have been deemed safe for short-term use by several studies. However, knowing the concentration of SLS or other sulfates in your shampoo is impossible as that information is not readily available.
Beyond these dangers, SLS just makes your hair look bad. It’s extremely drying, stripping your scalp and hair of moisture. If you have color-treated hair, SLS shampoos fade your color little by little after each wash. Getting sulfates out of your hair care products will naturally bring you less fizzy, softer, and more vibrant looking hair.
Choosing SLS Free Shampoo
Due to the known dangers of SLS, many companies have been creating new Sodium Lauryl Sulfate free shampoos that replace this chemical with others such as Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. Although these chemicals are deemed milder, they are still synthetic chemicals with many of the same risks associated with SLS.
Just because a product claims to be “Sulfate Free” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe. If you want a truly healthy and beneficial shampoo, look for organic and natural brands with all natural ingredients. This is how you will identify a truly chemical free shampoo. Aloe Vera is a common replacement for sulfates in organic shampoo and is non-toxic, healthy, and effective. The best sulfate free shampoo (or best best sls free shampoo) for you will not only be free of SLS, but will be free of all other harsh, synthetic chemicals.