How to Find Sulfate-Free Shampoo
Savvy, health-conscious consumers are beginning to express concern more and more about the chemicals in everything they consume, from food to beauty products. These chemicals may have harmful effects on the environment in addition to people's health and well being. Sulfates are one of the major offenders, due to their ability to irritate and damage skin and hair cells. They are also absorbed by the liver and can mimic the effect of the hormone estrogen in the body. Sulfates are surfectants (sudsing agents), so they are found in many common products, especially soap and shampoo. Luckily, manufacturers are now making environmentally friendly, sulfate free shampoos. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Read labels. The best way to find out what's in your shampoo is to read the back of the bottle. Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Ammonium Laureth Sulfate are some of the most common surfectants in shampoo, and most drugstore brands contain at least one of these chemicals. Although the surfectant is usually easy to spot as the second ingredient on the label (after water), make sure to read the entire label to make sure there is not a smaller amount of sulfate hidden in the rest of the ingredients.
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Check for organic or natural products at the drugstore. Many major retailers are beginning to carry organic or all-natural product lines. Organic shampoos are much less likely to contain sulfates, so checking out these brands is a good place to start. However, not all organic products are created equally, so remember to read the labels carefully and reject any product with sulfates.
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Shop organic food stores or health food stores. If your local drugstores don't have anything suitable, check out your local health food store or organic retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Many of these stores make their own brand of sulfate free shampoo in addition to carrying products from other brands.
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Check with your hairdresser or local hair salon. Although a great many salon products use sulfates, there are a few lines (like Pureology) that do not, and your hairdresser should be able to recommend at least one that will work for your hair type. Remember that in addition to sulfate free shampoo, you want a shampoo that is PH balanced and appropriate for your individual hair length and texture.
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Head to the internet. Sites like folica.com allow you to search shampoos by ingredient and order products as well. There are also hairdressers and other beauty professionals who maintain blogs and websites with lists of sulfate-free products, like the one found in the Killer Strands Blog (see Resources).
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