Sulfates in general can be bad for your hair. They can lead to a weakening of hair follicles with prolonged use causing brittle and straw-like hair that is likely to break. Not to mention there can be associated issues with itchiness that lead to inflammation of the scalp.
What are Sulfates?
Sulfates are powerful grease-cutting detergents containing made of sulfur-containing mineral salts. They came into the modern personal care in the 1930’s and set the health and beauty industry on fire. Prior to their introduction, people relied on simple soaps, soda ash and other methods to clean their skin and hair that were not as efficient or economical. They are magnificent for your dishes, pots and pans and bathtubs, but not for your hair or skin. Then came these powerful sulfates that are cheap and ubiquitous – and they are so not good for your skin or hair, especially because of their dehydrating effects.
The thing that most love best about them is that they foam and lather like crazy.
Why does this matter? It matters because people have come to associate being clean with a good mound of lather. It is not accurate, but people have been conditioned to think so.
Sodium Laurel Sulfate
The most common sulfate is Sodium Laurel Sulfate, which is a harsh surfactant found in household cleaning products, conditioners, body washes, shampoos and even in tooth paste. It is of wide application because it is cheap and produces good foam for cleansing products. It has also been associated with claims of carcinogen. We do not address those claims here, but simply why we like sulfate-free as a better alternative to the harsh sulfates.
How do Sulfates Work?
Sulfates are cleaning molecular agents that can attract both oil and water. By reducing the surface tension of oil, they are able to loosen and levitate grease for an easy rinse off. This is effective on greasy plates, but you may not want it on your hair or body. If you work with a lot of greasy substances in certain industries, they are effective and indispensable to you. But in your personal world you ought to try and alternate with sulfate-free products to lessen the burden on your body and hair. For children, it is obviously best to go mild and thus sulfate-free is preferred.
So, what is one to do?
Try sulfate-free shampoos and body washes. Sulfate-free shampoos and body washes are derived from gentler, milder and yes, healthier plant-extracts and amino acid, seed oils, and naturally occurring ingredients. These are often more expensive but infinitely superior to their chemically manufactured counterparts.
Some of the known benefits of sulfate-free hair and skin care products:
The term “Sulfate-Free” is rightly associated with being healthier, however, it is not synonymous with “organic.” The best way to understand it is by use of the words “gentle” or “mild.” All Shinkafa products are free of sulfates and harmful chemicals. Here are some of the benefits of avoiding sulfates in your personal care products:
- Reduces the chance of scalp irritation and inflammation
- Increases moisture retention within the hair follicle
- Improves better retention of natural oils of the hair
- Improves maintenance of the natural oils
- Aids softness of hair and skin
- Aids overall hydration by reducing dryness.
