Sulfates: What Are They? Are They Good or Bad?

Sulfates: What are they? Are They Good or bad?

Key

• Hair extensions- Wig units, wefts, clip-ins, tape, fusion, etc.

What are sulfates?

Sulfates are a type of chemical that is commonly used in detergents & household cleaning products, as well as shampoos. Simply put, sulfates are there to foam up. Khrissy's Knotty X-tensions (kkxtensions) does not use products that contain sulfates, or any other harmful chemicals.There are two types of sulfates:

 

1. Sodium Lauryl sulfate
2. Sodium laureth sulfate

Do you remember Dawn dish soap commercials on their detergent removing oil from Ducks (during the major oil spill)? 

 

This is possible due to the sulfates in the detergent. Dawn specifically uses sodium lauryl sulfate in their products. 

 

This sounds cute right? The problem is, sulfates can be damaging to our hair, scalp & EXTENSIONS (if they are 100% pure human hair regardless of texturing process-this includes virgin hair.). We ARE NOT DUCKS. 

 

It is okay to use shampoos with sulfates if the goal is to strip the hair of hairspray, color, & heavy oils. Outside of that, don’t use it. It will dry out your human hair extensions and your real hair & scalp. Please stay AWAY from sulfate shampoos if you have fine hair, eczema, contact dermatitis, sensitive skin, or dry hair & scalp. 

 

Sabecous glands produce sebum. Sebum is oil that your body naturally produces on it’s own to help keep your hair strong and protected, as well as length retention. Isnt god good? For hair extensions, there are NO MORE GLANDS to produce sebum that will coat the hair, stripping it using sulfate shampoos will only make your paid extensions dry a lot faster. Shortening it’s life-span. 

 

The older you get, the less sebum your glands produce. So be careful with the products you choose. I will show a few products that don’t contain harmful chemicals. Luxury hair should be maintained with healthy products. Healthy products help to enhance it’s overall beauty, and to lengthen it’s ability to be worn, by keeping it healthy. Think about your body as an example. Sulfates would be “fast-food”. We all need food to nourish our bodies, but the TYPE of food we choose over a long span of time can aid to lengthen or shorten our life span. Its the same thing with hair, scalp, and hair extensions. 

 

My hair used to get oily fast. I would be quick to pick up any shampoo! Now it barely gets oily, I have alopecia, & I now use essential oils to oil my hair. 

 

Long-term or Excessive use of Sulfates can lead to:

1. Hair loss
2. Dry scalp
3. Irritation of the scalp
4. Dry hair
5. Slit-ends
6. Frizzy hair
7. Faded color service
8. Breakage

 

 

How to find a Sulfate-FREE shampoo: 

1. Pay attention to the ingredients!
2. Look for shampoos that have the sulfate-free label. Most of them list the “other harmful ingredients” that they usually do not have in them too).

Here is a list of ingredients to stay away from when shopping for shampoo:

 

• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) Sulfates is a very common ingredient in shampoo. ...
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) ...
• Parabens. ...
• Sodium Chloride. ...
• Polyethylene Glycols (PEG) ...
• Diethanolamine (DEA)
• Triethanolamine (TEA) ...
• Formaldehyde.

 

There are shampoos that do not contain these harmful ingredients. Instead, they contain ingredients that usually lathers low, while adding and locking in moisture. 

For example, Mane’s Choice Pink Lemonade and Coconut, Love Beauty & Planet’s Coconut water and mimosa flower, Maui Moisture Hair Care, Renpure’s Tea Tree Lemon Sage. All of these products are 100% sulfate-free and have other beneficial properties for things such as detangling.