Sulphate Freedom

Hello my friends!

I hope everything is going great in your little corner of the world 🙂 This week we’re going to our hands a little dirty, well, our hair at least, because we are talking shampoo!

There is a common misconception that dandruff is a dry and flaky scalp. I was shocked to learnt hat it is actually a build up of oils on the scalp that causes the flakiness. Gross right. But it also explained why dandruff shampoos weren’t working for me because I wasn’t treating the right problem. My issue was a dryness and flakiness.

I started seeing a lot of hype around the interweb about sulphate-free shampoos, and can I just say… HALLELUJAH!
I discovered that sulphates (or sulfates) were the cause of my itchy head. Sulpahtes are the chemical bad boys in your shampoo that create the bubbles and foam. They could read as sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) or sodium lauryl sulphates (SLS) and the closer they are to the start of the ingredients list the higher the percentage of their makeup in the product. So if they are listed first, they are THE main ingredient.
The reaction of these sulphates is that they are drying your hair out, which can cause frizziness, brittleness, and decrese the natural shine of your hair. They are stripping the moisture right out of your strands. And because they are sucking out the moisture in your hair, it is also happening to your scalp. As those bubbles wash down your neck, shoulders, back or even over your face… guess what… your skin is being dried out too. Devastating I know.

Most drugstore brands use them so it does cost an extra penny or two to find sulphate-free shampoo, but it is worth it. I have found that I don’t wash my hair as much now anyway so I am using less product which means buying shampoo less frequently and over the course of a year, spending less money on product. My scalp has stopped flaking and getting itchy. The redness has decreased and when I bleach my roots it doesn’t sting like it used too becasue of the broken skin on my scalp from scratching and flaking. My neck and back don’t break out as much either, as an added bonus.

I will never go back to shampoo’s that use sulphates. I received a few samples try, but got rid of them as soon as I saw they had sulphates in them because life is better without them. It’s not worth the extra drama of dry frizz and an itchy scalp. Not worth it at all.

Does your shampoo use sulphates? Will you make the switch?

Jac Lambert

Jac is a personal stylist based out of Canberra, Australia and is currently studying to be a make-up artist as well as working on the start of a clothing line.
She is creative, vibrant and enthusiastic and has a deep passion for boosting women’s confidence and self-esteem.