FAQ: What type of shampoo should I use?
Note: This is a repost of a blog from my old site, originally published September 8th 2018. Last updated April 2021.Honestly I need to coin the term "Frequently Asked Rants" because the questions I will be answering require such detailed answers, they deserve their own blog post each.
Okay, by now most of us know not to use shampoo with Sodium Laurel Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate in it, right? If you don't know that, you do now!
Basically SLS is the main ingredient in dish soap, so when you buy your Pantene with "daily moisture renewal" on the label, you should know that you're buying overpriced glorified dish soap with some conditioning buffers in it. If you're going to wash your hair with that, why not save even more money and just buy the Dawn dish soap?
It's not even your fault. People often fall victim to the assumption that products are as they claim to be on the label. This would be false! Companies can claim their products can do whatever they want, your best defense against false advertising is to ignore the front entirely, read the ingredients on the back label, and then research the listed ingredients. My favorite bible on this subject is A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. [I especially recommend this if you are vegan as it's common for animal products to be labeled as something else, for example "lanolin" is wool oil from sheep.] UPDATE - I discovered an app that makes this even easier! Explained at the end of this post.
Back to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate... SLS is a salt and a surfactant. Salt is bad because it's a drying agent, and anyone who has ever gone to the beach with freshly colored hair has seen this effect first hand. It is a tangible fact that salt water strips your haircolor and dries out your hair. Surfactants are what is put into soap to get sudsy bubbles, which we have been trained by society to think results in a "more better clean" - which, in the case of your hair, would be false! Very false indeed.
We are privileged enough to live in a time & society where things can get a bit too sanitized for our own good. We know that living in an overly sanitized environment breaks down your natural immune system. Something that I'm personally very interested in is a new type of product called probiotic soap which essentially does to your skin the same thing it does to your gut: kills the bad bacteria without destroying the good. I have yet to try some because its pricier, but as someone who suffers from sensitive skin, its a priority on my to-do list.
Honestly I need to coin the term "Frequently Asked Rants" because the questions I will be answering require such detailed answers, they deserve their own blog post each.
Okay, by now most of us know not to use shampoo with Sodium Laurel Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate in it, right? If you don't know that, you do now!
Basically SLS is the main ingredient in dish soap, so when you buy your Pantene with "daily moisture renewal" on the label, you should know that you're buying overpriced glorified dish soap with some conditioning buffers in it. If you're going to wash your hair with that, why not save even more money and just buy the Dawn dish soap?
It's not even your fault. People often fall victim to the assumption that products are as they claim to be on the label. This would be false! Companies can claim their products can do whatever they want, your best defense against false advertising is to ignore the front entirely, read the ingredients on the back label, and then research the listed ingredients. My favorite bible on this subject is A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. [I especially recommend this if you are vegan as it's common for animal products to be labeled as something else, for example "lanolin" is wool oil from sheep.] UPDATE - I discovered an app that makes this even easier! Explained at the end of this post.
Back to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate... SLS is a salt and a surfactant. Salt is bad because it's a drying agent, and anyone who has ever gone to the beach with freshly colored hair has seen this effect first hand. It is a tangible fact that salt water strips your haircolor and dries out your hair. Surfactants are what is put into soap to get sudsy bubbles, which we have been trained by society to think results in a "more better clean" - which, in the case of your hair, would be false! Very false indeed.
We are privileged enough to live in a time & society where things can get a bit too sanitized for our own good. We know that living in an overly sanitized environment breaks down your natural immune system. Something that I'm personally very interested in is a new type of product called probiotic soap which essentially does to your skin the same thing it does to your gut: kills the bad bacteria without destroying the good. I have yet to try some because its pricier, but as someone who suffers from sensitive skin, its a priority on my to-do list.
With that concept in mind, the same is true for your scalp, not so much with bacteria but regarding moisture. I see it time and time again, the people with the driest scalps and the oiliest roots are the ones that wash their hair everyday. Probably using sulfate shampoo but even without that, every day is too frequent to use soap on your scalp.
"But, I go to the gym everyday and get sweaty!" I hear you yell at the screen.
I get it... your hair is sweaty and you are correct, you should not leave that sweat in your hair. But that doesn't mean you have to use shampoo either. Instead, I recommend simply rinsing it with water and/or just using a conditioner. That way you won't leave the sweat in your hair, but you also aren't drying out your scalp unnecessarily.
"But, when I don't use shampoo everyday, my scalp gets super oily!" I hear you quip.
Yes! That's what happens when you dry your scalp out with shampoo every day. Your scalp is outsmarting you, the more you dry out your scalp, the more oil it will produce to compensate... and the vicious cycle continues. Your hair needs to be trained to produce as much oil as it genuinely needs, just like your bangs need to be trained to lay a certain way. I recommend that everyone who is a daily washer go on a "shampoo diet" immediately. And yes, for the first couple of months (possibly even the first 6 months if you've been using sulfates), it will be greasy. During this time you'll likely get better acquainted with available products that are underutilized such as dry shampoo.... but I PROMISE YOU, it is through this dark greasy tunnel that your scalp will finally be able to equalize, end its perpetual oil-production, and reach a normal state that requires shampoo once a week at most.
Personally I don't even use shampoo anymore, I switched to New Wash, which I use maybe once every two weeks, maybe after a week and a half at most. My hair texture is fine, the type that would normally complain about needing to be shampooed more often because it gets weighed down easily, but even mine isn't greasy at all. I never use dry shampoo. In fact, I'd be more likely to use dry shampoo when my hair is freshly washed, for the texture, than I am instead of washing. Another thing to note is that after switching to using something else, I used a good gentle sulfate free shampoo ONCE to wash out some bleach highlights, and I got a little dry scalp! The shampoo I used never once gave me dry scalp... that proves how efficiently self-regulated my scalp is now.
But I digress... I'm supposed to be talking about shampoos you should use. I'll get to that shortly, but first I still need to mention some things to avoid. Yes, you need a sulfate free shampoo in order to avoid stripping the moisture and color from your hair. But it's not as simple as that. The biggest major beauty brands have ingredients loopholes, things that aren't strictly "Sodium Lauryl Sulfate" but are, in my professional opinion and personal experience, just as bad for color treated hair. The two "Sulfate Free" ingredients to avoid are "Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate" and "Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate". Now, there are tons of articles explaining to consumers that these ingredients are not sulfates and that they are gentler on the hair and non-irritating to sensitive skin. For argument's sake I'll say sure... that's true, it isn't as harsh. But that doesn't make it good for your hair either, as my own experience with these products can attest. I've tried them on my hair when it was not freshly dyed, and more of my color has run out in the water than it did when I shampooed the week before with my normal shampoo. To my professional eye, this tells me it is still stripping my color.... and if it strips my color, its stripping my moisture.
That being said, here are some specific sulfate free shampoos to avoid -
Nature's Gate : I don't know what it is specifically about this sulfate free brand, but I like to refer to it as "Nature's Hellgate" because everyone I've known to use it had incredibly dry & dull hair after. It definitely strips moisture and color from your hair! I laughably call it TOO granola to be color safe. Just because something is natural, doesn't make it gentle. Which reminds me...
DIY Baking Soda / Vinegar method : PLEASE. DO. NOT. DO. THIS. I have met dozens of people who think they are being gentle on their hair and they aren't. I only know 1 out of 50 people who has done this method correctly, and it's because she knows her hair type and did extensive research; she's the exception, not the rule. Most people who try this method aren't able to wash all of the baking soda from their hair. It ends up looking simultaneously dry and greasy and is very dull. (Keep in mind, baking soda paste is what I use to clean my oven.)
Shimmer Lights : Don't be convinced by how much purple is in this shampoo, it's very drying and contains enough sulfates that you will be stripping the blonde toner from the salon out of your hair before it would even show signs of fading with a sulfate free version. Not to mention the breakage that will ensue! Instead, for my blondes instead I recommend investing in a good sulfate free shampoo + a purple toning conditioner, such as Overtone. After all, there are many ways to tone your hair, and it's much better to let conditioner to sit on your hair for 5 minutes than to dry it out with shampoo.
Rusk : This is the sulfate free shampoo I tested out when avoiding harsh shampoo was particularly important as I was dying my hair with permanent black and growing it out. At that time I had been using Bamboo, and it had been at least 10 shampoos since the color was fresh ... I used this once and never touched it again. The water ran black like it was the second shampoo after washing the color out (very bad).
DevaCurl : UPDATE - in 2019, Deva haircare has had a growing number of complaints featuring claims of hair loss due to their product. I used them myself for years and have no personal experience of this as I have very dense hair so shedding large amounts is normal. But it seems like a class action lawsuit is in the works. Unfortunately this means the entire school of thought regarding cowashing/non-shampoo methods is being criticized. There’s a lot of things at play here, but the TLDR version: a good brand was bought out by a larger company, cut costs on ingredients, or further processing ingredients, and side effects ensue. These side effects can also be caused by people using a product completely improperly. Watch this video by @iamblackgirlcurls for a deep dive into the subject. It’s the only professional opinion on the controversy that I totally agree with.
And finally, specific sulfate free shampoos I recommend -
Alterna Bamboo : All of their shampoos are sulfate free. Their shampoo is super thick and concentrated so you get a lot for what you pay for. My favorite part is their bottle has a rubbery dispenser that prevents shampoo from spilling out even if you've knocked it over (which I do often). I even recommend their Clarifying shampoo as it’s very gentle. This is a major beauty brand so it won’t be as “clean” as the stuff listed below.
AG Naturals : I just started giving this shampoo to some friends to try. I’ve only heard good things and I am starting to use their styling products in my salon. But I have heard from other professionals that it should be used as a clarifying shampoo not your “daily” shampoo... meaning use when you have buildup on your scalp, not every time you wash your hair. I suggest maybe once a month, follow with a deep conditioner. I DO NOT RECOMMEND the conditioner that pairs with this shampoo because of the smell. The shampoo smells fresh and botanical, the conditioner smells like bubblegum. whyyyyyyyyy
Hairstory : New Wash is currently what I use personally and on all my clients. It has no detergents whatsoever! All of the cleansing and smells comes from natural botanical oils and extracts, which also makes it hypoallergenic. It’s not a shampoo, it’s not a no poo, it’s a 2-in-1 cream. You put it on your scalp, scrub with their silicone brush to remove debris, then you leave it on for a few minutes like you would conditioner. Afterwards your hair feels like butter. I usually recommend DEEP for those of you starting on the shampoo diet, it the lightest “flavor” and it has a little apple cider vinegar in it. I also like them because they are part of the sustainable movement to get away from plastic packaging. If you sign up for their subscription, you get a refillable aluminum bottle and the refill (and smaller retail size) comes in a pouch that creates less waste.
Cult + King : The dark witchy aesthetic is strong with this one. I like them because they also have a manifesto on their site, including a belief that hair shouldn’t be categorized by gender and a vow never to sell to Amazon, in favor of supporting small business (like me). They are also part of the sustainable movement, all of their packaging is beautiful glass or boxes and refillable. They are mainly a styling line but I’m including them in this list because they have a bar shampoo ... However, it is NOT recommended for colored hair as it contains charcoal.
Afterworld Organics : The newest addition to my approved brand list! Their cream cleanser is called Hair Glow and they explain how it cleanses without bubbles. The two scents, Royal Lavender and Amberwood, smell amazing! I started using it on my clients with finer hair that could get weighed down by heavier cream cleansers (such as New Wash). They also have a Platinum Hair Glow that is ideal for toning icy blondes without shampoo.
If you wash your hair every day :
Consider washing it less. Consider using a cream based cleanser for daily washing, and using your soapy shampoo twice a week or once a week.
If you ONLY use cream cleanser (like me) :
Consider that you will need to regularly clarify your hair from time to time. I am going to start doing this once a month and see how it works out. I absolutely hate washing my hair with shampoo but - the ladies @iamblackgirlcurls have reminded me - clarifying has a purpose too.
2021 Update: What I haven’t been vocal about in this article until now is that, since I color my hair regularly, when I do that my hair gets totally clarified. Either because I’m putting bleach on my scalp or I need something to wash the inky color out. I do clarify regularly and I’ve been completely ignoring that as an element in my wash cycle. Bleaching your hair is more clarifying than shampoo, which is why it’s important to nourish the rest of the time.
What's funny is I grew up using the 'clenditioning' method myself. I had long hair down to my butt, but it was fine and tangled easily. I would swim all the time, and I hated having to shower after... mostly I hated having to wash my super long hair, a burden common in young ones. At a young age, maybe 8 or 9, I specifically remember figuring out that shampoo made my hair feel crappy and made it more tangly, whereas conditioner made it feel soft and great! So (to save time and skip to the good part), I stopped shampooing and would only use conditioner. Looking back, it amuses me to to think that, not unlike my childhood dreams of having only dessert for dinner, I was unbeknownst to myself being really onto something.
Anyhoo, to wrap up this frequently asked rant, I would tell my reader not to give up - there are a lot of great sulfate free nontoxic shampoos out there and finding one is not as hard as it might seem. I think the main things to remember are, first, heed my warnings about the not-sulfate but sulfate-like products. A good rule of thumb is to think to yourself "who is making money off of your buying their drugstore shampoos?" Big brands like Loreal may brand their product "sulfate free" on the front, but they are more likely to put ingredients just as drying in there instead. They don't care if stylists recommend them because, hey, they are available at the drugstore where you don't necessarily have the value of an experienced professional's opinion.
And, on the other side, just because something is a salon quality brand, it is not (as one might think) guaranteed to be sulfate free. I was asked once if I would be interested in becoming a Matrix educator, but even given some economic incentives, I ultimately decided I could never do it on principle. To do so would make me a hypocrite because they don't offer a single shampoo that is a sulfate free. They are such a big company that they can lose that business of people who know better and respect their hair without even blinking.
I would advise you to only trust professionals who are “Brand Agnostic” (a term coined by @iamblackgirlcurls), this means we are not owned by, sponsored by, or blindly loyal to one brand.
The brands I recommend are ones that meet what I term the "luxury hippie" classification: missing all the bad blacklisted ingredients, good salon quality, and gentle on your hair. Brands like Bamboo, Hairstory, AG Naturals, InnerSense, & Kevin Murphy. I let people get away with using Pureology although I'm not a fan of their ingredients list which contains the aforementioned three: Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, & Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate. I'm not a huge fan of Kevin Murphy shampoo containing Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate either, I'm still going to include it as one of the acceptable ones.
Sigh, I have to pick my battles. If reading this gets you thinking about reading (and researching!) your shampoo ingredients more closely than before then I've done my job. If I can get you to consider washing your hair less (like ALOT less), then I've not only achieved my goal regarding the health of your hair, but maybe even made tiny little chips in the colossal profit-driven machine of the beauty industry. Hopefully you will start to pay close attention to what you're using, and more importantly how often. Then, when you notice your scalp or your hair getting dry or your color fading, you won't feel so clueless as to the cause or helpless about how to balance it out.
As I was updating this blog entry, I discovered an app called Think Dirty. Most of the hair products I use were not listed. Hairstory New Wash got a medium rating, due to a preservative (which imo is better than moldy shampoo).
UPDATE 2023: However, after using Think Dirty for a few months I realized that they were recommending some subpar brands with ingredients that are questionable - such as cheapy processed shea butter. Granted, it isn’t toxic so they aren’t lying when they give it a “safe” rating, but it isn’t good for your hair. It just goes to show that there is no shortcut to knowledge. I also realized that the brands they were pushing have paid them to be top of the list. As with any movement - it’s important to examine who benefits.
Apps like this give me hope that in the future it will be much easier for folks. After all, sulfates are only the beginning. I do want your hair to be nice and less maintenance, but more importantly I want you to be empowered to make informed decisions about what chemicals you’re exposed to everyday. I’m glad the toxic-free beauty movement is gaining some traction, and I’m doing my best to stay informed. (see related blog: Pretty without the Poison)
