The Problem with Sulfates

Does this belong in your hair?

Sulfates are harsh, drying cleansers found in most regular shampoos. They are extremely damaging to curly hair because they strip it of its natural moisture, making it frizzy and unmanageable.
 

The biggest problem with sulfates is that it is very difficult to rinse your hair and scalp completely clean of them, and that means you leave behind a heavy detergent deposit. In Live Curly Live Free we explain how over time, this continues to build up and damages your hair follicles. Bottom line: This can result in hair loss, comedone (blackhead) formation and irritation.

The good news is that over the past several years, sulfate-free shampoos have become more and more popular. The bad news? Many manufacturers are replacing the sulfates with such things as sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, which can be just as drying to curly hair as sulfates are. 

What this all means is that for happy, healthy, shiny hair, it's not just grabbing a sulfate-free shampoo.  We'll be digging deeper into all this in future blogs.

Live Curly, Live Free, The e-book, is available for Kindle, iPad and Nook formats. In it, Curl Whisperer Tiffany Anderson-Taylor tells us all we need to know to have healthy, happy curls.