What's in Your Shampoo?

They say "Don't judge a book by its cover," and a similar thing applies to hair products. Don't judge a shampoo (or conditioner or gel, etc.) by its bottle. Fancy labels and high price tags don't necessarily translate to good products. What DOES matter is what's in those products, so the most important part of the label? It's not the brand or the sparkly letters or the miracle promises. What matters is the stuff in tiny type -- the list of ingredients.

And that's why professional salon products especially formulated for curly hair are often the best, since they have the ingredients you need and avoid the ones you don't. But the stuff you find at the local drugstores? They can be great, too, if you know what you're looking for.

The rule of thumb for bouncy curls: No sulfates, which is a type of surfactant, aka detergent.

Sulfates
      A surfactant—sometimes referred to as a detergent—is a substance that, when dissolved in water, gives a product the ability to remove dirt from surfaces such as the human skin, textiles, and other solids. There are several types of surfactants, from harsh to mild, and sulfates are in the most harsh class. Common sulfates as found on hair product ingredient bottles include:

• Alkylbenzene Sulfonate
• Ammonium Laureth or Lauryl Sulfate
• Ammonium or Sodium Xylenesulfonate
• Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
• Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulfate
• Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
• Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
• Sodium Laureth, Myreth or Lauryl Sulfate
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
• TEA-Dodecylbenzenesulfonate

Milder surfactants—less drying and recommended in lieu of sulfates — include:

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
• Coco Betaine
• Cocoamphoacetate
• Cocoamphodipropionate
• Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate or Cocoamphodipropionate
• Lauroamphoacetate
• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate

Now, makes sense that we wouldn't want harsh detergents messing with our curls, right? Next week we'll talk about proteins! Meanwhile, you can learn more in the Live Curly Live Free e-book, Unlocking the Secrets Behind the World of Beautiful Curly Hair.

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.

Take the Curly Pledge

 

 

Print, post & show your Curly Pride!
Feel free to post on Facebook & Twitter, too.

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.

More A-List Celebs Sporting the Curls

From tumbling curves and retro waves to afro-ringlets and vintage curly bobs, Hollywood is rocking the curly scene these days.

Blake Lively: Are those curls real?

"After years and years of straightening her curly mane, Halle Berry now embraces her super-shiny corkscrew curls," Glamour magazine says in its website, in an article featuring more than 50 A-List Curly-Haired Celebrities. It's a list with the likes of Kate Winslet and Katie Perry, Nicole Richie and Julia Roberts!


Now, you're probably looking at these names and thinking, "She has straight hair!" And that's true. Some girls just aren't lucky enough to be blessed with naturally curly hair.  Can you blame them for styling it that way, though?
Among the other women featured sporting the curls include Emma Stone, Solange Knowles, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Bell, Fergie, Blake Lively, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Cat Deeley, Ashley Greene, Whitney Port, Lily Cole, Kristin Wiig, Jessie J., Mischa Barton, Liv Tyler, Courtney Love, J-Lo,   Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Amanda Seyfried, Georgia May Jagger, Mila Kunis, Mollie King, Dianna Agron, Lady Gaga, Caroline Flack, Kelly Brook, Hilary Swank, Helena Bonham Carter, Lea Michele, Kimberley Walsh, Nicole Kidman, Sarah Harding, Natalie Portman, Kate Moss, Taylor Momsen, Fearne Cotton, Christie Brinkley, Tinsley Mortimer, Beyonce, Elizabeth Jagger, Deborah Messing, Scarlett Johansson and Emma Roberts.



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.