Sulphate-Free Shampoo: Yay or Nay?

April 22, 2021April 23, 2021

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The word ‘sulphate-free’ has been creating quite a buzz in the recent past. From sulphate-free shampoos to other products, there seems to be an explosion of such products in the market. Well, if you’ve been feeling confused, here’s a full guide to understanding sulphate-free products — pros, cons, and more!

What Are Sulphates?

Sulphates are a common chemical ingredient used in the making of haircare products. Sulphates are a common surfactant that creates lather and allows dirt to separate itself from the scalp. How common? Well, sulphates are also found in many household detergents and other cleaning products.

To know whether or not your haircare product has sulphate in it, look for the following ingredients at the back of the bottle:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Parabens
Phthalates
Triethanolamine (TEA)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is commonly listed in the ingredients section of a haircare product. Hence, a sulphate-free shampoo is often also referred to as SLS-free shampoo.

Godrej Professional has a whole range of sulphate-free shampoos and conditioners that include the following:

Keracare Recharge Shampoo
Keracare Recharge Conditioner
Keracare Repair Shampoo
Keracare Repair Mask

Pros of Sulphate-Free Shampoo

To understand this new wave in favour of sulphate-free products, let’s take a look at how using an SLS-free shampoo will benefit you:

Using a sulphate-free shampoo means that your hair and scalp are both able to retain moisture and natural oils, which are good for the health of your hair.
Experts recommend using sulphate-free haircare products on colour-treated hair as it helps the dye last longer.
Sulphate-free shampoos often contain natural oils which nourish the scalp and make hair less frizzy.
If you’ve recently gotten a keratin treatment done, then using an SLS-free shampoo is a good idea as it won’t overpower the treatment’s impact.

Cons of Sulphate-Free Shampoo

Unfortunately, SLS-free shampoos are not free of disadvantages. Let’s take a look:

SLS-free shampoos often do not create as much lather, so it’s difficult to gauge whether or not your hair is cleaned properly.
If you have long and thick locks, then you might have to apply an SLS-free shampoo more than once for it to be effective. This means you’ll be using twice the amount of your regular shampoo.
If you’re just making the switch from a sulphate shampoo to an SLS-free shampoo, then you might notice a change in hair volume. This is because the SLS-free shampoo might not include artificial ingredients that were previously adding volume to your hair.

Sulphate-free haircare products have their own pros and cons, but largely, it’s probably best to avoid them if you can. If a lather-free hair wash isn’t a deal-breaker for you, then go ahead! Godrej Professional has a variety of sulphate-free haircare products that will keep harsh chemicals away from your tresses: