new thread
Hi, Friends :-)
I trust you're all well.
So I'm shampoo browsing at my local pharmacy and came across multiple ranges which are proudly void of the following ingredients (in various combinations) :
*Sulphates
*Parabens
*Silicones
What i could gather from my sources (le web) the reasons why the absence of these ingredients is virtuous, are as follows:
SULPHATES strip your hair & scalp of natural oils.
SILICONES are comedogenic (build up and clog pores).
PARABENS m i g h t cause cancer and m i g h t cause allergic reactions (I've never had an allergic reaction to any shampoo yet).
Although the web may offer very nicely presented and easily accessible information, your personal experiences are worth far more to me. Have any of you guys tried a shampoo which is void of any of these ingredients? If so, what are the changes you noticed in your hair (good and bad)?
Thanks in advance, my friends.
PS: I also stumbled upon this shampoo (and matching conditioner) which aims to stimulate washing your hair with only divine light :-0 [see attached photo] . It's price isn't totally unreasonable. Do you think I should give it a try?
As a Curly-haired having no silicone/sulfate has a major impact on my hair routine and with how I grow my hair as healthy as possible, the curlier the hair is the more dependent it is on moisture. Sulfates basically block the hair from getting the moisture and nutrients it needs. Meaning that if your hair is on the curlier side then it would be even more prone to dry up, while silicone alone makes it hard for products to apply on your hair once you put them on.
Once I switched to a more 'friendly' shampoo (plus started using coconut oil and whatnot) my hair has been much more smooth and easier to handle, less frizz too!
It doesn't have the same negative effect if your hair is more on the straight side, regardless, it's still beneficial for your hair, go for it! :)
Thanks for the advice good advice, Yomaku :-)
The only way i seem to get oil to have an aestheticly pleasing effect on my hair is by diluting it and spritzing it over my hair. Working the oil into my semi-straight hair makes it really flat. Washing out the oil afterwards just reverts my hair back to its natural state: soft fluffy wisps that seem to channel static electricity from all 13 dimensions :-D
My hair is actually very fine and porous. I know that advertisements and websites all portray porosity as a sign of damage which might be prevented / cured by applying exotic oils in generous quantities. However; a friend of mine finally told me one day that the information which i was using was all aimed at Caucasian hair. She told me that in hair advice for African hair, the natural porosity of one's hair is considered and that in the case of naturally porous hair, oil is advised to be used very sparingly if at all. Hence my current use of oil.
Of course I would like to keep my hair and the rest of me as healthy as possible but i have learned from my no-poo experience that less is not always more. From Mohlapa (my friend) i have learned that more is not always better. My desire is to find out what is worth quitting and what is not.
Even if the "Devine Light" ;-) shampoo cures my astigmatism and opens all my chakras, i would be willing to use a slightly less divine shampoo if it rendered more aestheticly pleasing results for my hair.
BTW, where is your hair at nowadays, Yomaku?
I can definitely relate to the static-frizz comment, used to have it quite often before I started to educate myself about my hair-type.
Eventually, each hair is different so it is always good to try to see the balance that works for you, I spritz water with a bit of oil as well :)
The flat look could also be causing from how you apply the oil (like the difference between spreading it with your hands only or with a comb). Then again out hair-textures are different so I wouldn't know exactly what could work for you. :P
I'd say that my hair is somewhat shorter than yours (from what I recall at least), my longest layers in the back reach my shoulder blades, my front bangs stretch all the way down to my chin. Hoping to reach my previous peak (waist/tailbone length) in a few years and hopefully surpass it as well. :D
Hi Daniël,
I'm a fan of silicone-free and sulfate-free shampoo because of the reasons you mentioned. I actually forgot exactly what their effect is individually. Thanks for summarising it!
I noticed that the ends become damaged faster, if I use a regular shampoo containing sulfates.
I also heard that there are people who like sulfates and silicones in the ingredients, because it makes the hair more shiny. I noticed that those people have hair shorter than mid-back length. So I guess up to a certain length, you can use both.
I think the shampoo sounds good. I'm using Aleppo soap instead of a shampoo. It's very good for the scalp (not irritating) and relatively cheap.
Cheers, keep it growing!
Philip
