Hi

I'm new to the board...

Well, I'm in the process of growing my hair I made the promise I would be gentler to my hair. I'd like to find an all natural and Sulfate free shampoo and conditioner. I recently had a salon turn me on the Loma Pearatin Line. Here are the ingredients for the shampoo (although I’m not sure they are really good for my hair) I tend towards to lean Salon products because my friend can get me a major discount. I heard Abba and Pureology were SLS free is that true?

Can someone please help? I would appreciate any suggestions.

Loma Pearatin Hydrating Crème Shampoo:
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (aloe vera gel), Aqueous Organic Extracts of  Foeniculum Vulgare (fennel Seed), Helianthus Annus (Sunflower Seed), Sodium Cocoyl Isdthionate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cetearyl Alcohol (hydrator). Hydro-Creatine, Hair Keratin Amino Acids, Apricot Amino Acids, (Reconstructor), Dimethicone, Meadowfoam Seed oil, Shea butter, honey, peach oil, orange oil, Superoxide Dismutase, Melanin, Phenoxyethanol, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Panthenol, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid, Red Cabbage Extract, Citric Acid.

I understand you're trying to make a commitment to the health of your hair by eliminating sulfates, but formulations for hair care products are very complex, and it's not really possible to figure out exactly what some of those ingredients are doing in there. In fact, for sure some of the ingredients on many labels are only there for marketing purposes, because they sound good, not because they're likely to have a positive impact on your hair. There are a lot of ingredients that behave very differently in a shampoo or conditioner than they would in the pure form, so the people in the lab may know something we don't know.

Salon-type formulations are not necessarily any better for your hair than products you buy at a drugstore. Some might be a little better, some might be worse for your hair.  The best thing you can do is to use products that have worked for other people who have hair type similar to yours.  If you google on the exact name of the product, you'll often find some reviews online.

I've had long hair off and on most of my life, and I've never used anything except really cheap hair care products, even when my hair was down to my knees.  But if you want to try a new product, just give it a couple of weeks, and see how it works for you. These products are intended to be used for a long period of time, so it's probably not going to suddenly do damage to your hair if you try one out. You'll know pretty soon if it works for you.

And then write a review, for other people who are considering using the product, so they'll have an idea of how it worked out for you.

While it is true that shampoo ingedients are very complex, some people are allergic to sodium lauryl sulfate. It is rather harsh on the scalp. I have to avoid it unless I want very severe dermatitis to deal with.

A while back I compared the list of ingredients of two different VO5 products, one that worked fine for me, and one that made my scalp break out. I still haven't figured out exactly what was causing the problem, but I now have a list of suspect ingredients I should consult if I'm shopping for a new product.