Everyone loves to get their hair didded, but some of the sweetest smelling hair goop actually strips your hair of the good stuff.
The sulfate twins: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodiumlaureth sulfate are the foaming and cleansing agents in the shampoo that actually makes it lather up, but they actually can cause damage particularly if 1) you’re treating your hair with keratin or 2) if it’s dry.
If you’ve smoothed your hair or if you use keratin on it, sulfate-products are no good. They actually soak up all the moisture from your hair leaving it more dehydrated like a bro on Coachella who filled his water bottle with vodka. We feel for him, but given that your hair’s more important than him, back to that. These #thirsty ingredients aren’t just in shampoo and conditioner, because they’re common in styling gels, masks, and mousses too, so it’s best to go sulfate-free. There are “better” sulfates, sure, but it depends on you. No one has time to figure out the packaging because there’s Lemonade to rewatch. So here are some of our favorite sulfate-free hair goodies. What works for you?
Carols Daughter Hair Milk Nourishing and Conditioning Styling Foam, $12 here, Ouai Wave Spray, $26 here, KLORANE Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, $20 at Net-a-Porter