Sulfates and Why We Hate Them

Without giving you a science lesson, surfactants are what make shampoos all sudsy. Unfortunately it cleans the hair a little too well. It strips hair of all the good things, like oil, which keeps your hair healthy and shiny. It can cause dryness, dandruff, and frizz. Pat Peterson, the vice president for product development for Aveda, which totes being ecologically friendly, argues, “You can’t pinpoint one ingredient that’s doing good or bad in your shampoo. It doesn’t make sense.”

Um, I don’t know about you but that sounds like BS. You’re telling me you can’t study how a particular ingredient in your product affects hair? That’s why there are chemists! Ok, let’s say for whatever reason these companies, particularly Aveda, can’t pinpoint what’s good or bad in their product. Ok, fine. Sulfates, for a fact, are a type of surfactant, also known as a detergent. What other products, other than shampoo, can you find sulfates? You can find them in household cleaning products. Do you want to pour Pine-sol on your hair? While you’re at it why don’t you uses those tresses to clean the inside of your toilet.

For some people, they don’t need to know what’s in their shampoo so as long as it makes their hair feel clean. Others are becoming more aware of what they’re putting in and on their body. Which person are you?