Monday, December 5, 2011

SLS... The good the bad and the Ugly



SLS {sodium laurel sulfate}
An ingredient derived from the coconut. It is used as a detergent in soaps, and shampoos. It cleanses and removes oil and dirt the exact way you would expect a shampoo or soap to do for you.
It's gotten a bit of a bad rap over the past few years. Companies boasting "SLS Free" shampoo came out and said that SLS was a harsh chemical and that it was abrasive and dangererous. No doubt hoping to drive people to buy their product free of such "toxic" chemicals.

So you may be wondering, why would a natural company use such a "harmful" indgredient?
Simple.
SLS is natural, safe, and nothing produces  better sudsing action then SLS. When it comes to a great shampoo you want a nice lather right? {right!}

Now before you go on believeing that all SLS is great and wonderful you should know that there is a difference. Some SLS {derived from the coconut} is processed in a way that becomes contaminated with 1,4 dioxane. That is a carcinogenic that can be irritating to the skin.
We ONLY use SLS certified to be free of 1,4 dioxane. Shampoo should work, but it should also be safe.
 

 So there is no need to blindly fear SLS, we have been using it for 10 years and still find it mild and nonabrasive. (*for most people without coconut sensitivities)  All surfactants (ingredients that clean) remove oil barriers, that is how they clean away dirt and grime. The idea is to clean and then moisutrize. We recommend conditioning your hair after washing to restore good oils and to moisturize  the hair and scalp. Just be educated about the real dangers out there and knowing which products are safe to use.

1 comment:

  1. Very interesting, I have never heard of sls before!

    jessica w

    ReplyDelete