What are sulfates?

Sulfates are chemicals used as cleansing agents. They’re found in household cleaners, detergents, and even shampoo.

Two main types of sulfates are used in shampoo: sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate. The purpose of these sulfates is to create a lathering effect to remove oil and dirt from your hair. If your shampoo easily makes a lather in the shower, there’s a good chance it contains sulfates. Sulfate-free shampoos make little to no later.

Compared to other cleansing ingredients in shampoo, sulfates are said to have the deepest cleansing effects. They belong to a class of cleansers called anionic surfactants, which clean away substances.

Sulfates are considered shampooing staples. Still, the use of sulfates in shampoo has been controversial in recent decades. Some people believe that sulfates can directly damage your health. Since shampoo is used daily in many cases, the thought is that this much exposure to sulfates can lead to serious risks. Sulfates were once perceived to be cancer-causing agents, but further scientific evidence debunked these claims.

However, this doesn’t mean that sulfate-containing shampoo is safe or appropriate for everyone. It can be damaging to certain types of hair, and it may even cause skin irritation in some people.

不含硫酸盐的洗发水是不含十二烷基硫酸钠(SLS)的洗发水。SLS也称为月桂基硫酸钠或十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS或NaDS0)。它是一种在商业卫生和清洁产品中很受欢迎的化学物质。这种化学物质在需要去除油性残留物的应用中特别有用。虽然在卫生产品中使用的硫酸盐还没有被证明是致癌的，但这些化学物质会刺激头皮，使头皮油脂过度流失，导致头发干燥。

皮肤敏感的人，或对硫酸盐过敏的人，可能希望避免这些化学物质。不含硫酸盐的洗发水对头皮的影响要小得多，不会引起过敏反应——当然，除非使用者对其他成分不过敏。许多用户报告说，当使用无硫酸盐洗发水时，他们的头发更柔软，更不干燥。

当第一次使用不含硫酸盐的洗发水时，大多数人常常会觉得头发不干净，因为硫酸盐不会产生在洗发时想要的浓稠、丰富的泡沫。这可能需要一些时间来适应，因为头发不会感到干燥，一些用户可能会将这种感觉与清洁联系起来。头发会很干净，但会更柔软、更柔滑。

SLS是一种强力的表面活性剂。表面活性剂这个术语实际上是表面活性剂的缩写形式——一种化学试剂，它能降低液体的表面张力，使液体更有效地扩散。它基本上通过表面张力稳定油和水的混合物。

含有硫酸盐的洗发水，甚至不含硫酸盐的洗发水，都备受争议。有报道称硫酸盐是危险的。也有人声称，不含硫酸盐的洗发水和护发素只是用额外的成分和其他潜在危险的化学物质来代替缺失的硫酸盐。消费者有责任检查任何无硫酸盐产品的标签，并寻找天然成分。

WHAT DO SULFATES DO TO YOUR HAIR?

Well, because sulfates are a harsh chemical compound they make your hair strands swell up, and cause the outer cuticle layer to open. Once this happens, natural moisturizers leach out. This is an issue for everyone, but can be especially problematic for people with dehydrated hair (like those with naturally curly texture, color-treated or chemically-processed hair.)

But that’s not all. Sulfates cause hair color to fade. When the cuticle layer is lifted due to swelling, color molecules leach out just like natural moisturizers. In fact, according to Dr. Joe, “Eighty percent of color fade happens because of wash-out from sulfate-based shampoos that contain ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate.”