I cant use sulfate free shampoos!?!

stina84

Hey Ladies! I havent been on here in FOREVER! But I need some advice for those of you who still shampoo (daily).

I have tried numerous "Sulfate Free" Shampoo...Natural, Not so Natural, Expensive and Cheap...Every single type makes my hair feel BEYOND stripped and completely knotted and well...Frightening. My hair does not respond well to co washing. It feels healthy but weights my ringlets down to almost straight.

Does anyone have any advice to what shampoo I should look for and give a try...or maybe someone having the same problems with "sulfate free" Shampoos like I do and maybe an explanation to why!?! Soooo Frustrating. I really dont want to order my shampoos online. So Please...something local.

Help a Fellow Curly Out!

xoxox

susirene

I use (and love) Giovanni's TTTT shampoo - I cannot cannot cannot get away with shampooing any less than every other day, and even that is pushing it. It's available at my local Target. I will say I have tried a TON of other sulfate-free shampoos, and I felt like most of them made my hair feel gross (example: my hair HATED Organix, Burt's Bees, and all the L'Oreal sulfate free stuff.)

One question - what are you using for a conditioner? Are you sure it's the shampoo causing the problem?

Lucky Charm

stina84 wrote: »

Hey Ladies! I havent been on here in FOREVER! But I need some advice for those of you who still shampoo (daily).

I have tried numerous "Sulfate Free" Shampoo...Natural, Not so Natural, Expensive and Cheap...Every single type makes my hair feel BEYOND stripped and completely knotted and well...Frightening. My hair does not respond well to co washing. It feels healthy but weights my ringlets down to almost straight.

Does anyone have any advice to what shampoo I should look for and give a try...or maybe someone having the same problems with "sulfate free" Shampoos like I do and maybe an explanation to why!?! Soooo Frustrating. I really dont want to order my shampoos online. So Please...something local.

Help a Fellow Curly Out!

xoxox

Oh my goodness yes. I had an awful time finding a low poo. Some low poos are more drying than a sulfate poo, I've found. I eventually realized that protein in any lowpoo is just too much for my hair to handle. Lots of trial and error, but I eventually found Mop c hydrating poo and Deva lowpoo to be perfect. I'm in my phone so I can't see If you list your hairs properties or not, but take a look at your ingredients and see if protein might be your problem.


Sent from my iPhone using CurlTalk

stina84

I havent checked to see if Protein is the Problem, but Ill Look.

Ive used all different kinds of conditioners...everything from spray leave ons, to suave, to desert essence coconut, to that really heavy protein one.

I also have hard water, so I need to be careful with certain conditioners.

I tried the GTTT, and It made my scalp BUUUUURN! I dont know if it was the menthal or the tea tree but I need to stay away from that...I do however LOVE Giovanni Balanced Conditioner...that was a god send to me!

Corrina777

Have you tried the Giovanni 50/50? I found it to be a little more moisturizing than the TTT. I have to alternate between co-washing and low-pooing, but when I do co-wash I have to use a super light conditioner (Tresemme Naturals Radiant Volume or KCKT). Most of the time I use a cleansing conditioner instead.

SegB

I had the SAME problem as you! I love Giovanni 50:50, Queen Helene Royal Curl, and Alba Botanicals...Good luck!

By the way, it took me FOREVER to find something that worked!

curlyserf

I like the Hugo Naturals shampoo (Whole Foods and online). My next try will probably be the Renpure in the red bottle. Many people love it. I've also heard good things about the Shea Moisture shampoos. The moisture retention one was too heavy for me, but I hear the hibiscus one is good, too.

Some people mix a sulfate poo with conditioner to make it less harsh. Others dilute a sulfate poo to wash. You might try one of those methods.

stina84

Im gonna look into these that you all have suggested...

Now what about products? Does anyone have suggestions for that as well? I really dont like to fuss with my hair much...but I am more intersted in trying to figure out what kind of shampoo and conditioner I should be using!

UUUUGH THIS IS SOOOOO FRUSTRATING! Especially because 95% or this website avoid shampoos like the plague! LOL

Cubanwavy

I've been shampooing with VO5 Clarifying shampoo every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks now, and condition with VO5 Moisture Milk, Strawberry. My hair looks better than ever. It has more wave and curl than it has had, but I am in a more humid climate, in Louisiana so that may be a factor.

IAgirl

I agree with you, most of the sulfate-free shampoos leave that "squeaky clean" feeling - tangly, maybe stripped and knotted - to me it feels sticky or tacky.
I have a partial explanation because i make my own shampoo thanks to my itchy husband (and you have one of those now too, if I'm not mistaken - maybe not itchy, though)
It is difficult to thicken the non-sulfate detergents and get a nice-looking, nice-feeling, shelf-stable product. So very often, they use a high concentration of detergent for the right syrupy texture. I use about 6% detergent in my shampoo, most formulas have something like 50% or more. Even "mild" detergents are harsh when they're used in higher concentrations.
Any detergent leaves something on your hair. The "mild" ones tend to leave that tacky feeling. Sulfate detergents usually feel kind of slimy. If you wash your hands with the sulfate-free shampoos that give you the tangly, dry feeling, you'll notice it on your skin too. There's just something about them...

I dilute commercial shampoos. That usually helps. I dilute them a lot - just enough to get some bubbles and have clean-feeling hair.

Unicyclist has posted her pretty wavy curls on the general boars and she uses Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser - which is kind of like a shampoo/conditioner cleanser - it has SLS (not too much), but also has creamy stuff to offset it: Water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. I've seen mixed reviews of it for sensitive skin. http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/general-discussion-about-curly-hair/139461-my-hair-looks-awesome.html
HTH!

stina84

AWWWW!!! IAGIRL I cant believe you remembered!!!! Yes weve been married since may 13th!!! Married life is...EXACTLY THE SAME, But thankfully I get my way more! hahahahaha!

So What shampoos do you use? Since I have such a bad result from the "sulfate free" shampoos, should I stay away from them and use traditional shampoos that dont have Dimethicone in it and just water it down? Can I put some in a bottle with water and use it until its empty? Whats all this talk about Baking Soda and ACV? Does any of this stuff you told me about just now make a difference because I have hard water? Can I use Clearly Natural Glycerin Soap Bar for my hair? Cuz that stuff does wonders for my skin...

Oh gosh I have soooooooooo many questions! I guess this teaches me not to soley stalk this website and ask questions here and there lol!!!

Jas76

I use either Shea Moisture or Organix Shea, both dont seem to leave me feeling stripped. But I also don't poo every day.

I sometimes use the CWC method - put conditioner in your hair, then wash, then condition again. That helps with the stripping factor. Or you can try pre-pooing with coconut oil.

csj

I wash daily with a sulfate shampoo. I too hated the feel of my hair with sulfate free and cowashing was not the answer for my hair either.

I use Lush shampoo and shampoo bars, in particular Cythina Sylvia Stout and Godiva. I find they are very gentle on my hair since I can use a small amount.

I rotate them with Aveda shampoos like Shampure and Clove.

I find my hair does best with ALES or ALS, but I can use SLES too.

Cheetara

Your wedding picture is beautiful! You look great.

I use regular sulfate shampoo a lot of the time. I'm not CG and I really don't care.

Otherwise I use Philosophy low poo. It's expensive but it's very rich and a little goes a long way. Sephora: Philosophy Falling In Love Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel: Bath & Shower Gel There are tons of scents you can choose from.

If I lived in south Florida like you, I think I would probably use Ecostyler Argan Oil and BRHG. I might use a curl cream or leave in under that but it might not be necessary. I'm sure your weather is quite warm and humid most of the year.

stina84

Thanks Ladies! I really appreciate the suggestions.

I LOOOOVE AVEDA EVERYTHING...I forgot about them. Im gonna go to their website RIGHT NOW and have a looksie! lol...

Isnt Aragon Oil really heavy?

Ive heard of these Lush Shampoo Bars but ive been told to STAY AWAY with my hard water! booooo...

IAgirl

Cool wedding pic! You look so pretty in every way.
I'm not sure about glycerin soap in the hair - might need vinegar or citric acid to cut the soap scum.

Why not use a "sulfate" shampoo? So easy to find. I like to dilute them or I get frizzy hair - some people have said that gives them bad results - YMMV. Always either dilute when you use it, or if you're going to dilute and leave it out for a while, dilute with distilled water which has been boiled and cooled. You still might get mold growth unless you use the shampoo within a week or 2.

If I'm not mistaken, the Lush shampoo bars are not "soap" they're "syndet" (abbreviation for synthetic detergent) bars - compressed powder/flake detergents. As such, they need to be concentrated, but then you can always suds up in your hands before applying to your hair.

I've been trying baking soda and citric acid (not fond of the vinegar). I put 1 teaspoon BS per cup warm water and "shampoo" with that. Here are my thoughts - it's a bit like making a super-mild "soap" in your hair. My hair tends to come out clean enough (but the BS does not remove most of the natural oils - so if I wanted cleaner hair, I need shampoo) and it actually dries (without product) curlier than with shampoo because it's not over-clean.
But after several tries, it didn't feel as nice as the first time around and my scalp itched - so I needed some shampoo. It's good once in a while.

Use whatever works, whatever doesn't make your hair look frazzled or limp, doesn't itch or smell nasty, is in your price range, etc.

Oh yeah, hard water - that makes some shampoos foam less. You can get minerals building up on your hair (more so with soap than shampoo), but only some people have a problem with that. Some of us prefer hard water.

stina84

Funny you say that "some of us prefer hard water"...I DO! When my Hubby (still makes me giggle saying that) go to visit our home town, his mom has Soft water and...well...lets just say no one believes me my hair is really curly!

Ok, so im gonna try and dilute my shampoo and report back tonight...

Also, Ive been having a really itchy/burning feeling scalp along with flakes which ive NEVER had before! What could be causing that? I just noticed the suave that I tried using has dimethicone in it all the way at the bottom of it...sneaky lil *******s.
What could be making my head itch like this?

IAgirl

Suave makes my scalp itch because of (probably) the preservative(s). Dimethicone is usually pretty non-reactive.

Mountaincurl

I got the Hugo Naturals low poo at my grocery store for 9.99. It's good and doesn't make me itch but I have to use, like, a palmful of it (and I don't have a ton of hair). Same with the conditioner.

I really like the Organix shampoos but I can't use them every time because I tend to feel stripped out if I do. My fave is the coconut milk shampoo. It cleans well and has a kick of protein. But any of them are good, really.

I've also had decent luck with the Yes to Cucumbers low poo.

csj

The Lush shampoo bars are soap free. They are SLS, they just don't contain water thus a solid form. I have hard water too and they work just fine. No build up, in fact, I use them often to clarify.

stina84

Thanks CSJ! I really appreciate that! Ive been dying to check them out! )

Thanks for all the suggestions and info!

xoxox

Curlsanew

I tried several no/low poo shampoos and they left my hair compacted and tangled. Then came Queen Helene Royal Curl Shampoo and it was a hit. I'm on my 2nd bottle and that's saying something. My scalp feels cleans, it doesn't strip or tangle my hair. It almost feels like using a conditioner. From what I can tell, the surfactants are gentle.

Some of the strike outs were: Deva Curl Low Poo, KK Come Clean (hiss), Shea Moisture Moisture Rention.

stina84

My new questions is...

What ingredients make it "no sulphate" because I bought Paul Mitchell which has SLS in it, but it makes my hair feel like im using a "no sulphate" shampoo. Not as bad as Burts bees, but it gives it that weird feeling and it is BEYOND squeaky clean! What gives...

Water (Aqua) , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Sodium Chloride , Cocamide MEA , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose , Bisamino PEG , PPG-41 , 3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone , Algae Extract , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Anthemis Nobilis Extract , Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract , Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Extract , Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract , PEG-12 Dimethicone , Panthenol , Bisamino PEG , PPG-41 , 3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone , Hedychium Coronarium (White Ginger) Extract , PEG-12 Dimethicone , Citric Acid , Tetrasodium EDTA , Polyquaternium-44 , DMDM Hydantoin , Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate , Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil (Wheat) , Fragrance (Parfum) , Benzyl Benzoate.



OMG Curlsanew!!! I hiss at KK come clean!!! It was actually the second WORST shampoo ive ever used!!!!! #1 WAS BURTS BEES! I thought I was gonna have to shave my head after that wash!!! Im still searching for Queen Helene Shampoo..but I did find the Curl Gel which I LOVE!!! it kinda feels like im drying my hair out while im putting it in, but my hair is so shiny and bouncy!


and BTW...diluting my shampoo works so so... its better than full strength but, there is some ingredient in that paul mitchell that is doing it.

IAgirl

stina84 wrote: »

]
Water (Aqua) , Sodium Laureth Sulfate , Sodium Chloride , Cocamide MEA , Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose , Bisamino PEG , PPG-41 , 3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone , Algae Extract , Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract , Anthemis Nobilis Extract , Lawsonia Inermis (Henna) Extract , Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Extract , Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract , PEG-12 Dimethicone , Panthenol , Bisamino PEG , PPG-41 , 3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone , Hedychium Coronarium (White Ginger) Extract , PEG-12 Dimethicone , Citric Acid , Tetrasodium EDTA , Polyquaternium-44 , DMDM Hydantoin , Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate , Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil (Wheat) , Fragrance (Parfum) , Benzyl Benzoate.

I'm guessing the SLS, the Cocamide MEA + Cocoamidopropyl betaine - all surfactants, plus the sodium chloride (like table salt) they're using to thicken the mixture. All those PG/PEG dimethicones sometimes feel weird too.

stina84

So then what the HECK am I supposed to use! Im getting so frustrated!!!!!!

I think its that Coco one that might be doing it, cuz thats in the Desert Essence. But I feel like the ones that have SLS in it has Dimethicone that i feel like weighs my hair down! UUUUGH!!!!

What do you SLS girls use!?!?!

SegB

When I use a sulfate shampoo I really like Redken Real Control or Fresh Curls.

IAgirl

Have you tried oil shampooing? That's where you add a little bit of oil (amount depends on trial and error) to some "sulfate shampoo" to keep the detergent busy. It makes the hair soft because a little oil remains.

If you can find it, you might like Johnsons& Johnsons Natural Baby shampoo which is decyl glucoside, a mild detergent when not highly concentrated. That detergent can leave a squeaky clean feeling, but it's not drying, it's just the nature of the detergent and I think, given the order the ingredients are listed, that is is not super-concentrated.

Have you looked at the Renpure shampoos?

stina84

Im afraid to use the oil because my curls are so damn weak...and i dont like using lots of products. but ill give it a shot with coconut oil maybe.

Ive seen the J&J Natural Shampoo, but stayed away from it because Ive used the other J&J and It did nothing for my hair...not terrible but def not good either. I used Renpure in the past, and I think the reason why I stopped using it was because it made my hair REAAAAALLY soft. but ill give it another shot...which one do u reccomend?

Redken Ive never used because I always thought it was for men...lol...dont want girls sniffin my hair like the axe commercials hahahahaha...does it have alot of silicones (I need some since i live in a tropical paradise)

SegB

They have multiple lines for women. I don't think the shampoos have any cones, but their formulations are wonderful and are my go to when I need a sulfate shampoo. My hair feels conditioned just with the shampoo...And soft. If you are looking for cones too, I think the Redken Clear Moisture has cones, and is supposed to be light moisture so not to weigh the hair down.

jakrussel3

I use a low-poo and only use it on my scalp. I put some on my fingertips and basically scrub and massage my scalp and rinse. I do not put the shampoo on my hair. Then I use DevaCare One Condition on my hair and rinse. My hair feels pretty good! I haven't used shampoo on my hair in 2 years. The only time it gets shampoo'd is when I get it cut and it always feels dry afterwards. :sad:

stina84

Ok I am having a serious problem now!!!

Ever since I started using the Suave then Desert Essence then Paul Mitchell... Ive had the itchiest and flakiest scalp EVER!!!!! and now its gotten worse, my whole face and back and scalp have bumps and pimples!!! and The thing they have in common is that cocamidopropyl betaine...can I possibly be allergic to that? And the biggest problem is I really havent found a Conditioner that doesnt weigh or grease up my hair to avoid that...and EVERYTHING has that cocamidopropyl betaine in it!!! WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO!!!