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Tina’s turmoil: I have been along time reader of another blog called Killer Strands and the writer (Dakota Ellis/Killer Chemist) is a hair colourist and a cosmetic chemist who has tested sulphate shampoos and proved it does fade color and may cause premature hair loss. She mentions it’s very caustic when smelled and may cause you to to faint when opening a jar of SLS !

The Left Brain’s reply:

Sulfate shampoos do cause fading however, they do not cause more fading than other types of shampoos. I can say that because I specifically evaluated all types of shampoos in unpublished research. But until that is published, it’s just hearsay. If you really wanted to prove it to yourself, use 2 different shampoos on each side of your head the next time you get your color done. One should be a sulfate based shampoo and the other should be non-sulfate based. After 5-10 washes you will not likely see any color difference between the two.

The idea that sulfates make your hair fall out is just not true. No cosmetic chemist has ever proven this. Furthermore, while they are powerful degreasers and can dry out hair and skin, they are not caustic. And the notion that you will faint just by smelling a sulfate detergent is ridiculous. Sulfates have a weak, bland odor (it’s true that inhaling concentrated SLS can irritate your nasal passages but that will not make you faint.)

We have been in the cosmetic and personal care industry for many years and have not come across any published scientific study to show that sulfates are the worst thing for your hair color or would make your hair fall out. I suspect if you asked the Killer Strands folks for their data they won’t have any. And without the data, it’s just an unvalidated opinion.

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