The One Product Dermatologists Say You Should STOP Using Because It Makes Your Hair Weaker & Fall Out
October 1, 2019 by Jayla Andrulonis
You probably read the labels on food products to know what you’re putting into your body, but what about what you’re putting on your scalp? Giving your shampoo and conditioner a once over may leave you scratching your head wondering what exactly half the ingredients even are and what it is they even do. But if you spot sulfates included on the list of your sudsy faves, it’s time to make the switch for the sake of your hair’s health.
Sulfates not only tend to cause irritation of both the skin and eyes, but when added to hair products, they can end up doing more harm than good while you cleanse and condition. Sulfates and sodium lauryl sulfate are the added ingredients that create a sudsy lather when you’re washing your hair, but more often than not, they’re stripping hair of its necessary oils which then causes damage, breakage, and thinning. In other words, the lather is not worth the damaging effects sulfates can have on your hair longterm. Luckily, there are plenty of sulfate-free alternatives out there to keep your hair strong, shiny, and clean.
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“It is possible to get hair clean without sulfates,” Eric Schweiger, M.D., founder of Schweiger Dermatology Group, told SELF. “With the lather from a sulfate, you don’t have to work as hard to cleanse your scalp. With a product that does not contain sulfates, you will need to do more of a rigorous massage on the scalp in order to get it clean.”