This post has been updated since it was originally published to include more expert insight.
As we age, thinning hair becomes inevitable, although this can be solved through doctor-approved products, a well-balanced diet and avoiding common habits like tight hairstyles, sleeping with wet hair and of course, skipping products with sodium lauryl sulfate (often abbreviated as SLS).
We checked in with hair stylists and experts to learn more about conditioners with sulfate as a main ingredient, other ‘toxic’ ones to look out for, and why women with thinning hair often reach for them. We also asked about the major drawbacks they can have on already fine or flat hair.
Read on for tips and suggestions from Lauren Udoh, professional hair stylist and Hair Creative Director of WigReports, Jean Will, hair expert and co-founder of NiaWigs Inc., Shandi Nichelle, professional hair stylist and founder and CEO of Freewell, and Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles.
1. Sulfates
Having already thin, fine and delicate hair and adding harsh sulfate-based products can exacerbate or worsen hair loss, Udoh explains.
“This harsh detergent, sodium lauryl sulfate [SLS] is a common ingredient in shampoos and conditioners and is known to strip away natural oils, leaving hair feeling dry, brittle, and damaged,” she says. This ingredient in conditioners can “also cause scalp irritation and hair loss.”
Will agrees, and adds that sulfates “are one of the most detrimental” ingredients that may be found in popular conditioners. “Surfactants such as sulfates are used to remove debris and excess oil from the scalp,” she reiterates.
“They can make your hair frizzy and trigger an allergic response to your scalp. Furthermore, when used for lengthy periods of time, they can cause hormone disruption,” she adds.
2. Silicones
As a stylist who works with hair of all types, Nichelle says that she thinks the other two worst conditioner ingredients for flat hair are silicones and alcohol. "Unfortunately, a lot of conditioners will have one of those ingredients as their first ingredient," she explains.
"Neither ingredient provides any benefit to your hair, except a temporary sensation," she continues. While silicones can give your hair an immediate feeling of softness, over time, Nichelle stresses, "silicones build up on your hair, weighing any type down, but especially fine hair."
3. Alcohol
When it comes to alcohol as a '"toxic" ingredient for fine, thinning and flat hair, Nichelle notes that this is often found in conditioners that advertise volume. "Volume conditioners often contain alcohol to help control or offset the heavier ingredients in a conditioner," she explains.
Still, she notes that the cons outweigh the pros here.
"The short-term result may be more volume in your fine hair, but the alcohol dries and damages hair in the long term." She also points out that alcohol "cancels out the benefits of other ingredients in your conditioner."
4. Fragrances
A fragrance is another ingredient found in hair products like conditioner that can heavily irritate your scalp, Abdullah notes. "Fragrance is often not one ingredient, but a compendium of ingredients in low concentrations that the manufacturer doesn't want to list directly on the ingredients," she warns.
"Because there is very little government oversight with personal care products, 'fragrance' can be anything," she adds. "Fragrance doesn't cause dandruff per se, as it causes a wide range of allergies and dandruff can be one of them," she says, and an irritated scalp can lead to hair loss.
"With repeated use of hair products that contain fragrance, dandruff as an allergic reaction can worsen," Abdullah points out. Overproduction of oil can also be an allergic reaction, as can scalp acne.
"Allergic reactions are the reason we now have so many fragrance-free products on the market," she adds, making products with this as an ingredient best to avoid for your scalp health, and if promoting hair growth is your goal.
Product Ingredients To Look For Instead
Udoh and Will stress to avoid conditioners with sulfates listed in their ingredient sections If you have flat, thin or fine hair.
“Look for conditioners that don't contain this ingredient to help keep your locks healthy and looking their best,” Udoh says. “I recommend using a conditioner that contains natural ingredients such as coconut oil or jojoba oil, which will help to nourish and revitalize your hair.”
“You have to read the labels of your hair care products,” Nichelle agrees, explaining that the first three ingredients on the bottle are key. “Ingredients are listed by the amount used,” she says, as “the higher on the list, the more of the ingredient in the product.”
Nichelle recommends using “clean brands or products labeled sulfate, paraben and silicone-free,” and two of her favorite ingredients for all hair (and especially for thin or fine hair) are “castor oil and apple cider vinegar.”
