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Are
cheap shampoos bad for hair?
Cheap shampoos are usually formulated using industrial detergents.
Sodium Lauryl sulfate or sometimes ammonium laurel sulfate are most
frequently used and they are quite a harsh detergents. These industrial
detergents are cheap to make and so many shampoos use these as the
key cleaning ingredient. There is a move towards using milder sodium
laureth sulfate in shampoos but even this is fairly a powerful detergent.
Although these detergents are quite harsh on hair, most people can
use them without any real problems. Hair is tough stuff and can
withstand harsh detergents. However, people with dry or weak hair
may find that a milder shampoo is more appropriate for them.
What usually makes a shampoo expensive are additives, especially
expensive herbal oils. Herbal shampoos do not do any better at cleaning
the hair than chemical detergent shampoos. Herbals can encourage
dermatitis in some people prone to allergies whereas mineral/petrolatum
based shampoos are generally less allergenic. If you really want
to go the "natural" route, jojoba oil based shampoos are
the least allergenic.
What
are harsh detergent shampoos?
Sodium or ammonium lauryl sulfates are very harsh detergents. They
are cheap to make and generally do a good cleaning job so they are
very common ingredients. They are in many shampoos but may not be
appropriate unless you have normal to oily hair or only wash your
hair occasionally. Laureth sulfate is a milder detergent, less irritating,
and leaves hair more shiny (relatively more expensive to manufacture
too). It is still a bit vicious for some - particularly people with
very curly hair where the natural oils do not spread evenly over
the hair fiber.
What
are more appropriate shampoos?
Triethanolamine (TEA) salts of alkyl sulfates are much more mild
in their detergent action. You might also find shampoos with monoethanolamine
(MEA) that are also similarly mild. Shampoos with TEA or MEA salts
may be more appropriate for people with damaged or dry hair. So
depending on your hair oiliness find a shampoo with the right intensity
of detergent. It should say TEA or MEA in the list of ingredients.
What
are the mildest detergent shampoos?
Shampoos may include "nonionic surfactants" and/or "amphoteric
surfactants" These are the very mildest forms of cleaning agents.
Nonionics include; sorbitol esters, anything with "tween"
in the name (tween-20, tween-80, etc.), or polyglyceryl ether. Amphoterics
include; betaines, alkyl imidazoline, and alkyl amino acids. These
types of cleaning agents are most frequently found in baby shampoos.
Their cleansing action is very mild and this may be suitable for
people who have a very low level of oil production from their sebaceous
glands or whose hair is not generally exposed to dirty environments.
However, for most people with normal hair and normal oil production
levels these detergents may not be strong enough to do a complete
cleaning job. Individuals may need to experiment to find the best
shampoo for them.
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