Have you ever had a rash or an irritation? Do you feel like your skin doesn’t like the way you treat it? The cosmetics you use seem all made from poison? I know how you feel and you’re not the only one who goes through this but you’re one of the people who will find a solution to those problems in this article. Almost everyone in this world has had skin, scalp or hair problems because of what they used to clean their bodies or to make themselves more appealing.
Today, here and now, I’ll tell you how to protect yourself from one of the chemicals present even in your body as you read this. You want to take care of yourself and you don’t know why you have to opt for medical treatment every once in a a while because your skin is too dry that it started hurting or your scalp is ichy and you have dandruff?
Almost all the time you, me and many other people are struggling with the products we use, especially when it comes to cosmetics. Most of the cosmetics companies use substances which damage our body as ingredients in their products for hair and scalp. No one wants to get an irritation or some kind of infection and to spend thousands of dollars on medical treatment, if we didn’t already.
When you read the list of ingredients used to make that shampoo you love, the laundry detergent that cleans so well or the new soap you just bought, you can see for sure the term “sulphate” among other substances.
Most of the products in the beauty industry are made with sulphate, apparently we can find it even in the water we drink. The sulphate is a really aggressive detergent. It is found under the form of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Laureth Ether Sulfate (SLES) most oftenly as one of the many ingredients in our beauty products.
Different variations of sulphate are used in the industry. Sulphate can be found in:
- Gypsum (made from calcium sulphate) – is used to produce plaster; over 100 milion tonnes are used in the construction industry every year.
- Sulphate is used for making medicine which treats intestinal ulcerus;
- Iron (II) sulfate – is used in the medical industry for making supplements for soil, plants, animals and even humans.
- Magnesium sulphate (also known as epsom salt) is used for baths, especially therapeutic baths.
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate – it is highly used in the production of most cosmetics on the market.
- Polyhalite – is a derivation of sulphate and other substances and it is used in the agriculture industry as a fertilizer.
- Copper sulphate – is used for galvanic cells and electrolyte.
- Sulphate variations are also used as an ingredient for cleaning products like laundry detergents, dish soap and other house cleaners.
- Sulphate is also used to reduce algal growth by different organizations.
What effect does sulphate have on the environment?
It can give water a bad, medical taste when in concentration bigger than 250mg/l. Human activities such as combustion of fossil oils, soil, decaying plants or animals might release sulphate in the water. It also causes buid ups on pumps, think about what it can cause to your body. It can cause dehydration and diarrhea. In big concentration it is also dangerous for young animals and it can cause death. But fortunately there are a few ways through which you can eliminate the sulphate in your water (reverse osmosis, distillation and ion exchange. But what about our cosmetics? What should we do in their case?
What is the sulphate actually doing?
You see, the sulphate attracts the oil and dirt from your hair (when it’s used in hair products) or the surfaces cleaned and it turns them into a solution by decomposing. Sulphate is responsible for all those bubbles the shampoos and soap make, those bubbles we all like, which we consider responsible for how clean we are. Don’t judge the effect of a body or hair cleaning product by the amout of foam or bubbles it makes when you use it because a product can be really efficient without making any bubbles.
Is sulphate good for hair?
The sulphate in shampoo and everything else doesn’t just clean the oil and dirt but it also cleans the body biome which is responsible for our protection against all kind of infections and parasites. The biome of our body is like an ecosystem and it’s damaged by products containing sulphate. Our scalp and hair are mostly damaged because we use a lot of products to keep them clean and healthy. If your hair is dyed I highly recommend not using shampoo with sulphate because your color will strip. A good replacer of the sulphate is cocobetaines which is gentle with your scalp and hair, besides that, it’s derived from coconut oil. Cocobetaines is found in organic products but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to read what they’re made from. Sulphate can also make your hair lose it’s natural beauty. That’s one more reason for which you should start using a sulphate free shampoo than spending money on 10 different products for your hair.
Is sulphate good for your body?
Now we know that the sulphate isn’t good for our scalp and hair, but what about our bodies?
You see, when sulphate touches your skin it can damage as much as it damages your scalp or even more, it varies from one person to another.
The skin reaction to sulphate can go from an irritations or itchiness to a pretty ugly allergy.
So why are so many companies using it if it’s so bad? When sulphate is used in low concentrations and during a short period of time is safe but it can be found in your favourite shampoo in concentration of 15%.
These being said we reached to the obvious conclusion that sulphate free is better for hair and body. But from where can we purchase them without being scammed by the big cosmetic companies who rule the beauty and care products industry?
Sulphate and sulphate-free products on the market
Almost 90% of the beauty products on the market have sulphate or other dangerous detergents as an ingredient so what can you do if you want to avoid these substances?
There are products on the market which don’t contain sulphate. But don’t be tricked by the organic products because they’re organic. There is sulphate in organic products too, not in all of them though. A product can be natural or organic but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have an irritation or inflammation, each of our bodies are different and we are susceptible to different affections, some of us had more sensitive skin or scalp than others and we have to he careful with what we use. The thing with the natural products is that their ingredients come from ethic sources and were procured without cruelty. There are sites which actually make sulphate free organic products and most of them ship their products all over the world. Here you can find some of the best certified organic cosmetics.
One of these sites is “100 % pure” which has the best sulphate free cosmetics and body care products so you might as well check them out. They have the ingredients of each product listed in the product’s description and the will ship your order for free if it values more than £35. Here’s the link if you want to check their site: https://www.beyondorganicskincare.com/
It’s better to spend a few more dollars on something you can trust with your skin and hair than to spend money on medical treatment for not checking the list of ingredients, especially if you have a sensitive skin. The thing is that sulphate free products won’t make so much bubbles and foam but keep in mind that those bubbles and foam aren’t the key to good, safe body and hair cleaning.
