Ingredients

Sulphates to avoid include:

Sodium Lauryl/Laureth/Myreth Sulphate

Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulphonate

TEA Lauryl Sulphate, TEA Dodecylbenzenesulphonate

Ammonium/Sodium Xylenesulphonate

Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulphate

Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate

The following are gentle surfactants and are recommended instead of sulphates:

Cocamidopropyl Betaine

Coco Betaine

Cocoamphoacetate

Cocoamphodipropionate

Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate or Cocoamphodipropionate

Lauroamphoacetate

Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate 

Silicones that cause build-up

Anything ending in -cone, -conol, -col or -xane should be avoided. In particular the following which are not soluble in water and will build up, needed a sulphate shampoo to remove:

Dimethicone

Dimethiconol

Stearyl/Cetyl Dimethicone

Cetearyl Methicone

Amodimethicone

Cyclomethicone/Cyclopentasiloxane

Trimethylsilylamodimethicone

(the last three repel further deposits and therefore won't build-up but are still not water-soluble)

The only exception to this is when any of the above are prefixed with PEG- or PPG- which means they have been adapted and are water-soluble.

Water-soluble (good) silicones:

Dimethicone Copolyol

Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane

Lauryl Methicone Copolyo

Curl Basics

If you have anything other than naturally poker straight hair, the chances are you've had problems getting it to look the way you want. Despite over 65% of woman having naturally curly hair, many of them are unsure about how to manage it in it's natural state. Instead, we spend thousands on products which promise to 'straighten' it, and heat it with stylers in an attempt to get it to look smooth.

Popular Hair Products

Sadly, a large percentage of the hair products we buy contain harsh chemicals which dry out our curls, and the added heat of straighteners and stylers only adds to the dryness. Causing more frizz, so more products, more heat...a viscious circle.

Sulphates are a group of chemicals present in 95% of shampoos on the UK High Street. They are a type of detergent or 'surfactant' and are very effective at breaking up grease and dirt in your hair. However, they can also strip your hair of it's natural oils and dry out your scalp. They can irritate those with sensitive skin and can cause dandruff and other scalp conditions. 

Curly hair is drier than straight hair so sulphate shampoos make curly hair even drier and are therefore more noticeably damaging. It can become brittle and break or won't grow past a certain length.

To combat this dryness we use an array of conditioners, moisturisers, oils and serums. Most High Street conditioners contain Silicones. These coat the hair strands and make them feel soft, shiny and frizz-free. Great! In the short term. However, most silicones are quite difficult to remove and need a strong surfactant to break them down.

A silicone-based conditioner will make your hair look lovely for a day or two, but if you don't wash it out the silicones will build up which will weigh your hair down and make it dull. It will also stop moisture getting into the hair itself. The smooth, glossy feeling doesn't come from the hair itself but from the artificial silicone coating.

To wash out the silicones completely you will need a surfactant ie.a sulphate shampoo...and so the cycle continues.

To Break the Cycle

In order to encourage our hair back to it's natural, healthy state we must break this cycle. To do this we must:

• Use a natural, sulphate-free shampoo. Common harsh sulphates include Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate, Ammonium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate. See our ingredients page for more info.
• Moisturise using a silicone-free conditioner. Silicones ending in -cone -conol -col or -xane are impossible to remove without a sulphate shampoo and should be avoided. However some are water-soluble and therefore removable with a gentle shampoo or just water. See our ingredients page for more info.
• Add back moisture to damaged hair with a Leave-in conditioner or oil.
• Stop using heat stylers and brushes. The less you touch your curls the more natural they will become. Brushing breaks the curl formations and creates frizz.