Easy guide to understanding and identifying the most common ingredients in your hair products
At some point, we have all been told to invest in a sulphate or sulphate free shampoo or silicone-free conditioners but apart from the front of the product packaging clearly stating “Sulphate free”, do you know how to identify these by just reading through an ingredient label? If not, I have compiled a simplified list of identification tips JUST FOR YOU!
Sulphates – these are chemicals used to thoroughly cleanse or clarify your hair. There are two main types of sulphates found in shampoo’s namely sodium lauryl sulphate and sodium Laureth sulphate, they create the lathering/soapy effect we obtain when applying and massaging shampoo into our scalp. Other ways of identifying them are that they commonly end with ‘ate’ or Cocamidopropyl betaine and coco betaine.
Silicones – these form a coating around your hair strand. This coating is waterproof so it blocks moisture from penetrating your strands while making it appear hydrated but resulting in frizz. These usually end with ‘conol’, ‘cone’, ‘ol’, ‘xane’. While silicones with the ‘PEG/PPG’ abbreviation in front of it are water-soluble and will not build up on your hair.
Proteins – these restore the overall strength and stricture of your hair strands by filling in the gaps in the cuticle layer of your hair. Due to a more intact cuticle layer, people with low to medium porosity hair generally require way less protein than someone with high porosity hair. They can be identified by items with the ‘hydrolyzed’ pre-fix, keratin, amino acids and anything listed as protein.
Parabens – these are used as preservatives and prevent the occurrence of bacteria and mould in hair. They can be identified by the ingredients ending in “paraben and sodium salts.
Alcohols – keeping hair hydrated and healthy they contribute to the glide and gloss of your hair shaft encouraging softness and smoothing down the cuticle layer of your hair. They can be identified as cetyl, stearyl, ceteary, myristyl, behenyl and lauryl.
Now, remember, depending on your journey, preference #CGM or allergies, some of these may be more than or less than relevant to you. Whatever your reason, we’d like to hear how you identify your product ingredients in the comment section below.
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