You can't stop it. Sodium Laureth Sulfate has been blackballed by the hair care community. Behind the scenes of the hair care market you have ingredient manufacturers all competing to be the most sulfate free; the most organic; the most green; the most anything that is going to keep them ahead of the competition.
Let me give a little insight into the hair care business via two different types of clients. Pure Wholesale makes hair care and skin care products for private label customers (other businesses that will place their logo on our products - a very common practice as not everyone is going to be a manufacturer of personal care products). The other client we work with is the end consumer. The conversations with these two clients are usually very different when considering their core basic needs.
The private label client (who owns the salon or retail web site) is continually wanting all products to be more natural. We applaud this, of course. Because of the deep beliefs of many of these clients, the personal care market will get more organic and safer as time goes along. We know this because the marketing will bear this out. End consumers will be asking for more natural products because of the marketing and further awareness. All this is a good thing.
The end consumer, however, usually has a problem that needs to be solved - now. Herein lies the difference between the two clients. Our experience tells us that the consumer will forego issues such as natural, organic and green and focus instead on whether or not the product in question can actually help them with the problem that is before them. How does this pertain to Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)? First, the witch hunt has been on for SLES for awhile - from extreme irritant to cancer causing - it has been vilified on the internet. So should you use it in a shampoo system? We think yes....and no.
Sulfate-Free Shampoos will (one day) dominate the conscience of the market and you should have them for your clients. But remember that the sulfates are popular for a couple of reasons. The first is that they are cost effective. Depending on your market, you may or may not be able to have a price point that will support the higher cost of a completely sulfate-free product line. The second is that they work well. They are extremely effective cleansers. They are also harsh if they are used in a very high percentage. This is why you'll see "secondary surfactacts" like Cocamidopropyl Betaine and Lactylates, etc. There are many types of secondary surfactants to choose from. They help to reduce the harshness of the primary surfactant that are the sulfates. We have seen systems where there is actually a higher percentage of secondary surfactants than there are sulfates. These systems are pretty mild yet they still retain the effective cleansing ability of the Sulfate. It's a judgement call, but it is one you should pay close attention to when choosing your shampoo product line.
Shampoos with sulfates are effective when hair really needs cleaning. Think of the amount of hair care products that people use everyday. Build-up demands a stronger cleanser. Other criterion to consider would be the thickness of a clients hair, how oily the scalp/hair is, how often they wash their hair, what environment they live in. Taking these things into consideration will help you help your clients in choosing the correct shampoo for the moment.
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