From The Straits Times    |

Photo: 123rf

We all have that one favourite shampoo that leaves our locks looking glossy and healthy. But is that shampoo the cause if your skin problems?  

If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list on your shampoo bottle, you may have spotted “sodium lauryl sulphate”. This chemical is a great cleaning agent that whips your shampoo into a thick and luxurious lather.

It’s also a good cleanser, which is why it’s also used in many household cleaning products, from dishwashing liquid to laundry detergent.

Sulphates can leave a film on the skin that makes for a welcome bacteria breeding ground.This explains why you may get chest acne, backne or pesky pimples along your hairline if the shampoo gets onto your skin and seeps into your pores.

In addition, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are a few reports linking sulphates to contact dermatitis in some people. For that reason, people with eczema or sensitive skin may not be able to tolerate them.

Sulphates may strip hair of its natural oils and its hair colour (if you have colour treated hair) and leave the scalp irritated, itchy and tresses brittle, tangled and even oiler, especially if your scalp is sensitive to begin with.

Sulpate particles are usually acidic and when dissolved in water they form sulfuric acid. Deposition of this sulfuric acid through acid rain can also damage a variety of ecosystems and materials.

Shampoos that are formulated sans sulphate might not sud as much, but they’ll still leave hair perfectly clean and much less damaged over time, especially if you have colour treated tresses.

And some still manage to sud all the same; if you’d like to go sulphate-free to help your skin, reduce the risk of skin problems and help the earth, here are some of shampoos to use.

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