The ingredients lurking in your shampoo may be to blame for your current hair dilemmas. If your strands are dryer than usual or you are experiencing thinning, shedding, and even bald spots, the root problem may have more to do with health concerns or hormonal shifts. But what you use on your hair should only support your healthy hair goals, and never thwart them. Avoiding certain ingredients, including these two that can continue to thinning and shedding, is a key want to ensure you’re making good, informed choices about the haircare products that you use.
For more hydrated, healthier hair that maintains its strength in the face of thinning and shedding, choose shampoos that do not contains these ingredients.
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1. Sodium Chloride
Sodium chloride is a thickening agent that helps keep your shampoo from feeling thin and watery — a consistency that doesn’t exactly inspire confidence when you’re looking to get squeaky clean hair. But this ingredient goes by another name you have heard of — salt. And if you can imagine the dehydrating damage that would occur if you pour salt water on your hair and scalp, you can get a sense of why this isn’t the best choice in your shampoo.
Sodium chloride has its benefits. It acts like a preservative that prolongs the life of your shampoo and keeps it from getting moldy. It makes that rich lather even richer. And it stabilizes your shampoo formula so that its ingredients don’t separate. But if your scalp is sensitive and your hair is already experiencing dryness, this ingredient can make your hair dryer and more brittle and disrupt your scalp’s natural balance of oils. If you’re prone to skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, or seborrheic dermatitis, sodium chloride can lead to itchiness and dryness and may clog hair follicles and prevent proper growth.
2. Sulfates
It’s easier than ever to find and choose a sulfate-free shampoo, and this is definitely recommended for anyone with dry or color-treated hair. But what is the reason to avoid sulfates? Even though sulfates produce a lather in your shampoo (we can’t deny the appeal of lather), they exacerbate dryness and can cause scalp irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin. Products with sulfates can also cause product buildup that can clog hair follicles and prevent new hair growth.
The good news is that many shampoo brands are aware of the importance customers place on avoiding sulfates, so it should not be difficult to find shampoos within your budget that are free and clear of sulfates.
