Guest Post by M Rochell
Are you frustrated with a rash on your skin around your hairline, on your cheeks, or on your neck that just won’t go away? You could be experiencing an allergic reaction to the ingredients in your shampoo!
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It’s hard to believe, but even shampoos labeled with a hypoallergenic label can contain ingredients that will irritate your skin and cause it to break out in a rash or with acne or pustules.
Effects of SLS on Sensitive Skin
Nearly every shampoo on the shelves today contains what is called SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate. It’s the ingredient that makes your shampoo lather up. Another derivative of SLS is called SLES, or sodium laureth sulfate, and it too is found in shampoos as well as some toothpastes and cosmetic products.
What’s the big deal you ask? Sodium lauryl sulfate has been known to irritate sensitive skin, and has been linked to skin, eye and lung irritation and possible organ toxicity. Some research suggests that Sodium Laureth Sulfate may be moderately hazardous to health.
Every time you wash your hair with a shampoo containing SLS or SLES, it soaks into your skin and can enter your body. Also, even if you’re using a facial cleanser free of these substances, keep in mind that when you rinse your shampoo out of your hair, it will come into contact with your skin as it rinses out, which could also cause a breakout.
Side effects of SLS or SLES on your skin or body could include:
• Redness or irritated skin
• Acne or red bumps along the hairline, neck, chin, or forehead
• Irritated or dry scalp
• Irritated or red eyes
• Hair that looks fuzzy or dried out
• Split ends
• Swelling in the arms, face, or hands
• Hair that’s easily tangled and stays that way
Changing Your Shampoo Could Make a Difference for Your Skin
What’s a girl to do then to get clean hair and fewer skin breakouts? Switch to a shampoo that has no sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. There are manufacturers of health and beauty products that recognize that the ingredients they use in their shampoos can be healthier and safer for their buyers and still work effectively.
Where Do I Find SLS and SLES Free Shampoo?
More and more companies are offering shampoos that are free of SLS and SLES for their customers that have sensitive skin, or are concerned about possible health effects.
The challenge is to find a shampoo for sensitive skin that is free of SLS and that also works well on your hair!
We’ve found that many of the gentler and safer hypoallergenic hair care products out there just don’t work as well as the name brand shampoos.
It’s great to use a safe and gentle shampoo, but it’s no fun to discover that your healthy shampoo is producing flat, dull or lifeless hair, or hair that looks greasy even after you wash it!
We’ve tried a lot of different ones and only found one shampoo that does not contain Sodium lauryl sulfate, and that also makes your hair shiny and manageable.
Every person’s hair is different, so you may need to shop around at your local health food store and try some different brands.
Other Products That Contain SLS and SLES
Shampoos aren’t the only products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Here are some other products that could potentially irritate your sensitive skin.
• Toothpastes
• Sunscreen
• Deodorants
• Mouthwash
• Soaps
• Bubble bath
• Detergents
• Mascara
• Body wash
• Lotions
You may discover that by switching your beauty and hygiene regimen and using safer hypoallergenic products, that some of your skin rashes on your skin or mouth begin to fade or disappear. One of the additional side benefits of using products with less irritating ingredients is that you could be preventing potential health issues.
It’s a good idea to check all products marketed to children and babies too because many of them contain sodium lauryl and sodium laureth sulfate. Tough to believe, isn’t it? We want to think that items like that would be safe for our children, but in reality, a lot of them are just as harmful as the ones marketed to adults.
Biography: M Rochell has over 30 years of experience discovering gentler and safer ways to be beautiful when you have sensitive skin. Since 2009 she has been sharing her experience at MySensitiveSkinCare.com.
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