Are Sulfates Good Or Bad For Hair Extensions?
As we enter a more ingredient conscious era, the hair and beauty industries are under more scrutiny than ever before, with one of the biggest questions on everyone's lips is ‘Are sulfates good or bad for my hair?’, and in particular, are they safe for hair extensions?
In order to determine whether or not sulfates are safe for use with hair extensions, it first important to understand what sulfates are and how they work in haircare products.
Sulfates are an ingredient used in the vast majority of shampoo formulas, and are all primary surfactants; a surfactant is a combination of molecules that can attract both oil and water. They work well in shampoo formulas as one end of the molecule clings to the oil and dirt on your scalp, while the other clings to the water, allowing any nasties to be washed away from your hair and down the plughole. Surfactants also reduce the surface tension of the water, making water ‘wetter’ allowing it to spread over larger surface areas making it easier to remove dirt and oil from your hair. Without sulfates, cleansing products wouldn't be able to work as efficiently. In terms of hair extension hair care, using a product that produces the correct amount of foam is incredibly important, as it allows the product to be distributed evenly and easily through the hair and bonds, something which is very important in controlling the level for disruption and friction hair extensions are exposed to during the washing process.
In 1934, Procter & Gamble introduced the first sulfate based shampoo into modern hair care systems, with everyone else soon following due to the vast improvement this ingredient had on the overall satisfaction and effectiveness of shampoo formulas. In fact, sulfates are still the number one ingredient used in hair care to date- as far as performance goes, sulfates simply cannot be beaten. They have been tried and tested for many years and are approved as safe by the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) as a rinse off product, which is why they have remained a staple ingredient for the last 82 years.