But I have recently learned a distinction in hair care products: shampoo.

sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES) different from sodium lauryl sulfate

Also the PH of a product can matter.  Something critical that I have never heard before is that Detergent (shampoo) is acid and Conditioner (alkaline) balances out the acidic nature of the soap/detergent.   So that’s what conditioner is really for.  I thought it was just a scam for girls to buy more shit. 

I guess you can always go natural. Products with Coconut or Hemp oil are good replacement products.  

 good kind: 

Sodium_laureth_sulfate (SLS)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate

 

bad kind: 

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

sodium laureth ether sulfate (SLES)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_lauryl_sulfate

This stuff can really dry your scalp out. and cause what you might think is dandruff. Head and shoulders and Selsen Blue are full of this stuff, so it sounds like a self perpetuating problem.  

 

Both SLS and SLES are banned by the European Union, but not by the U.S.

 Clearest information I have found: http://pegasussoaps.blogspot.com/2007/04/sodium-laureth-sulfate-vs-sodium-lauryl.html

So I am going to try to eliminate some SLS from my daily “diet” 

 Please do your own research.

Another scary thing is that when car batteries are recycled the battery acid can be neutralized and made into sodium sulfate.  I don’t know if that by-product is used in hair products but i could imagine that its a cheap base product. I’m just speculating here but here is the gist of it: 

Sulfuric Acid
Old battery acid can be handled in two ways.

The acid is neutralized with an industrial compound similar to household baking soda. This turns the acid into water. The water is treated, cleaned and tested to be sure it meets clean water standards. Then it is released into the public sewer system.

Another way to treat acid is to process it and convert it to sodium sulfate, an odorless white powder that’s used in laundry detergent, glass and textile manufacturing. This takes a material that would be discarded and turns it into a useful product.

 

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