If you suffer from eczema, scalp psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis, you’ll know that most high street shampoos are full of ingredients that can irritate the scalp, leaving it flaky, sore, itchy or dry.
Common culprits include perfume (listed in ingredients as parfum or fragrance), penetration agents (which increase the effectiveness of the shampoo), parabens, sodium chloride (salt!), propylene glycol, dimethicone and other synthetic additives.
Perhaps the most well-known itchy offender is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and its close relatives, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
These are detergents, whose job it is to foam up, bind to grease and grime, and allow it to be washed away with water. Which is, of course, exactly what you want from a shampoo! But the problem is that along with the dirt you do want removing, SLS & co. can also strip away the scalp’s natural protective barrier, leaving it sensitive and susceptible to irritation. Even though SLS/SLES or ALS aren’t left on the skin for very long, they can still flare up eczema and cause stinging, which is very much what you don’t want.
We’ve all grown to expect shampoos to be wonderfully bubbly and light and associate a nice rich lather with cleanliness, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Natural shampoos that use gentle, plant-based, biodegradable non-ionic surfactants instead of SLS/SLES/ALS tend to produce much less foam, but perform just as well in keeping hair lovely and glossy and clean and the scalp in really good condition.
Purepotions make a brilliantly effective eczema-friendly Natural Shampoo which leaves out all the nasties and is instead packed full of gorgeous natural ingredients. The gentle cleansers are derived from soy, corn, coconut and sugar rather than SLS and use a preservative system based on essential oils rather than alcohol.
In addition to leaving out the irritants, our Natural Shampoo gives sensitive scalps a nutrient boost with rice bran, sesame seed oil and our unique blend of biodynamic herbal tinctures, chamomile, calendula, chickweed and nettle.
If you want to give SLS-free shampoo a go, you might need a while to get the hang of it; remember that although there are fewer bubbles, a little product goes a long way!
Tips For Washing With SLS-Free Shampoo:
- Thoroughly wet your hair with warm (not hot) water before applying Purepotions Natural Shampoo, so that it can be well distributed over your hair.
- Use your usual amount of shampoo or less: although our Natural Shampoo doesn’t lather as much as conventional shampoo, it is still effectively cleansing and clarifying your hair. Experiment with what amount works best for you.
- Apply more water, instead of more product. Key point here! If you’re struggling to get as much lather as you expected, apply more water instead of more product.
- Massage the shampoo thoroughly into the scalp and hair.
- Rinse thoroughly and repeat. Without so much foaming action, it can take a bit more work to remove the dirt and oil from your hair. The second shampooing really lifts it out and cleans your hair but also allows the botanical nutrients to get to work effectively on your scalp.
- Rinse your hair really thoroughly.
- Follow up with Purepotions Natural Conditioner
