Seriously confused about SLS

I have been using these Organic Care products for a while and they are great. I dont think many people have discovered them yet!! I use the shampoo, conditioner and body wash for myself and my 2 year old. Great price, good for the environment and the shampoo doesnt dry my hair out, so I couldnt be happier. You can buy in Carrefour.

I just discovered a range of organic products this morning that seem a much better option to most of these. The brand is Organic Care, their products have a rating of 0-2 on the EWG scale. They are SLES, SLS, ALS, ALES, parabens and mineral oil free. Even the packaging is made from a bio plant material not plastic. Compared to Desert Essence rates 0 to 6 Aubrey Organics rates 0 to 5 They are much cheaper than the ones sold in Organic Cafe, for eg. Organic Care 400 ml Conditioner is Dhs. 14.25 as compared to the Organic Cafe shampoo at Dhs. 24 for only 236 ml. There's a whole range of Organic Care baby products too attractively packed which are rated 0, so they are completely organic acc to EWG. I would say having looked everywhere at what is available out there in Dubai this comes out the best in terms of organics and price. At Dhs 14.25 for a big 400 ml bottle you do not need to put up with SLS or all the other chemical nasties at all.

I use Aubrey Organics, decent price and amazing range of shampoos. There's also an organic range (sorry, cant' remember the name) sold in Geant, I just tried the shower gel and its bliss! If you're concerned about the safety of your products, go to this website: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/. You can type in the name of a particular product and a safety rating will come up for it, it also lists down any potentially dangerous chemicals. I personally avoid anything with a rating of 4 and above.

I won't use anything on my curly hair with SLS in it. WAY too drying... (if interested, read about The Curly Girl Method here: http://www.wikihow.com/Follow-the-Curly-Girl-Method-for-Curly-Hair). I use the Body Shop Rainforest range (39dhs for shampoo, conditioner) and it is fab! The whole range is sulphate, silicone and paraben free and has seriously transformed my hair, and got rid of excema around my ears. In fact, I used to think I had psoriasis, but now I think all the itchy dryness was just the SLS! Boots in the UK also stock a range called NAKED which is sls and silicone free. Lush also do a sls free shampoo and most of their soap are at least lower in SLS (i.e. it's lower down the ingredients list). Hope that helps!

i thought the post its about the mercedes car, SLS :). joking aside, its a big deal all over europe this subject but i think its little bit over reacted. If we should worry about everything we do or use in our life the we will leave in a cave(no sun exposure,therefore no skin cancer),eat from our own garden(no hormons in the food) and walk instead of useing cars(no more pollution).basically no life!

Appletiser, I can't remember the exact price, but I think I bought the shampoo for less than Dhs. 30. With 20% discount, it'll come up to approx. Dhs. 24 (for 8 oz or 236 ml). Don't think it's that expensive.... Now does it work well? I'm using the green apple and ginger extract one which helps to build volume for fine hair. I think it works fine (not better or worse than regular shampoos)! Honestly, the only reason I bought it was because it's gluten free. And if it's free from all scary chemicals, then that's a plus. Some other organic ones available at the organic food store: http://www.organicfoodsandcafe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=84 Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why would you buy gluten free shampoo? I mean, unless you drink it? Lol! I hope she doesnt drink it! Would your head know the difference between shampoo with gluten or not anyways? LOL! Don't worry, I'm not drinking it! It may sound silly but I figured if gluten is bad for my intestines (have celiac disease), it's possibly bad for my hair :) I have to admit that using the gluten free shampoo didn't help with the hair fall. But I liked the shampoo and have continued to use it. You'd be amazed the extent to which quite a few people, with celiac disease, avoid gluten.

Appletiser, I can't remember the exact price, but I think I bought the shampoo for less than Dhs. 30. With 20% discount, it'll come up to approx. Dhs. 24 (for 8 oz or 236 ml). Don't think it's that expensive.... Now does it work well? I'm using the green apple and ginger extract one which helps to build volume for fine hair. I think it works fine (not better or worse than regular shampoos)! Honestly, the only reason I bought it was because it's gluten free. And if it's free from all scary chemicals, then that's a plus. Some other organic ones available at the organic food store: http://www.organicfoodsandcafe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=84 Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why would you buy gluten free shampoo? I mean, unless you drink it? Lol! I hope she doesnt drink it! Would your head know the difference between shampoo with gluten or not anyways?

Appletiser, I can't remember the exact price, but I think I bought the shampoo for less than Dhs. 30. With 20% discount, it'll come up to approx. Dhs. 24 (for 8 oz or 236 ml). Don't think it's that expensive.... Now does it work well? I'm using the green apple and ginger extract one which helps to build volume for fine hair. I think it works fine (not better or worse than regular shampoos)! Honestly, the only reason I bought it was because it's gluten free. And if it's free from all scary chemicals, then that's a plus. Some other organic ones available at the organic food store: http://www.organicfoodsandcafe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=84 Perhaps I'm missing something here, but why would you buy gluten free shampoo? I mean, unless you drink it?

wow...(thanks all..)

SLS explained: (I googled for you) Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS ) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). Both Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to "foam up". Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants. SLS and SLES are esters of Sulphuric acid - SLS is also known as "Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester sodium salt", however there are over 150 different names by which it is known - see them here. In fact, SLES is commonly contaminated with dioxane, a known carcinogen. Although SLES is somewhat less irritating than Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, it cannot be metabolised by the liver and its effects are therefore much longer-lasting. A report published in the Journal of The American College of Toxicology in 1983 showed that concentrations as low as 0.5% could cause irritation and concentrations of 10-30% caused skin corrosion and severe irritation. National Institutes of Health "Household Products Directory" of chemical ingredients lists over 80 products that contain sodium lauryl sulfate. Some soaps have concentrations of up to 30%, which the ACT report called "highly irritating and dangerous". Shampoos are among the most frequently reported products to the FDA. Reports include eye irritation, scalp irritation, tangled hair, swelling of the hands, face and arms and split and fuzzy hair. The main cause of these problems is sodium lauryl sulfate. So why is a dangerous chemical like sodium lauryl sulfate used in our soaps and shampoos? The answer is simple - it is cheap. The sodium lauryl sulfate found in our soaps is exactly the same as you would find in a car wash or even a garage, where it is used to degrease car engines. In the same way as it dissolves the grease on car engines, sodium lauryl sulfate also dissolves the oils on your skin, which can cause a drying effect. It is also well documented that it denatures skin proteins, which causes not only irritation, but also allows environmental contaminants easier access to the lower, sensitive layers of the skin. Perhaps most worryingly, SLS is also absorbed into the body from skin application. Once it has been absorbed, one of the main effects of sodium lauryl sulfate is to mimic the activity of the hormone Oestrogen. This has many health implications and may be responsible for a variety of health problems from PMS and Menopausal symptoms to dropping male fertility and increasing female cancers such as breast cancer, where oestrogen levels are known to be involved.

Thats quite pricey for a shampoo.... I just use Sunsilk and Cremesilk (dhs15 each) and they work great on my hair. Hehe! Guess I would have to live with the SLS. Yeah :) But I used one bottle for over 8 months... which isn't bad :) I agree with you - if we worry about everything we put into our mouths or on to our skins, we wouldn't be able to eat anything!

Without googling...what is SLS, why is it in things, and what can it do to you?... (sorry for being lazy :D) MB (or BM??), SLS is sodium laurel sulfate - nasty chemical found in all our soaps, shampoos, etc.... I've included a link in my reply to Appletiser which will give you more information.

Thats quite pricey for a shampoo.... I just use Sunsilk and Cremesilk (dhs15 each) and they work great on my hair. Hehe! Guess I would have to live with the SLS.

Appletiser, I can't remember the exact price, but I think I bought the shampoo for less than Dhs. 30. With 20% discount, it'll come up to approx. Dhs. 24 (for 8 oz or 236 ml). Don't think it's that expensive.... Now does it work well? I'm using the green apple and ginger extract one which helps to build volume for fine hair. I think it works fine (not better or worse than regular shampoos)! Honestly, the only reason I bought it was because it's gluten free. And if it's free from all scary chemicals, then that's a plus. Some other organic ones available at the organic food store: http://www.organicfoodsandcafe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=84

Without googling...what is SLS, why is it in things, and what can it do to you?... (sorry for being lazy :D)

Organic Food and cafe have a brand called Desert Essence which is free from SLS, Phthalates, etc.... they have shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers. It's best you go there on the 3rd saturday of the month when you can get 20% off on your purchases. What is the average price of a shampoo and conditioner there approximately? And most of all...does it work well too?

Organic Food and cafe have a brand called Desert Essence which is free from SLS, Phthalates, etc.... they have shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers. It's best you go there on the 3rd saturday of the month when you can get 20% off on your purchases.

You would need to buy organic products if you want to avoid SLS. Much more expensive and can be difficult to get.