This blog post has certainly been a long time coming!
The last time I wrote about SLS-free products, in particular SLS free shampoo was way back in 2013 with a SLS-Free Shampoo Review post. Since then I've continued to use them and it's been a total of seven years now since I made the switch! So I guess I have a bit of knowledge when it comes to finding the best SLS-free products and sharing the benefits of going SLS-free.
In this post I will try my best to include all the information you may be looking for! From the the best SLS-free shampoo, to the long term benefits and even how to use SLS-free shampoo... because there is a knack to it, believe it or not!
I'm a strong advocate of going SLS-free with all body products and I hope this can be an informative guide to helping you making the right decision and finding products that work for you.
Side note: This is going to be a long one! You may want to pin it for later here to come back to, especially for my shampoo recommendations.
Please read my updated post that covers so much more! The Ultimate Guide to SLS-Free Shampoo (including SLS-free shampoo reviews).
As most of you will know I avoid products that contain SLES/SLS (Soduim Lauryl Sulphates) and have done for the past
So I thought I would give a few quick reviews on some of the SLS-free shampoos that are in my shower. You may want to try a SLS-free shampoo like I initially did due to an irritated scalp/skin condition, you may want to improve the quality of your hair or you could just want to cut down on this ingredient due to it being an irritant and known for it's carcinogenic links.
I personally find true organic shampoos to be generally expensive and also quite thin and lacking on the foam front (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is what creates the lather in products) so after lots of shampoo trialing I have found I am most happy using more well known brands that sometimes do contain weaker derivatives of SLS. So it you are very strict with the ingredients you use you may want to check the ingredients label before buying any of these shampoos I recommend.
Also if you are new to washing your hair with a SLS-free shampoo it does take time, so make sure you persevere (don't switch up using a normal shampoo then a SLS-free one) and make sure you rinse your hair thoroughly. Plus don't judge the amount of foam (or size of it) by how well it will cleanse your hair!
The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo 200ml
£4.50 - The Body Shop here
This is my new accessible and cheap to buy shampoo. When pouring this on to the hand the consistancy feels a bit like a sticky gel but foams up pretty well (if you have never used a SLS-free shampoo before you may not think so but normally shampoos overly foam up but for no real reason). The trick to not use too much shampoo is to make sure the hair and scalp are thoroughly wet before applying the shampoo and working it in. This really is a great one to use is summer as it has a glorious tropical scent that has a banana scent to it.... great for morning showers. If you are new to sulfate free shampoos then I would give this a try as it can also be purchased in a smaller 60ml size for £2.00.
Full list of ingredients - here
L'Oreal Ever Riche Nourishing & Taming Shampoo 250ml
£5.99 - Boots here
Unlike any other shampoo I have tried this actually comes out as a creamy white shampoo that looks more like a conditioner. This also doesn't smell like any other shampoo I have used before as it's quite a perfumed scent of cocunut and vanilla which I really like a lot, in fact it remind me of an Estee Lauder fragrance I own and also Harajuku Lovers G. As for how this foams, again it is quite unique in that it creates what I would describe as micro bubbles of foam so it is quite a rich feeling lather, which again impressed me when I used it for the first time.
The one thing I would say is that this really is a hydrating shampoo for dry hair so if you do have more greasy hair or it can go greasy quite quickly then this isn't for you as you will need to wash your hair again the next day. An excellent shampoo if you do have dry/damaged hair and want to restore it back to how it once was (along with a good conditioner of course). I don't use this every time I wash my hair as it does make my hair go greasy more quickly but I will be re-purchasing this as it is really nourishing and I love how it smells and foams.
Full list of ingredients - Couldn't be found online
Tigi Bedhead Foxy Curls Shampoo 250ml
£6.50 - Fragrance Direct here
Before turning SLS-free I use to spend £1-2 on shampoo so I see this shampoo as quite a treat but a treat I can't live without now. I continuously have this in my shower and re-purchase it when it looks like it's running low. The consistency of this is the thickest of the three shampoos in this post and almost like a gel when you squeeze it out but you only need a normal amount of it and it lathers up really well. I don't have curly hair but I find that this shampoo is quite hydrating and frizz fighting because it is for curly hair. The main thing I love about this shampoo along with it working well for me, is the smell! This to me smells like sweets - jelly babies or just general pick and mix and I love that. I really am hooked on this product now. How I came to use this shampoo was trying out a mini 75ml size of it on Fragrance Direct which you can still find for only 99p here.
Full list of ingredients - here
Hopefully this will help if you are on a quest to find more affordable SLS-free shampoos. I think I may do a similar post on SLS-free shower gels soon.
Fee xo.
As some of you may know I like to avoid certain ingredients in skincare/body products - mainly Sulphates/Sulfates (a cheap ingredient that makes a lot of products foam up). Basically think of me as a Pescetarian of the beauty world.
So when it comes to shower gel, shampoo, facial scrubs/washes etc I do avoid sulfates or SLS's as they are often known (you can read about why I avoid this ingredient here). But one thing I have become more relaxed with is soap that contains it for washing my hands with. Meaning now I can indulge in lots of lovely soaps from the likes of Lush and The Body Shop.
Quite a lot of soaps from Lush do contains sulfates though fortunately this specific soap (mainly because it is a glycerine soap) is free from it, meaning I can use it as a hand soap and also in the shower on my skin, which is pretty good as this is such a zingy summery scented soap.
I have been a fan of soaps from Lush for quite a long time now because I find them great value for money and they smell and look so good! I personally like to just buy 100g of a Lush soap and then I cut it up in to four and use one slice/cube next to the bathroom sink, one in the shower and one next to the kitchen sink and then also have a piece to spare or pass on to someone else! So for this specific soap it cost only £2.95! Though you can literally buy as much as you wish as long as it's over 100g.
Bohemian Soap (£2.95 per 100g) is one of Lush's more basic soaps containing mainly Lemon Oil, Soap and Glycerine... but sometimes the most simple of products are the best, which I have definitely found with this soap. As a hand soap it works well as the lemon-y scent wafts up as you wash your hands and they a left smelling fresh and clean. But this is definitely a soap to be used in either the bath or shower as it is zingy and uplifting. So more often than not I opt for this instead of my many shower gels when I'm having a morning shower or I've just worked out (yes, I am trying to get fit for summer!).
Another soap from Lush that is quite similar in that is packs some punch, but is extra yummy smelling, is Rock Star (£3.40 per 100g) which is a more creamy soap but oh, seriously this is one to have a sniff of when you are next passing or shopping in Lush - just amazing!
Bohemian Soap is without a doubt my summer soap now along with Rock Star which I really do need to re-purchase as I'm currently using the smallest piece that I have left.
What hand soap do you normally use?
Fee xo.
I would love to say I could walk into Lush, pick up something pretty looking and buy it. Sadly though so many products contain Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) which I totally avoid due to it irritating my skin (well making my arms bumpy and just generally doing nothing for the skin).
So my Lush visits are planned with military precision, armed with an exact list of the products that don't contain SLS and I must say the list is always short. Shower jellies are out, so are all shower gels, shampoos and soaps, as are all the lovely looking Bubble Bars!
Having said that there are afew products that DON'T contain any sulfates...afew Bath Ballistics and some Shower Scrubs. I do find with Lush that the products that I think won't contain SLS as they don't generally lather up, always do contain it!
Cinders Ballistic £1.95/90g
So this little baby is totally sulfate free and is also pretty much chemical free (which is a rarity with any bath products not just ones from Lush).
If I'm honest though I bought this because it was one of the very few Ballistics that are sulfate free, so I can't say I bought it due to the smell...but it does have a lovely scent to it once in the bath, quite Cinnamon-y and perfect for winter.
Once in the water the Ballistic starts to fizz and dissolve, also the red popping candy starts to work which is a nice effect (unless you have the water running and you can't hear it which is what I did for part of it). I can't say it creates a wonderful effect by turning the bath water yellow.
But once in the bath you can really feel the essential oils in the water and even though they are no bubbles the water does feel really soft.
As for the scent it definitely does last on the skin after the bath and does leave the skin softer like a nice bath oil would!
Overall I would highly recommend this, however I have heard sometimes the crackling sound with the popping candy doesn't work!
Li'l Lush Pud Ballistic £1.95/90g
I definitely bought this on the look and smell of the product - though it is still sulfate free!
This had actually been sitting on my bedside table for afew days before I used it and actually smelt incredible - very Christmassy.
This actually fizzed alot more and for alot longer than the Cinders Ballistic and left a lovely layer of what looks like snow on the top of the water.
However it does turn the water brown which I can't say I loved (I also didn't love how it left a brown tide mark around the bath) - hence the no image!
But like 'Cinders' it does leave that silky feeling to the water with a lovely aroma of baked apples and cinnamon.
Overall for the price these are quite nice but I would just love to see a bubble or two...but I guess then it would contain a Sulfate of some kind!
Before using any natural/organic hair care products my hair was in bad condition. I had split-ends, it was dry/frizzy, my hair dye use to fade quickly and when washing my hair it use to fall out...and block the plughole. Not good at all.
I actually put this down to using harsh hair dyes and using hair straighteners (which I still do) and so I tried endless deep conditioners to try and solve the problem.
Nothing really worked, it wasn't until I used a harsh shampoo that really irritated my scalp that I looked into natural shampoos and conditioners and learnt alot more about Sulfates, Parabens and Silicone. I personally think the most harmful ingredient in shampoos have to be Sodium Lauryl Sufate, which you can read a post on here.
Of course you do have to spend that bit more on the products but my hair is now in good condition...no more frizz or split ends and even though my hair is long my brush is no longer full of hairs from my head!
I would thoroughly recommend changing your shampoo if it contains SLS (which is 95% of all shampoos) for a month and see if it improves the condition of your hair - even if you think your hair is in good condition already!
However if you do want to be more toxin free here is a run down of some natural products which start from just £2.44.
Louise Galvin Natural Locks Volumising Shampoo For Fine Hair 300ml (£2.24 Tesco Home) - Now this range of shampoos & conditioners really surprised me when I saw them in Tesco. Hair products by Louise Galvin can cost from £20 upwards and that is just for a 25oml bottle of shampoo. So the Natural Locks collection priced at £2-3 blew me away. The prices on her actual website are more expensive around £7 but you can read the full ingredients and see all the other products in the range.
As for the specific product it doesn't create much lather (because it's SLS free) but the lather isn't what cleans the hair - it just takes some getting use to. However the shampoo when poured onto the palm does look quite thick, so don't let this fool you.
As for the scent it isn't at all eco smelling and smells faintly of oranges.
This isn't the best SLS/natural shampoo on the market but it is the cheapest!
Naked Shampoo range 250ml (All £3.99 Boots) - I am never without there shampoo, so I have almost tried the full range. The best overall shampoo by the company has to be the Naked Colour Protection Shampoo it foams up well and has a lovely scent to it. I also quite like the above product Naked Smooth Silky Shampoo with marshmallow & aloe. My least favourite has to be the Naked Detox Deep Cleanse - this is mainly aimed at any product buildup in the hair which makes it quite a stripping shampoo. Also the formula is quite weak and watery which means it doesn't lather up well at all.
Overall Naked are a really good brand to go for if you want to feel like you are using a normal shampoo.
Tara Smith Straight Away Conditioner 250ml (£2.42 Tesco Home) - In some ways finding a low cost natural conditioner is even harder than finding a shampoo. As most natural conditioners are quite highly priced. However two brands I use are Aussie and Tara Smith.
The Tara Smith conditioner is my usual everyday conditioner - again it does take some getting use to as it is abit lighter than a normal conditioner but it does leave the hair very soft and hydrated! However the one downside to the product is the smell of it - it reminds me slightly of hair dye, it's just a strange scent really. Other than that it is a great product at a really cheap price. You can find the full range of both shampoos & conditioners at Cult Beauty.
The above products I use when I want to really treat my hair as they are really rich and work perfectly.
Tigi Bed Head Superstar Shampoo 250ml (£5.10 Cheap Smells.co.uk) - As you can see this is abit pricey as it comes to around £6+ after delivery (but it's still cheaper than purchasing it at a hair salon for £9-10). However for me this is just a perfect product - I would even say the best shampoo I have used. It is thick and lathers up amazingly well and it also have such a lovely scent of strawberries. A real treat for the hair.
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstrucor Conditioner 250ml (£4.59 Boots) - If I want my hair to look really good I use this. It smells amazing and is a really thick almost a luxery feeling product for the price. Using this on the length of the hair for 3 minutes then combing through before washing it out makes the world of difference, it leaves the hair tangle free and so soft.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post my hair has improved amazingly and it is all down the products I have been using in the past 6-8 months. My hair is actually at the longest it has ever been due to not wanting/needing to cut off all the dead frizzy ends.
I would love to know if you use
any natural hair products
or even consider using SLS free shampoo.
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