Guys just love froth and foam, yet one of the most common ingredients, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, is now being assessed in its role in infertility, breast cancer and menopause. Add this to the more common symptoms of skin irritations, tangled hair and split ends you wonder why this ingredient is still allowed to be used in virtually evey foaming product you buy on the supermarket shelf.

What natural alternatives are there?

Guys just love fizz and foam. You know the classic film scene where a guy is at home looking after the kids and, you guessed it, the washing machine and dishwasher start to froth and the house fills up with foam.

I was talking with a naturopath over the weekend and the topic we got onto was “Why do men just love things that fizz and froth?” she said, “Berocca got the packaging right by putting vitamin B into man size tablets. These tablets froth up the water so much the glass overflows!”  Why? It is because men just love fizz and froth.

I admit it. I am one of those guys who loves his shampoo to froth up and make all the right moves. I like to see the shower base fill with foam and appologise to the environment as I watch the white trails of froth going down the drain.

You can imagine my surprise when I used an organic product for the first time.

You guessed it … I called the manufacturer and complained the shampoo did not froth. Of course the male on the help desk said to send the product back and they would replace it. Imagine my surprise when the replacement did not foam as I expected.

Being a chemist, and having designed a number of cleaning products for industrial applications, I started to read about what was in my shampoo. One chemical appeared repeatedly in nearly every shampoo.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is a surfactant or foaming agent. Shampoo manufacturers just love this ingredient as it is cheap and all the foam a man can want is produced. A surfactant molecule is amphiphilic, or in layman’s terms, a molecules with a hydrophobic head (hates water) and hydrophilic tail (loves water). This is what allows a shampoo to foam up in water while dissolving oil and grease.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and its close relative Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) are commonly and universally used in soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products we expect to "foam up".

In the Memidex online dictionary the definition of SLS is “A caustic detergent useful for removing grease; although commonly included in personal care items (shampoos, toothpastes, and so on) it can irritate skin and shouldn't be swallowed.”

It is no surprise shampoos are among the most frequently reported products to regulators. 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.

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% (not uncommon) cause skin corrosion and severe irritation.

More worrying are current studies showing that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can mimic the activity of the hormone Oestrogen. By mimicking Oestrogene this may lead to 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.

Why is a dangerous chemical like sodium lauryl sulfate still allowed to be used in our soaps and shampoos?

The first 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.

The second answer is it foams – something natural and organic surfactants do not do well. Once again, as a male I expect lots of foaming.

Which surfactant can you use in an organic and natural Shampoo?

In organic products, like the Avado Organics Family Shampoo, there are a limited number of choices for surfactants. We use Coco glucoside and Caprylyl capryl glucoside, both 100% natural in origin.

Coco glucoside and Caprylyl capryl glucoside work as a surfactant, foaming agent, conditioner and emulsifier. It helps increase the foaming capacity of the shampoo. These ingredients are particularly useful in hair care products as they have the ability to smooth out the hair structure and increase manageability, even without a conditioner. As an anionic surfactant, it mildly cleanses the skin/hair by helping water to mix with oil and dirt so that they can be rinsed off. As an emulsifier, it keeps the oil and water parts of an emulsion from separating, and it also enhances the properties of other cleansing and moisturizing agents in the shampoo.

Do I need different shampoos for different types of hair?

One reason manufacturers need to make a range of shampoos is to overcome the damage SLS creates in different types of hair. Avado’s natural surfactants are compatible with all skin and hair types and gentle enough to be used in baby products. The Duhring Chamber Test lists Coco glucoside and Caprylyl capryl glucoside as having the lowest irritation score of all common surfactants.

What can you do?

Next time you are considering a shampoo take the time to read the label. Consider using an organic shampoo without sulfates. You will be surprised at the difference it will make to your hair, even if it does not froth and bubble.

The environment will thank you as well.