I can't yell loud enough from the mountain tops to let you know the difference not using sulfates has made with my hair. And sure, not using shampoos that contain SLS is helpful, but I mean going completely sulfate-free. In the states, if your product doesn't have sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate they call it sulfate-free. In other countries, they just call that SLS-free. This means that in the US, the label "sulfate-free" doesn't mean that less harsh and conventional sulfates aren't still in your products. You need to read the label to see what it contains.
Or you could just use a cleansing creme to clean your hair. Wen is the most famous of the cleansing conditioners. Wen is fantastic, which has led a ton of competitors to take a stab at creating their own cleansing conditioners. And just like BB Creams (the other product that is creating tons of hype right now), they are not all created equally. Some of the newly marketed cleansing conditioners leave hair on the dry side, which is a total fail. You shouldn't need a conditioner after using one of these products. Your hair should just be perfect when you rinse it out.
L'OREAL's popular EverPure line has added a cleansing conditioner to their line, EverCreme Sulfate-Free Moisture System. You use this the same way you use all cleansing conditioners.
1. Wet your hair to the point of saturation. This means standing under the water for a few minutes, way more than you usually do.
2. Use about 15-20 pumps of product from root to tip. Cover all of your hair thoroughly. Scrub your roots with your finger tips. Leave product in your hair while you shower.
4. Rinse thoroughly. This means about 2-3 minutes of rinsing. If you leave a little product in your hair, it will weigh it down. It's really important to rinse your hair really, really well. Yes, this takes longer than normal but the results are worth it.
L'OREAL's EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner left my hair just as lovely as when I use Wen. My hair was soft, manageable and really healthy and shiny looking. I find that when I use a cleansing conditioner like this, my hair feels clean for longer than when I shampoo with sulfates. I get FIVE days out of one wash (depending on how much goop I put in my hair for styling). That saves my color, saves my hair from extra heat damage and keeps my hair in a healthier condition.
However, the formulation is not the same. Wen uses ingredients you can pronounce. EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner uses ingredients that you've never heard of before (unless you read a lot of labels). This isn't a bad thing. I'm just pointing out that while these two products work the same, they don't use the same ingredients. The upside of using EverCreme is that it's about one-fifth of the price of buying Wen. However, the bottle of EverCreme is just slightly, by .3 ounces, half as much as you get with Wen.
One thing to keep in mind when using cleansing conditioners is that all of the scrubbing can cause a little more shedding than you might see with the regular cleansing method. One good friend swears that while she liked this product, it caused slightly more shedding than normal. I have not experienced that, nor have other friends who have tried this. But it's important to keep in mind nonetheless.
At the end of the day, I really, really liked EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner and will buy it again. Have you tried a cleansing conditioner? Have you gone sulfate-free? Tell me about your experience!
Sent for review. May contain affiliate links.
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Copyright 2009-2012, Gouldylox Reviews. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2012, Gouldylox Reviews
