When making the transition from shampoo and conditioner with sulfates to clean, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner it’s good to know what you’re getting yourself into. If you’ve been using sulfate shampoo and conditioner for a while, then your hair is used to those ingredients and is likely to react to the change when met with a cleaner alternative. The transition period can look a bit different for everyone so we’ve gone ahead and outlined what the transition might look like for you based on your hair type. But first a quick reminder on what we mean we call our formulas clean.
What makes our Shampoo and Conditioner clean?
Our shampoo and conditioner are free of sulfates and silicones. Many of these ingredients are not meant to truly benefit your skin/hair/body in any way but instead are used merely for illusion or to create a synthetic effect. We call these types of ingredients “fillers,” as their use is not associated with performance. We have replaced these fillers with purposeful ingredients meant to offer real benefits.
Here is a refresher on the filler trifecta:
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): a soap-like compound that is used to create that bubbly lather you are probably used to in your beauty products, like shampoo or face wash, for instance. Sulfates differ amongst each other, so you will only be able to recognize them through their actual description. Be on the lookout for Sodium Lauryl Sulfate Sodium, Laureth Sulfate Sodium, Lauryl Sulfoacetate Sodium, Lauroyl Isethionate, Sodium Lauroyl Taurate.
- Silicones: typically used in hair care to create the essence of soft, shiny hair, which actually just masks the hair and doesn’t truly provide softer, shinier strands. Look out for any words that end with this: -cones, -conols, -silanes, and -siloxanes.
Like we said, if you’ve been using a shampoo and conditioner with ingredients like this for a while it is very likely you’ll go through a transition period as your hair gets used to the new formula, but we promise -- it’s worth the wait.
For Finer Hair
Before diving in here, it’s important to clarify what “fine” hair is. For instance, you can have fine, thick hair or fine, thin hair. The “fineness” is all about the diameter of your hair. If your hair is fine then your hair strands are smaller in diameter whereas if you have coarse hair they are thicker. It’s helpful to grab a strand between your fingers and if you can’t feel it or barely can, then you know it’s fine.
Now that we are on the same page, let’s talk about fine hair. If you have fine hair it is likely you struggle with some frequent greasiness (if you haven’t tried out Aceite de Moska yet that can totally help with that by the way). That being said, during your transition period from your old shampoo and conditioner to our sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner you may notice that your hair is a bit greasier than usual and gets there more quickly. As you give your hair time through the first few washes we suggest going light on the conditioner especially and shampooing twice if you feel as though there is leftover residue in your hair,
For Coarse Hair
Similarly, whether or not your hair is coarse is all about the circumference or diameter of the individual strand. You can have coarse, thick hair meaning you have very dense large strands or coarse, thin hair meaning you have not a lot of hair but large strands.
If your hair is coarse, and especially curly, then it is likely that your first few washes with a cleaner formula like ours will leave your hair feeling very dry and maybe even more frizzy than usual. Rest assured, this is normal. You hair may be used to ingredients like silicones (tiny micro-plastics) coating your hair and creating a fake “shine.” When you switch to clean shampoo and conditioner, your hair will probably need a minute as it sheds off all of those tiny microplastics and that may mean that it is not as silky smooth as you are used to. But remember the shine and softness you were experiencing before was superficial and once you get through about 4-6 washes your hair will feel lighter and softer and this time due to its own natural proteins and oils.
How long?
All that being said, it should take about 4-6 washes for your hair to adapt to the new shampoo and conditioner formula fully. You can expect to see a bit of improvement with each wash until one day your hair is truly the healthiest it’s ever been. You can expect the shiniest, bounciest, softest version of your hair, this time without the extra silicone coating. And don't forget to use the Scalp Masajeador during your shampoo for the deepest scalp cleanse while you wash your strands. A clean wash day will set you up for the best hair days.
