The most common sulfates found in store-bought shampoos include sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and ammonium laureth sulfate.
Sulfates in themselves aren't necessarily *bad* they are actually really good at cleaning, perhaps too good. They strip away dirt and oil from hair and skin but that poses a problem in itself because it can be too much of a good thing, removing the natural moisture and oils that hair and skin needs to stay healthy. Does your head itch like mad after washing your hair? Maybe your shampoo is stripping away too much of the natural oils you need for your scalp causing it to dry out that skin and make it prone to irritation.
Not as far as other things such as sulfates might cause cancer...nothing has been proven scientifically that sulfates cause any health problems including cancer. Of course, there are the minor risks like eye irritation if you get it in your eyes or something like that. That's a given. And of course, no one should be drinking their shampoo because yeah, that's generally toxic and while it might not kill you it is going to make you very ill.
So, if sulfates aren't *bad* for me, then why does Buck Ridge Soap Company tout their beard wash and shampoo and other soaps as being sulfate free?
Well, first, your facial skin is much different than the skin on your scalp and if you want a healthy, moisturized beard then removing too much of the good oils is a bad idea. You go to the trouble of using beard oil or beard balm and then use a wash that totally removes those good oils? Kind of a waste isn't it?
So, sulfate free beard wash is a better choice than regular shampoos and is especially important for those who have 'beardruff' itchy beard face or whatever you want to call it, plus those with dermatitis, eczema or psoriasis will find that products containing sulfates will just increase the itching, redness, cracking and so on. Since the owner of Buck Ridge suffers from psoriasis herself, she tends to shy away from sulfates on a personal level and so she automatically sells sulfate free products because that's what she makes for herself and uses herself. Uh...not that she has a beard. ;) But if she won't use it on her hair then why should she expect a guy to use it on his face??
Dry frizzy beards or hair should also choose a sulfate free product (hint, our beard wash can be used on your hair and not just your beard and our shampoos use mostly the same base as the beard wash). Frizzy and dry hair is caused by stripping natural oils and moisture from hair making it increase the friction between strands and follicles.
If you are mature and chemically alter your beard to get rid of those pesky grays that make you look older, you'll find that a sulfate free product is better for chemically dyed and treated hair (or beards) plus some shampoos and washes that contain sulfates may even strip the color from dyed hair more quickly.
Those with sensitive skin might find that a sulfate-free product helps alleviate those sensitivities, for those who are really sensitive our Simple Man Beard Wash contains no fragrance (or colors) and is hypoallergenic.
What's the difference between sulfate free and products containing sulfates?
Big bubbly lather. Sulfates are used to create a lot of lather and bubbles people expect in shampoo where sulfate-free doesn't lather up as much and it takes a little more water to thoroughly rinse sulfate-free product from beards and hair.
They both do the job of cleaning your hair effectively but it comes down to a choice - we like to keep things as natural as possible and keep your hair and skin as healthy as possible. So when we developed our beard wash, we decided sulfate-free was the right choice for our brand.