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akurah (akurah) wrote in longhair,
2008-06-09 07:15:00
  • Mood: irritated

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate = Sodium Coco Sulfate

These two chemicals are one and the same. Because I'm tired of having to constantly explain it, I'm making a post here to explain.

Here is a copy of the email exchange I had with The Beauty Brains on this topic.

me:

I've often read that Sodium Coco Sulfate is a gentler alternative to Sodium
Lauryl Sulfate because it is derived from coconuts. I'm rather skeptical of
this claim, since Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is also derived from coconut.

I did some digging (a LOT of digging, there's almost no unbiased
information on sodium coco sulfate), and I found that the two also have the
same CAS number of 151-21-3. I'm no chemist, but I've always understood that
if the CAS number is the same, the chemical is the same.

Why are the cosmetic companies lying and trying to mislead us with sodium
coco sulfate? Is it because of the bad rap that SLS has? Or am I missing
something here about sodium coco sulfate?

The Beauty Brains:

Stephanie,

Great question. With a little help from the CTFA's Dictionary of International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients I found the answer.

The difference is really one of purification. Coconut oil is made up of a wide range of fatty acids. They can have as few as 8 carbon atoms and as many as 20. The majority of the fatty acids are of the 12 carbon variety. That means 45-50% of coconut oil is a fatty acid containing 12 carbons.

When manufacturers make their sulfate detergents they can take pure coconut oil and run the "sulfating" reaction to produce Sodium Coco-sulfate.

However, this material doesn't foam as well and will vary depending on the quality of the coconut crops harvested that year.

Sodium Lauryl sulfate is really just a purified version of the same material. In this case they take the coconut oil and remove most of the non-12 carbon fatty acids. Their starting material is then about 80% C-12 instead of 45-50% C-12.

Ultimately, both products are primarily C-12 or Sodium Lauryl Sulfate so they get the same CAS number. However, pure SLS is more efficient and of more reliable quality so most manufacturers use this.

Very astute question. You must have some background in chemistry.

Thanks for being part of the Beauty Brains community.

Left Brain

The difference between SLS and Sodium Coco sulfate is no greater than the difference between purified water and unpurified water (like hard water, etc.) In terms of how it works in the hair, Sodium Coco Sulfate is just a highly, highly diluted form of SLS. If you're allergic to one, you're still gonna be allergic to the other, and such.
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  • 37 comments

shadefell

June 9 2008, 15:22:56 UTC 4 years ago

I saw a product the other day that specified their SLS (I forget which kind) came from coconuts. It confused me some.

My skin reacting to SLS makes a lot more sense now, as I'm sensitive to coconut products. Burts Bees makes this foot rub that OMG made my feet so soft and smooth... but also made them swollen and burning and painful.

akurah

June 9 2008, 15:54:59 UTC 4 years ago

I think (but am not certain) that ammonium lauryl sulfate is also derived from coconuts, with a different sulfonating process being run on it to produce a different sulfate. The key word to look for seems to be lauryl.

shadefell

June 9 2008, 16:00:19 UTC 4 years ago

I'm alternating useing baking soda and an acidic rinse, and using castille soap on my hair. I've only been doing it about a month so I'm not having great hair results, but holy crap is my skin clearing up. I've had terrible cysts under my armpits, behind my ears, under my breasts, etc since roughly the time I hit puberty (and started washing my hair more frequently). I am pretty sure there's a connection between the two. Even if my hair and scalp never improve (I'm soooooo greasy/oily/waxy) I probably won't go back to shampoo simply because my skin is so happy.

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shadefell

June 9 2008, 16:57:21 UTC 4 years ago

I get terrible freakin' build up with castille soap like Dr. Bronner's, on my scalp, along the length of my hair, and in my ears. I should note that my ancestors come from really cold, windy, wet places so I'm assuming that oily skin/scalp is a defense mechanism against cold salt water and cold wind. In other, it's a feature and I should stop fighting it.

I use the castille because it's easier (just squirt it on my scalp, scrub, rinse) but have to use the BS paste to clean out the sticky waxy build up every few days.

I should note that I have soft water. A lot of no shampoo problems like buildup seem to be associated with hard water.

On the plus side, I haven't had to oil my hair at all or use any kind of conditioner in a month.

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shadefell

June 9 2008, 19:21:57 UTC 4 years ago

Re: different strokes for different folks

Yup, I dilute it.

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shadefell

4 years ago

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shadefell

4 years ago

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shadefell

4 years ago

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shadefell

4 years ago

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rhosyn_du

June 9 2008, 19:14:57 UTC 4 years ago

Have you tried doing acid rinses following the castille soap? I've read a lot of people saying they're only necessary if you have hard water, but I need a mild acid rinse after I wash my hair with any soap, regardless of how hard or soft the water I'm washing in is.

shadefell

4 years ago

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Sheryl Zettner

March 8 2012, 01:36:33 UTC 1 year ago

I use the Dr. Bronner's Lavendar bar soap for a shampoo. For some reason I have problems with the liquid versions of their soap. They are almost as bad for me as regular shampoo.

Occasionally I have had problems with buildup, particularly if I have just taken a bath in Epsom salts (which seemed to increase build up of natural oils.) The solution to that is to use a 50-50 water apple cider rinse and comb through your hair. That cleared all the gook for, and left the hair soft with no allergies, although it stings a lot if you get it in your eyes. But then so does the soap.

Now I am just concerned about the sodium lauryl sulfate in toothpaste, as I seem to get chapped lips a lot lately and read that could be the sodium lauryl sulfate in the toothpaste. I just wish I had read this post before buying some new expensive toothpastes to try, as they are using sodium coco-sulfates. :-(

countessof_roth

June 9 2008, 22:08:44 UTC 4 years ago

WAAAAIT so the castile soap I bought last night at the grocery store (am allergic to SLS and my mom suggested using it) I can turn into shampoo instead of buying $12 a bottle non SLS as whole paycheck, erm whole foods? '

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countessof_roth

4 years ago

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austingoddess

June 9 2008, 18:11:32 UTC 4 years ago

One of the big things about SLS is, or at least was, that it was a petro-chemical product. The coconut thing came out after the SLS debate on whether it was carcinogenic or not (still no reliable results on either side yet). Then some companies started advertising that their SLS was coconut-based. You can still assume that ones that don't say so are using the petro source.

susanjin

June 25 2010, 02:40:45 UTC 2 years ago

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katrina_splat

June 9 2008, 23:13:58 UTC 4 years ago

Thanks a lot for this :).

burberry_outlet

June 26 2010, 05:11:13 UTC 2 years ago

it's good to know someone has an idea about what's going on.

pewter

June 10 2008, 09:48:11 UTC 4 years ago

Thanks for bringing this up

I can't find ANY shampoo or shampoo bar in the UK that doesn't have Soduim Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, or Sodium Coco Sulfate in it :( Paraben free is everywhere, non-harsh shampoos are not.

I'm shampooing about once a week at the moment though, mostly water rinses/conditioner lathers only, with the occasional AVC.

miriammoules

June 11 2008, 20:35:18 UTC 4 years ago

They exist - try Faith in Nature from somewhere like holland and Barrett. Last time I bought some it was £2.65 for a bottle of shampoo/conditioner and it lasts for ages.

pewter

June 11 2008, 22:02:42 UTC 4 years ago

I use faith in nature conditioners. The shampoo I purchased of that brand has Sodium Laureth Sulphate in it. (tje Jojoba Oil one. I use the Lavendar & Geranium conditioner. Currently no-poo at the moment anyways.)

Thanks for trying though.

miriammoules

June 12 2008, 05:03:11 UTC 4 years ago

Not all of them do - if you check the website some have ALS, and others have something else.

The other one is Desert Essences.

pewter

June 12 2008, 09:55:05 UTC 4 years ago

I was under the impression that ALS was pretty much just as bad - still a detergent. I'm actually looking into Castile soap now, to use occasionally, we'll see :D

Thanks for the suggestion abotu Desert Essences, I'll have a closer look in our wholefoods store this lunch time.

miriammoules

June 12 2008, 10:26:16 UTC 4 years ago

Castile soap is available in the UK, I've found it at Whole Foods Market. The latter is worth a visit for being able to do patch tests/scent tests and then ordering online.

sequanahom

September 15 2010, 10:13:10 UTC 2 years ago

Shampoos

There is a range of skincare, hair care, body care and cosmetic products from Australia called MiEssence. It contains absolutely no nasties and was the first range to be certified organic. See http://www.organic4health.info

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