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Best Sulphate-Free Shampoo for Hair Extensions

Written by Shopify API on
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Sulphates are common in many shampoos for their deep cleansing properties that make them effective at removing dirt and grime. It’s sulphates that create the thick lather you’re used to when shampooing – which helps the shampoo to latch onto the dirt in your hair.

Unfortunately, these properties also mean sulphate shampoos strip your hair of its natural oils and risk leaving it dry, brittle and damaged – especially if you already have quite dry hair.

But how do sulphate shampoos affect hair extensions? And should you avoid these products? Our hair extensions experts explain all…

Do I need to use Sulphate-free shampoo to wash my clip-in hair extensions?

As we’ve learnt, sulphates can strip hair of its natural oils. When this happens, your hair produces sebum (hair oil) to retain moisture and replace any oils lost in washing. 

Often, this can make your hair appear oilier faster and you will need to keep washing your hair more often.

However, as hair extensions are not attached to our scalp, the sulphates simply dry out the extensions, with no natural hair oils replaced post-wash. This ultimately strips the extensions of their moisture, making them brittle and dull in colour.

This is why many opt for sulphate-free shampoo when looking after their hair – especially when wearing extensions.

On your first time using a sulphate-free shampoo, you may find your hair feels slightly dryer than usual after washing. This is completely normal – and is your hair’s way of retaining the natural moisture in the scalp without over-producing hair oil. 

After a few weeks of a sulphate-free routine, you’ll notice a difference in the texture and quality of your hair and hopefully won’t have to wash it as regularly.

So, if you’re looking to switch to a sulphate-free shampoo – to keep your extensions looking luscious for longer – we’ve put together a list of our favourite products:

Matrix Keep Me Vivid Sulfate Free Shampoo

Our favourite every-wash shampoo. It’s affordable, keeps colour-treated hair looking vibrant and smells like vanilla and coconut. 

This sulphate-free shampoo is specially formulated for colour-treated hair, sealing in the colour and banishing impurities. 

It combats colour fading and leaves your hair feeling purified and detoxed. And with no added sulphates or silicones, it will keep your extensions feeling soft and cleansed. 

Maria Nila Sheer Silver Shampoo

The Maria Nila Sheer Silver Shampoo is the perfect toning agent for your blonde hair, removing unwanted yellow tones with minimal damage.

This shampoo contains violet pigments, making it perfect for neutralising golden shades, as well as adding strength and shine.

The packaging instructs to strand test the product first, though, and it’s worth gradually building up how long you leave the product in before washing out, to avoid getting purple stripes through those blonde locks.  

Olaplex No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo 

Over-processing hair with frequent colouring, chemical treatments and heat styling can leave it feeling brittle and prone to breakage. 

Olaplex rebuilds the disulphide bonds in your hair, increasing moisture levels and strengthening the hair structure (disulphide bonds give your hair its elasticity, natural shape and strength). 

The patented colour-safe formula helps to preserve the quality of your colour to prevent fading and oxidisation. 

Due to the higher price of this product, we wouldn’t use it regularly. However, if you’re looking to ‘fix’ or detox damaged hair, or grow out your natural locks, Olaplex is your go-to product!

Maui Moisture Curl Quench Coconut Oil Shampoo

Not only does this sulphate-free shampoo smell amazing, but it’s also available in high-street retailers at an affordable price. 

This product is perfect for those with natural curls or those following the ‘curly-girl’ method. 

It avoids any nasty substances and helps to release your hair’s natural movement by hydrating and encouraging the natural curl pattern in the hair.

Best sulphate-free shampoo for coloured hair extensions

While the sulphate-free shampoos we’ve listed in this guide will be kind on your coloured hair extensions, there are some key features to look out for in products to avoid damaging or dulling your hair.

Shampoos with a ‘colour-safe’ label are designed without the harsh chemicals that can cause the colour to strip from your extensions. Similarly, a shampoo with a balanced pH (around 5) avoids changing your hair’s natural acidity, which can cause colour to fade.

The best shampoo for blonde extensions is a sulphate-free, purple shampoo product. These are designed to neutralise yellow, orange or brassy tones, to keep your blonde locks looking bright and fresh. 

For more tips on caring for your hair extensions, check out our complete guide. Or visit our Hair Blog for all the latest haircare and styling help from our experts.