Dove is a very popular drugstore hair care brand? But does Dove shampoo have sulfates and parabens? And are the conditioners silicone free too? Find out here.
You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard of Dove hair care yet. This brand is a popular drugstore brand and is very popular among the masses for its affordable prices.
But the biggest question that arises is are these drugstore brands good for hair. And should you compromise on quality hair care for the price?
The easiest way to find out if Dove (or other such brands) are good for your hair is to check if they have parabens and sulfates.
Now what exactly are these? Let’s first find out below before proceeding to check if Dove contains these ingredients.
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Does Dove Shampoo Have Sulfates And Parabens
Why Are Parabens and Sulfates Bad For Your Hair?
Parabens are a type of antibacterial and antifungal agent that help preserve the shampoo for longer periods.
They were used in shampoos and other hair care products regularly till a few years ago but then there were studies showing that parabens are endocrine disrupting agents (substances that disrupt your hormones).
So several hair care brands discontinued the use of parabens as preservatives in their products.
Sulfates are a type of cleansing agent and while they do not directly affect health, they are known to trigger redness and irritation in very sensitive skin.
Also sulfates are too good at removing dirt, oil, etc. from your hair so sometimes they remove the moisture and scalp’s natural oil from your tresses.
These ingredients are also known to strip hair dye as they are so powerful that they go inside the hair strand and wash away the pigment.
Is Dove Shampoo Sulfate Free or Not?
Yes, a majority of Dove shampoos are always sulfate-based. Their ingredients list almost always contain sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). These are too harsh on your hair and are not suitable for either dry, damaged or color-treated hair.
However, in recent years, Dove has launched two lines of sulfate-free shampoos. These are the Dove Amplified Textures Shampoo that are created to clarify coily, curly and wavy hair without leaving them dry.
The other Sulfate-free shampoo is the Dove Hair Therapy Shampoo for Damaged Hair. As the name suggests this is a shampoo made for dry, damaged hair. So it’s obvious that it should be free of harsh chemicals.
The chief surfactant that is used in both of these shampoos are cocamidopropyl betaine instead of SLS and SLES. This is a milder surfactant that cleanses without stripping moisture and hair dye and causing irritation.
Does Dove Shampoo Have Parabens
No. Dove doesn’t use parabens in its products anymore. And it is also phasing out the older products that contained parabens.
Parabens are a type of preservative that are usually used in hair care products and other cosmetics to increase their shelf life by reducing bacterial growth.
The main types of parabens that are usually used in hair care products include methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. So if you see these ingredients in any shampoo or conditioner (and not just Dove) make sure you avoid it.
Parabens have been linked to hormonal disorders, reproductive problems, and even cancer. So you can see why this ingredient is such a no-no.
Is Dove Shampoo Silicone Free
Yes. Almost all Dove shampoos are silicone free. However, this doesn’t make much of a difference.
Silicones are a substance that coat your hair strands to help smoothen your hair cuticle and reduce frizz. It also sometimes helps fill in the damaged strands, making it appear less rough.
Because of their hair smoothening and shine-enhancing properties, silicones are often an ingredient used in hair conditioners, leave-in conditioners, serums and hair creams.
So you will actually not find a lot of Dove shampoos or any other shampoos with silicones as it’s not really a common ingredient that’s used in it.
The Dove conditioners, however, are not silicone free. Most of them contain the usual silicones like dimethicone, amodimethicone, dimethiconol, etc.
Silicones are not harmful for your hair per se. But they can build up on hair with regular use leading to blocked hair follicles, limp and greasy-looking hair, decreased hair porosity and even dandruff.
Dove Sulfate-Free Shampoo Review: Is It Any Good?
To be fair to Dove, they do have a sulfate-free shampoo in the form of the Dove Hair Therapy Shampoo for Damaged, Breakage Remedy with Nutrient-Lock Serum. I got a 33.8 Fl Oz bottle of this shampoo online for $14.99 which I thought was a steal.
I have straight hair which isn’t quite damaged but which has been colored a few times. So I really wanted a color-safe shampoo which this promised to be.
On my first wash, I actually liked this shampoo a lot. It lathered really well, something that other sulfate-free shampoos have a lot of problems with.
However, I did notice that the shampoo consistency itself was too watery. I don’t know if I got a bad batch or if the shampoo has changed its formula. But I had to use a lot of product to actually get my hair clean.
And it was cleansing too! But not harsh enough as to leave my hair squeaky clean and bone dry. It didn’t strip color on the first wash but I could see my hair color fade a lot more quickly than it did with my previous shampoo.
I think this was maybe due to the presence of sodium chloride (salt) in the shampoo. It’s perfectly harmless for regular hair but it might interfere with colored hair sometimes.
I really liked its scent as well but was a bit disappointed to see that it contains a lot of artificial fragrances including parfum, limonene, etc. Now I have a normal scalp skin type so it didn’t really bother me as much. But if you have a sensitive scalp, it might cause irritation and redness.
So steer clear of this shampoo if you have scalp psoriasis, dermatitis or other such conditions.
Overall I would give this shampoo a solid 7/10, the only marks deducted are for the use of synthetic perfumes that can really dry your hair if you’re using it everyday.
Other than this I have no complaints about the shampoo!
So does it fulfill its promise of being “damage-repairing”. Well, I used this shampoo for 4 weeks and didn’t really see any difference in the overall damage control.
However, my hair did seem smoother and much shinier after those 4 weeks. So I guess it sort of works.
As I’ve mentioned before, I have straight hair that tends to be on the oilier side. So this shampoo worked amazingly well for me. But the inclusion of salt, citric acid, perfumes, etc. might make it too rough for curly, type 3 and type 4 hair.
It might also not work as well on very dry, dehydrated hair as its hydrolyzed silk protein formula won’t be nourishing enough. So if you have this hair type, I suggest following up with a very rich moisturizer.
What Are The Downsides of Using Dove Shampoo For Hair?
Most Dove shampoo are sulfate-based so they can dry out hair in the long run. These also won’t suit curly hair or coily hair as they are too harsh. The Dove shampoos also will not suit colored hair for the same reason.
These shampoos also contains artificial perfumes which can lead to irritation and can cause dry hair if you use them on the regular.
Summary on Dove Shampoo Ingredients
All Dove shampoos except two – the Amplified Texture and Damage Control shampoos – contain sulfates in their formula. This makes the Dove shampoo too harsh on dry, curly, African American and color-treated hair types.
However, these shampoos are all free of parabens, a very harmful preservative that can cause several health disorders including cancer.
Dove shampoos are also all free of silicones. However as most shampoos are silicone-free (this is an ingredient used mainly in conditioners) this doesn’t give the brand any brownie points.
A lot of Dove conditioners are silicone-based too.
Now coming to other ingredients, Dove has completely stopped using Coal Tar, Triclosan, Hydroquinone, Phthalates, Octanoate, DMDM Hydantoin and Retinyl Palmitate in their formulations. Most of these ingredients are proven by research to have adverse effects on your health.
Dove is also cruelty-free and PETA-certified.
I have noted that both the Dove shampoo and conditioner ranges contain ingredients that can harm hair if not your health that fly below the radar.
These include the use of artificial perfumes (that can dry out scalp skin and trigger sensitivities), sodium chloride (that can fade hair color), alcohol (that can dry hair), and perfuming agents like linalool and limonene that can again dry hair with repeated use.
So you need to watch out for these ingredients as well.
Also Read:
TRESemmé Botanique Nourish Hair Shampoo vs. Dove Derma Care Shampoo
How To Check If Shampoo Is Sulfate-Free
To Summarize