Haircare Ingredients Cheat Sheet

Quick guide to identify ingredient types by name patterns. See our Ingredients Database for more information.

Silicones

These are generally avoided in the curly hair community due to potential build-up. They may require stronger detergents to remove.

Sources

Curlsbot:Avoid water insoluble silicones, caution for other silicones

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid all silicones

Tightly Curly:Allow all silicones

How to identify

Names ending with 'cone'

Amodimethicone

Dimethicone

Names starting with 'dimethi

dimethicon

Names starting with 'sil'

Siloxane

Siloxysilicate

Silsesquioxane

Silylate

Specific ingredients

Botanisil

Microsil

Exceptions

These silicones are water soluble or evaporative so they should be fine for haircare routines that don't contain strong detergents. But some sources recommend avoiding all silicones

Silicones with a 'peg' prefix

PEG-12 Dimethicone

Silicones with a 'ppg' (or sometimes 'pg')prefix

PEG/PPG-18/18 Dimethicone

Waxes

These can build up on hair and may require sulfates to remove completely.

Sources

Curlsbot:Avoid

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid

Tightly Curly:Caution

How to identify

Ingredient names with a 'cera' (INCL name for beeswax) prefix

Cera Alba

Ingredient names with a 'cire' (French for wax) prefix

Cire d'abeille

Ingredient names containing 'wax'

Beeswax

Candelilla Wax

Exceptions

Water soluble waxes which have a peg or ppg prefix

PEG-8 Beeswax

Emulsifying waxes, which aren't really waxes

Emulsifying Wax

Petroleum Derived Ingredients

These are petroleum based ingredients that are often avoided for their build up potential as well as their petro-based origin.

Sources

Curlsbot:Avoid

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid

Tightly Curly:Caution for Petroleum jelly, Petroleum Oil is listed as OK

How to identify

Petroleum/Mineral Oil and its synonyms

Petroleum

Mineral Oil

Paraffinum Liquidum

Petroleum Jelly and its synonyms

Petroleum Jelly

Petrolatum

Paraffin Jelly

Mineral Jelly

Sulfates

The curly hair community and resources often recommend avoiding sulfates, because of their reputation for being drying. But it can depend on your hair type and the formulation.

Sources

Curlsbot:Avoid

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid

Tightly Curly:Avoid

How to identify

Contains 'sulfate' or 'sulphate' in the name, usually at the end as a separate word

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Tea Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Coco Sulfate

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate

Sodium Xylene Sulfonate

Sodium Laureth Sulfate

Ammonium Cocoyl Sulfate

Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate

Sodium Myreth Sulfate

Exceptions

Behentrimonium methosulfate, which is not a sulfate, it's a conditioning ingredient

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Other Detergents

These aren't sulfates, but they are confusing! Curlsbot will be revisiting their classification in the future.

Sources

Curlsbot:Varies

Tightly Curly:Varies

How to identify

Contains "sulfosuccinate"

Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate

Contains "glutamate"

Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate

Contains "sulfonate"

Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate

Contains "sarcosinate"

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Contains "isethionate"

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate

Exceptions

Most of these detergents are amphoteric, and are considered mild by most sources. They may still be avoided if you're following 'no-poo' or cowashing routine.

hydroxysultaine

Cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine

amphoacetate

Sodium cocoamphoacetate

Sodium Lauroamphoacetate

betaine

Babassuamidopropyl betaine

Cocamidopropyl betaine

Coco betaine

Coconut betaine

glucoside (not amphoteric, but still considered mild)

Decyl Glucoside

Cocamidopropyl Glucoside

Caprylyl Glucoside

Sodium Cocoyl Glucoside

Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside

Lauryl Glucoside

Alcohols

The alcohols that the curly hair community typically recommends avoiding are short-chain alcohols. These have a reputation for being drying, but are likely fine in small amounts or in products that evaporate quickly.

Sources

Curlsbot:Caution (Depends on the product)

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid short chain, emollient alcohols ok

Tightly Curly:Avoid except for emolllient/preservative alcohols

How to identify

contains "alcohol" in the name

Ethyl Alcohol

Grain Alcohol

Isopropyl Alcohol

Propyl Alcohol

Alcohol Denat

SD Alcohol

Isopropyl alcohol synonyms

Isopropanol

2-propanol

Exceptions

These alcohols are known as fatty or emollient alcohols and are good for the hair as they have a moisturizing effect.

Isocetyl Alcohol

Isohexadecanol

Cetyl Alcohol

Palmityl Alcohol

Hexadecyl Alcohol

Palmitoryl Alcohol

C16 Alcohol

Lauryl Alcohol

Dodecyl alcohol

Oleyl Alcohol

Oleic Alcohol

Stearyl Alcohol

Stearoyl Alcohol

Steareth Alcohol

Others

Isostearyl Alcohol

Lanolin alcohol

Myristyl Alcohol

Undecyl Alcohol

Brassica Alcohol

C12-15 Alcohols

C12-16 Alcohols

Coconut Alcohol

Decyl Alcohol

Hydrogenated Rapeseed Alcohol

Jojoba Alcohol

Tridecyl Alcohol

Soap

Can be as drying as sulfates and cause build-up especially if you have hard water.

Sources

Curlsbot:Avoid

Tightly Curly:Avoid

How to identify

contains "saponified" which is the process of making soap

Saponified Cocos Nucifera Oil

soap

Soap

Sodium carboxylate (this isn't soap but often a clue alongside other ingredients that a product is a soap)

Sodium Carboxylate

Contains "Sodium palm" (these ingredients aren't soap but often a clue alongside other ingredients that a product is a soap)

Sodium Palm Kernelate

potassium hydroxide (this isn't soap but often a clue alongside other ingredients that a product is a soap)

Potassium Hydroxide

Parabens

These are common preservatives in hair products. Most cosmetic chemists consider them safe, but many curly hair resources recommend avoiding them because of a study that linked them to cancer.

Sources

Curlsbot:Caution

Curly Girl Handbook:Avoid

Tightly Curly:Ok

How to identify

contains "paraben" in the name

Butylparaben

Ethylparaben

Isobutylparaben

Methylparaben

Propylparaben

Witch Hazel

One of the most controversial ingredients the community. Most witch hazel contains alcohol. As an astringent, it can be drying to the scalp for some people.

Sources

Curlsbot:Caution

Tightly Curly:Ok in products you rinse out

How to identify

Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel Extract

Hamamelis virginiana (scientific name for witch hazel)

Hamamelis Virginiana

Hamamelis Virginiana Extract