Low poo: know what the technique consists of and what ingredients to avoid

The Low Poo technique consists of replacing the hair wash with a regular shampoo with a shampoo without sulfates, silicones or petrolates, which are too aggressive for the hair, leaving it dry and without natural shine.

For those who adopt this method, in the first days you may notice that the hair is less shiny, but over time, it becomes healthier and more beautiful.

What is the technique

To start this method it is important to know the ingredients that should be avoided and to follow the following steps:

1. Exclude prohibited ingredients

The first step in starting the Low Poo method is to set aside all hair products with prohibited ingredients such as silicones, petrolates and sulfates.

In addition, combs, brushes and staples must be cleaned in order to remove all residues. For this, a product with sulfates has to be used which has the ability to remove petrolatum and silicones from these objects, however it cannot have these ingredients in the composition.

2. Wash your hair one last time with sulfates

Before you start using a shampoo free of harmful ingredients, you should wash your hair one last time with a shampoo with sulfates but without petrolatum or silicones, because this step serves exactly to eliminate residues of these components, as the shampoos used in the Low method Poo are not able to do.

If necessary, more than one wash can be done so that no residue remains.

3. Choosing suitable hair products

The last step is to choose shampoos, conditioners or other hair products that do not contain sulphates, silicones, petrolates, and, if appropriate, parabens.

For this, the ideal is to take a list of all the ingredients to avoid, which can be consulted next.

Some brands of shampoo that no longer contain any of these ingredients are Low Poo Shampoo My Curls from Novex, Less Poo Soft Shampoo from Yamá, Low Poo Shampoo Botica Bioextratus or Elvive Extraordinary Low Shampoo Oil from L'Oreal, for example.

What ingredients are prohibited

1. Sulfates

Sulfates are washing agents, also known as detergents, which are very powerful because they open the hair cuticle to remove dirt. However, they also remove moisture and natural oils from the hair, leaving them dry. See what sulfate-free shampoo is here and what it is for.

2. Silicones

Silicones are ingredients that act by forming a layer on the outside of the wire, called a protective film, which is a kind of barrier that prevents the threads from receiving hydration, giving only the feeling that the hair is more hydrated and shiny.

3. Petrolatos

Petrolates work in a very similar way to silicones, forming a layer outside the strands without treating them and also preventing hair hydration. The use of products with petrolatum can lead to their accumulation in the wires in a prolonged way.

4. Parabens

Parabens are preservatives widely used in cosmetics, because they prevent the proliferation of microorganisms, ensuring that products last longer. Although there are many people who exclude parabens from the Low Poo method, they can be used because in addition to not having enough studies to prove their harmful effects, they are also easily eliminated.

The following table lists the main ingredients that should be avoided in the Low Poo method:

Sulfates	Petrolato	Silicones	Parabens
Sodium Laureth Sulfate	Mineral oil	Dimeticone	Methylparaben
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate	Liquid paraffin	Dimethicone	Propylparaben
Sodium Myreth Sulfate	Isoparaffin	Phenyltrimethicone	Ethylparaben
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate	Petrolato	Amodimethicone	Butylparaben
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate	Microcrystalline wax
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate	Vaseline
Sodium Myreth Sulfate	Dodecane
Sodium Trideceth Sulfate	Isododecane
Sodium Alkylbenzene Sulfate	Alkane
Sodium Coco-sulfate	Hydrogenated polyisobutene
Ethyl PEG-15 Cocamine Sulfate
Dioctyl Sodium Sulfosuccinate
TEA Lauryl Sulfate
TEA dodecylbenzenesulfonate

Undesirable effects

Initially, in the first days, this technique can leave the hair looking heavy and dull due to the absence of ingredients that generally give the hair a shiny appearance. In addition, people with oily hair may find it more difficult to adapt to the Low Poo method and therefore some people return to the traditional method.

It is important that people who start a Low Poo method know that after some time, by excluding harmful ingredients from their daily routine, in the medium and long term they will have healthier, hydrated and shiny hair.

What is the No Poo Method

No Poo is a method that does not use any shampoo, nor Low Poo. In these cases, people wash their hair only with conditioner, also without sulfates, silicones and petrolates, whose technique is called co-wash.

In the Low Poo method it is also possible to alternate the washing of the hair with Low Poo shampoo and conditioner.