# Straight to hell with canker sores, I say! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 30, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263 "2004-12-30T16:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/21 "2004-12-31T16:12:28Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Do you SLS avoiders need to avoid it in other products, like shampoos? As long as you don’t _drink_ the shampoo, you should be fine. 😉 Haj ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/22 "2004-12-31T16:14:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > As long as you don’t _drink_ the shampoo, you should be fine. 😉 > > Haj 😃 Let me be more specific: are those prone to canker sores aggravated by SLS likely to suffer from lesions elsewhere on the body aggravated by SLS, like on the scalp or gential mucous membranes? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/23 "2004-12-31T16:18:35Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Let me be more specific: are those prone to canker sores aggravated by SLS likely to suffer from lesions elsewhere on the body aggravated by SLS, like on the scalp or gential mucous membranes? Not in my experience nor have I ever heard of someone else having that problem. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/24 "2004-12-31T17:45:49Z")
You might be onto something there, **WhyNot** - I had problems with my scalp, too - I just thought it was dry, itchy scalp from moving to Calgary, which is a very dry place. I started using Clairol’s Herbal Essence shampoo for dandruff, and it helps a lot. Looking at the bottle, it doesn’t say if it has SLS in it or not. ---
**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/25 "2004-12-31T17:54:21Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > You might be onto something there, **WhyNot** - I had problems with my scalp, too - I just thought it was dry, itchy scalp from moving to Calgary, which is a very dry place. I started using Clairol’s Herbal Essence shampoo for dandruff, and it helps a lot. Looking at the bottle, it doesn’t say if it has SLS in it or not. [It does.](http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=38838&catid=11936&trx=29384&tab=0#0) Don’t they have to list ingredients in Canada? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2004, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/26 "2004-12-31T23:49:48Z")
Well, lookit that. I suppose it’s not the SLS bugging me, then. I guess they don’t have to list ingredients in stuff like that here - I don’t know if my toothpaste has SLS, either. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263/27 "2005-01-01T01:22:31Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Well, lookit that. I suppose it’s not the SLS bugging me, then. I guess they don’t have to list ingredients in stuff like that here - I don’t know if my toothpaste has SLS, either. I’ll bet a nickle it does. Almost every toothpaste has it. There are only two (Biotene and some versions of Rembrant) that you’ll find on your average drugstore shelf that _don’t_ have it. Sure, specialized health food stores may have more. Oh, and what is odd- SLS has not real use in toothpaste. It is there to make it foam better, which dudes think is making the toothpaste work better- so that’s why they put it in. All that canker misery for millions of us, and it’s there just because it make the products sell better… ☹ :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-to-hell-with-canker-sores-i-say/282263.md?page=1)