If you're experiencing sticky, stringy hair, you could be missing a strong surfactant in your routine. These are essential for removing build-up and cationic conditioning agents, such as the following: - Stearalkonium Chloride - Cetrimonium Chloride - Cetrimonium Bromide - Behentrimonium Methosulfate - Behentrimonium Chloride - Benzalkonium Chloride - Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride - Cocotrimonium Chloride - Dicetyldimonium Chloride - Dicocodimonium Chloride - Hydrogenated Palm Trimethylammonium Chloride - Lauryltrimonium Chloride - Quaternium-15 - Quaternium-22 - Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine (lactate, citrate, propionate) - Isostearamidopropyl Dimethylamine - Isostearamidopropyl Morpholine - Wheatgermamidopropyl Dimethylamine - Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine - Polyquaternium-xx To effectively remove these ingredients, be sure to use a shampoo containing a Sulfate ingredient, for example: - Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate - Sodium Coco-Sulfate C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is a sulfate free ingredient, however it is also strong enough to remove this type of build up. Hair can also become sticky and stringy if too many oils are used and are not removed correctly, or if the hair is not cleansed properly, leaving it dirty. In this case, resetting with a sulfate shampoo should also help to solve this problem.