Shampoos are liquids designed to cleanse hair by dissolving oils, dirt, and residue from its scalp and follicles. In addition, these shampoos help cleanse excess sebum production while also preventing buildup of sebum production.
Most shampoos typically include surfactants (like sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate ), or milder ones like cocamidopropyl betaine, to create an attractive foam.
Shampoos are designed to meet various hair and scalp needs. From volumizing to protecting color, there are shampoos designed specifically for them all.
Nourishing
Nourishing shampoos nourish the scalp and hair to promote balance, while encouraging healthy hair growth and oil balance – essential factors in creating beautiful locks! Many contain ingredients such as tea tree oil or aloe vera to soothe irritation caused by issues like dandruff or itchiness on your scalp, while also encouraging strong, vibrant locks with strong and beautiful strands.
Shampoo cleans by employing surfactants, which lower the surface tension of water so it binds with oils and dirt, washing them away with ease. Many shampoos also include perfumed ingredients to provide an enjoyable user experience.
Find shampoos free from sulfates (ammonium lauryl or sodium laureth sulfate) and parabens, known to alter hormone balance, cause irritation, and possibly cancer. They should also have a pH balance close to your scalp’s natural pH of 5.5 for best results.
Cleansing
Shampoos help clean your hair by dissolving oil, sweat components and desquamated stratum corneum (dead skin cells). In addition, they remove residues of hair styling products, dyes and environmental dirt.
Sodium lauryl sulfates and sodium laureth sulfates are detergents, commonly referred to as surfactants, that help make shampoo foam. They act as cleaning agents in shampoo products.
There are five categories of shampoo detergents: anionics, cationics, nonionics, amphoterics and natural surfactants. Each variety has unique hair cleaning abilities.
Conditioning ingredients like dimethicone can help your hair remain soft and manageable by minimizing tangling, static electricity and tangling, while preservatives help ensure that shampoo does not become infected with germs that could pose various health hazards.
Hydrating
Emollient shampoos are effective at replenishing oils to the skin and relieving dryness, and may be made up of plant, mineral or animal ingredients. Emollients typically come with an emulsifier such as cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol or PEG-4 dilaurate to distribute their benefits throughout the hair shafts and scalp.
Shampoos typically utilize surfactants as their main cleaning agents, creating lather that assists in clearing away dirt, oil and other debris from both scalp and hair. Detergents derived from fatty acids may also play a part in this process. Common examples of surfactants used in shampoos include sodium lauryl sulfate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate and cocamidopropyl betaine.
Shampoo’s complex chemistry relies heavily on ingredients like surfactants, chelating agents and emulsifiers to do their work efficiently, as well as other components like fragrances, thickeners and preservatives to prevent germs and extend shelf life of its shampoo products.
Thickening
Shampoos typically contain surfactants, organic compounds that help dissolve dirt and grease from the scalp surface, to clean away impurities. Many shampoos also feature pH levels in between 4.5-6.5 to mimic how pH affects our scalps.
Hair thickening shampoos use specialty formulas designed to thicken thin or flat strands of hair. As with regular shampoos, these thickening formulas cleanse away grease and dirt that weigh down strands while simultaneously adding filler ingredients that make strands appear fuller.
These include xanthan gum, which adds thickness, and guar gum for silkiness in shampoos. Some also feature silicone for conditioning purposes and sodium laureth sulfate for creating foam that looks pleasing on your scalp.
Other ingredients, like hyaluronic acid (common in skincare products) and intra-cylane, fill surface gaps to make strands appear fuller while simultaneously adding volume. Their plumping action hydrates strands for increased bounce and volume.
Soothing
Shampoo contains a blend of surfactants as primary cleaners, each of which features molecules with lipophilic ends that bind to oily dirt while hydrophilic ends attract water and wash away soil particles from your hair and scalp. Furthermore, surfactants reduce surface tension between hair and water for easier rinsing.
Normal shampoos typically feature mild, conditioning detergents; oily hair shampoos use stronger ones for sebum removal. Furthermore, hair treatment and color shampoos contain specific anionic and cationic detergents designed to remove chemicals used for styling, coloring or perming processes.
Medicated shampoos are used to treat various scalp conditions such as dandruff, psoriasis or seborrheic dermatitis and may contain antiseborrheic ingredients like sulfur, salicylic acid or refined tar (cannot be used on cats). Two in one shampoos contain silicones to replace sebum for shiny and smooth locks.
