All About Shampoo

Shampoo is a necessary part of our hair's cleansing routine. This article should cover most of the questions you may have about shampoo including the usage, ingredients, and cost.

The reason we frequently shampoo is plainly to cleanse the hair. That is the simple goal of shampoo. Shampoo does not condition the hair, build up on the hair and it rarely needs to be rinsed and repeated (regardless what the bottle tells you.) Cleansing involves the removal of dirt, sebum and environmental pollutants from the scalp and hair. It does this by detergents (called surfactants) that are basically chemicals that attract dirt and oils. Surfactants do their job easily and range from Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate which is a very harsh surfactant to Sodium Laureth Sulfate which is very gentle and the best choice. The harsher the surfactants are the more lather will be produced. Most of us have been conditioned to equate lathering ability with cleansing ability. The truth is that using more shampoo only increases the dryness and damages fragile hair.

Many people wonder if there really is a difference between salon brands and drugstore brands of shampoo. Most definitely there is. The #1 difference is the quality of ingredients. You may compare the ingredient listings on different bottles and think they are the same simply because the ingredient listing is similar. The fact is that it is the quality of those ingredients that matter. Higher quality ingredients result in fewer products, less damage and better fragrance to point out a few.

Shampoo cannot make your hair healthy, grow your hair faster or make it curly (or straight.) Hair is dead keratin protein and consequently, its structure cannot be changed. Daily or thrice weekly shampooing is usually enough to keep the hair clean and should be done with a gently massaging motion directed at the scalp since this is where the oils originate. Vigorously scrubbing the head can result in damage to the scalp and/or hair.

When trying to decide on a particular shampoo, it is best to speak with your stylist. He or she will know the advantages of one salon brand over another.

Sue Phillips is a freelance writer from South Dakota.