Choosing the best shampoo for your hair

A shampoo is traditionally meant for just hair and scalp cleansing. However, now-a-days, many shampoos also give shine & volume to hair, and protection from dandruff, color fading & even ultraviolet rays.

In this post, we would discuss various ingredients of shampoos and their specific use for different hair types.

What are the ingredients of shampoos?

Basic ingredients of all shampoos is detergent. Other ingredients that improve aesthetic quality include preservatives, fragrance, pH adjusters, & thickeners.

Detergents:

These are the surfactants that combine, emulsify and wash off dirt and grease from scalp and hair. This component is responsible for lather forming and cleansing property of shampoos.The surfactant in shampoos can be anionic (negatively charged) or amphoteric (containing both positive-negative charges).

• Anionic surfactants (as laureth sulphate and sodium lauryl sulphate) have good cleansing potential, and remove sebum effectively. However, they tend to leave hair rough and dull.
• Amphoteric surfactants (as cocamido propyl betaine) are considered mild detergents. These are commonly used in mild daily care shampoos, baby shampoos, and shampoos for dry and chemically treated hair.

Besides basic ingredients, some shampoos may contain certain ingredients that deliver additional benefits:

Conditioners:

Hair conditioning ingredients include:

• Cationic polymer (like polyquaternium 10)
• Silicones (like Dimethicone)
• Humectants (like glycerin, urea)

Conditioning agents are present in shampoos having a 2-in-1 formula (usually sold as conditioning or moisturising shampoos). These enhance shine, hydration, detangling and manageability of hair. The conditioners tend to deposit on hair to provide delayed benefits. Another variant of shampoo-conditioner combination is cleansing conditioner. Such conditioner contains a small bit of mild detergent to rinse of dirt and more amount of conditioning ingredients.

Color protecting ingredients:

Artificial hair color is prone to fading by sunlight, shampooing and chlorine exposure while swimming. Some photo-protectors or sunscreens are added in color-protecting shampoos prevent fading of artificial color.

Anti dandruff agents:

Shampoos having anti-dandruff property contain anti-fungal drugs like pyrithione zinc, selenium sulfide, ketoconazole and zinc carbonate.

Voluminizing ingredients:

Some shampoos may contain hydrolysed proteins as PG-propyl silanetriol that form a film or coat over the hair shaft. These increase the diameter of the hair shaft thus increasing volume of hair.

Which type of shampoo to use in your hair type?

Shampoo for oily hair

If your hair are oily, they require good cleansing to get rid off excess sebum. The ingredient list on your shampoo bottle should be short, mainly containing sulphate type surfactants (like lauryl sulfate). You should not use conditioning or moisturising shampoos that add moisture to hair. Dandruff is a common problem often associated with oily scalp as fungus responsible for dandruff survives on oily secretions. If you have dandruff, then you should use anti dandruff shampoos.

Shampoo for dry hair, damaged and chemically treated hair

In dry damaged hair, you should use shampoo containing mild cleanser, like an amphoteric surfactant (such as beatine).

Dry damaged lustreless hair also demand conditioning and moisturization. Conditioning ingredients like Dimethicone deposit on brittle hair making them feel more soft supple shiny and healthier. Cationic polymers in conditioners seal the damaged cuticle of hair strand provide strength to hair besides making them more manageable.

Though there are many 2-in-1 conditioning shampoos in market, it is always better to use separate shampoo and conditioner for better results.

Shampoo for fine hair

If you have fine hair, your hair gets weighted down or get limp quicker with deposition of dirt or sebum. For shampooing fine hair, you can use voluminizing shampoo that add volume to your hair. The hydrolysed proteins present in such shampoos form coating on hair and increase the diameter of the hair shaft. A clear rather than creamy shampoo works best for fine and delicate hair. You should also avoid using conditioners especially dimethicone in fine hair, as the conditioner can weigh hair down and make your hair appear thinner than before you shampooed.

Shampoo for frizzy & curly hair

To tame frizzy and curly hair, you need high levels of conditioning agents that add smoothness and moisture in such hair. In this case, cleansing conditioners appears the best choice. A cleansing conditioner is basically a conditioner with a little bit of mild surfactants to remove dirt. These offer high levels of moisture to hair and gently cleanse to keep the hair cuticle smooth and fight fly-aways.

Shampoo for baby hair

To wash hair of babies, sulphur-free, mild shampoos containing amphoteric surfactants as beatine are preferred.

Shampoo for colored hair

You should prefer color protecting shampoos to prevent fading of artificial colour.

How frequent should shampooing be done?

After choosing the best shampoo for your hair type, the next question comes as to how often you should wash your hair. Many people think washing their hair everyday would get rid of natural oils and dirt. It is not essential to wash hair everyday. Washing removes hair’s natural oils, but there is nothing inherently bad about these oils. The natural hair oils actually help to create texture in hair.

For the average person, every other day, or every 2 to 3 days, without washing is generally fine.

There is no common recommendation on how often to shampoo.

• If you find your hair visibly oily, scalp itching, flaking due to dirt, it becomes important to shampoo.
• If you have oily scalp, you might require to wash your hair more often as everyday or each alternate day.
• If you have fine hair, your hair accumulates oil and dirt becomes limpy and weights down. Again in such cases, you need to wash your hair more often.
• If your hair are dry, curly or thicker, then you can wait for washing your hair for a few more days. But don’t wait for more than a week, or your scalp becomes dirty.

After shampooing, wait until your hair is dry before combing or styling, as wet hair tends to break easier than dry hair.

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