Shampoo For All Hair

Introduction

Shampoo was originally designed to simply clean dirt, debris and other toxins from hair. Over the years, shampoo has morphed from cleaning agents to products that layer benefits depending on the type, texture and current condition of the hair being cleansed.

Although it is still possible to buy shampoo designed just to clean hair, the hair product aisles are jammed with mind numbing options. Listed below are the basic categories of shampoo for all hair types, textures and conditions.

With each category suggested shampoo products are listed. Keep in mind that the recommended products are designed to be a general guide. Not all products will work for all people all of the time.

Keep in mind that while some shampoo formulas can add moisture, remove oil and buildup as well as inject color, the ultimate design of shampoo is to cleanse hair.

Virgin Hair

Hair which has never been chemically treated in any way is known as virgin strands. This means the hair has never been altered with bleach, hair color, highlights or lowlights. Hair has also never been chemically straightened, relaxed or curled. Virgin hair may or may not contain damage.

Virgin hair can be fine, medium or thick in type as well as straight, curly, wavy or kinky in texture.

Note: For more information on hair types and textures refer to: Hair Profiling II: Hair Texture

The most likely challenges for virgin hair include split ends and general breakage from lack of ongoing maintenance or improper use of hot tools and styling accessories. Virgin hair might also suffer from oiliness or excessive dryness due to overexposure to the sun and other environmental factors.

When hair is excessively oily, especially when it is fine or straight, it may benefit from clarifying formulas used on a bi-weekly basis. Avoid overuse of clarifying products which can strip natural oils and result in over dry strands.

Virgin hair which is fine, medium or thick usually responds well to shampoo formulas designed to offer gentle cleansing. If hair is naturally curly, wavy or kinky it should be cleaned with a product that is moisture enriched while enhancing shine.

Naturally wavy, curly or kinky hair that has never been chemically treated may still be challenged by chronic dryness or frizz due to cuticle shape. Diluted shampoo formulas, infrequent washings or washing with special shampoo formulas designed for wavy, curly or kinky hair may be indicated.

Fine or thin hair may benefit from volume enhancing shampoo products.

Depending on budget considerations, shampoo products can be chosen from either professional or mass market lines.

Products To Try:

Citré Shine Fresh Fusion Revitalizing Shampoo for Normal Hair, $4. A gentle formula, this product contains grapefruit and mandarin-orange extracts.

Normal Hair

Normal hair may or may not also be virgin hair. For the most part, normal hair is usually undamaged or has minimal damaged. Normal hair, like virgin hair may be challenged by excessive oiliness or dryness, depending upon other factors such as

Products To Try:

Citré Shine Fresh Fusion Revitalizing Shampoo for Normal Hair, $4. A gentle formula, this product contains grapefruit and mandarin-orange extracts.

Oily Hair

Oily skin is usually accompanied by oily scalp and skin. The best plan for treating chronically oily hair is to remove the greasiness without striping strands of beneficial natural oils. Unfortunately this may not be as easy as it sounds since shampoo formulas designed to remove oil may be more drying than other types of formulas.

Most hair experts suggest that an excessively oily scalp responds well to daily cleansings and double application of shampoo to the strands. This is especially true when hair is exposed to heat, humidity or other toxins which may over-stimulate the scalp's oil glands. Some oily hair sufferers report success when shampooing hair both in the morning and the evening.

Since the cause of excessive oily hair is tied to sebaceous glands which are constantly product oil, washing the hair two times a day may help keeps the oil flow under control. Although the option to shampoo more than once a day can help the majority of oily hair sufferers, this is not necessarily true for everyone.

It's also important when cleansing oily hair to apply the shampoo to the scalp as well as the strands and make sure the formula has enough time to penetrate to cut greasiness. The rule of thumb is to leave shampoo on hair for at least 5-8 minutes. While shampoo is allowed to remain on hair use fingertips to massage scalp well. Scalp manipulation will help to release any additional oil and grease for immediate removal.

One key to containing oily hair and scalp is to avoid applying any conditioners, gels or other styling products that leave a layer on the scalp. If you must use rinse out or leave-in conditioners, be sure to apply only to the ends or damaged areas of the hair. Avoid the root area.

In between shampoo sessions you may opt to apply astringent directly to the scalp with cotton balls to keep oil from the scalp from migrating to the hair and skin and to slow down oil secretions. You can utilize an astringent designed for skin such as Sea Breeze or make your own formula of 1 part witch hazel to one part mouthwash.

Consider applying an apple cider vinegar rinse and following with a cool/cold water rinse which will help slow down oil production.

Products To Try:

Citré Shine Fresh Fusion Revitalizing Shampoo for Normal Hair, $4. A gentle formula, this product contains grapefruit and mandarin-orange extracts.

Fine Hair

To plump up fine strands opt for a volumizing or thickening shampoo formula. It is important to select products that have minimal conditioning agents to avoid weighing hair down.

Products To Try:

Infusium 23 Maximum Body, $5. This shampoo strengthens thin and weak hair with panthenol, otherwise known as vitamin B5

Thick Hair

Use a double portion of shampoo in a formula for your hair type — normal, oily, dry, or chemically treated.

Products To Try:

Redken All Soft Shampoo, $9. This favorite of Suzanne Mason, a hairstylist with the Zano Salons, in Chicago, softens hair with avocado oil to make it more manageable.

Bleached, Colored, Chemically Treated Hair

Tresses that are bleached, chemically colored, highlighted or low lighted are very prone to damage ranging from slight to maximum. Bleached hair may suffer from split ends or breakage. Since even the most moisturizing shampoo formulas can be drying, pre and post shampoo conditioning treatments would be beneficial.

Use a protein-based shampoo (common ingredients include silk amino acids and extracts of wheat and soy) to help reinforce weak areas.

Chemically treated hair may become over porous. It may also require more than one type of shampoo formula at the same time. The root area may become oily while the ears down may be very dry. It is important to minimize shampoo sessions to once or twice a week. When possible, treat oily or dirty roots with a dry shampoo which minimizes handling of the middle and ends sections of the hair.

Products To Try:

Joico K-Pak Reconstruct, $12. This contains a blend of amino acids that adhere to damaged areas on the hair.

Dry Or Damaged Hair

Dry hair may be naturally occurring depending on genetics as well as hair type and texture. Thick hair which is naturally wavy, curly or kinky may be more prone to natural dryness, regardless of the environment or product use.

Damaged hair is often very dry due to the loss of natural oils which add moisture. Damaged dry hair is usually due to use of chemicals on the hair, overuse of hot styling tools and irons, poor diet and improper care and maintenance to the strands. Sometimes the cause of dry or damaged strands is due to an open cuticle either by genetic design of the strands or from long term damage.

When hair is dry and/or damaged it is best to use a shampoo that will soften hair, minimize frizz, static and restore balance. Many hair experts suggest a shampoo product with a pH of 2.5 to 3.5. These types of shampoo formulas used to be referred to as acidifiers.

Shampoo formulas that include hydrating ingredients such as glycerin and collagen will usually help to restore the hair's natural moisture balance. Shampoo forumulas rich in humectants are also beneficial. Humectants are beneficial because they attract and retain moisture in the hair.

Products To Try:

Dove Advanced Care Therapy Shampoo, $6. This inexpensive pick repairs roughness and dryness with silicone and has glycerin for deep hydration.

Wavy Hair

You need a shampoo that will soften your porous (and, most likely, dull) hair and minimize static. Hydrating ingredients like glycerin and collagen help restore the moisture balance.

Products To Try:

Dove Advanced Care Therapy Shampoo, $6. This inexpensive pick repairs roughness and dryness with silicone and has glycerin for deep hydration.

Naturally Curly Or Kinky Hair

The cuticles for those with naturally curly or kinky hair is different from other hair types and textures. The cuticle grows in a spiral shape or S shape and thus the cuticle never quite closes. It also never lays flat which means unless hair is chemically or temporarily straightened It is exposed to the air and elements which robs the hair of moisture. Naturally curly hair is usually very soft and often fine in texture.

No two naturally curly or kinky heads are alike. As a result, naturally curly and kinky haired people need to test a combination of products that might work for their hair. Curly and kinky hair is often categorized by different types of curls.

Curly hair can be categorized by Type. Generally speaking with straight hair labeled as Type 1 and Wavy Hair as Type 2, Curly Hair is Type 3 and Kinky Hair is Type 4.

If you're a Type 3, your hair has a lot of body and is easily styled in its natural state, or it can be easily straightened with a blow-dryer into a smoother style. Healthy Type 3 hair is shiny, with soft, smooth curls and strong elasticity. The curls are well-defined and springy: pull out a strand of hair and stretch it; it won't snap in two.

Damaged Type 3 hair is usually frizzy, dull, hard and dry to the touch, with fuzzy, ill-defined curls Type 3A, hair that is very loosely curled like Julia Robert's or Susan Sarandon's is usually very shiny with big curls. The shorter the hair, the straighter it gets. The longer the hair the more defined the curl.

What to try for 3a hair: Gels and styling creams work best. Try our Curly Cocktail, created especially for 3a hair! Some of our other picks for this hair type include:

Type 3B, on the other hand, is hair with a medium amount of curl, ranging from bouncy ringlets – think of Shirley Temple – to tight corkscrews – think of actress Cree Summer of television's Sweet Justice of jazz singer Cleo Laine. It's not unusual to find both subtypes coexisting on the same head. In fact, curly hair usually consists of a combination of textures, with the crown being the curliest part.

Tips for 3b hair : This hair type needs extra moisture and products that define curls and fight frizz. Let hair air dry or use a diffuser. Use duckbill clips at the crown of your head to lift top curls as needed. Once curls are dry, rub a little pomade into the palm of your hands and smooth over your hair. Please do not brush or comb your dry curls. Sleeping on a satin pillowcase is recommended to reduce tangles.

Products To Try:

Dove Advanced Care Therapy Shampoo, $6. This inexpensive pick repairs roughness and dryness with silicone and has glycerin for deep hydration.

Type 3C, is hair with tight curls in corkscrews. The curls can be either kinky, or very tightly curled, with lots and lots of strands densely packed together. Some people refer to this as "big hair." Getting this type of hair to blowdry straight is more challenging than for 3A or 3B, but it usually can be done. This includes those with very tight curls but finer hair, as well as coarser hair. 3C has really really tight curls, like pencil or straw circumference. 3B is like sidewalk chalk or salt shaker circumference, and 4A is like coffee stirrer circumference.

What to try: For Type 3c hair, we recommend styling creams and butters. Some of our picks for this hair type include:

Tip: This hair type needs extra moisture and tender-loving care because it can be fragile. Let the hair air dry and do not use a brush or comb. To refresh bed head or fight fuzzy hair line, use a moisturizing hairdress like Miss Jessie's Curly Buttercreme or Jane Carter Solution Nourish & Shine.

Summary

Although it is still possible to buy shampoo designed just to clean hair, the hair product aisles are jammed with mind numbing options. Listed below are the basic categories of shampoo for all hair types, textures and conditions.

Social Media Network Information

Please follow me on Twitter at: http://Twitter.com/HairBoutique. I look forward to meeting new people from all walks of Twitter and learning from their Tweets. Visit us at Hairboutique.com located at: http://www.HairBoutique.com, on Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.

Thank you for visiting us at The HairBoutique Blog and for leaving your comments. They are very much appreciated. We apologize in advance but must remove any direct advertisements or solicitations.

If you want to talk more about this or other hair care articles on HairBoutique.com or anywhere else, please post a message on HairBoutique.com's Hair Talk Forums.