Shampoo Secrets: Should You Throw Away Your Shampoo?

Introduction

Hair consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements presenting a wide range of conflicting messages. Some hair care companies want consumers to believe that using their shampoo will allow them to lift iron weights with their strands. For real?

Other companies tout "all natural shampoo products" infused with a wide range of "flavors and aromas" ranging from fruits to food flavors.

Of course let's not forget the shampoo products designed to add fullness to thin, fine strands or the shampoo products promising everything from color preservation to new texture.

The Key Purpose Of Shampoo

Yes it's true that some of these "claims" have been proven to some extent, but in reality the bottom line about shampoo is the fact all products are designed to clean. Shampoo is used to clean the hair.

Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-shampoo. I actually use it myself. However, depending on your hair's type, texture, current conditions or goals you may be experiencing some of the following shampoo challenges faced by many hair consumers:

1. Washing hair too often 2. Utilizing the wrong shampoo when washing 3. Setting water temperature improperly 4. Applying too much or not enough shampoo 5. Not following proper shampoo techniques 6. Rinsing improperly 7. Having unrealistic expectations of what shampoo can do 8. Getting stuck in a shampoo rut 9. Leaving shampoo on hair too long

Washing Hair Too Often

The majority of shampoo products lining your drug and grocery shelves are inexpensive, which means they cost less than $5.00. Yes it's true that you get what you pay for when it comes to any consumer hair product. Which translates to shampoo products heavily concentrated with harsh cleansing agents which wreck havoc with your tresses.

If you have oily hair you might be able to use a shampoo with harsh sulfates every single day with minimal damage. The issue with sulfates is that they strip the natural oils from hair. Therefore, if your hair is super short or very oily, you might not experience hair problems.

For anyone with chemically treated, naturally curly or wavy tresses or with delicate hair, using an off-the-shelf shampoo with a high concentration of sulfates may definitely cause lots of problems.

Utilizing The Wrong Shampoo

Many professional hair care brands are designed to address very specific hair care issues. Of course this does increase the cost of the products due to the price of the natural oils and other ingredients added to address current concerns.

Water Temperature Counts

A long time ago Celebrity Hairdresser Ken Paves told me "hair is like fine lace" and should be treated as such. With that thought in mind, would you wash your precious lace items in hot water? Of course not. Many people forget this basic principle when washing their hair.

I will confess I enjoy scalding hot showers. They're horrible for your skin, scalp and hair. The hot water speeds up the striping of natural oils. Even though I love hot showers, I don't indulge because I know the end result for my scalp, hair, nails and skin.

Applying Too Much Or Not Enough Shampoo

A long time ago Celebrity Hairdresser Ken Paves told me "hair is like fine lace" and should be treated as such. With that thought in mind, would you wash your precious lace items in hot water? Of course not. Many people forget this basic principle when washing their hair.

I will confess I enjoy scalding hot showers. They are horrible for your skin, scalp and hair. The hot water speeds up the striping of natural oils. Even though I love hot showers, I don't indulge because I know the end result for my scalp, hair, nails and skin.

Following Proper Shampoo Techniques

A long time ago Celebrity Hairdresser Ken Paves told me "hair is like fine lace" and should be treated as such. With that thought in mind, would you wash your precious lace items in hot water? Of course not. Many people forget this basic principle when washing their hair.

How To Shampoo Hair

It is a known fact in the professional hair world that clients who think they might have dandruff or other scalp problems are probably not rinsing properly. When shampoo or conditioners are not completely rinsed from the hair and scalp, it can indeed cause build-up. This build-up may cause scaling and flaking along with itching. It is dandruff? Probably not. Just a thin coating of shampoo and/or conditioner on the scalp.

Improper Rinsing

It is a known fact in the professional hair world that clients who think they might have dandruff or other scalp problems are probably not rinsing properly. When shampoo or conditioners are not completely rinsed from the hair and scalp, it can indeed cause build-up. This build-up may cause scaling and flaking along with itching. It is dandruff? Probably not. Just a thin coating of shampoo and/or conditioner on the scalp.

One point of controversy amongst hair experts is whether or not a cool/cold water final rinse helps the tresses or not. I don't love the blast of cool water at the end of a nice warm shower, but I know that it definitely makes a difference on my hair. As a result, I do recommend cool final water rinses.

Not all hairdressers agree which of course it to be expected since everyone has their own practical history of hair care to fall back on.

Unrealistic Shampoo Expectations

It's definitely true that some advertising stretches the boundaries of reality. Can using a shampoo really make it capable of lifting iron weights with your tresses? Hmmm. Well if you know someone experiencing that phenomena I want to hear about it.

The truth of the matter is that shampoo is designed first and foremost to cleanse dirt, pollution residue and other nasties from the scalp and hair. All shampoo, whether natural or not, has a baseline of ingredients designed to clean the hair.

Yes, there are shampoo products that have added ingredients like essential oils, herb and other additives offering additional benefits but no shampoo alone will create spectacular hair ala Jessica Simpson or Eva Longoria.

Getting Stuck In A Shampoo Rut

It's definitely true that some advertising stretches the boundaries of reality. Can using a shampoo really make it capable of lifting iron weights with your tresses? Hmmm. Well if you know someone experiencing that phenomena I want to hear about it.

Leaving Shampoo On Hair Too Long

While rinse-out and deep conditioners are specifically designed to be left on the hair for a period of minutes ranging from 5 to 60, shampoo should not be allowed to remain on hair for an indefinite period or time.

Remember that shampoo is designed to remove dirt and related particles from your tresses. Harsh shampoo will remove more than targeted grime. It will remove natural oils and hair color, whether chemically added or natural.

Many hair color experts will often apply Prell shampoo to recently colored hair to tone down the color. Prell's ability to ear hair color off the top of hair has been consistently proven.

Leaving a layer of Prell or a similarly formulated product on your hair for more than a minute or two would result in a lose of precious hair oils and color.

Summary

Shampoo is designed to clean hair. Consumer studies have indicated that while some shampoo products offer more effective results in certain categories, most shampoo products are pretty much the same. Another key factor to consider is that you do get what you pay for.

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.