Hair Care: Shampoo

Our hair is as unique as our skin, and just as each person must find the best cleanser for their skin type, each must also find a hair cleanser that works for them. Cleansing hair of dirt, oils, and product buildup is what shampoo is meant to do. But there are dozens of different brands, and even more types within those brands, from which to choose. How do you know which one is right for you?

Perhaps some information from a study performed by Consumer Reports can help to make your choice easier. In their study of 1,700 ponytails, Consumer Reports found some brands which produced slightly more effective results in select categories.

Fine or Limp Hair: Consumer Reports determined that shampoos can assist with the ‘limp strands’ problem with a process of coating the shaft with polymer and reducing oils from the hair. They also found that shampoo designed for “normal” hair had performance results equal to the various products designed specifically to “volumize” limp hair. Their top pick in this category was Pantene Pro-V Ultra V Shampoo Plus Conditioner (for normal hair).

Dry and Damaged Hair: Shampoo alone usually will not “moisturize” dry, brittle or damaged hair. What does help this type of hair condition is a process of coating the hair to help soften the outer cuticle along with additional emollients to soften the hair. This type of corrective action is usually found in hair conditioners, not shampoo. Consumer Reports top picks in this category are:

• Finesse Plus Moisturizing Shampoo Plus Conditioner (for dry or coarse hair)
• Thermasilk Heat Activated Regular (for normal hair)
• Head and Shoulders (dandruff for normal hair)

Color Treated Hair: Many hair products boast about their ability to protect the hair through gentle cleaning and by sealing in color. However, Consumer Reports determined that it is ultraviolet light that produces the most damages and shampoos and conditioners had very little effect on protecting or prolonging color. Their top pick in this category was L’Oreal ColorVIVE Gentle (for color-treated or highlighted hair).
Consumer Reports also performed a study on the benefits of the most common ingredients found in shampoos. Below are their findings:

Ingredients that work:

• Ammonium lauryl sulfate is a detergent type ingredient that cleans the hair.
• Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride promotes smoothness and volume to hair.
• Dimethicone coats the hair, adding to manageability and softness.

Ingredients that offer no or limited benefits:

• Botanical extracts make a product smell good but do not offer any other beneficial qualities to hair care.
• Digesting proteins will certainly improve your health, but washing your hair with them won’t change a thing.
• Vitamins and pro-vitamins offer no advantage to hair care or hair problems.
• Antioxidants offer no benefit to hair care.
• UV protectant delivered very minimal results.
• Alpha-hydroxy or fruit acids offer no benefits to hair care.
• Any benefits derived from including designer water to hair products will be washed away with normal shower water.
• Manufacturers use humectants in shampoo mainly to increase advertising verbiage. The shampoo detergents remove the humectants that attract moisture to hair.

The bottom line is that regardless of the brand of shampoo you choose, your hair will be cleaner after using it. Many of the less expensive shampoo products contain the basic ingredients that will get the job done, while leaving out ingredients that simply run up the price and offer no real benefit to improving our hair.