The Best Shampoos
I promised you all a couple of weeks ago that I would place a list of suitable shampoos on my blog. It is finally here! It wasn’t an easy task and to be honest I was shocked by the enormous amount of rubbish on the market… As I wrote in my previous blog it is also important to check the ingredients list on shampoos. Although allergic reactions from shampoos are uncommon, a bad product can cause severe irritation to the scalp. One of the most common mistakes is the use of an over aggressive shampoo. What happens then? You wind up in a vicious circle: as a counter reaction your skin produces more sebum, your hair and scalp then become greasy more quickly, which means you wash your hair more frequently. Sound familiar? Time for action!
There is a shampoo on the market for each hair type. First a list of which shampoos are best suited to which hair type…
Normal hair
For normal hair a mild Cleanser with a couple of conditioning ingredients will suffice.
Fine hair
For fine hair you should avoid ‘film- forming agents’ (also known as polymers). These make the all too fine hair limp and greasy. A shampoo for fine hair doesn’t require many conditioning ingredients. It is good if Dimethicone or Cyclomethicone (silicones) are found somewhere around halfway down the ingredients list. These will cover with a very thin layer. Precisely enough to protect the hair and make it lovely but not limp.
Dry and damaged hair
The same types of shampoo are used for both dry and damaged hair: mild cleansers and extra conditioning ingredients. By damaged I also mean coloured, permed, sun damaged etc. hair. What sometimes happens with this type of shampoo is that it doesn’t cleanse thoroughly enough as the conditioning ingredients stick to the hairs shaft. You can see this by the fact that your hair hangs flat against your head. You can rectify this by using a more powerful cleansing shampoo which will instantly give you more volume.
Greasy hair
A stronger cleansing shampoo is required for very greasy and dirty hair. For this Lauryl Sulphate or a sulfosuccinate is usually used (as a second Cleanser). As these Cleansers are so harsh I would recommend you restrict their use to 1 to 2 times a week and a milder Cleanser for the other days. If you don’t then your hair may well become dull and you may get dandruff on your scalp.
Psoriasis, dandruff, eczema
Medical shampoos (such as for anti-dandruff) are actually normal shampoos with the addition of ingredients such as Salicylic Acid, Sulphur, Selenium Disulphide, Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Iodine complex, Chlorinated Phenols or Zinc Pyrithione. Menthol is even added to this type of shampoo for the tingling effect; from which the consumer presumes that it is working but what it actually does is irritate the scalp.
Over use of styling products
If you do need to use lots of hairstyling products then a shampoo for normal or dry/damaged hair isn’t sufficient. You may have already realised this: your hair feels coarse and has a dull appearance. You therefore require a deeper cleansing shampoo, this includes using Lauryl Sulphates. Be aware: Use this once a week at the most. And at other times just use your shampoo for dry/damaged hair.
PRODUCT ADVICE:
Neutral shampoo
For: sensitive skin, normal and fine hair. Suitable for daily use.
Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Behenoyl PG-Trimonium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid.
Last updated January 2016
Neutral Baby Shampoo
For: the addition of glycerine makes this different from the Neutral shampoo above. Glycerine makes hair shiny and soft. Less suitable for fine hair and more suitable for normal to dry/damaged hair. Suitable for daily use.
Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Behenoyl PG-Trimonium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Laurate, Hexylene Glycol, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Sorbic Acid.
Last updated January 2016
Louis Widmer Soft Shampoo (unperfumed)
For: sensitive scalp, normal to dry/damaged hair. Suitable for daily use.
Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Panthenol, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Isostearamide MIPA, Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside, Sodium Chloride, Glycol Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Caprylate, Polyquaternium-10, Glycerin, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Laurate, Benzoic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Pantolactone.
Last updated January 2016
Free & Clear Shampoo
For: sensitive scalp, normal to dry/damaged hair. Suitable for daily use.
Ingredients: Purified Water , Lauryl Glucoside , Coco Glucoside , Acrylates Copolymer , Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate , Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate , Glycerin , Sucrose Cocoate , Panthenol , Pentylene Glycol , 1,2 hexanediol , Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate , Disodium EDTA , Caprylyl Glycol , Sodium Hydroxide , Sodium Chloride.
Last updated January 2016
Grahams Shampoo
For: sensitive scalp, normal to dry/damaged hair. Suitable for daily use. This contains many softening and enhancing ingredients which makes it less suitable for greasy and fine hair.
Ingredients: Purified water, Coconut Betaine, Glycerin (vegetable), Coconut dea (vegetable), Chamomile extract, Citric acid, Sodium Chloride, Manuka honey, Organic Coconut oil, Organic Jojoba oil, Olive leaf extract, Wheat germ, Vitamin E, Panthenol B5, phenoxyethanol
Last updated January 2016
Zwitsal Sensitive skin 2 in 1
For: sensitive scalp, normal to dry/damaged hair. Suitable for daily use.
Ingredients: Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium chloride, Behenoyl PG-Trimonium Chloride, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sucrose Laurate, Hexylene Glycol, Citric acid, Sodium benzoate, Sorbic acid
Last updated January 2016
Physiogel Shampoo
For: this is really a base shampoo. It does nothing more than (mild) cleansing. Outstanding for normal and fine hair. A conditioner to put back the softness and shine is required here. It is also a good idea to inter change with a more powerful cleansing shampoo.
Ingredients: Aqua, sodium cocoamphoacetate, disodium cocoamphodiacetate, sodium laureth sulfate, polysorbate 20, PEG-120 methyl glucose dioleate, methyl gluceth-20, citric acid.
Last updated January 2016
Dermarest Shampoo
For: its addition of 3% salicylic acid makes it suitable for people suffering from psoriasis. But… salicylic acid only works in an oily environment. What you can do is, an hour before shampooing with salicylic acid, cover your hair in oil. And whatever you do don’t scrub too hard if you have psoriasis! You’ll only aggravate it.
Ingredients: 3% salicylic acid – Purified water, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, sodium citrate, cocamidopropyl betaine, lauryl glucoside, PEG-150 pentaerythrityl tetrastearate, coco-glucoside, glyceryl oleate, aleurites moluccana seed oil, zinc PCA, panthenol, rheum palmatum extract, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) flower extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, edetate disodium.
Last updated January 2016
My last tip in your search for a shampoo. Choose a mild cleansing shampoo with a couple of conditioning ingredients and after shampooing use a conditioner for the ends of your hair. In the New Year I will tell you more about the best conditioner for your hair.
Regards Jetske.
(Dr. Jetske Ultee-Research Physician Cosmetic Dermatology)
You can also read:
‘Shampoo’,
‘Skin and Hair’,
‘Tips for Beautiful Healthy Hair’.