Because of the cosmetic and sexual importance attributed to hair, and because of the variability of hair growth among individuals, hair care and cosmetics is a multi-million-dollar business. In the United States more money is spent annually on cosmetic products for the hair than for all medical research in the country. Unfortunately, the multitudinous preparations and treatments promoted are in the main quite useless.
What type of shampoo should one use? The requirements of a shampoo are that it should cleanse the hair and scalp, rinse out without difficulty, be non-irritating and cosmetically acceptable, and leave the hair manageable. Often a mild soap will be just as effective in meeting these criteria. A shampoo is basically detergent, water, a fatty material, and possibly some additive. The main ingredient to perform the cleansing function is the detergent. Those shampoos marketed for oily hair simply have more detergent and less fatty material than those for dry hair. It is the detergent which loosens the dirt and oil, which are then rinsed off. Any other additive in the shampoo also ends up down the drain, not on the hair. There are a number of popular additives which may smell nice, look pleasant, or feel good, but which have no significant effect on the hair. Lemon oil, for instance, does not remove oil any better than detergent alone. Egg or egg yolk is merely rinsed out, without providing any additional bonus. Various herbal shampoos possess characteristic odours, but provide no other benefits. Beer makes hair easier to set if used in the final rinse, but mixed in and rinsed off with shampoo it does nothing. Apart from egg and beer shampoos there are a number of other protein shampoos marketed which supposedly mend split ends. Tests have proven such a claim to be quite misleading, the only effective treatment for split ends being to cut them off.
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