Web Shop - The best in Bath & Body online brand name shopping at bargain prices

Between the drugstore and hair salon there are hundreds of shampoos and conditioners out there from which to choose. Whether you want to add shine, tackle tangles, give dandruff the brush off, deflate your curls, or strip out styling product build up, there is a product out there to help you achieve hair nirvana. The downside is that there are hundreds of products out there and trying to figure out what you need can leave you in a lather. Should you want to spend $2 a bottle or $20, a little shampoo and conditioner know how can take the snarls out of choosing.

What is shampoo?

Basically, you’re looking at water and detergent (these surfactants will turn up on the label as, in order from harshest to gentlest: Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, TEA lauryl Sulfate, TEA Laureth Sulfate -- the last three are your best picks overall), conditioners, lathering agents, scent, and color, and other bells and whistles.

In fact, all shampoos are about 80-90 percent water, 2-8 percent detergents and foaming agents, and about 1 percent fragrance and preservatives. The water works as the solution agent to keep all of the ingredients in the mix (including detergent, scent, conditioners, thickeners, formulators to make it pearlescent or clear, etc), and the detergent molecules grab hair oil and dirt with one end and water with the other so it rinses out.

Is there a difference between drugstore and salon brand products other than price?

Yes and no. All shampoos, regardless of price, contain essentially the same ingredients to clean the hair. The expensive brands don’t have some secret cleansing ingredient that the less expensive versions can’t get. High- and low-end formulas are different in that more expensive versions may use more expensive fragrances, higher end conditioners (though not necessarily more effective ones), pricier packaging, and more elegant formulations (which often result in longer ingredient lists which can be an indication that you’re looking at a nicer formulation). But those things don’t automatically mean you’re getting a better shampoo. So if price is a factor in your decision, don’t feel that you can’t get good results with a drugstore brand. Option: Peter Thomas Roth Botanical Oasis Shampoo.

Why are there shampoos for oily, normal, and dry hair?

Depending on the amount of sebum (a.k.a. oil) your scalp produces your hair will either go days without needing a cleaning (dry), start looking stringy after a day or two (normal), or barely make it through the day (oily). Dry hair requires less detergent to get clean while oily hair needs more to lift the grease so different formulations help you achieve that goal.

What is a clarifying shampoo?

For the most part, clarifying shampoos skip any conditioning ingredients that might stay on your hair after you rinse, and they a formulated to maximize the detergent effect so the product can scrub out any product like a gel, pomade, or hairspray that may be building up on the hair shaft.

How do flattening shampoos work?

Models trotted down the runway with super-flat hair this season ala Marsha Brady thanks in part to shampoos that deflate your locks. These temporarily displace the water trapped in your hair to shrink the diameter of the strand. It will also help those with naturally huge or frizzy hair tame it.

How are products for color-treated or permed hair different?

Essentially, these products are designed to deal with the dryness that is a result of chemically treating the hair. They may have more conditioners and use milder detergent concentrations. However, if your hair is still oily despite your color or perm, use an appropriate product to keep hair clean.

What is a combination shampoo and conditioner?

Fans of this one-stop product swear it reduces time in the shower since you don’t have to shampoo and then condition. Critics say these 2-in-1 formulas don’t do either of the things they promise very well. Basically, it’s a shampoo spiked with a dose of conditioner that survives the washing portion. Those with fine hair might find it weighs hair down. Option: Tricomin Conditioning Shampoo.

What is conditioner?This product actually has a lot of responsibility. Not only is it charged with delivering shine, it has to protect the hair from heat damage and mechanical damage from brushing and styling, tame friction between the hairs, which can rough up the cuticle, and keep the hair moisturized. It does all of this by grabbing onto the hair’s cuticle and hanging on during the rinse so it stays on the hair coating and lubricating it until you shampoo again. Option: Ionil Rinse.

Conditioners use different ingredients to achieve their results. Humectants help hair hang onto water, which can give it flexibility and body and fight dryness and flyaways. Many shine-enhancing products rely on silicone to help hair reflect light and smooth the cuticle, and conditioners that claim to add body often use proteins which spackle cuticle damage to make your hair feel thicker.

Are deep conditioners different? Yes. They are formulated with less water and they linger on the hair longer (the directions often advise at least 3 minutes) which gives the product more of a chance to attach to the hair so the result is a silkier feel. If you want your regular conditioner to work harder, you can just leave it on longer than the bottle advises. Option: Tricomin Deep Conditioning Treatment.

How is leave-in conditioner different?It is usually a lighter formulation so it won’t weigh your hair down. You don’t wash it out after applying it and it may contain ingredients that make locks easier to comb or calm kinks.

What about conditioners that promise to mend split ends? If by “mend” you mean temporarily glue back together, then yes, some conditioners can do that. But the only way to really fix a split end is to have it cut off. Hair is dead so any benefits that are promised, whether it be to make it glossy or moisturize it, are only temporary.

Do dandruff shampoos really work? Yes. The overproduction of Pityrosporum Ovale (a naturally occurring fungus that everyone has, so don’t panic) irritates the skin and causes amped up cell turnover. Those dead skin cells clump together resulting in dandruff when they flake off. Shampoos designed to fight dandruff work in several ways: by curbing the increased cell turnover, using detergents aimed at breaking up the scales, and antifungals that tackle the fungus. Option: DHS with Zinc Shampoo.

Is there a correct way to wash and condition my hair? Yes. But first, two myths deserve debunking. The first is you rarely need to complete the “repeat” portion of the “lather, rinse, repeat” mantra chanted on virtually every shampoo bottle. Unless you’ve been roughing it in the wild for a couple of weeks, one sudsing up will be plenty. And despite the mountains of lather every model exhibits in shampoo advertisements, copious amounts of lather have little to do how well the product is working. Too much lather just makes it harder to rinse out and is a sign that you are using too much shampoo.

For effective cleansing, completely wet your hair and scalp with warm water, dispense a quarter-sized portion of shampoo into your hand and distribute it between your two hands, and than onto your hair and scalp. Use the pads of your fingers to gently massage the shampoo into your scalp (rough scrubbing can break fragile wet hair) and work it through to the ends. If you hair is dry, focus on the roots and just let the shampoo being rinsed out take care of the ends.

Rinse completely with warm water (a hand-held showerhead is great for making sure you completely rinse out the shampoo. Residue can dull hair and weigh it down). If you are going to condition, gently squeeze out the excess water from your hair, put the prescribed amount of conditioner in your palm and distribute it between both hands. Run your fingers through your hair, including your scalp if it is dry, to distribute. Comb through with a very wide toothed comb for best distribution. Leave it in as long as advised, and then rinse with warm water.

(Any topic discussed in this article is not intended as medical advice. If you have a medical concern, please check with your doctor.)