Conny tells The Beauty Brains she has a very sensitive scalp with fine hair and suffers from hair loss and dandruff. Dermatologists have advised her to use a clear gel shampoo that has to be clarifying or deep cleansing. So, she’s tried Suave Daily Clarifying Shampoo, Suave for Men Deep Cleansing shampoo, Neutrogena Anti-residue shampoo, and Prell Classic original formula. She’s not happy with those choices and is asking us to set her straight.
The Right Brain responds:
While we hate to disagree with dermatologists, we don’t understand why they recommended a deep cleansing shampoo when you have dandruff. Deep cleansing type shampoos will remove the surface flakes, but only a dandruff shampoo can control the cause of flaking and itching. So we’d recommend finding a good dandruff shampoo instead of chasing deep cleaning, clarifying and anti-residue products. This may seem confusing to you because the beauty companies tell you there are SO many different kinds of shampoo. But in reality, every shampoo on the market falls into a few basic categories.
There Are Only 4 Different Shampoo Types In the World
All shampoo can be categorized by their basic functional category. So then why are there eleventy million products on the market, you ask? Because the companies that sell shampoo need to find new ways to talk about their products to keep them sounding new and exciting. There’s nothing wrong with them being creative about their names and claims as long as the companies are honestly depicting what their products can do. But you can be a smarter consumer if you can see beyond the marketing hype and understand the functionality of these 4 basic shampoo types.
1) Deep Cleansing Shampoos
(Also known as Volumizing, Clarifying, Balancing, Oil Control, and Thickening.)
These shampoos are designed to get gunk off your hair and scalp. They typically contain slightly higher levels of detergents so they foam and clean better. They include the examples above as well as salon products like Paul Mitchell Shampoo 2. and Frederic Fekkai’s Full Volume.
2) Conditioning Shampoos
(Aka Moisturizing, 2 in 1, Smoothing, Anti-frizz, Strengthening, Color Care, Straightening, and Hydrating)
This kind of formula is all about leaving a moisturizing agent, like a silicone or Polyquaternium 10, on the hair to smooth it and help straighten hair. It’s very good for dry hair, especially if you color treat or heat style but it can weigh down fine hair. Good examples of this type includes most of the Pantene formulas and some products from the L’Oreal Vive collection and Dove ProCare.
3) Baby Shampoos
(Aka Kids shampoo, and Tear-free)
Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is the classic example but this category also includes Touch Of An Angel and The Little Bath. These are milder, lower foaming surfactant formulas that are designed not to sting or burn your eyes. They’re better for babies but they don’t clean hair as well.
4) Anti-Dandruff Shampoos
(Aka Anti-itch, Flake Control, and Dry Scalp)
Head and Shoulders is the leading dandruff product; other examples include Nizoral and Redken Dandruff Control . These are medicated shampoos that contain a drug ingredient that controls itching and flaking. In the United States these are considered to be Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs.
The Brains Bottom Line:
Hopefully, this helps you better understand the marketing hype around shampoo names. We’re not saying that all shampoos are the same, or even that all shampoos in a given category type are the same. There are real performance differences, so it’s important that you shop around and find a product that performs the way you like at a price that you can afford. But just don’t get too hung up on the names the companies use to describe the products. That’s the marketing part of the industry, not the science part.
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Scegliere lo shampoo non è così difficile: ne esistono solo 4. Says:
[...] una certezza granitica, una convinzione marmorea, si è frantumata davanti ai miei occhi su una pagina web. Esistono solo 4 tipi di shampoo al mondo. Cosa?! Ma se io ne ho provati almeno 1200 in meno di 30 [...]
Links for March 10th, 2007 » The Bargain Queen blog Says:
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[...] beautybrains.com staff has written a good article one should reference when understanding different types of shampoos. They boil it down to four [...]
serialdeviant.org(y) » I am definitely not the type to fall for the marketing hype, just pretty bottle design Says:
[...] There Are Only 4 Different Shampoo Types In the World. But FMCG companies want you to think their fruit essences detangling thingy is different from the normal made-for-Asda version. The Asda / Co-Op versions smell as good and come in bigger bottles. 12 March 2007 [...]
Office Hair Says:
Hey! Great to see someone writing about this kind of thing as we have too much choice with too little info. Looking forward to reading the rest of your stuff, thanks.
dottie Says:
You forgot “pine-tar shampoo”which is a very strong,very effective anti-dandruff shampoo.The pharmacist recommended it to me,when regular anti-dandruff shampoo failed.Does it work?Yes,it does.You only have to use it about twice a week.I use it despite the drawbacks.—which are: irritation,if you get it in your eyes,wash out eyes right away. also,using it can give you some dry hair,so be sure to condition well.Still,it is worth it.Nothing else but pine-tar shamoo knocks out my bad dandruff. Even the dermotologist did not give me an effective shampoo,it was the pharmacist who told me about it.He was right.
Left Brain Says:
Thanks for the comment Dottie. We didn’t list every shampoo possible here, just the different groups. We would classify pine-tar shampoo as an anti-dandruff shampoo.
Paperfoxes Run Run » Touché: The Shampoo Secret Beauty Companies Don’t Want You To Know Says:
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thebeautybrains.com » Why Shampoo Is Clear and Conditioner Is Not Says:
[...] The bottom line is, shampoos are as clear like shoes. Ok, I know that doesn’t make sense, but I found this cool picture of a clear shoe and I needed an excuse to use it. Still want to know more? Go read about the 4 different kinds of shampoos. [...]
Janice Says:
I’ve used Pert Dandruff Shampoo with Conditioner for years. I asked my hairdresser one day what I could to to improve my hair and he replied “Nothing! Your hair is perfect. What ever you have been doing, keep it up.” It is great for my dandruff and I love my hair. No need to change for me.
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Filcro Bottenstamsan Says:
Yeah Janice, that’s a really unhelpful anecdote. You tried and I have to give you credit but you see this article is all about shedding light on a galactic sham. I suppose it’s possible the shampoo you’re using could be “making your hair perfect” as you have implied. Or maybe you meant that “all other shampoos would, being different from Pert, be imperfect imperfect” and would thus make your hair worse. Girlfriend, if you believe that line from your hairdresser you are a fool. Sure it’s _possible_ he thinks your hair is perfect (for whatever reason, maybe he’s smart or maybe he’s a dunce), but he didn’t rise to the level of Janice’s hairdresser by virtue of his brainpower. He’s a “people person,” Janice, and that means his job is largely “make conversation and tell you whatever the heck he thinks you want to hear.” Obviously, he succeeded at the latter. Did you even _read_ the article? It’s quite informative, but hey if you and Fabio believe Pert has a beauty lock on your locks…then why are you reading articles that insightfully assail modern myths?
audry Says:
Cool.
What about the new shine shampoos?
Do they have anything special in them, or is it more sillyness?
Dreniva Says:
how about color-depositing shampoos like sunsilk color boost, henna shampoos and grecian formula and how about anti-lice shampoos in what category do they belong?
Filcro Bottenstamsan Says:
Stop believing the bullshit you see on television. These companies–Proctor & Gamble, etc–are LYING to you. You don’t need special herbs or whatever in your shampoo. You just need detergent. Want your hair to smell nice too? Spray your stupid head with perfume. Morons.
The Beauty Brains » Blog Archive » Clarifying, Chelating, and Neutralizing Shampoos Says:
[...] (probably from citric acid.) Technically speaking, we should have added this one to our list of the 4 basic types of shampoo. (Even though I wrote that one, let’s blame that oversight on the Left Brain, shall [...]
Lizbeth Says:
I used to have really bad dandruff but then i bought Jafra SPA scalp massage and hair tratment, it works really good, leaves my hair super soft & best of all smells grat!!! p.s. i seriously had tried everything for dandruff and then & used this because i liked the smell & the dandruff went away!!!
Lauren Says:
I saw this new shampoo on tv called wen shampoo saying it was different than all other shampoos w/o detergent but cleanses.,,i wonder if it actually works?
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But Wait There's More Says:
As a professional beauty expert, I disagree…would categorize shampoos into TWO types. Those containing sulfates, and, sulfate-free. Sulfates are inexpensive chemicals that some claim are irritating to their scalps or cause cancer. The cancer is probably overly dramatic, but at a minimum, they’re VERY cheap chemicals that have no business being the number one or two ingredient in an expensive shampoo. They strip out color, no matter WHAT the label says. Sulfates are sulfates across all four types of shampoo described in the article. Johnson’s baby shampoo and “gentle” and “color care” shampoos are almost all made of them. If you want to try something new and pamper yourself, get what you’re paying for–not cheap sulfates. Find a sulfate free shampoo with a more expensive emulsifier and natural ingredients for conditioning and fragrance!
ashma Says:
Thanks just read it on another forum was just curious to know the site so came here.nice article thank you for sharing.