Can I Dilute My Shampoo?

Missmonet must know…Do you have to wash your hair with SLS or sodium Laureth sulfate to get buildup of your hair? Is there a milder detergent…Also I dilute my shampoo because SLS is harsh with water 1 cup. I use a meduim amount that I would use for my hair. Do that make less effective still have ability to cleanse my hair?

The Right Brain responds
SLS and SLES are among the strongest cleansers but almost any shampoo will do a decent job of cleaning hair. You could try starting with the “weakest” cleansers first, like a baby shampoo or a sulfate free system. If those don’t work to your satisfaction then you’ll have to step up to a stronger clarifying product.

Detrimental dilution

Diluting shampoo will definitely make it a less effective cleanser which may or may not cause problems for you. If you have short hair or if you’re just shampooing to refresh your style without doing any serious cleaning , then adding water to a bit of shampoo could work very well. But in other cases, like the following examples, diluting shampoo is likely to cause problems:

• You have long long hair
• Your hair is really dirty from sweat and oil.
• You’re a heavy user of styling products, especially hairspays and gels because they contain partially neutralized resins that are less water soluble and are therefore harder to remove.
• You’re using Dandruff shampoo. By diluting the active ingredient you won’t be getting the full benefit from the drug product.
• You’re using conditioning shampoos 2 in 1s and other conditioning shampoos which use a “dilution deposition” mechanism to deliver conditioning agents to the hair. If you’re  pre-diluting the shampoo you may be reducing its ability to condition your hair while it cleanses.
• You may also find that your conditioner doesn’t work as well if you dilute the shampoo because some strongly a ionic shampoos can help positively charged conditioners deposit better.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with shampoo dilution. Just be prepared to rewash your hair if you don’t get the effect that you want. And of course never dilute your shampoo by adding water to the bottle because that can impair the preservative system and result in microbial contamination.

Image credit: fotopedia.com

Do YOU ever dilute products like MissMonet does? Leave a comment and share your tips and tricks with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.