Shampoo choices are overwhelming and the bad news is using the wrong type of shampoo for your hair and scalp type will cause more damage than good. The good news is that it is easy to identify your hair and scalp type and get the correct shampoo. Just stick with this choice and your hair and scalp will be healthier than ever.
Identifying Your Hair And Scalp Type
The first hair and scalp type is normal balanced hair and normal balanced scalp. This is a pretty rare hair and scalp type and it is also reflected in few choices when it comes to shampoos. Most people fall into one of the two sides of the spectrum away from normal and balanced.
The first typical hair and scalp type is dry scalp combined with either thick hair or curly hair. Thick hair or curly hair is generally drier and is often combined with a dry scalp. There are various shampoo products targeted at this hair and scalp type.
The last common combination is oily scalps combined with thin, dull, or damaged hair. Oily scalp often leads to oily hair that can be thin and dull. Damage can also be from coloring or heat. Just like with the previous type you will find a lot of products formulated specifically for oily scalp with fine or straight hair. A subset of these will also be targeted at dull or damaged hair.
Common Shampoo Ingredients
Shampoos contain a cleansing ingredient to clean the hair and scalp. The cleansing ingredient strips away dirt and oils. Usually, the cleansing ingredient is a surfactant. Surfactants are the most common cleansing ingredients and most surfactants used in shampoos are sulfates. Sulfates can be sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate. Sulfates can cause issues especially with dry scalps and thick or curly hair.
Other ingredients that are widely used in shampoos are foaming agents, moisturizers, fragrances, preservatives, conditioners, thickeners, and a whole list of other possible additives. Shampoos based on the above are often alkalis and thus they use acids to get them pH balanced. Citric acid or glycolic acids are often used for this purpose.
Natural Shampoo Ingredients
Natural shampoos avoid the above ingredients and rather opt for less harsh natural ingredients. The list of possible ingredients can be overwhelming and companies use many different natural products in their shampoos. We will look at some common natural ingredients.
Plant and seed oils are very common in natural shampoos. These include coconut oil, argan oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, and geranium oil. Essential oils are also often added. These can include bergamot, peppermint, lavender, and lemon. Other natural ingredients can include chamomile, hemp, honey, green tea, aloe, and fruit. The professionals behind Pacific Spirit shampoo bars point out that natural ingredients are generally less harsh and do not strip all the natural oils when you wash and clean your hair. You will find great natural options for cleaning and improving your hair health out in the market. Natural shampoos will clean your hair, but your hair and scalp will stay hydrated, without being too harsh.
Shampoo for Balanced Normal Hair
Look for shampoos that will add some hydration as well as clean enough to not get overly oily scalp. You need to maintain that perfect balance that you already have.
For natural ingredients in a shampoo for normal hair and scalp check that it contains an oil like coconut, olive or almond. Other fruit and herbs can also be beneficial is raspberry, chamomile, lemon, and chamomile. You might also find some other ingredients added for specific purposes.
Shampoo for Dry Scalp With Thick or Curly Hair
For dry scalp and thick or curly hair you need to look for moisturising ingredients. The best natural ingredients will include seed oils, butters and essential oils. You need to get your scalp and hair hydrated without stripping away any natural oils. Buy a shampoo based on argan oil, sunflower oil, canola or almond oil. Other ingredients that will help with dry hair and scalp include fruit extracts, chamomile, geranium, lavender, and rosemary.
Shampoo for Oily Scalps With Thin, Damaged or Dull Hair
You will look for a shampoo that strips off some of the natural oils from hair and scalp. The shampoo should be volumizing in this case. Shampoos for oily scalps and thin hair is often based on coconut, soybean, almond, argan, and broccoli seed oils. These should not include coconut or similar oils. More ingredients that will help with oily hair and scalp are fruit extracts, lemongrass, mint, cypress, eucalyptus and other ingredients. Also check for ingredients that will contain vitamins if your hair is damaged or dull.
Having unhealthy hair or an itchy scalp is really detrimental to your everyday life. Rather than endure these problems, it’s best to follow the tips stated above. Doing so will help keep your hair and scalp healthy and strong against all sorts of problems that may weaken them.
