# Can shampoo be used as soap? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733 "2015-11-05T17:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/1 "2015-11-05T17:33:27Z")
I finished moving last weekend, and after an exhausting day I wanted to take a shower in my new home. I couldn’t find the soap and only had shampoo available. Being so tired, I didn’t want to go to the store so told my girlfriend that I would just use the shampoo (Head & Shoulders). Just before getting in the shower, she was able to find one of those small hotel soap bars, which I used. But can shampoo be used as soap, and accomplish the same level of cleaning? If so, how long? Are there any downsides? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/2 "2015-11-05T17:34:42Z")
I’ve been using Head and Shoulders as my soap for years, no issues with me. Easy too - lather up head, use lather to wash body, rinse, get out. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/3 "2015-11-05T17:35:31Z")
Yes, it works fine and there aren’t many downsides except it uses up the shampoo quickly. Some body washes are marketed as being both a body wash and shampoo for people that like to keep things really simple. Body wash is basically shampoo sold under a different name. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/4 "2015-11-05T17:37:25Z")
Used shampoo many times as soap, I’m still here. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/5 "2015-11-05T17:41:13Z")
Of course. But don’t use much. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/6 "2015-11-05T17:41:24Z")
I have for many years used an “all-in-one” liquid soap that advertised itself as shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, and toothpaste :eek: in one. Of course, I only used it while long-term camping because I was cutting down on weight. Plus, I never tested the toothpaste feature. But it was serviceable for all it’s other functions and kept me “trail clean” when I used it. I would guess most soaps are similar - if you washed yourself down with some Dawn dish soap in the shower you’d come out cleaner than if you were only using water (although you might have an odd lemony scent ;)) Not a good long-term solution - after all, there are moisturizers and body enhancers and whatnot in different kinds of soaps - but shampoo would work in a pinch as a body wash. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/7 "2015-11-05T17:48:15Z")
I have to use Head & Shoulders almost daily for my oily hair and I find that my face usually feels clean from the “runoff” before I go the Ivory and washcloth. I regularly use a dab of H&S and running water to clean my glasses for the day. it just “cuts grease” better and floats dirt away in the water. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/8 "2015-11-05T17:49:58Z")
Make sure you rinse off and repeat. 🙂 When I’m out of liquid soap at my bathroom sink, I use a handful of shaving cream in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/9 "2015-11-05T17:50:15Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > I have for many years used an “all-in-one” liquid soap that advertised itself as shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, and toothpaste :eek: in one. Dilute! Dilute! OK! BTW, it’s awful as toothpaste. And it always left my hair feeling like cardboard. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/10 "2015-11-05T18:42:58Z")
I have been using shampoo as soap for years now with no ill effects. I lather us as normal and use that lather as a body wash. Faster than having two separate products, cheaper as I’m not using any more shampoo than I used to but don’t have to buy the separate soap, and easier to travel with as I can pack one small tube of shampoo instead of the shampoo and soap. I can’t really see a downside. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/11 "2015-11-05T18:54:01Z")
It can be used to shave with too. My experience is limited to arms and legs where the hair isn’t as coarse as most men’s beards, but I like it better than the aerosol stuff in the can. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/12 "2015-11-05T19:10:06Z")
You know how tea tree shampoo gives your scalp a cold tingly feeling? It does that to other delicate bits too when you are too lazy to go find body wash. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/13 "2015-11-05T20:03:29Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > You know how tea tree shampoo gives your scalp a cold tingly feeling? It does that to other delicate bits too when you are too lazy to go find body wash. :eek: I think you mistyped and meant to use the 😃 smiley. (At Philmont, we used to have competitions to see who could slap a handful of GoldBond on their scrotum and keep a straight face the longest. Man, I did some stupid stuff as a teenager). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/14 "2015-11-05T20:24:50Z")
> [@missred](#): > > It can be used to shave with too. My experience is limited to arms and legs where the hair isn’t as coarse as most men’s beards, but I like it better than the aerosol stuff in the can. Yup, I often shave in the shower using shampoo lather. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/15 "2015-11-05T21:02:21Z")
I just lather up my head like a loofah and use the resulting foam to scrub the rest of my body. I haven’t used dedicated body wash or bar soap for decades, except for hand washing of course. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/16 "2015-11-05T21:57:03Z")
I’ve been using shampoo as body soap for years. After I lather up my hair, I have plenty of suds to use to wash my body. I also shave in the shower, so I use the shampoo as shaving cream, too. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/17 "2015-11-05T22:13:30Z")
Does it work the other way around? Using an ordinary liquid bath soap – or lather from bar soap – as shampoo? I’ve done this when there wasn’t any other choice, and it seemed to work okay… ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/18 "2015-11-05T22:38:32Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Does it work the other way around? Using an ordinary liquid bath soap – or lather from bar soap – as shampoo? I’ve done this when there wasn’t any other choice, and it seemed to work okay… Works fine for my when I have short hair (in fact, in the Army I never used shampoo – it was easier to just carry a dry bar of soap in my rucksack than a bottle of something goopy that could make a big mess). But when I have longer hair I find that bar soap leaves my hair dry and prone to static. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/19 "2015-11-05T23:45:58Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Works fine for my when I have short hair (in fact, in the Army I never used shampoo – it was easier to just carry a dry bar of soap in my rucksack than a bottle of something goopy that could make a big mess). But when I have longer hair I find that bar soap leaves my hair dry and prone to static. It doesn’t work well for ethnic types of hair for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733/20 "2015-11-06T00:05:32Z")
detergent is detergent to me and Head and shoulders, among other ingredients such as moisturizer and silicon based oil to condition and an anti bacterial preservative called methylisothiazolinone, also has detergents and getting clean is clean so I fail to see what it matters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-shampoo-be-used-as-soap/736733.md?page=2)