# Does heat or cold destroy soap or shampoo

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 8, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856 "2014-02-08T20:51:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856/1 "2014-02-08T20:51:43Z")

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I was wanting to keep gym equipment in my car but in winter it gets to below freezing and in summer it can get to 120+ in the car. Will soap or shampoo left in those conditions undergo any denaturing that damages their ability to clean? I know they freeze in cold weather but have no idea if after they warm up there is any lasting damage.

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856/2 "2014-02-08T21:05:47Z")

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the components could separate and you would need to remix.

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**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856/3 "2014-02-08T21:41:35Z")

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You can buy “bar shampoo” which is like a bar of soap. I’m sure that would stand up fine to freezing.

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**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\
**Post date:** [February 8, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856/4 "2014-02-08T22:41:25Z")

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Cold shouldn’t be a problem at all. Liquid shampoo might separate with freeze -thaw cycles but it should mix back together. Heat won’t break down the detergents but maybe some scents or other minor components will degrade over time.

I work with frozen or boiling detergent solutions all the time in lab, including with SDS which is commonly uses in shampoo.

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**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2014, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-heat-or-cold-destroy-soap-or-shampoo/680856/5 "2014-02-09T00:30:06Z")

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I left a bottle of shampoo in our deer cabin last year. The cabin was winterized with no power, and spent weeks below freezing. When I returned to open the cabin in the spring the shampoo was unchanged (as far as I could tell, I used it the next morning).

It was the cheap stuff, if it matters. (Suave)