# Why don't people understand that all shampoo is just scented detergent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 8, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645 "2008-09-08T17:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/41 "2008-09-09T00:32:15Z")
No, I can honestly say I’ve never heard of the link. Huh. I’ll be damned. (I should probably ask my doctor about this-I dye my hair all the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/42 "2008-09-09T00:41:48Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Several posters have mentioned bar soap in this discussion. > > Soap and detergent are two completely different things. The OP never mentioned soap. Uh, just because not all detergents are soap, _all_ soaps are detergents. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/43 "2008-09-09T01:07:30Z")
Well, thank goodness I’m bald. But with those ads on TV with the women who seem to be having an orgasm while washing their hair, I still buy 10 bottles a week. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/44 "2008-09-09T10:31:54Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Soap and detergent are two completely different things. The OP never mentioned soap. > > As far as various brands of shampoos go (which are all detergents), Consumer Reports has reported many times that all shampoos are basically the same. All soaps are detergent, not all detergents are soap. But saying that “you can’t talk about soap when talking about detergent” is akin to saying that “you can’t talk about Texans when talking about Americans.” I don’t know a thing about dermatology; I do know that a lot of the difference between shampoos/creams/etc is branding (1); I do know that stress causes most of my dandruff; I also know that some shampoos leave my hair clean and manageable and some just don’t. To tell you the difference in composition I’d need a well-equipped lab, got one handy? The flat I’m renting had some cleanliness problems in the bathroom and kitchen. The owner had tried to clean; there’s a collection of ever-stronger cleaners. But they were all chemically the same - I got a cleaner based on a different substance and voila, my bathroom and kitchen now gleam. Same with shampoos, being more expensive doesn’t make a shampoo better but having different chemicals inside will make a shampoo better - for a certain person. The shampoo that’s right for one person will be wrong for another. (1) I worked for several years in a company which made, among other things, products which would have a name and a price when sold to a “dermatology” company and a different name and price when sold to a “consumer goods” company, both of whom would turn it into shampoo. But we also sold different products to be made into shampoo or house detergents and they did work differently - as tested by using them in our own factory, including the shower area. ---
**Author:** ![nd\_n8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/439d5e/32.png) [@nd\_n8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nd_n8)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/45 "2008-09-09T16:49:10Z")
All shampoo is the same just as all carbonated soft drinks are the same. Soft drinks: Carbonated water, corn syrup, flavorings, preservitives Shampoo: Alkaline base, wax emulsifier, perfumes, preservitives Sometimes there are added vitamins in each, sometimes not. People prefer Pepsi over Coke or Dr. Pepper over Dr. Thunder so it’s expected to prefer Nexus over Alberto V05 from time to time. Some people drink anything that’s cold, some people wash their hair with anything that lathers up. Meh, it’s all personal preference. If you like the specific combination of detergent/wax/perfume/preservitives in Pantene then go for it, if you prefer the different combination of detergent (a different formula but still detergent, still Alkaline and oil)/wax (a different type of wax, probably not petroleum based)/perfume/preservitives in Paul Mitchell then enjoy it. Oh, and Annamika, welcome back. We don’t talk much but I do like reading your posts. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/46 "2008-09-09T17:23:51Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > Back before I realized that I looked horrible with long hair and cut it off, I’d regularly use - I forget the name, but some inexpensive shampoo and conditioner that I often see commercials for - and my hair would _always_ have some tangles in it somewhere, every damn time I used the stuff. > > A stylist recommended a more expensive shampoo and conditioner. From the first time I used it until the day I cut off my hair, I never again had to worry about tangles. > > So yeah, I’d say there are differences. Similar story for me. The cheap shampoo (Suave and the like) worked fine for me when I had short hair. When I graduated high school and started going to college, I let my hair grow long. The tangles were so bad with that cheap shampoo that it was difficult and painful to comb my hair with my fingers. I ended up trying Pantene Smooth and Sleek shampoo and conditioner (seperate bottles) and not only were the knots gone but my hair felt so smooth and moisterized. It’s probably mainly due to the conditioner though. Even though I cut it short again when it started thinning on top, I still use Pantene. Even if the difference isn’t as obvious, it’s just a few dollars more for a bottle that lasts several months. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/47 "2008-09-09T18:26:34Z")
> [@nd\_n8](#): > > All shampoo is the same just as all carbonated soft drinks are the same. > > Soft drinks: Carbonated water, corn syrup, flavorings, preservitives > > Shampoo: Alkaline base, wax emulsifier, perfumes, preservitives > > Sometimes there are added vitamins in each, sometimes not. People prefer Pepsi over Coke or Dr. Pepper over Dr. Thunder so it’s expected to prefer Nexus over Alberto V05 from time to time. Some people drink anything that’s cold, some people wash their hair with anything that lathers up. Meh, it’s all personal preference. If you like the specific combination of detergent/wax/perfume/preservitives in Pantene then go for it, if you prefer the different combination of detergent (a different formula but still detergent, still Alkaline and oil)/wax (a different type of wax, probably not petroleum based)/perfume/preservitives in Paul Mitchell then enjoy it. > > Oh, and Annamika, welcome back. We don’t talk much but I do like reading your posts. Not all soft drinks are the same either. Are all pies the same? Cars? Planets? People, even? I know it’s hard to let go, but “facts is facts”. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/48 "2008-09-09T19:28:19Z")
> [@nd\_n8](#): > > All shampoo is the same just as all carbonated soft drinks are the same. > > Soft drinks: Carbonated water, corn syrup, flavorings, preservitives > > Shampoo: Alkaline base, wax emulsifier, perfumes, preservitives Shampoo is not going to be very alkaline or it will eat your hair very quickly. As has been mentioned before in this thread, not all detergents are the same. There are anionic detergents, cationic detergents, neutral detergents and zwitterionic detergents. Shampoos are almost universally anionic detergents, but that doesn’t mean that the pH is above 7. Most shampoos will contain an organic sulfate of some kind and the conjugate acids of these are so acidic that they will not be protonated untill the pH is pretty low. (Note sulfuric acid which isn’t organic, but is very similar.) You could use regular old bar soap to wash your hair, but it likely is too basic and will leave your hair coated in soap scum if your water has any hardness at all. That’s because the carboxylates that make up many brands of soap will percipitate out with Magnesium or Calcium. If your water is really hard you may want to use a shampoo that has a complexer in it like EDTA. Shampoo that works well for you in one location may not work well in another just because the condition of the water is different. If you have thin hair or sensitive skin, you may want to use a shampoo with sodium laurythsulfate since that is less prone to denaturing protiens. Most of the things I’ve mentioned here are really common knowledge and can be found in even your cheap shampoos. I have no doubt that some of these pricier shampoos have incredibly complicated balances of ingredients that do very specific things for specific types of hair. Some of them may even be cationic, I don’t know. I’m not a soap expert. I use generic shampoo and conditioner. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Hoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Broken\_Hoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Hoe)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/49 "2008-09-09T21:49:06Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I have no doubt that some of these pricier shampoos have incredibly complicated balances of ingredients that do very specific things for specific types of hair. I have no doubt that manufacturers spend millions of dollars in advertising to make people believe that… ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/50 "2008-09-09T22:14:58Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > I have no doubt that manufacturers spend millions of dollars in advertising to make people believe that… Of course! why would they spend all that money on R&D and not tell people about it? I think it was a Consumer’s Report article I read that found that the big waste in shampoo use was that most people use way too much of the stuff per washing. Same for toothpaste. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/51 "2008-09-09T22:52:13Z")
Kool-Aid is just flavored water. Wine is spoiled grape juice. :o ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/52 "2008-09-09T22:58:17Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > For the OP: Some shampoos have different ingredients for different types of hair-like if you have curly, course, dry hair, it has more moisterizers. If, on the other hand, you have very baby-fine, straight, oily hair like mine, it has additives to give it more body. Clarifying shampoo (I use it once or twice a month) washes out all the build up of styling products. Uh, do you ever find yourself in need of a bridge? Cuz . . . I could sell you one. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/53 "2008-09-09T23:27:34Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Uh, do you ever find yourself in need of a bridge? Cuz . . . I could sell you one. Hell, I’ll take that bridge. You are referring to the Brooklyn Bridge, right? (I _love_ that bridge.) ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/54 "2008-09-10T01:11:43Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Uh, do you ever find yourself in need of a bridge? Cuz . . . I could sell you one. Why is it so difficult to believe that different hair responds differently to different detergents? I have no doubt that standard shampoo will work allright for most people, but just as some people have sensitive skin some have sensitive hair. Sure they could change the color and sell the same formulation for different types, but why would they when a little R&D will actually make a better formula. Do you really think that all of those ingredients in even the generic shampoos are just randomly thrown in there to make it look usefull? I think you are looking at the basic principles of how all detergents work and your figuring that the principles are all the same so the shampoos are all the same. Real world chemistry is not that simple. Slightly different conditions lead to wildly differrent outcomes. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/55 "2008-09-10T01:22:42Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > Why is it so difficult to believe that different hair responds differently to different detergents? I am going to need a cite that shows that detergents in different shampoos are substantially different in any detergent-related way. I think it’s reasonable to assume (unless shown otherwise) that shampoo is an applied product like shoe polish, foundation, lotion, hair spray, deodorant or perfume. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/56 "2008-09-10T01:48:23Z")
> [@](#): > > I am going to need a cite that shows that detergents in different shampoos are substantially different in any detergent-related way. [certainly](http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/print/8015sci3.html) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/57 "2008-09-10T01:50:38Z")
> [@groman](#): > > I am going to need a cite that shows that detergents in different shampoos are substantially different in any detergent-related way. I think it’s reasonable to assume (unless shown otherwise) that shampoo is an applied product like shoe polish, foundation, lotion, hair spray, deodorant or perfume. Are you saying that the detergents in all shampoos are the same, but there might be differences due to additives? Well yeah, that’s probably true. But the detergents could be, and likeky are, in different concentrations. I know that Head and Shoulders is very different from Suave. What I don’t understand is why the old cliches “all (blanks) are the same” have usually been shown to be so wrong. Like here. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Hoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Broken\_Hoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Hoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/58 "2008-09-10T01:54:10Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > just as some people have sensitive skin some have sensitive hair. Hair cannot be “sensitive”. Hair is simply a mane of dead protein strands, no different that the tip of your fingernail.s.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/59 "2008-09-10T02:01:32Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > Hair cannot be “sensitive”. Hair is simply a mane of dead protein strands, no different that the tip of your fingernail.s.:smack: Perhaps chemically, naturally. “Hair” when on your head is a system that interacts with its environment, including the hair’s own host body. All kind of things affect hair. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Hoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Broken\_Hoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Hoe)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/60 "2008-09-10T02:06:34Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > “Hair” when on your head is a system that interacts with its environment, including the hair’s own host body. All kind of things affect hair. A “system”?? :rolleyes: Please describe this “system”. How does “the host body” affect totally dead collagen/keratin, exactly? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645.md?page=4)