# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/81 "2008-09-10T04:36:37Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > You admitted that the reason you prefer your shampoo is due to it’s scent. _“I like my Pantene, and my Mint Julep shampoos-they both **smell** heavenly.”_ Hence proving my OP. Ah yes, your OP: > [@](#): > > The only differences are scents and whatever herbal crap they add to make people think their product is superior. But the fact is, all shampoo is pretty much equal. We buy it by the quart at the Dollar store. Why do people who pay $12.99 for a little 8oz bottle of some premium “salon” stuff think they’re buying anything better than the dollar store stuff? You asked why people pay more and the answer appears to be they **prefer the scent**. This is quite unrelated to whether they know or care if it’s all ‘just’ liquid detergent or not. Why did you ask the question if you weren’t prepared to accept the answers? ---
**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, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/82 "2008-09-10T04:54:28Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > 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. No, I was saying that the primary purpose of shampoo is not being a detergent at all – it’s a cosmetic with surfactants(that could very well act as detergents if used in a hair cleaning product). However, I think I am changing my mind. I think if you had severely soiled hair, shampoo would definitely be better than just water, so it certainly qualifies as a cleaning agent for hair. I still don’t think that detergent properties of shampoo are what people care about – they want the stuff that stays behind, like smells, silkiness, etc. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/83 "2008-09-10T05:32:04Z")
Doesn’t Consumer Reports regularly rate Dawn Dish soap as a good shampoo? I think the big argument here is that there is no meaningful way to back up a shampoo’s claims. I can go out and buy a bottle that costs a buck, or a bottle that costs 30 bucks, but there is no meaningful way to tell why I’m paying $29 more for the expensive stuff. Sure, the ads say all kinds of stuff, but there aren’t really a lot of rules regarding cosmetic ads. And it’s not like I’d even know what they were talking about if they did use real technical speak. And my hairdresser says stuff, but I know for a fact hairdressers are required to sell a certain amount of hair products and they will probably push the priciest ones. Even personal experience isn’t worth much, since it’s a documented fact that people tend to rate expensive things higher. ---
**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 10, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/84 "2008-09-10T05:45:58Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > You admitted that the reason you prefer your shampoo is due to it’s scent. _“I like my Pantene, and my Mint Julep shampoos-they both **smell** heavenly.”_ Hence proving my OP. I didn’t say that was my ONLY reason. :rolleyes: _ **The main reason is, they make my hair look good.** _ Even if they were completely unscented, I’d STILL use them. Pantene gives my hair body, which it desparately needs. I then use a hair gel, Garnier XXL Volume. Then a few times a week, I use the Mint Julep because it’s a clarifying, and it gets all the build up of gel and hair-spray out. (The styling products are what makes my hair look good). I don’t know what your hair is like, but I don’t have wash and wear hair, like some people do. **even sven** , my hairdresser reccommended Pantene, and it’s pretty middle of the road, price-wise. Not Suave, but not Paul Mitchell, either. The Mint shampoo is what they use at the salon, and it’s only three dollars a bottle-and because it’s so concentrated, it lasts a loooooonnnnng time. (You can buy it at Sally’s, or you can buy it from the salon. I usually just get it at Sally’s on my way home from work.) My grandfather uses bar soap on his hair (well, when he HAD hair), and you could tell. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/85 "2008-09-10T06:07:33Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > **The fourth group are the trivial ingredients which have no function other providing the manufacturer with a marketing gimmick.** These are easily identified because the ingredient features strongly in the advertising and the banner label but are usually placed near the end of the list of ingredients because they form a very small part of the formulation. They include a host of natural extracts, proteins and vitamins to name but a few. Are these the things that are usually hyped as “European!”? Cuz I’ve always wondered what makes “European” such a popular hype word in personal care products. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/86 "2008-09-10T06:50:34Z")
If I don’t use selenium sulfide shampoo, my head starts to itch and I could build a small hill out of the head scrapings/flakings. So it’s not all the same. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/87 "2008-09-10T07:49:21Z")
It seems kinda obvious to me, but I can tell the difference between shampoos simply by putting a quarter size dab in my hand, rubbing my hands together, then rubbing it into my head. I am not saying that I can tell the brand, or cheap from expensive, but I can tell that the shampoos are not the same. Thanks to having females in my house, I have sampled what seems to be an endless parade of shampoos. Some shampoos look and feel thin and watery and some look and feel thick and creamy. Some shampoos feel more slippery, especially after applied to the head. Some shampoos feel different when they are getting rinsed out. Some leave the hair feeling “squeaky clean” (you can feel friction as you rub your hands over your head) while others feel like there is some sort of lubricant on your head, even after spending a long time rinsing it out. Are the people that believe all shampoos are the same deny that shampoos look different when placed in their hands and feel different when applied? It would seem reasonable that if a shampoo looks and feels different, it is different. On a personal note, some shampoos that are too thick and slippery make my hair get wavy like Peter Brady’s. Some thin and watery shampoos make my hair feel dry and look frizzy. I need a middle of the road shampoo that will let my hair curl so that looks “healthy” and appears clean so it looks like I am doing my hygeine appropriately. ---
**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 10, 2008, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/88 "2008-09-10T10:56:17Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > What exactly is this “debris”? The following is a partial list of debris:[ul] [li]Cigarette smoke[/li][li]Dust particles[/li][li]Dandruff[/li][li]Exzema[/li][li]Seborrhea[/li][li]Gonorrhea[/li][li]Rhea Perlman[/li][li]Soot[/li][li]Boot[/li][li]Animal dander[/li][li]Animal hair[/li][li]Small animals[/li][li]Paris Hilton[/li][li]Dead wood[/li][li]Drift wood[/li][li]James Woods[/li][li]Marco[/li][li]Polo[/li][li]Marco[/li][li]Polo[/li][li]Dried up sticks and leaves[/li][li]Slugs[/li][li]Banana peels[/li][li]A 6" piece of copper tubing[/li][li]Fiber from clothing[/li][li]Fiber from the inside of a trunk[/li][li]Fiber from Special K[/li][li]Ray Romano[/li][li]And built up hair products[/li][/ul] ---
**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, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/89 "2008-09-10T11:34:48Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Oh. And soaps and detergents are two different things. Look it up in the dick if you don’t believe me. Actually I had to look up “dick” to see if it was some other usage that I wasn’t aware of, when it occurred to me that you were quasi-abbreviation “dictionary”! Soaps and detergents aren’t of necessity two different things, though. All soaps are detergents. Period. No discussion. That’s a fact. ---
**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, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/90 "2008-09-10T12:47:49Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > 1/ Consider spending heaps of money on R&D and telling people that they’ve done so > > 2/ Decide to leave out first step and go straight to second. > > 3/ Profit! Problem with that is that doing /2 tends to get in the way of /3. ---
**Author:** ![sinical\_brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/48db29/32.png) [@sinical\_brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinical_brit)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/91 "2008-09-10T12:56:42Z")
> [@Broken\_Hoe](#): > > Why do people who pay $12.99 for a little 8oz bottle of some premium “salon” stuff think they’re buying anything better than the dollar store stuff? Because we’re worth it ! Sorry … ---
**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, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/92 "2008-09-10T15:13:22Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > my hair looked like a million bucks. Not greasy at all. > Then I noticed that there were clumps of hair in the drain after every shower. Hey it was the early 1970s and I did not want to be a bald 21 year old. > So I switched shampoos to Head and Shoulders. Now my hair only looks like about $250,000, but it does not fall out in clumps any longer. How exactly is the “bad” shampoo affecting a chemical change in your scalp’s hair follicles causing hair loss? ---
**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, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/93 "2008-09-10T15:17:28Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I also know that with some shampoos (usually the cheaper ones) my hair will be oily by 3:00pm. Others it may take over a day. How does the shampoo change the amount of oil your scalp’s hair follicles produce and release to the hair shafts? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645/94 "2008-09-10T17:25:07Z")
This thread has drifted away from the sort of discussion that could result in a meaningful factual answer. I’m going to close it without prejudice to the opening of a thread seeking a more factual answer in General Questions or a thread similar to this one in MPSIMS. **Gfactor** General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-people-understand-that-all-shampoo-is-just-scented-detergent/462645.md?page=4)