Who needs shampoo?

[jackmccullough]

Seriously, aside from habit, can anyone point to a good reason to use shampoo and not just the same bar of soap we use on the rest of our body?

[vwguy]

Regular bar soap would be too harsh on your hair. They are some body & hair bar soap out there, but they're a bit pricey.

Brian

[marlinspike]

Bar soap would not take care of the kinds of oils that build up in hair.

[Andy]

from the Grooming Chapter of The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes:

Shampoos: From the 1762 Hindu word meaning, “to press”.

Shampoos usually come in three different formulae:

• <LI class=MsoNormal>Dry, if you hair is rough and uncontrollable. Shampoos for dry hair contain oil and proteins <LI class=MsoNormal>Normal and
• Oily hair, but with all the shampooing we moderns do, oily hair is rare.
  

Hair cells that you can see above your scalp are dead so the shampoos that promise nutrients to feed your hair are, well, too late!

Most shampoos have some of the following ingredients:

Detergents such as laureth sulfates
Astringents that can deep clean strands of hair
Emollients oils to coat hair to make it less dry
Botanical extracts may add shine or act as astringents
Fragrance
Vitamin B5 (panthenol) and some proteins with molecules small enough to penetrate the hair and make it fuller

[The Gabba Goul]

oh...and here I thought this was some kind of free shampoo promotion...

[spiritflute]

I knew a fella once who used bar soap for shampoo. He was awful flaky, literally.

[Artisan Fan]

I've always read that bar soap is too harsh for hair and doesn't have needed moisterizers.

[StevenRocks]

I've always read that bar soap is too harsh for hair and doesn't have needed moisterizers.

That's true. Bar soap will work in a pinch, but if you use is regularly as a hair cleaner, your hair will look duller and feel awful due to the lack of moisturizers.

[Joe W]

He used Ivory soap for his hair as well as for shaving....He also used Arm and Hammer Baking Soda for brushing his teeth.

His scalp was dry and flaky and his face was often suffering razor burns/cuts, but he never got a cavity in his life!

[Karl89]

GG,

oh...and here I thought this was some kind of free shampoo promotion...

Me too! Thought Jack had started his own line of Vermont organic shampoos. I wouldn't mind a shampoo that smells like Ivory soap though - to me Ivory's scent is the epitome of clean.

Karl

[philm]

I agree that soap is not meant to be a shampoo. Probably a lot of itching too as an outcome on the hair.

Just a tidbit from my dermatologist for my skins spots that come with old age. He told me to use Head and Shoulders Shampoo not only for my hair but for my body soap also. He said to lather it up real good and it would give me a clean wash. It also leaves a fairly nice scent. So I never use ivory or regular soap anymore.

[VS]

Some Paul Mitchell shampoos are like that too... they're marked hair and body wash.

Just in case you only want one bottle in the shower.