Comparatively Speaking: Shampoo vs. Body Wash Formulation
By: Anthony J. O'Lenick Jr. and Fenbao (David) Zhang, PhD, Siltech
Posted: October 9, 2012
Shampoo and body wash/shower gel are two major classes of personal care cleansing products. Shampoos are specifically formulated to clean and take care of hair, whereas body wash is a liquid soap that is appropriate for cleansing the body. Most commercial shampoos and body washes are made as creams or gels. They are emulsions or gels of water and detergent base with added functional ingredients. Because the form or texture of both shampoos and body washes are creams or gels, many people may mistakenly use one as the other. Although there are some similar components inside both formulations, there are many differences from the view of a personal care formulator.
The first difference is their target. Hair is actually a modified type of skin. The main difference between hair and skin is that skin is basically a living organ that replaces its outermost layer on a frequent basis. In contrast, hair is basically dead material derived from a few live cells deep within the skin surface.
Shampoo Formulation
Hair care is much more complicated than body care and will differ according to one's hair type and according to the processes applied to hair. Hair is a manifestation of human diversity. For example, there are three basic ethnic hair groups: Caucasian, Asian and Black-Afro/Caribbean. Hair types vary from completely straight to tight wiry curls, and from fine and flyaway to coarse and frizzy, with widely differing behavior patterns.
Shampoos were created because hair became rough and damaged when cleansed with soap. Hair cannot be cleansed well with body wash instead of shampoo. The problem with using shampoo on the body is that some shampoo ingredients are not needed for skin and it can impart a slimy feel.
Shampoo should have the following properties: proper detergency without degreasing, ability to form delicate and rich bubbling, easy rinsing, good finish after washing hair, minimal skin/eye irritation, no damage to hair, low toxicity and good biodegradability.
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