I often find myself completely perplexed by the sheer array of shampoo brands on offer. Back in the day, you used to get one choice: it was called ‘Shampoo’. If you were posh you might also have something called ‘Conditioner’. But now? Now there are whole aisles in the stores set aside just for the different shampoo brands. How on earth is anyone supposed to pick the best one from the hundreds that are on offer?
I decided to do a bit of research online to find out which was the best brand of shampoo and which were the hair cleaning brands to avoid. In the process, I’ve found out answers to some common questions that people often have about shampoo. I thought this might be useful for others, so I decided I’d write it all up in an article. Shall we take a look?
Brand to choose: Silk18 Natural Hair Shampoo for Normal to Dry Hair
Silk18 is a shampoo for both women and men, who have normal to dry hair. It is hypoallergenic, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and made in the US. Many of the reviewers started using the shampoo because they loved Silk18’s companion conditioner so much, and they haven’t been disappointed by the shampoo. Works great on all hair types, and reviewers particularly note how good this is for frizzy hair. Leaves hair soft, clean, silky, and shiny, and is kind to color-treated hair. It’s a winner! Read more+
Brands to avoid: CHI Dry Shampoo, Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo, Mirta de Perales herbal fresh shampoo, JKS Rocket Red Shampoo, Enjoy Super Hydrate Shampoo, High Voltage Hair Follicle Cleanser Detox Test Shampoo
What shampoo should I use quiz
Where on earth do you start your search when you’re looking at the massive variety of shampoos today?
Firstly, you need to decide what type of hair you have: is it greasy, normal or dry or maybe a mixture of these? Whatever type of hair you have, there are many shampoos for you to choose from.
Here are some guidelines I’ve found choosing the right shampoo for your hair:
Normal hair: pick a shampoo that has mild detergents to help maintain the natural moisture in your hair
Fine, limp, or greasy hair: use a shampoo that is light and gentle, so you can use every day. Avoid using heavy shampoos (that contain strong detergents) and don’t go overboard with too many styling products, as this can lead to your hair feeling even limper
Colored or permed hair: Use a color-protection shampoo and it’s best to choose one that is moisturizing as oftentimes the tips of your hair can be dry
Dry or damaged hair: go for a shampoo that doesn’t contain detergents. Choose the creamy, not the clear ones, and these should help reduce static, and help to detangle and smooth hair
Does dry shampoo damage hair?
Dry shampoos seem like a dream-come-true for people who don’t have the time to wash their hair every day. Unfortunately, using it daily could be causing plenty of damage to your hair. Oils and gunk will build up around the roots of your hair daily. Dry shampoos absorb the oil, making it look fresh and full. The trouble is that the dry shampoo isn’t removing any of the build-up of oil and dirt, just drying it out and actually adding an extra layer of gunk. Using dry shampoos regularly for long period of time will cause the build-up to become so bad that it might lead to hair loss and poor growth. You’ll also start to notice that your hair doesn’t have its usual healthy bounce and lovely shine that it used to. Don’t skip the shampoo!
How to wash your hair properly for guys
Using shampoo, hair experts suggest taking 1-2 minutes to give your hair a good scrub and really work it in to massage your scalp. Make sure to do all over your head: top, sideburns, and right round at the back of your head. It’s really important to massage and stimulate your scalp as this gets the blood flowing into that area and aids hair growth.
Next, add conditioner. Run it all through your hair and then leave it on your hair whilst you wash the rest of your face and body. Then give yourself a good rinse off.
Pat your hair dry with a towel – avoid rubbing with a towel as this can break the hair. Then style with hair products of your choice.
Step out of the house to rapturous applause from adoring fans. Probably.
Self cleaning hair myth
You may have read about the ‘No Poo’ trend and how not washing your hair for long periods of time will make it suddenly start ‘cleaning’ itself?
Hmm…
Speaking from personal experience here, I’ve tried this and it didn’t work. Now I know that I’m a sample of one. Other people’s results may vary, etc etc. But frankly, it was disgusting. I decided I was going to test this out by not using shampoo on my hair for a month. Every day I would have a shower and rinse my hair with water, but I wouldn’t use any cleaning products on it. I’ve got mid-length, brownish, non-greasy hair. So, what were the results?
1 week in: bit greasy but fine(ish). 2 weeks in: getting very greasy now (with an aroma of dead rabbit). 3 weeks in: a clogged-up mess and the ‘dead rabbit’ was really getting quite smelly. 4 weeks in: let’s just say that I got halfway through the week and the grease and smell finally drove me to the (shampoo) bottle.
Other people may have a different experience, but this isn’t something I’d recommend. Certainly not if you like being near people.
Shampoo twice a day?
Lather, rinse, repeat. You’ve probably heard that lots of times, haven’t you?
First up, experts suggest washing your hair every 2 or 3 days. Any more frequently and it can actually dry your hair out too much. On those in-between days, make sure you give your hair a good rinse in the shower with water only.
Hair washing with shampoo removes the oil, gunk, and product that builds up in our hair and on our scalp. If you wash your hair every couple of days then one wash should be enough to remove that build-up. If you leave it longer between washes then you may need to do the whole lather, rinse, and repeat thing. Let your hair be your guide on this one. If you feel that one shampooing every couple of days isn’t enough, then experiment with a double helping and see if this makes your hair feel better. If it does. Repeat.
Shampoo brands to avoid
Let’s have a closer look at some of the brands that reviewers say to avoid:
CHI Dry Shampoo: I’ve already mentioned that dry shampoos aren’t great for long-term use as they gunk up your scalp follicles and dry out your hair. I wanted to highlight this particular dry shampoo though.
So many of the reviews say that, whilst they like the product itself, there’s a big issue with the packaging. The canister spray top seems to have a habit of breaking very early on, or just not working at all, leaving all the product in the can and no way to clean your hair Read more+
Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo: from the reviews, there seem to be big problems with this Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo from Suave Professionals.
Lots of reviewers are talking about how greasy this makes their hair feel. It also doesn’t seem to do anything positive with frizzy hair – despite the ‘Smoothing’ name. Most alarmingly though are the reviews which talk about removing hair color, and hair loss Read more+
Mirta de Perales herbal fresh shampoo: it seems that lots of people really loved the 1970s Herbal Essence shampoo aroma, and have been searching for it ever since.
Online rumors have apparently spread that Herbal Fresh shampoo from Mirta de Perales is a close match. Unfortunately, there are plenty of buyers who left reviews to dispel this myth. Sorry, guys and gals, I’m afraid you’ll have to continue the search Read more+
JKS Rocket Red Shampoo: JKS have produced a shampoo that they claim is designed for redheads, to “enhance red tone” and “add vibrancy”.
Unfortunately, reviewers feel that this shampoo is a waste of money. Leaving their hair faded, dull, coarse, and flat, with no color enhancement at all. It also seems to smell quite badly Read more+
Enjoy Super Hydrate Shampoo: many reviewers say that they have used Enjoy’s Super Hydrate shampoo before, having bought it from a salon. Unfortunately, the batch being sold here seems to be a different formulation from the Enjoy that they’ve known and loved.
Some reviewers have claimed that this is a fake product and not the original. Smells bad. Feels terrible Read more+
High Voltage Hair Follicle Cleanser Detox Test Shampoo: so, I hadn’t even realized that this was a ‘thing’. Naïve or what! Anyway, lots of drug tests are carried out by testing hair strands. The idea behind shampoos like High Voltage is that they can strip out any drug traces from your hair just before someone goes for the test. Firstly, drugs ain’t good – didn’t you ever listen to your mom?! Secondly, lots of the reviews are from people who’ve bought and used this shampoo before going for drug tests for a new job, etc. Many times it seems that they’ve still failed the test.
I don’t know whether ‘detox’ shampoos work, but unfortunately, this one certainly doesn’t seem to Read more+
Conclusion
If you’re as confused as I was, then I hope that my research has been useful for you in choosing the shampoo brand that’s right for you, and maybe answering a few burning questions along the way. There are lots of brands to choose from. Many are great, but some are not so great, and it’s important to be able to sort out the good from the not so good.
Silk18 is a shampoo for both women and men, who have normal to dry hair. It is hypoallergenic, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and made in the US. Many of the reviewers started using the shampoo because they loved Silk18’s companion conditioner so much, and they haven’t been disappointed by the shampoo. Works great on all hair types, and reviewers particularly note how good this is for frizzy hair. Leaves hair soft, clean, silky, and shiny, and is kind to color-treated hair. It’s a winner!
**Please note that our reviews are based on customer reviews, star ratings, and online complaints. Therefore ThisButNotThat are in no way liable**