I thought it might be interesting to do a comparison of three different shampoos, and to describe what all that stuff in them is actually supposed to do. I don't expect companies to spend the money on including an ingredient for no reason, so what is it all for? I know this is not something a normal person would find cool, but I'm a chemistry graduate student. It's interesting... right?
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| The contenders |
I chose three shampoos I had at my house. The first is a clarifying shampoo from Suave. Clarifying shampoos are not meant to be used every day, they are for once every week or two to remove all the build up from styling products. I use this every so often before I do a deep conditioning treatment. Other than this shampoo, I try to stick to sulfate-free stuff. I'll explain why when we get there.
The Frizz-Ease is a shampoo I used to use before I switched to sulfate-free. It says it is safe for color-treated hair, but it has sulfates. This is a smoothing shampoo and coats hair to provide a barrier against moisture, thus preventing frizz.
The Rite-Aid product is my normal shampoo. I wash my hair a few times a week, and this is what I use. I used to buy the more expensive name brand, but my local drugstore has their own version now and it works just as well.
So. What is in my shampoo? Warning: Lots of pictures and lots of science ahead!
