Difference Between Shampoo & Conditioner You Should Know
Aesthetics Daily – Hair as your crown is important to always be cared for. Not only do you have a great haircut, you also need to make sure that your hair is always clean. For this purpose, people often invest in hair care products.
Of the many hair care products available, you will most likely place shampoo and conditioner at the top of the list. Both are often used as part of the daily hair care routine. However, maybe there are still many people who can’t tell the difference.
Most people apply shampoo to their hair before using conditioner. Shampooing removes dirt and oil from your hair. While conditioner after cleaning with shampoo helps keep hair smooth and manageable.
What is the difference between shampoo and conditioner? There are so many differences between them. But you can start by identifying what the main functions of shampoo and conditioner are. In addition, you can dig deeper by identifying the ingredients of shampoo and conditioner and their benefits.
What are Shampoo & Conditioner?
Shampoo
Derived from the Hindi word “champo” which means to massage your scalp, shampoo is a liquid cleansing agent for your hair and scalp. This shampoo, which was introduced in the 1930s, is useful for removing excess oil from the scalp and cleaning dead skin cells.
Before the invention of shampoo, people used to use soap to clean their hair. However, the soap has a slight lather, making it difficult to rinse off. Later, people started to leave soap and turn to shampoo as a hair care product.
Conditioner, which is also in liquid form, is usually used after washing your hair. Conditioning agents in conditioner are additives that can affect the appearance, manageability, and thickness of your hair.
Shampoo tends to remove sebum oil from hair along with dust and dirt. Conditioner is useful to hold the sebum needed by the hair.
Benefits of Shampoo & Conditioner
Shampoo
The sebum oil produced by the scalp protects the hair follicles and keeps them healthy. However, increased sebum production causes a buildup in the hair follicles. As a result, the hair strands will be greasy and very dull.
On the other hand, pollutants like dirt, dust and bacteria can be easily attracted to sebum oil. This makes the scalp dirtier. Excess sebum oil can not be removed just like that with water. Therefore, you need shampoo to clean it.
The thing to watch out for, many shampoos with chemicals are at risk of stripping natural oils and making hair dry. Choose a shampoo that suits your hair type and condition. For example, use a shampoo specifically for dandruff if you have problems with dandruff.
Conditioner
The cationic surfactants present in hair conditioners provide a positive electrical charge. Meanwhile, the negative electric charge in the hair attracts the positive electric charge from the conditioner. This allows the conditioner to penetrate the hair follicles.
The meeting between the positive charge of the conditioner and the negative charge of the hair causes the static electricity of your hair to decrease. Conditioner is useful for increasing light reflection, preventing split ends, and smoothing cuticle scales on the hair shaft. The result you get, hair becomes smoother and shiny.
Shampoo Vs Conditioner, What’s the Difference?
The main difference between shampoo and conditioner lies in the ingredients in them. Shampoo contains cleaning agents such as surfactants and detergents whereas conditioner does not. Some shampoos on the market contain conditioning ingredients similar to those found in conditioners such as natural oils and proteins.
The ingredients found in shampoo are similar to those found in soap. The difference with soap, the ingredients in shampoo are much gentler, so the sebum that protects the hair strands is not lost at all. While the conditioner consists of moisturizers that make hair more manageable. Conditioners usually also contain proteins that strengthen hair strands.
Shampoos are used to remove various pollutants including dirt, oil and dust that builds up on the hair strands. While conditioner is useful for softening the texture of the hair strands and making hair easier to style and comb after washing.
You can also tell the difference between shampoo and conditioner based on their pH balance. Conditioner is more acidic than shampoo, promotes the development of amino acids and helps keratin to bind hair strands.
The vitamins and nutrients contained in the shampoo are formulated to target the scalp and hair roots. While the vitamins and nutrients in the conditioner target the hair strands, making them strong and preventing them from splitting and breaking.
After being applied to the hair, the shampoo is rinsed thoroughly. On the other hand, conditioner can work in two ways. The first, the conditioner is applied to the hair and left for a few minutes before finally rinsing. Secondly, the conditioner is left on the hair strands after application.
It is up to you how often you wash and condition your hair. People with oily hair may wash more often than people with dry hair.
Related to Hair Care:
- 10 Benefits of Hair Spa: Maintaining Hair Roots to Overcoming Dandruff
- Main Causes of Dandruff and How to Get Rid of It Naturally
- Four Treatments of Scalp & Hair Experience by L’Oréal Professionnel
- Helpful Tips for Choosing the Best Shampoo & Conditioner
- 9 of the Biggest Mistakes in Washing Your Hair
