Almost all of us use shampoo to keep our hair clean and manageable. However if you use the wrong kind of shampoo or use shampoo incorrectly you may be damaging your hair. This article explains how shampoo has been developed to improve our hair over time.
The Science
We need to wash our hair regularly to prevent it from becoming greasy or oily. Sebum is produced by hair follicles on our heads and is used to preserve the proteins in our hair. Surprisingly enough we actually need to remove the sebum from hair to clean it. Sebum is a viscous substance and when it builds up it becomes sticky, trapping dirt, bits of hair gel, wax and dandruff within our hair.
When we wash our hair shampoo removes excess sebum restoring our hair back to normal. Shampoo and soap both contain surfactants which remove the sebum from our hair. However the surfactants present in soap are too abrasive for hair and remove too much sebum for the hair to remain healthy and strong. Shampoo is designed specifically to work with our hair as the level of surfactants is more suited for removing the right level of sebum.
History
Throughout history people have been creating and developing formulas for shampoo. India is thought of as being one of the first places where shampoo was created with people experimenting with different combinations of herbs such as henna, fenugreek and aloe which were combined with pleasantly scented ingredients to make them more appealing.
The word shampoo began to be used in the English language during the late eighteenth century. Shampoo translated into “to massage” and was derived from a Hindi word which was also the name of a plant indigenous to India used to make hair oil.
The first establishment selling shampoo in Britain was opened in the eighteenth century in Brighton. The vapour baths offered clients shampoo services and massages and became renowned throughout Britain. The vapour bath’s owner was acknowledged for his contribution and was invited to attend as shampooing surgeon for the monarchs of the time.
When shampoo first became commercially available it was very similar to soap and contained surfactants in similar proportions. The first shampoo in the true sense of the word was introduced to Britain in the 1930s. Prior to this early stylists tried experimenting with mixtures of soap shavings and herbs added to water. The herbs provided a pleasant scent but the surfactant levels were too high to leave hair in a manageable state.
