What is a Shampoo made of?
What is a Shampoo made of?
Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
Almost everything in a shampoo bottle is water, surfactant and conditioner; the botanical extracts on the front are usually present at fractions of a per cent. Sulfate-free formulas swap the primary surfactant for something milder such as sodium cocoyl isethionate, which lathers less and cleans less aggressively — genuinely useful for dyed or curly hair, not inherently better. Dandruff shampoos are the one category with a real pharmacological active: zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole, selenium sulfide or salicylic acid, targeting a yeast rather than dryness, and they only work if left on the scalp for a couple of minutes.
Component by component
| Part | Material | Why that material |
|---|---|---|
| water | purified water, 70-80% | The surfactants only work in solution, and the bottle is mostly the solvent — which is the whole argument for shampoo bars. |
| primary surfactant | sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl sulfate in cheaper products | It does the cleaning; laureth is ethoxylated, making it milder and less irritating than plain lauryl sulfate. |
| secondary surfactant | cocamidopropyl betaine | It stabilises foam and measurably reduces the irritancy of the primary surfactant, so it is in almost every formula. |
| thickener | sodium chloride, or a polymer such as carbomer | Salt makes surfactant micelles grow into rods and the liquid thickens — viscosity is entirely cosmetic, and cheap to add. |
| conditioning agent | dimethicone or a cationic polymer such as polyquaternium-10 | It deposits on the negatively charged hair surface and lies down the cuticle scales, which is what "smooth" and "shiny" actually mean. |
Other around the house objects
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Lipstick Castor oil carrying pigment, set into a stick with waxes — the oil is the workhorse, not the colour.
- Balloon Party balloons are dipped natural rubber latex; foil balloons are metallised plastic film and are not rubber at all.
- Deodorant Deodorant kills the bacteria that cause the smell; antiperspirant uses aluminium salts to plug the sweat duct. Different products.
- Toothbrush Nylon filaments stapled into a polypropylene handle with a wire — three plastics that cannot be separated for recycling.
Common questions
- What is a Shampoo made of?
- Three-quarters water, a primary detergent, a milder secondary one, salt to thicken, and silicone to make hair feel smooth.
- What is the water of a Shampoo made of?
- Purified water, 70-80%. The surfactants only work in solution, and the bottle is mostly the solvent — which is the whole argument for shampoo bars.
- What is the primary surfactant of a Shampoo made of?
- Sodium laureth sulfate, or sodium lauryl sulfate in cheaper products. It does the cleaning; laureth is ethoxylated, making it milder and less irritating than plain lauryl sulfate.
Related pages
- Banknote Cotton and linen rag paper, or polymer film — never wood pulp, which is why notes survive the wash.
- Lego brick ABS plastic moulded to a tolerance of about ten micrometres — the tightness of the fit is the whole product.
- Soap Fats reacted with lye to make fatty acid salts — and most modern "beauty bars" are not soap at all.
- Toothpaste Mostly abrasive and humectant, with a detergent for foam — the active ingredient is about 0.15% fluoride.
- Coin Base-metal alloys chosen for wear and cost — most modern "silver" coins are copper-nickel and most "copper" ones are plated steel or zinc.
- Sunscreen UV filters — mineral, chemical or both — suspended in an emulsion whose job is to hold them in an even film.
- Credit card Laminated PVC sheets 0.76 mm thick, carrying a silicon chip in epoxy and a copper antenna coil.
- Candle Wax that is really a fuel, and a braided cotton wick that acts as a pump rather than as the thing burning.
- Pencil Stationery and paper
- Tennis ball Sport and games
- Golf ball Sport and games
- Paper Stationery and paper
- Glass Building materials
- Soccer ball Sport and games
Sources
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place