Picking the right shampoo to start your wash day can be tricky if you don’t know which one is for what. You will want to know the different types of shampoo to help you select the right one for your hair and scalp needs. Continue reading below for more information and get started in choosing the right type of shampoo for your hair now!
What Is Shampoo?
There are so many different types of shampoos on the market but ultimately, a shampoo is a cleanser used at the start of your wash day routine to help remove excess dirt, oil, product build up and debris on the hair.
With so many shampoos catering to every hair need possible, they all have their unique characteristics to help them each stand out from all the rest. Knowing about all the different types of shampoo and when to use them for your hair needs, will be such a great help in targeting your concerns while keeping your hair and scalp clean.
It is best to use a quality shampoo at least once per week, especially if your hair products tend to have a lot of butters and oils in the mix. When the hair and scalp are free of debris, you will have a better chance of holding onto moisture, with better hair growth as the pores on the scalp won’t be clogged to let the new growth of hair push through.
This post is all about types of shampoo.
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What Are The Different Types Of Shampoo?
1. Clarifying Shampoo
A cleanser that is formulated a little stronger than your everyday shampoo, as it is meant to strip the hair of its natural oils, product build up, butters, chlorine, minerals, etc. A clarifying shampoo is best to use if you are someone that notices that their hair looks weighed down, feels greasy and is just not holding on to moisture like it used to.
By using a clarifying shampoo, you are thoroughly cleansing your hair and scalp in order to start with a clean state when using your favorite hair products. It is best to use a clarifying shampoo routinely whether that is once or twice per month. Sticking to a schedule for your hair regimen can really set the tone with how your hair and scalp flourish over time.
🏆Top Pick: Kinky Curly Come Clean
2. Everyday Shampoo
An everyday shampoo is a cleanser that is made for more frequent use as its name suggests. They are formulated using milder surfactants that won’t strip the hair as fast and as completely as a clarifying shampoo would.
Even though the name says that you can use it everyday, you will still want to be mindful about using shampoo in general too frequently because your hair and scalp will start to dry out, which can start to cause other hair concerns over time.
🏆Top Pick: Camille Rose Sweet Ginger Cleansing Rinse
3. Moisturizing Shampoo
Let’s face it, sometimes we just don’t want our hair to feel squeaky clean to the touch. This is especially true if you are doing hairstyles that tend to dry out quicker, such as a wash and go or overnight twist outs/braid outs.
Moisturizing shampoos offer the best of both worlds, by gently cleansing the hair while leaving it soft and supple. They do a great job at restoring the hair and scalps moisture balance and are often formulated with ingredients like glycerin to help attract water into the hair.
🏆Top Pick: The Mane Choice The Alpha Easy On The Curls
4. Anti- Dandruff Shampoo
These cleansers are often formulated with special ingredients that target the bacteria on the scalp and help to significantly reduce flaking and dandruff. They are not meant to be used everyday and they are often formulated with key ingredients such as Selenium Sulfide to combat these issues.
You might also find that they contain essential oils that are higher up on the list of ingredients. Essential oils like Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus are common and they help to act as an antibacterial, ant-inflammatory component to your cleanser .
🏆Top Pick: Canviiy Moisture + Repair Organic Shampoo
5. Volumizing Shampoo
If you are someone that has hair often falling flat after a day or two of styling or you just have fine, low density hair in general, you might want to up the volume factor with a shampoo specifically formulated to target this concern.
The goal of a volumizing shampoo is to add thickness as well as more body to the hair in order to make it look thicker. They contain thickening agents such as proteins and polymers.
🏆Top Pick: Briogeo Blossom and Bloom Volumizing Conditioner
6. Curl Enhancing Shampoo
Think of these shampoos as heavier moisture based cleansers that can help curly/coily natural hair maintain its curl definition. A curl enhancing shampoo is often formulated with humectants that often attract the water molecules in the air, helping to keep it moisturized.
These cleansers are great at helping to reduce frizz and define your curls. They provide the ultimate foundation for curl enhanced styling. Try not to use these shampoos if you are going to flat iron your hair.
You can run the risk of heat damage since a curl enhancing shampoo does not strip the hair of all oils and adds extra smoothing elements for definition to help improve the overall texture of the hair.
🏆Top Pick: As I Am Jamaican Black Castor Oil Shampoo
7. Keratin Shampoo
The sole purpose of a keratin shampoo is to help repair and strengthen damaged hair. Keratin is a protein and your hair is actually entirely made up of protein. Using this type of shampoo will often help to fill in some of those broken gaps in the hair strand on a microscopic level.
These type of shampoos often help to reduce frizz and sometimes, can help with hygral fatigue which is moisture overload. Reach for a keratin or protein based shampoo when your hair feels mushy to the touch, looks limp and has a hard time defining a curl with some bounce.
🏆Top Pick: Aphogee Keratin And Green Tea Shampoo
8. Organic Shampoo
These type of shampoos typically forgo the use of any synthetics, dyes and un-naturally derived ingredients. You can expect to see that they are sulfate, paraben, phthalate free most of the time and there is often a high chance that they are formulated/crafted by everyday artisans.
If you are conscious about the products you put on and into your body, organic shampoo’s are often a great fit for people who want to avoid potential toxins for their overall long term health and well being.
🏆Top Pick: Briogeo Don’t Despair Super Moisturizing Shampoo
What Are The Four Characteristics Of A Good Shampoo?
When choosing the right shampoo, keep in mind that this may change overtime. A good shampoo is one that can fit your hair needs at that specific time period. You will want a shampoo to have:
- Good cleansing properties
- Non irritating or drying to your scalp
- Works well with your hair type and has enough slip to help avoid tangles
- Contains clean ingredients that will promote healthy hair and scalp for the long term
Final Thoughts On Types Of Shampoo
With so many different types of shampoo on the market, it can become quite the task in selecting the right one for your hair and scalp needs. The shampoo stage in a hair regimen really sets the tone and foundation for how your hair will respond to other products being used after that, the integrity of your strands, your scalp health and also the look and feel of your hair.
Remember when shampooing to always section your hair into four or more parts for easier manageability and less tangling during the process.
This post was all about types of shampoo.
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