Shampoos vs. Conditioners: The Batman And Robin Of Hair Care

You don’t have to be a hair care expert to know the difference between shampoo and conditioner. The former focuses on cleansing your hair by removing dirt, buildup, grime, dust, and other pollutants while the latter aims are conditioning, smoothening, and frizz control.

If you want to know in-depth details about shampoos and conditioners follow this read for the same. We plan to dissect the difference between shampoo and conditioner, its usage, ingredients, and order of application. Without further ado, let’s get started.

What Is Shampoo?

Shampoo is a haircare product that is formulated to cleanse your scalp by removing the presence of excess oil, dirt, sebum, sweat, pollutants, and other buildup. It usually contains cleansing agents that create a lather that lifts the impurities away. Although shampoo is an ancient hair care product, over the years it has been revolutionised with targeted ingredients and potent formulations to treat specific hair conditions. Beyond cleansing, shampoos these days contain active ingredients, plant extracts, and essential nutrients that help various concerns.

Usage & Ingredients Of Shampoo

A shampoo is primarily used to clean the scalp of any impurities such as excess oil, sebum, sweat, dirt, dead skin cells, flakes, grime, grease, and other pollutants. It aims to maintain scalp hygiene, unclog hair follicles, improve blood circulation, and promote hair growth. Depending on the ingredients, shampoos can also resolve certain hair concerns such as dandruff, inflammation, itchy scalp, hair loss, low hair density, and dullness. Let’s look at some of the common ingredients found in shampoos.

Surfactants: These are essential ingredients in any shampoo since they create a cleansing lather that helps remove stubborn dirt and oil particles from your scalp.

Moisturiser: Ingredients such as glycerin, panthenol, and hyaluronic acid are all common hydrating essentials found in a shampoo to replenish the moisture lost during a wash.

Protein: Hair-friendly proteins such as keratin or silk proteins ensure the hair lengths are enhanced with respect to barrier repair and moisture-retaining properties.

Oils: Natural oils such as coconut, jojoba, and argan are all great for hair strengthening and hair growth and thus commonly found in shampoos.

Fragrances: To make shower time a sacred and relaxing affair, many brands add naturally fragrant elements such as floral or fruity notes that make washing your hair an aromatic affair.

Special Actives: Active ingredients such as salicylic acid, zinc, tea tree, and hyaluronic acid can also be a part of shampoos when in need of a targeted approach.

What Is Conditioner

Conditioner is also a hair care product, but instead of cleansing, it conditions the hair, as the name suggests. It improves the texture, volume, appearance, and manageability of the hair strands. It also aims at smoothening the hair shaft thus reducing frizz, knots, tangles, and split ends. It also improves the moisture levels and barrier function of the hair, making the hair stronger, frizz-free, detangled, smooth, and soft.

Usage & Ingredients Of Conditioner

Conditioners are formulated to hydrate, smoothen, and protect your hair after shampooing. The primary function of a conditioner is to add moisture and improve moisture retention to make your hair smooth and soft which is usually lost after cleansing it. Depending on your hair care needs, different ingredients make a conditioner better suited to you.

• Moisturiser: Moisturisers such as glycerin, aloe vera, and panthenol are all hydrating ingredients that replenish the lost moisture and strengthen hair strands.

• Butter: Conditioners have a lot of oils and butter that help the strengthening of hair strands by adding a nice thick coat of hydrating oils to the hair to reduce split ends and frizz.

• Plants Extracts: Plants extract such as argan, jojoba, lemon, henna, coconut, onion, aloe vera, green tea, chamomile, and lavender are common ingredients in conditioners that make the hair smooth and soft.

• Proteins: Pea protein, keratin, and silk protein are all proteins our hair needs to reduce breakage and increase strength thus reducing hair fall and brittle hair.

Difference Between Conditioner & Shampoo

The main difference between shampoo and conditioner is that the former is meant for cleansing and the latter is meant for smoothening and conditioning. Shampoos contain cleansing agents that aim at removing dirt, dust, oil, and pollutants from the scalp, whereas conditioners aim at adding moisture, strength, and smoothness to the hair strands. The shampoo is for the scalp and conditioners are for the lengths. Usually, you start with the shampoo and then move on to conditioning. This ensures your scalp is first clean and then moisture is restored. Using a shampoo makes sure the environmental stressors are addressed such as dirt, dust, and impurities, using a conditioner ensures the nature and appearance of your hair improve.

The Right Order To Use Them

The right order to use them is to shampoo first then conditioner. This ensures that your scalp is fully clean before you add moisturisers. Just like when we do our skincare routine with facial cleansing first we have a clean canvas to add other products to improve our skin health. Just like that, our hair also needs to be free of all impurities before we go in with repairing, smoothening, and conditioning.

Although this is the standardised version of hair care shampoo rather than conditioner, people add additional steps such as hair masking, serum, and scalp scrub to enhance the appearance and overall quality of hair. There are many people who also practice reverse shampooing where you condition first and then shampoo, but using a shampoo after the conditioner can wash off the conditioner completely if not done right.

How Does Shampoo And Conditioner Help Hair

Although there is a difference between hair conditioner and shampoo, their advantages are equal. One aims at cleansing the scalp to reduce buildup, dirt, and oil accumulation that causes eventual hair loss and hair damage. The other aims at conditioning the hair to replenish moisture, strengthen barrier function, reduce frizz, and add shine. The shampoo helps by cleansing the scalp and the conditioner helps by conditioning the hair lengths.

Parting Thoughts

There is a huge difference between shampoo and conditioner – since one is meant for cleansing and the other for conditioning. The former removes dirt, excess oil, sebum buildup, and other impurities while the latter smoothens, removes frizz, detangles, makes the hair shiny, and makes the hair look manageable and healthier. Shampoos are used on the scalp whereas conditioners are meant for the hair lengths. They are both important in their own place and when used one after the other during a wash can improve your overall hair quality.

FAQs

1. What is the main difference between shampoo and conditioner?

   The main difference between shampoo and conditioner is the use case, shampoos are meant for cleansing and conditioners are meant for conditioning. One removes dirt, the other adds moisture.

2. Why do I need both shampoo and conditioner?

   Although there is a difference between shampoo and conditioner you need both to clean and repair your hair.

3. How should I use shampoo and conditioner together?

   Start with the shampoo that cleans your scalp from all dirt and impurities and follow it with a conditioner that helps retain moisture and shine.

4. Should I use a specific shampoo and conditioner for my hair type?

   Yes, use hydrating shampoo and conditioner if you have dry and brittle hair. Use products with essential oils and plant extracts to add strength to the hair. If you have dandruff and flaky scalp use ingredients such as salicylic acid and tea tree oil for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.

5. How often should I use shampoo and conditioner?

   You can use a shampoo and conditioner twice a week for healthy, shiny, and manageable hair.