water, and produces an unpleasant scum that cannot
be rinsed away. If hair is washed with soap this scum
deposits on the hair and leaves it looking dull and
lifeless.
   In modern shampoos soaps have been replaced by cleansers called surfactants. These lather well in all
types of water and rinse off easily and completely.
Most modern shampoos also contain some conditioning agents. The cleansing agents clean the hair and scalp,
while conditioners make it easier to comb the hair while
it is wet and give it volume without 'fly away' when it
is dry.
   Most people nowadays wash their hair more often
than was usual even a few years ago. This has led to
a great development of very mild cleansing systems.
In addition, conditioners have been 'tailored' to suit
different hair types, allowing users to match the level
of conditioning to the requirements of the hair at that particular time.
   There is no fundamental difference between the
shampoos sold in salons and those sold in retail
shops.

What is in a shampoo?

The ingredients in today's shampoos are all well known, thoroughly tested and officially approved. The skill and
the science of the manufacturer is directed to developing products that best meet the needs of their users. Those
needs extend to the care of all types of hair under all
possible circumstances, including the hardness and temperature of water, and even abuse by the user!
   A shampoo is a mixture of ingredients which can be classified according to the jobs that they do. In the
European Union, all shampoos must carry a complete declaration of their ingredients on the packaging. The
label doesn't always tell you why each ingredient is
included, but you can often work it out for yourself.

Cleansing agents
The main reason why people use shampoos is to clean
their hair. Grease (sebum) and dirt is removed from the
hair and scalp by the surfactant system. The properties
of the foam produced by the surfactants can be altered
by the addition of what are known as 'lather boosters'.