In ancient times, water was mixed with lemon juice to remove sebum from the hair, and this tradition carried on for many centuries in Europe until British hairdressers adopted the verb “champo”, meaning “massage” in Hindi, to refer to the soap they used to massage into their clients’ hair to clean it. Bars of soap were used for this purpose until the late 1890s, when the Germans started using shampoos made of liquid surfactants.
It was an American, John Breck, who developed the first variety of shampooing formulas for different types of hair and scalp, in the hopes that these would also stop baldness. Whilst the shampoos were a hit in terms of keeping hair healthy and shiny, unfortunately for many, Breck was not able to put an end to hair loss.
Despite decades of innovations in the hair product market, there are still plenty of questions people have about how to best care for their hair. Here, we attempt to answer some of the top 10 questions about hair care, with a focus on natural care, of course.
1. Are Shampoo Brand Really That Different? or Is It All Just Much of a Muchness?
There actually are LOADS of differences, ranging from the concentrations of active ingredients such as proteins and keratin, to the chemical load each brand carries. Professional shampoos used in salons have a pH between 4.5 and 6.5, which is less damaging to the scalp and hair follicle. Of course here at Eluxe we prefer organic shampoos that don’t contain harmful ingredients. Some of the best we’ve found? Luxsit, Stop the Water While Using Me, Rahua and Dr Organics.
2. Is There a Shampoo That Will Help My Hair to Grow Faster?
Sadly, no. Nothing you could apply topically can help your hair grow faster. While some products can help stop breakage by strengthening the hair, if you want your hair to grow faster, you'll have to do that from the inside out, namely through better nutrition: iron and zinc (found in spinach, salmon, lentils and eggs, for example), folate and B vitamins (found in brown rice and whole grains) and Omega 3 (found in oily fish and walnuts) are particularly helpful.
