I use men’s shampoo instead of women’s shampoo because my baser instinct won’t allow me to use any feminine products. I was wondering if men’s shampoo is better for men’s hair rather than women’s shampoo. So I did a little digging, and this is what I found out.
Men’s shampoo is neither better nor worse for your hair when compared to women’s shampoo. They both contain the same ingredients: surfactants, foaming agents, conditioners, thickeners, opacifiers, sequestering agents, preservatives, and special additives. However, natural shampoos are considered better and healthier for your head and hair.
We will cover all the ingredients that make up a man’s shampoo in this article and then compare those ingredients to women’s shampoo. After we have formulated an opinion and compared the two, we will then look at what ingredients you should avoid and what ingredients you should opt for when purchasing your shampoo.
Shampoo ingredients
Any shampoo that you take off the shelf will most likely have between 10 and 15 ingredients depending on the brand and whether they use chemicals in their shampoo or natural ingredients.
Some of these ingredients are more common than others, but all of them have to have certain ones that make it a shampoo. Let’s take a look at common shampoo ingredients you will find in men’s shampoo.
Men’s shampoo ingredients
Surfactants
This detergent is put into shampoo, making it able to clean your head and hair. It is a compound that lowers the surface tension between (and in the case of shampoo) a liquid and a solid.
Foaming agents
A foaming agent is a type of compound that facilitates and helps with foam formation, such as a blowing agent or surfactants.
Conditioner
The technical term is that a conditioner is a substance made from natural oils, proteins, and botanical extracts that help improve our hair’s condition (keep it shiny, soft, and smooth).
Thickeners
Most shampoos can create the illusion of hair growth by fattening up the hair strands. The thickener does this in the shampoo, which can reduce the space between hair strands, again, by plumping up the strands themselves.
Common thickeners found in men’s shampoo include cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, carnauba wax, xanthan gum, gelatin, and stearic acid.
Opacifiers
Opacifiers in shampoos are additives that greatly impact the richness, creaminess, smooth feel, and appearance of the shampoo. They provide a substantial amount of whiteness and brightness to shampoo and prevent light transmission through it. Basically, opacifiers make your shampoo look and feel expensive.
Sequestering agents
Sequestering agents are used in the chelation process of calcium and magnesium ions. When these ions are present, they then form insoluble soaps. This ingredient may cause itching, may make the hair dull and may cause symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis.
Preservatives
Preservatives in shampoo are natural or synthetic ingredients to give it a long shelf life and preventing it from going off. Problems and spoilage can occur from microbial growth or chemical changes over time, and preservatives help prevent this.
Common preservatives found in men’s shampoo include sodium benzoate, 1,3-dimethylol-5,5-dimethyl (DMDM) hydantoin, tetrasodium EDTA, methylisothiazolinone, potassium sorbate, sorbic acid, dehydroacetic acid, benzyl alcohol.
Special additives
Special additives in shampoo could include botanical extracts, natural oils, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Some other additives include zinc pyrithione, which addresses and helps alleviate the problem of dandruff. Furthermore, other additives could also include dyes, which can change the hair color.
Fragrance
This ingredient is the most distinctive and the one that truly makes a mans shampoo a mans shampoo. Fragrance (perfume/scent/redolence) means a pleasant or sweat odour (smell). Frangrance can smell like anything, and depending on preference, people (and in our case, men) will like some and not others.
Men’s shampoo vs. women’s shampoo
If we now look at the ingredients of women’s shampoo, we will actually see that they are exactly the same. Yes, you will get variations of ingredients depending on the brand and how they choose to make their shampoo; however, the principles and the ingredients that make up men’s shampoo are no different to women’s shampoo.
The only difference is that men’s shampoo might be priced differently and accordingly to that target market, and then the fragrance for men’s shampoo will be different from women’s shampoo.
Hence we can deduce that there is no real difference between men’s and women’s shampoo, so a man’s shampoo is not necessarily better.
There are, however, certain ingredients you want to look for and avoid in a shampoo. Here are some of them.
Shampoo ingredients to avoid
Sulfates
Sulfates will help you achieve a deep clean and will cause your shampoo to lather. However, sulfates are harsh on the skin and may cause skin irritation, skin dryness, and inflammation.
Formaldehyde
This ingredient is known to cause contact allergy and induce dermatitis. Furthermore, it has been concluded that it also worsens existing dermatitis and eczema.
Parabens
Parabens are a preservative that has been used in lots of beauty products for years and years. Parabens have been known to be quickly absorbed through the skin, causing contact dermatitis and other issues such as itchy skin, irritation, flaking, and hives.
Another thing to note and that has been the center of attention and study is that Parabens have been shown to affect women’s breast cells, increasing the risk of breast cancer.
Hexachlorophene
This is an antiseptic agent and has antibacterial qualities when used to manufacture cosmetic products, including shampoo.
Side effects of this antiseptic include skin dryness, swelling, skin redness, and it can also cause eye irritation.
Phthalates
Phthalate is a chemical compound that is used in the industrial industry to soften plastics.
Read my article on – 7 Reasons Why Aftershaves Burn, where I go over phthalates in more detail.
This compound has been linked to low sperm count, infertility, and also it may increase the risk of pregnancy loss.
Shampoo ingredients to look for
Sulfate-free
If at all possible, you should look out for and purchase sulfate-free shampoo. One thing to note is that you should make sure that because sulfates are the cleaning agent, your sulfate-free shampoo should have an additional cleaning agent.
Natural ingredients
Natural ingredients are ingredients that are derived from plants and are hence plant-based.
Natural shampoos are much safer on your hair and scalp and usually help reduce allergies and skin irritation for people who suffer from them.
Many natural ingredients can benefit your hair and scalp, so make sure you look out for them. Some natural ingredients include plant oils, such as jojoba oil, geranium, and argan oil. Then you have organic green tea, aloe, chamomile, coconut oil, organic honey, bergamot essentials oils, olive, and organic hemp.
Other ingredients are also root extracts, such as burdock root, fruit extracts, star anise, and essential oils, such as peppermint, lavender, and lemon.
Best Men’s Shampoos
I myself prefer American crew products when it comes to using hygienic products such as body spray, shampoo, cologne, shower gel, and such. Other great brands also provide quality products and such are Nivea, Dove, Brickell Men’s’, and much more.
When looking for men’s styling, washing, hair, and body products, especially shampoo, don’t be shy to purchase one that you think you will like, and if you don’t, then try another brand.
Eventually, you will find a brand that matches you and your personality. Hence there are not really best shampoos that outperform the others but rather what you prefer and what suits your budget.
Take a look at these shampoos from Amazon, which are all incredible and will help you achieve any result you are going for
Best shampoo products on Amazon – here.
Conclusion
We took a look at all the ingredients that make up a men’s shampoo, and when we compared them to that of women’s shampoo, we found that the ingredients were exactly the same.
The only difference when men’s shampoo as compared to women’s shampoo is that the fragrances will be different, and then, depending on the brand of shampoo, the prices will be different.
Also, depending on the shampoo you purchase, and what it contains, the ingredients will vary. The main thing to take away from this article is that natural shampoos are always a safer bet, especially if you suffer from allergies, have sensitive skin, or have some skin disease.
