The so-called “2 in 1 shampoos” are those that claim to simultaneously clean a common shampoo and the moisturizing effect of the conditioner. Therefore, it would be enough to use only this product.
Contrary to what many people think and even what is written on some labels, the 2 in 1 shampoo does not consist in the mixture of shampoo and conditioner, because, if that were the case, it would not be able to remove the dirt from the hair. Why do we say this?
Well, common shampoos contain anionic surfactants or surfactants, which produce a lot of foam and have detergent action, that is, they remove excess hair grease and dirt that remains on the leather hairy. The following is a representation of one of the most used anionic surfactants in shampoos, which is sodium lauryl or sodium dodecyl sulfate:
Conditioners, on the other hand, are cationic surfactants that weakly bind to keratin and neutralize the negative charges on the hair strands, which are due to the use of shampoo. Below we also have one of the most commonly used cationic surfactants in conditioners, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride:
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
As shown by the shampoo and conditioner compositions, it is noted that they are species of opposite charges. Therefore, if they were mixed, an electrostatic attraction would occur. Cationic surfactants are incompatible with cationic surfactants and can never be used in the same formulation.
In general, 2 in 1 shampoos contain, in their composition, neutral detergents or even detergents anionics consisting of oily additives, which aim to minimize the electrostatic effect generated by the wires.
Conditioner and shampoo used alone are more effective than this form combined.To better understand how common conditioners work, read the text "Conditioners” on our website.
By Jennifer Fogaça
Graduated in Chemistry
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FOGAÇA, Jennifer Rocha Vargas. "2 in 1 shampoo"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/quimica/xampus-2-1.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
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