Lather, rinse, repeat—one of the basics of good grooming is washing hair every day with a good brand of shampoo. And this is for keeping your hair and scalp in good condition—in both health and superficial aspects.
But what is it with shampoo that makes it necessary for your hair’s health and beauty? Why can’t we just use our good ol’ bar of soap?
Let’s look into the basics and other facts you need to know about shampoo.
Shampoo’s Place of Origin
Although we owe a lot of today’s beauty practices and knowledge from Egypt, we need to thank India for the creation of shampoo. The original formula included a mix of herbs with pulp of soapberries as its main or key ingredient. This innovation came about in the 1500s. And as soon as the British colonial traders discovered it, shampoo was carried across seas into the shores of Europe and the Western world.
Shampoo’s Transformation
Shampoo originally came in the same solid form as a bar of soap. The late 1920s saw its transformation into its more familiar form of liquid.
Should You or Should You Not Use Shampoo Every Day
From its creation up to the 1800s, shampoo was used very sparingly—multiple reads say, once a month. It was in 1908 when the New York Times published a material on how it’s safe to wash hair and use shampoo every couple of weeks.
The main argument against the daily usage of shampoo is that it weakens your hair. The chemicals are found to be harsh on the scalp and strips off hair’s natural oils. To this, health & beauty brands have responded with shampoo variants that are gentler and less-damaging to the tresses. Moringa-O2 for one has Mooringa-O2 Herbal Shampo with Argan Oil which carries the naturally nourishing trio of moringa (malunggay), olive oil and omega (from sunflower oil), and powered by the recently-discovered hair beautifying Argan oil.
The question of whether or not to use shampoo depends on your type of hair and preference. For some, a clean, fragrant and shiny mane provides just the right kick of confidence to go and power through their daily activities.