Can You Wash Your Hair With A Body Wash?: What if you hopped into the shower and go to get your hair shampoo and find that it’s completely empty, what would be your next option?
Will you look for your body wash and begin to make do with what’s left in that container to clean your hair up? But it turns out to be a scrub to your scalp. Is that what you were looking for?
But there are a lot of body washes that are not granulated, so are these types of slimy texture body washes conveniently for your hair because shampoos also consist of the same consistency?
OH, so is it a clever way for companies to sell more product? Or is there any valid reason for why only shampoos are for hair cleaning and body wash for the rest of the body.
Have you ever done it? I suppose some have, or at least if you are running out of shampoo, and wanted to clean up your hair, so I guess body wash is a pretty good option for cleaning purposes.
But is it perfect to do this? Coming towards formulation, according to the research, we got to find they both have very comparable formulation.
They both contain ingredients that result in the cleaning of whether skin or scalp with some conditioning ingredients thrown.
Of course, these body washes won’t provide you with the desired shiny and smooth look because your skin and hair have different needs. It will just help you to clean your scalp if you are running out of shampoo.
Although we know that the skin on the top of your head is the same skin on the bottom of your feet so the properties a body wash is providing will clear your scalp and your special places where bacteria like to party.
Coming towards the sensitivity of the skin, it is really something to worry about if it can harm the ones with sensitive skin that might go badly for the scalp.
Although the body wash has a level of 5.5 PH that is known as neutral PH for our skin, having the same type of skin on the scalp and the rest of the body doesn’t matter at all.
Because our hair that obviously has different needs either because we have dandruff, seborrhea, or other problems as well.
Concluding with a point f you’re running out of shampoo and in a hurry as well, you can go with your body wash as it will at least clean your scalp.
Better to use any serum or biphasic after using body wash on your hair because it might turn out to give you a drier look as it doesn’t have any conditioning or softening element usually.
But if you are thinking to continue using your body wash for your hair as well as your body just to save some money.
Skip that idea here, as this is only applicable in the case that the body washes at a PH of 5.5 which not all body wash complies so it might result in damaging your hair.
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The main difference between a shampoo and a body wash?
Talking about the primary components of both these products is the same, like foaming agents, surfactants, additives, antioxidants, etc.
But coming towards percentage composition that differs from each other. Shower gels or body washes are gentle and contains more amount of anti-fungal and anti-bacterial chemicals
On the other hand, shampoos contain a higher percentage of cleansers such as surfactants but contain less amount of anti-bacterial chemicals.
Talking about effectiveness, obviously, the body wash won’t facilitate you with the results you are looking for as it has a smaller number of surfactants but the difference Is not accountable.
Haven’t you seen it many times that some manufacturers also brought their products (2 in 1) as body wash and shampoo as well?
Top Precautions you should take if you are using body wash as a substitute:
Wash properly with warm water:
Most of the body washes are comparatively slimmer and stickier, also provide you with more foaming effect than shampoos.
So, always keep that thing in mind if you are using a body wash for washing your hair, no matter what reason, you should always rinse that off with an excess of water.
So that you might end up cleaning your hair with less damaging effects.
Logically speaking shampoos do have some kind of ingredients or elements that allow the dirt and oil to attach to the water and be removed for your head.
And of course, it doesn’t go in the case of many of the body washes.
After washing the hair:
Before you start drying your hair, there is always a moment known as a towel moment.
STOP. Yes, you stop that. Never ever rub your hair again with a towel as it only ends up damaging your hair by rubbing the fiber and opening the ends.
Moreover, if you are using a body wash, of course, you need to be very careful if you are a person who loves to bounce your hair in a perfect manner that would make you look elegant.
Never roll your hair in the towel:
Have you ever rolled up your hair in a towel after washing them and pretended to be the most fashionable of turbans that Mario Testino became an icon?
You think that’s pretty cool to make buns like that, lol, you are just tangling your hair and break them. Coming towards an alternative way, you can instead dry your hair with a cotton shirt, that obviously would be an old one or the one you are no longer using.
We are suggesting this method of drying your hair because we all are aware that body washes won’t provide that much moisture and conditioning to your hair
That if you will roll your hair up, you’ll end up breaking and completely damage them.
BE CAREFUL USING A DRYER/STYLER TO DRY YOUR HAIR:
After washing your hair with a body wash, never ever apply the heat of the dryer directly to your wet hair.
You might think when in a hurry to dry them with the dryer’s heat, right? But you have no idea how much you are bothering your hair’s health.
As the heat has never been friendly with the health of the hair. So, you should try to smooth it with a comb and the dryer when it is still wet.
Do you ever find that after using a styler or a dryer, you still feel like your hair is humid? Why is that so?
Oh, so your hairdryer is not working?
No. Not at all, this is because the excess water can not be removed from your hair by directly applying the dryer’s heat to them.
You should comb and smooth your hair first, by this step, most of the excess water goes down by the continuous movement of the comb.
Applying heat directly to your wet hair, won’t help you out at all, instead ends up damaging the upper layer of your hair, and make them look frizzy.
Try to apply the thermal protector before using a dryer:
First of all, it is never recommended to use hair dryers or hair straighteners as a daily tool. But if you are ever using it, your hair’s health should be your first priority.
For that, you should definitely use heat protectors that help create a film between heat and your hair.
Basically, they work as sunscreen and make a barrier in between. They have water-soluble friendly silicones to form a protective barrier over the cuticle of the hair strand that protects the hair from the heat tools.
They work the same as sunscreen can work; they create a barrier that fights off free radical damage caused by UV rays.
Moreover, they seal in the moisture and fending off frizz. They may also help out to smooth the cuticle, which can obviously make your hair soft and look smooth.
That can never happen after using a body wash as a hair wash. One more thing you should keep in mind is temperature.
The average temperature should be given to your hair, with which your hair became friendly. These stylers or dryers’ temperatures have a limit of 230 degrees.
But you should not exceed 180 degrees as this will be optimal for your hair health.
Take care of your hair hydration:
Ok, so you already know that you are running out of shampoo and you are only left with one option now. That is to use a body wash to clean your hair.
And again, you know that it won’t give you the result or that bouncy look that you always want to have at your first meeting.
No worries, we already have a solution. Hydration of your hair should always be the first priority no matter what.
So, before you approach your body wash, you should have look at any of the cosmetics that can hydrate your hair.
It can be any hair mask containing natural oils, ingredients such as mango, avocado or honey are always the best options.
Oh, so you are running out of hair mask too? No worries, there might be eggs and some dry oils like olive oil, almond oil, at your home.
Go with the mask of these two ingredients, apply that before having a body wash on your scalp, wash that off after half an hour. And here you go with your desired shiny results.
Based on our research your hair needs 15% to 17% water and you can only provide that, on the one hand through food and on the other hand with these types of natural or artificial masks or cosmetics.
Your hair color is your false friend:
No matter if you are looking fabulous with your highlights, highlights, balayage, California highlights, permanent dye, or your usual coloring technique, all these are never friendly to your hair.
As you know chemicals can never befriend your hair and always damages the fibers of your hair.
And these types of color-treated hair always need to handle with care, so you shouldn’t be using a body wash to this type of hair.
As your hair is already immersed in chemicals and the harsh chemicals of the body wash that can obviously dry your hair, so avoid using such products.
Don’t tie your hair in a ponytail after using the body wash:
Coming towards the fact of breakage of the hair, you should avoid putting up your hair in tight ponytails, tight buns, tight headbands, etc.
As your body wash contains ingredients that can make your hair dry, and putting this type of washed hair in buns or ponytails won’t do anything except damaging it and breaking it too.
Last but not least “You are what you eat”:
Your diet is the most important factor that can help make your hair healthy. Lack of the right amount of nutrients can result in hair loss or damage.
These include vitamins A, C, D, and E, B vitamins, iron, biotins, protein, and essential fatty acid.
If your sugar uptake is above your required amounts, it may harm your hair too.
PRO TIP:
If you want something you must have a heart of giving off something.
You should have that interval in your mind that your hair needs to cut off as the ends of your hair can’t grow after that making your hair looking dry and frizzy.
Yes, after every three weeks you have to have a haircut, not more than just ends, even if that hurts your soul.
This is the only smarter way to prevent your hair from breakage. Moreover, you’ll always wear perfectly cut/trimmed hair all the time.
Why should shampoo only be used on your head?
While shampooing the roots, we all know that the roots are often the oiliest, so your scalp needs more attention. Comparatively, our ends of the hair are colder and drier.
And only due to this that ends up being more dehydrated after being washed by shampoo.
When shampooing always keeps that thing in your mind to hydrate your hair first that is only possible if rinse out the shampoo with warm water.
The same goes for a case if you’re using a body wash for washing up your hair if you are running out of shampoo because no conditioning elements are thrown in a body wash to hydrate your scalp as well.
The condition goes the same for both of the products as the chemical structure is very similar providing your skin whether scalp or skin the perfect needs they required.
Have you ever tried flipping over the shampoo bottle you’ll always typically see one of these two hallmark ingredients?
Sodium laurate sulfate (SLES) or
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
Based on our research, many new manufacturers are launching natural and organic inspired shampoos that are far more convenient for your hair as well as their health.
In this way, shampoos are apart from most of the body washes and bars of soaps.