Shampoo diluting?

[miyeena]

Hi! :-)

Been curious.. How do you dilute shampoo? For example: 250ml of water & 2 teaspoons to me make no sense, as the formula is watery.
Do you think that putting shampoo in your hand then put your hand under water, a little bit and then apply it to your hair would make it less harsh?

[truepeacenik]

Hello, and welcome to LHC.
I’m a fan of dilution.
I use anywhere from 1:4 (shampoo to water) to 1:1, and use full strength once a month to clarify.

using shampoo only on the scalp also helps, as the length isn’t getting detergent as strongly or often.

[AmaryllisRed]

Yes, I dilute mine just as you said. I put some in my hand and then put my hand under the shower water for a second then usually swirl it around with my other hand to mix it a little bit.

I think it depends on the shampoo. Mine is herbal essences and is quite thick in my opinion. I've used other shampoos that weren't so thick so I didn't dilute them.

[lapushka]

Welcome to LHC! :)

For me dilution doesn't work. I have SD (seborrheic dermatitis) and I need the shampoo to be full strength. I run my head under water, wring the lengths out, then apply the shampoo to my scalp, distribute it, add some water to the palm of my hand and use that to further emulsify and distribute through the hair. It works for me this way.

[Danglish]

I think I read somewhere that diluting shampoo is a very bad idea, since the formula is designed to kill bacteria(I think it's a certain ph, but I could be wrong). If you dilute it, it will weaken some things in the shampoo that are the way they are for a reason. And you risk some kinds of infections, and just not ever being clean enough

I don't know how dramatic the effect is, though. It's just that I thought about diluting for a while, but stopped because of this

[dyna]

I think I read somewhere that diluting shampoo is a very bad idea, since the formula is designed to kill bacteria(I think it's a certain ph, but I could be wrong). If you dilute it, it will weaken some things in the shampoo that are the way they are for a reason. And you risk some kinds of infections, and just not ever being clean enough.
That's true, there is preservative to keep things from growing in your shampoo while it sits in the bottle. Then there's time for things to grow and it could be a problem. But that shouldn't be an issue for the people who are diluting the shampoo in their hand immediately before applying it.

[LittleOgre]

I dilute my shampoo! Doctor Bronners! At first I used it full strength but I prefer a more moisturizing shampoo plus it dried out my hair.

[MusicalSpoons]

I used to, around 1:1 or 1:2 - it wasn't about making it 'weaker' but simply making it easier to spread around my scalp. I don't do it so often any more because I found it was *too* runny with certain products and ended up losing it in the bathtub or down my lengths. I think I might try 2:1 shampoo:water though, thanks for bringing this up and reminding me!

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I put a largish blob of shampoo in a dye applicator bottle and then fill it just over halfway with water, I don't really measure any amounts.

[LittleOgre]

I used to, around 1:1 or 1:2 - it wasn't about making it 'weaker' but simply making it easier to spread around my scalp. I don't do it so often any more because I found it was *too* runny with certain products and ended up losing it in the bathtub or down my lengths. I think I might try 2:1 shampoo:water though, thanks for bringing this up and reminding me!

You can always dilute it with some oil too. That's what worked for me at least lol. It doesn't make it as runny. Depending on the type of oil. Plus adding a little salt helps as well.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

You can always dilute it with some oil too. That's what worked for me at least lol. It doesn't make it as runny. Depending on the type of oil. Plus adding a little salt helps as well.

Wouldn't that make your hair oily?

[MusicalSpoons]

You can always dilute it with some oil too. That's what worked for me at least lol. It doesn't make it as runny. Depending on the type of oil. Plus adding a little salt helps as well.

I've heard of oil shampoo but my hair doesn't need any extra oil! :lol: Thanks for the suggestion though :)

[lapushka]

Wouldn't that make your hair oily?

Yes, not something I would personally recommend! :) Plus, some people experience more shedding when oil is applied to the scalp.

[LittleOgre]

Wouldn't that make your hair oily?


Not really. You don't add to much. Just My hair soaks up oil like nothing. So even after I apply heaps of oil and by the end of the day. You can barely feel anything. Argan oil seems to help me though, keeps my hair much softer. Depends on hair type. I have 4b-4c hair and probably high porosity.

[spidermom]

I have a bottle with a pointed spout. I never measured, just put some warm water into the bottle, then added a squirt of shampo and shook well. Yes, it was runny, which made it much easier to get it all over my scalp. Then I would use my fingers or my shower comb to comb over my scalp to massage the shampoo through. The results were good.

Lately I'm experimenting with pre-wash scalp-to-tip safflower oiling and a full-strength squirt of shampoo for washing. I'll probably experiment with diluting as well.

[LittleOgre]

I wonder if preoiling your hair makes it more easier to clean with shampoo. Since after all oil attracts every type of dirt.

[EdG]

When I was diluting shampoo, I used a plastic food container. I put a few tablespoons of shampoo at the bottom, filled the container with warm water, and stirred. The contents were used all in one wash. The dilution factor was maybe 50:1.

I found that the usual shampooing directions "lather, rinse, repeat" are too strong if one wants to retain sebum. The "repeat" step must be skipped. The lather/rinse cycle should be done only once.
Ed

[embee]

When I was diluting shampoo, I used a plastic food container. I put a few tablespoons of shampoo at the bottom, filled the container with warm water, and stirred. The contents were used all in one wash. The dilution factor was maybe 50:1.

I found that the usual shampooing directions "lather, rinse, repeat" are too strong if one wants to retain sebum. The "repeat" step must be skipped. The lather/rinse cycle should be done only once.
Ed

That is pretty much what I did. I had a large plastic tumbler that lived in the shower for just this purpose.

[languagenut]

I used to use a plastic food container that held about a half cup or so, but somebody moved it, so now I use a toy boat :laugh:. I put a squirt of shampoo in the boat, add a bit of water, mix it around with my fingers, fill it up the rest of the way with water, and dump it on my head. Yes, it's watery, and yes, it works great (for me). I generally do it twice, once with the shampoo that matches my conditioner (and doesn't seem to do much, but I gotta use it up), and once with a kids' shampoo (that is much more effective at cleaning my hair).

[HaMalka]

I will dilute my shampoo if my hair is not particularly dirty and I can get away with it. I will put some shampoo (I don't measure) in a cup and then fill it a third to halfway with cold water and then stir it. It is watery and helps me get the shampoo into some harder to reach areas but it isn't as strong as undiluted so it doesn't clean quite as well.

[Obsidian]

The only time I dilute shampoo is if its really thick. I have one now that is so thick, its difficult to get out of the pump bottle. I do like to thin it down a little so its easier to spread around. Otherwise I like full strength.

[Kathie]

For those diluting, did you find your hair/scalp went through a transition period as you went from full strength to diluted?

[embee]

For those diluting, did you find your hair/scalp went through a transition period as you went from full strength to diluted?

No. What I found was that if I only washed once with diluted shampoo and rinsed well I no longer needed any conditioner, my hair dried much faster, and felt much better all over. It was *different* but in a good way.

Eventually I migrated to WO and then to NW/SO. :)

[MusicalSpoons]

For those diluting, did you find your hair/scalp went through a transition period as you went from full strength to diluted?

Nope, because I ended up with tbe same amount of suds/lather so I guess I was using ample shampoo anyway - it just spread more easily :shrug: but then my reasons for diluting weren't perhaps typical.

[dyna]

A follow-up to my earlier post re diluting could make it so things would grow in it... this was first pointed out to me by a friend who's a medical microbiologist, re diluting dish detergent in the bottle (which I did, and still do, and I'm still alive, playing detergent roulette hasn't caught up with me yet). Even fresh tap water has bacteria in it, just hopefully not many of the kinds that would hurt you. I asked how I'd know if stuff was growing in my detergent, and he said "you wouldn't". Shampoo probably isn't as risky as dish soap, because you mostly don't eat off of your hair.

[Kathie]

Thank you, embee and MusicalSpoons. I think I'll give this a go.

[The Lizard Wife]

I recently began diluting my shampoo and conditioner because I can't get it into my thick hair otherwise! I didn't think about it as diluting so much as, "Remember ages ago when I was small and my mom told me I was probably using too much conditioner, and so I had to squirt a bit into an empty bottle, fill it partway with water, shake it up, and dump it on my head and finger-comb it through? That...probably wouldn't hurt to try again...so I don't have to use several handfuls of shampoo and conditioner each time..."

So I don't have a precise measurement, I only dilute as much as I'm using right then and do it while in the shower, the wateriness is precisely what helps the shampoo and conditioner get through all of my hair, and since I still get plenty of suds I think I get the same clean so there wasn't a transition period. But for me it's probably less harsh mechanically, which is still a bonus. (Also, now I go through shampoo and conditioner at a much more reasonable pace! Yay!)

[Panthera]

I dilute shampoo with conditioner, my scalp is very sensitive so I like to use organic and natural shampoo with very little ingredients and they tend to make my hair very squeaky and nasty, kind of like a seaweed. I only add a few drops of conditioner, enough to give a bit of slip so I can get my fingers through my hair properly.

[meteor]

I recently began diluting my shampoo and conditioner because I can't get it into my thick hair otherwise! I didn't think about it as diluting so much as, "Remember ages ago when I was small and my mom told me I was probably using too much conditioner, and so I had to squirt a bit into an empty bottle, fill it partway with water, shake it up, and dump it on my head and finger-comb it through? That...probably wouldn't hurt to try again...so I don't have to use several handfuls of shampoo and conditioner each time..."

So I don't have a precise measurement, I only dilute as much as I'm using right then and do it while in the shower, the wateriness is precisely what helps the shampoo and conditioner get through all of my hair, and since I still get plenty of suds I think I get the same clean so there wasn't a transition period. But for me it's probably less harsh mechanically, which is still a bonus. (Also, now I go through shampoo and conditioner at a much more reasonable pace! Yay!)

That's definitely my reasoning, too. :agree: Watery products can actually reach every nook and cranny of my scalp and hair, unlike undiluted product (especially if it's thick and creamy).
My hair gets more conditioned if I water down the conditioner... go figure... :lol:



For those diluting, did you find your hair/scalp went through a transition period as you went from full strength to diluted?

Not really. But if I ever feel that the cleansing I get from diluted shampoo is somehow not enough, I just apply more - it does take me 2-3 lathering up sessions to cover everything really well, but I did that with full strength, too.

[EdG]

A follow-up to my earlier post re diluting could make it so things would grow in it... this was first pointed out to me by a friend who's a medical microbiologist, re diluting dish detergent in the bottle (which I did, and still do, and I'm still alive, playing detergent roulette hasn't caught up with me yet). Even fresh tap water has bacteria in it, just hopefully not many of the kinds that would hurt you. I asked how I'd know if stuff was growing in my detergent, and he said "you wouldn't". Shampoo probably isn't as risky as dish soap, because you mostly don't eat off of your hair. This is why one makes only enough diluted shampoo for one wash and uses it all at once.
Ed

[lapushka]

I recently began diluting my shampoo and conditioner because I can't get it into my thick hair otherwise! I didn't think about it as diluting so much as, "Remember ages ago when I was small and my mom told me I was probably using too much conditioner, and so I had to squirt a bit into an empty bottle, fill it partway with water, shake it up, and dump it on my head and finger-comb it through? That...probably wouldn't hurt to try again...so I don't have to use several handfuls of shampoo and conditioner each time..."

So I don't have a precise measurement, I only dilute as much as I'm using right then and do it while in the shower, the wateriness is precisely what helps the shampoo and conditioner get through all of my hair, and since I still get plenty of suds I think I get the same clean so there wasn't a transition period. But for me it's probably less harsh mechanically, which is still a bonus. (Also, now I go through shampoo and conditioner at a much more reasonable pace! Yay!)

I have iii hair as well, and I can't dilute. I also can't wash sulfate-mild or sulfate-free. It is what it is.

But anyway. I wash bent over. I glob shampoo on the back of my head, on the top of my head, and then divide the last glob over the two sides. Then I take a bit of water and suds each "section" up until it becomes one uniform lather and then I go all over my head.

It works for me. Anyway, just to keep in mind, when diluting is a bust. :)