Using shower gel as shampoo?

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Today i bought a shower gel (a local brand) I didn't care too much about it until i got home and read the awesome ingredients list:

Aqua, olive oil, monopropylene glycol, coconut oil fatty acid (WIN!), potassium hydroxide, sorbitol, perfume, peg-40 H.C.O (hydrogenated castor oil?), sodium chloride, tetrasodium EDTA.

Not only it has olive oil at the top of the list, it also contains coconut oil and no sulfates-cones! :D I'm tempted to try it on my scalp. Are shower gels compatible with scalp? Shall i use an acid rinse after that? Anyone tried this before?

[Kaijah]

Some body washes are pH balanced, some aren't. I think you have to either do a bit of guesswork from looking at ingredients, or call/e-mail the company to see.

I'm not sure if this one is though because of the potassium hydroxide (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/potassium-hydroxide) - that's definitely an alkaline ingredient, often used in "no lye" relaxers. That ingredient kind of worries me, personally...
It might be pH balanced by the tetrasodium edta (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/tetrasodium-edta) though, and t-edta would also help if you have hard water (it's a chelating ingredient). Sodium chloride is also a ph adjuster, but can be bad if left on your hair (so rinserinserinse if you do experiment).

[Domino]

Been there done that :D I have used axe dark temptation and the smell was simply delicious. I followed it with a very diluted vinegar rinse and all was fine :) Let me know if you try it, I'm always looking for new things to try (on my hair of course :p).

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Some body washes are pH balanced, some aren't. I think you have to either do a bit of guesswork from looking at ingredients, or call/e-mail the company to see.

I'm not sure if this one is though because of the potassium hydroxide (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/potassium-hydroxide) - that's definitely an alkaline ingredient, often used in "no lye" relaxers. That ingredient kind of worries me, personally...
It might be pH balanced by the tetrasodium edta (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/tetrasodium-edta) though, and t-edta would also help if you have hard water (it's a chelating ingredient). Sodium chloride is also a ph adjuster, but can be bad if left on your hair (so rinserinserinse if you do experiment).

we do have hard water here (very hard actually).
What i wonder is do scalp have a different pH than rest of the body? This product was designed for use on skin so i thought it should be compatible with skin's pH :confused:


Been there done that :D I have used axe dark temptation and the smell was simply delicious. I followed it with a very diluted vinegar rinse and all was fine :) Let me know if you try it, I'm always looking for new things to try (on my hair of course :p).

This one also smells awesome! It's "Kırlangıç zeytinyağlı duş jeli", you might see it in stores where you live :D I'll definitely tell you the results (i just washed my hair, i'll use it in my next hair wash)

[In2wishin]

Some body washes are pH balanced, some aren't. I think you have to either do a bit of guesswork from looking at ingredients, or call/e-mail the company to see.

I'm not sure if this one is though because of the potassium hydroxide (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/potassium-hydroxide) - that's definitely an alkaline ingredient, often used in "no lye" relaxers. That ingredient kind of worries me, personally...
It might be pH balanced by the tetrasodium edta (http://truthinaging.com/ingredients/tetrasodium-edta) though, and t-edta would also help if you have hard water (it's a chelating ingredient). Sodium chloride is also a ph adjuster, but can be bad if left on your hair (so rinserinserinse if you do experiment).

The Potassium Hydroxide (aka caustic potash) is a lye used to make liquid soaps so it really isn't diffferent than sodium hydroxide as far as alkalinity, etc. I use shower gel as shampoo when traveling so I can cut down on how much I have to pack. I haven't noticed any difference in the gel types but the creamy moisturizing types do tend to leave my hair limp and lifeless.

[Flossy]

I was just about to ask an almost identical question!

I bought a clarifying shampoo yesterday with these ingrediants:
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, TEA-Lauryl Sulphate, Cocamide DEA, Sodium Chloride, Melaleuca Alterifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Terasodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methlyisothiazolinone, CI 19140, CI 42090

I was using it, and looking at the ingrediants of another product on the windowsill:
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide DEA, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Fragrance, Chamomile Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methlyisothiazolinone, CI 61585.

The second one was my boy's bubble bath! I can't believe how similar the ingrediants are. Would it be OK to use on my hair to clarify? The only difference I can see is the colour (blue tinge compared to green) and the bubble bath is a bit runnier.

[MandaMom2Three]

I used to use a dove body wash as shampoo YEARS ago and it actually worked very nicely, didn't need a conditioner either, left my hair so soft! Don't remember the exact one nor how long I used it though :p

[sweet*things]

The Philosophy 3-in-1 things are supposed to be able to be used as shampoo/bodywash/bubblebath. I tried once and didn't care for the results, but some people are quite happy with them. Mostly I remember hating the chemical smell, I don't get why people rave over them. I like some Philosophy products, but not very many of the scented ones.

[RoseRedDead]

I know that there's a least one girl here who uses White Rain body wash instead of shampoo... I can't remember her username!

ETA:

I think it's Kiraela. You could PM her.

[BelleBot]

I've used a variety of shower gels on my hair, they work fantastically as an alternative to shampoo. Some don't work, but the majority I've tried do. It's certainly worth a try.

[Anje]

Sounds reasonable to me. I've gotten great results from using my moisturizing body wash as shampoo.

[Anlbe]

another plus is that shower gels are normally gentler on skin than shampoos, so good for the scalp.

[sibiryachka]

The same week this was originally posted, I saw a product at my local Grocery Outlet that calls itself a combination shower gel/bubble bath/shampoo - noted its existence, but wasn't looking to buy and didn't have time to check the ingredients.
But last weekend I was helping my mother pack up her bathroom to move to her new house, and she offered me a bottle of EO brand shower gel she didn't want. I figured it would at least be nice to keep in the guest bathroom... then I got to wondering!
I found the company's website, and the "same" French Lavender Shower Gel has a label that differs from the bottle I have; the ingredients are different too, so I'm sure mine is old - not to mention it had been in Mom's bathroom for heaven knows how long! Here are the ingredients on my label:

Aqueous Infusion of Chamomile, Aloe Vera, Green Tea, and Calendula, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Coco-Sulfate, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Polysorbate 60, French Lavender Essential Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Wheat Amino Acids, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, Phenoxyethanol

Does anyone with a larger brain than mine see anything in this list that screams "Heavens, no, don't use that on your hair!!"? If so, I'll just consign this to the guest shower for its intended use...

[Domino]

Hey dreams_in_pink, did you get to try it? :)

[Dreams_in_Pink]

Hey dreams_in_pink, did you get to try it? :)

Kinda...I tested it on my bangs (where my dandruff is most severe) and i still got the flakes :(

[Domino]

Kinda...I tested it on my bangs (where my dandruff is most severe) and i still got the flakes :(

Bummer...I'm sorry you're dealing with this :(

[curlsgalore]

Interesting......I saw some Yes to Tomatoes shower gel at Ross and wondered about using it as a shampoo.

[Domino]

I just bought and used the body wash dreams was talking about yesterday and must say it's very potent stuff. I'll be trying EdG's dilution of 1:24 shampoo to water with this and I think (hope) I may not need to use conditioner afterwards. I'll try combining it with oils and will update on the results.

To be honest, I find body washes gentler than regular shampoo. Even the baby shampoo I've been using is so strong that even my face felt tight after washing my hair.