Thoughts on adults using a kids shampoo? Ingredients listed...

[healthystheway]

There seems to be a lot of debate on baby shampoo so let me say this is in reference to Suave 2 in 1 kids shampoo. Im using a sls free shampoo now but its been dc'd so I've tried many other brands but with no luck. I have fine, straight, virgin, healthy hair that I wash daily. I find the kids shampoo works well but I need to clarify every couple of weeks. I keep reading how the alkaline will ruin hair over time but then I read it's good to use so Im confused. If it helps heres the ing. list (since its not straight baby shampoo), any advice or thoughts, please...
Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Dimethiconol, Carbomer, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyquaternium 10, TEA Dodecylbenzene Sulfonate, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, PEG 150 Distearate, Sodium Citrate, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, PPG 9, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

[Moon Doggie]

Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Citrate pop out as a no-go for me. Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone? I can't even pronounce that :(
In the end you have free-will and if you want to go for it, use it. But since opinions were asked for, I'll say don't do it due to the above mentioned ingredients.

[Yosha]

If this shampoo works for you than other shampoos, keep using it. If you want to try something with milder detergents, experiment with that. Some people do well on these kind of shampoos, others don't.

I've been checking out a lot of baby shampoos, because I thought they would have milder detergents. And it says it's mild on the label very often. But when I check the ingredients I see harsh detergents in many baby shampoos. Even cones, quats and other stuff I wouldn't expect in a "baby" product. I don't understand why they label it to be mild or suitable for babies, since I find them too harsh. Does anyone know why these kind of shampoos are called mild and suitable for babies?

[WritingPrincess]

FYI: Just about every shampoo I've checked has those methyl-mouthfuls in it. They're not cones, they're preservatives.

[krissykins]

The ingredients look fine, but I wonder why you are getting buildup when using an SLS shampoo. Those would wash away the dimethiconol in the shampoo. Hmm.

[nereida]

Somewhere I've read that baby shampoos are good only for kids, because they alkaline reaction - you also mentioned it. So I will tell you what my girlfriends do. They wash their hair using a baby shampoo, they rinse it with water and when they are almost finish, they make a lemon rinse, which has acidic ph. Their hair looks shiny and healthy and they say me that using kids shampoo is the only proper way to wash it without itchy scalp or something like this.

About the ingredients: PEG 150 Distearate - it's a half silicone product, Sodium Laureth Sulfate - it's a detergent that can provide dryness when is used for a long time.

[Yosha]

FYI: Just about every shampoo I've checked has those methyl-mouthfuls in it. They're not cones, they're preservatives.
The dimethiconol is a cone ;)

[Moon Doggie]

FYI: Just about every shampoo I've checked has those methyl-mouthfuls in it. They're not cones, they're preservatives.
I always heard in regards to food to never eat anything that has both a name with 4 syllables or more and a name you can't pronounce. Does that go for hair products too? Or is it alright since it's not technically going inside your body?

[wvgemini]

I say if it works, go with it. I've never found children's shampoo to be very effective. It always seemed like they were lacking in something ... just don't know what.


The dimethiconol is a cone ;)
I think she was talking about Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone, which are preservatives.

[Anje]

I always heard in regards to food to never eat anything that has both a name with 4 syllables or more and a name you can't pronounce. Does that go for hair products too? Or is it alright since it's not technically going inside your body?
What if you've taken organic chemistry? Then you know what WAY too much stuff is, or how to say it. :silly:

Those long ones are preservatives. I believe they're both ones that slowly release small amounts of formaldehyde (way less than you'd encounter in a Brazilian Blowout, though). There's a lot of preservative fear out there, but the alternative is having nasty stuff growing in your products, having to buy/make your products fresh for each use, or using products with low water activity such as shampoo bars. Take your pick.

I'm guessing the dimethiconol in there is causing buildup. They wouldn't bother including it if at least some weren't left deposited on hair to have an effect, right?

I wouldn't worry about the SLES. It's less harsh than SLS, and some people do well with sulfates. If it works for you, it works for you. If it doesn't, there are lots of other things to try.

[CariadA]

I use L'oreal kids strawberry smoothie shampoo and I LOVE it. I use it for CWCs. I mainly use it because I love the scent, but it works well for me. It is cone free but does have SLS. My scalp loves sulfates, so it's perfect!

[Alassea]

Well I'm an adult (unfortunately mwaaaah) and I can use L'oreal kids forever and ever.
It's nostalgic and takes me back to my childhood.
It also smells amaaaaazing to boot! ;D

[lapushka]

My Lidl had the Zwitsal baby shampoo in a pump bottle for a great price, but it was a "milder" formulation, and I don't react favorably to mild formula's anyway (flaking), so I told my mom not to bring it.

[Siv]

My hair doesn't seem to like baby shampoos, but did I try it out. I thought they'd have gentler surfactants (which I found out wasn't necessarily true) and would be a cheaper option for sulfate-free shampoos. I browsed the stores for one with gentler surfactants, and found a couple. Unfortunately both brands are Danish and I'm not sure they're readily available outside the Nordic region, but here's what I tried out:

Natusan Mild Care Top to Toe Wash:

Aqua, Coco-Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Citric Acid, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Oleate, p-Anisic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Parfum.

Urtekram No Perfume Baby All-Over Wash:

Aqua, aloe barbadensis leaf extract*, lauryl glucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate, coco-glucoside, glycerin**, sodium chloride, glyceryl caprylate, glyceryl oleate, citric acid.
(* = ingredient from Organic Farming. ** = made using organic ingredients).

10 % of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming

They didn't lather well (no surprise) and even though I'm used to less lathering sulfate-free shampoos, they just didn't seem to clean as well. Plus, IMO, they lack a lot of conditioning properties sulfate-free shampoos have, so my hair felt drier and needed A LOT more conditioning treatments. So it didn't really suit my hair/my taste, but others could have success with it I suppose! I don't know much about how manufacturers put shampoos together, I've just heard that a lot more goes into it than just having gentle surfactants, and for me baby shampoos with gentle surfactants did lack something.

[Fia]

Baby shampoos are not necessarily formulated with milder surfactants as some of you have noted. Also, baby shampoos tend to be formulated with a higher pH than normal shampoo, to not sting if it gets in the eyes of the child. Higher pH also means that the cuticle is opened wider compared to other shampoos, which may explain why hair feels drier and more stripped after using them.

[embee]

I always thought "baby shampoo" was a marketing gimmick.

[lapushka]

Baby shampoos are not necessarily formulated with milder surfactants as some of you have noted. Also, baby shampoos tend to be formulated with a higher pH than normal shampoo, to not sting if it gets in the eyes of the child. Higher pH also means that the cuticle is opened wider compared to other shampoos, which may explain why hair feels drier and more stripped after using them.

The Zwitsal one in my Lidl had milder surfactants. :shrug: I guess not every product is the same. It's hard to compare.

[Lady Stardust]

Baby shampoos are not necessarily formulated with milder surfactants as some of you have noted. Also, baby shampoos tend to be formulated with a higher pH than normal shampoo, to not sting if it gets in the eyes of the child. Higher pH also means that the cuticle is opened wider compared to other shampoos, which may explain why hair feels drier and more stripped after using them.
This makes sense to me. I use a sulphate free baby shampoo/body wash on my toddler and expected it to be mild, but it dries out her hair and her skin. I think baby shampoo isn't milder at all, it just doesn't sting when it gets in your eyes. I counteract it with oil for her scalp every now and then and body lotion every day, I don't know what else I can do.

[esfand]

L'Oreal Kids strawberry shampoo and the clarifying sports shampoo are my holy grails. Suave 2-in-1 shampoos come in a close second.

[Dark40]

Oh, I love using kids shampoos and conditioners!!! I also love baby shampoo as well!!! I think the ingredients are a lot gentler than the ingredients in our adults shampoos and conditioners.

[Carolyn]

I think baby shampoos are very harsh and drying. They are made to not sting then it gets in the eyes and mentioned above. They are also formulated to get rid of cradle cap. I avoid them like the plague. I'm not sure about the shampoos for older children. I've never had a desire to try them.

[lapushka]

I think I will post the Zwitsal baby shampoo ingredients on here:

"Water, coco / glucoside, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, fragrance, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, citric acid, polyquaternium-10, sodium benzoate."

[Siv]

I think I will post the Zwitsal baby shampoo ingredients on here:

"Water, coco / glucoside, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, fragrance, peg-120 methyl glucose dioleate, citric acid, polyquaternium-10, sodium benzoate."

In your experience, is the shampoo milder even though it has SLES? I notice it's the second surfactant on the list, not the first, and I've been wondering if having sulfates lower down the list would make shampoos noticably milder. I tend to go sulfate-free, because I like the clear color my hair gets from surfactants, but sulfate shampoos generally make me shed like a reindeer in spring.

[lapushka]

In your experience, is the shampoo milder even though it has SLES? I notice it's the second surfactant on the list, not the first, and I've been wondering if having sulfates lower down the list would make shampoos noticably milder. I tend to go sulfate-free, because I like the clear color my hair gets from surfactants, but sulfate shampoos generally make me shed like a reindeer in spring.

I haven't tried this particular shampoo, so I can't say. But I do have shampoos where the SLES is lower down the list, and *yes* they are milder (because I have SD and notice almost right away).

But then still, I also have some Garnier Ultra Doux and they are milder too, and my SD doesn't worsen with those. It depends.

It is weird, I will never truly understand formulations. :lol:

[ghanima]

I bought once the Johnson&Johnson Baby Shampoo (maybe the they have different formulations depending on which country you are, I was in Italy), and it was the most awful shampoo I ever put on my hair (just once of course). Never again...

[truepeacenik]

I once bought a knock off baby shampoo. Sixth ingredient? Formaldehyde.

[Joyful Mystery]

I've never tried baby shampoo. My mom says she has and it made her hair dry, tangly, flat and it made her scalp itch.

[Cherriezzzzz]

I always thought "baby shampoo" was a marketing gimmick.

Best answer I've read ;)