Tangled Hair:
Hair tangles or knots are not pleasant to detangle. The process can be painful, time-consuming, and may cause hair breakage and damage. The alkaline pH of the soap roughens the hair shafts and makes them tangle-prone. Shampoos have an acidic pH that prevents tangling.
Rough Hair:
Soaps do not have scalp and hair conditioning properties like shampoos. Using soap may cause frizzy hair. Soaps are solid at room temperature, and hence, adding conditioning ingredients to them is difficult than shampoos.
Soap Scum:
Soap scum is the white residue that forms when soap mixes with hard water. This residue can remain on your scalp and hair, causing product buildup and issues like dandruff, dull and dirty hair.
To dig a little more, let’s look at the ingredients list of soap and if those ingredients are safe to be used on hair. Scroll down.
Ingredients In Soap – Are These Safe For Hair?
Soap contains
Animal fat or vegetable oils like coconut and olive oils. However, castile soap is free of animal fat and synthetic ingredients. Lye or sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (which has a high pH) Water Preservatives Colors Scent (essential oils)
While none of these ingredients are harmful to the skin, the high pH (alkaline) of soaps due to the presence of lye and soap scum makes them unsuitable for hair washing. However, there are a few soaps that you can use on the hair. Scroll down to find out.
What Soaps Can You Use For Washing Hair?
There are a few soaps that you can use to wash hair. These hair care soaps are formulated with natural cleansing ingredients. Some may also contain moisturizing ingredients to reduce the post-wash roughness. For instance, soaps that contain Indian soapberry (reetha), gooseberry (amla), and soap pod (shikakai) can be used for washing all hair types – straight, wavy, and curly hair. You can also buy travel-friendly and spill-free shampoo bars. The shampoo bars are loaded with moisturizing ingredients and do not strip the natural moisture of the hair strands as regular soaps do. Pro Tip: Always apply a conditioner after washing your hair with a shampoo bar or soap. Do a 10-minute hot oil massage before hair wash. Always wash with lukewarm water. Does soap make hair grow faster?? Soaps that contain natural cleansing ingredients may provide your hair with benefits. But science is yet to determine if they can speed up hair growth.
