Assessment and comparison of herbal and synthetic shampoos

Abstract

Today’s shampoo formulations are beyond the stage of pure cleaning of the hair. Additional benefits like conditioning, smoothing, good health of hair and above all, its safety benefits are expected. A more radical approach in popularizing herbal shampoo would change the consumers expectation emphasising safety and efficacy. Thus this study aims to investigate and compare quality of marketed herbal and synthetic shampoos formulations. The selected shampoos were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, including pH, solid content, rheological measurements, dirt dispersion level, foaming ability and stability, wetting time and surface tension. All herbal shampoos showed pH within the specified range, a comparable percentage of solids, stable foam formation and a highly viscous nature along with the good wetting ability when compared to synthetic shampoos. Thus, people should become more aware of how natural products can positively affect our lives and must make the switch and opting for safer and healthier options.