Showering is essential. It is the basic hygiene all humans need to do to avoid smelling bad. We tend to shower once or twice a day, depending on our preferences and what we did on a certain day. If we shower in the morning and exercise, then we need to shower again to remove the dirt and sweat our body produces.
Let us say you are in the shower and you are ready to clean yourself. You open the shampoo and you pour it on your head but there is not enough shampoo to cleanse your head. You find that you have a shower gel inside your bathroom and you are thinking if you can replace your shampoo with shower gel. So, can you use a shower gel as shampoo? Let us find out!
Can you use a shower gel as shampoo? Yes! You can use shower gel as shampoo. However, shower gel and shampoo are made differently. The shower gel is not designed for human hair and will dry it out over time. The shower gel is made to help our skin feel refreshed. Yes! Shampoo and shower gel is made with some of the same ingredients but it is still better to use shampoo on your hair.
Showering every day is important. You need to clean both your hair and body. That is why there are different products made to make sure that both your hair and body will be clean after your shower. I have made this article to help you clean both your body and hair. So, I hope you keep reading because you will learn a lot from this article! Let’s get it on!
What Is Shower Gel?
Now, let us first take a look at what a shower gel is. Some people misunderstood the use of shower gel so, let me tell you what a shower gel is.
The shower gel is a liquid cleaner designed for our body. It has detergents or oils to remove dirt, oil, and other dirt particles from our skin.
The shower gel has a lower pH balance compared to soap. This keeps your skin from drying out while cleaning it at the same time.
The shower gel is made up primarily of water but also has surfactants. Surfactants are compounds that help with the cleaning process by breaking up the dirt and grime.
It will make it easier for water and friction to remove the dirt from your body. Shower gels also contain ingredients to help thicken, color, and create lather and scent.
What Is The Difference Between Shower Gel And Shampoo?
Now that you know what a shower gel is, let us compare shower gel with shampoo. Since you are confused about the difference between these two products, let us compare them.
Shampoo
The shampoo has surfactants as well. It has surfactants to help break up the oils and dirt in your hair. However, shampoo has lesser surfactants compared to shower gel. The reason why is that shampoo should not remove all the natural oils from your hair since it will make your hair dry.
The shampoo also has conditioning molecules that cling to the hair. These molecules on shampoo make your hair feel soft and silky. It is created to maintain healthy hair follicles.
Shampoos are made differently. It means that there are different types of shampoos for different kinds of needs. If you have dry hair, get a shampoo with glycerol or keratin. If you have dandruff, you can choose a shampoo with antifungal agents.
Below are the two best shampoos in the market today!
Shower Gel
The shower gel does not have these ingredients. Some shower gels have some specific ingredients for the skin. Other shower gel uses menthol for a cooling sensation or has extra moisture for consistently dry skin.
Some shower gels are extra-strong and anti-bacterial for those with strong body odor. Yes! These things are great for the skin but they do not have the same effect on your hair and might damage your hair.
The shower gel can clean your hair somehow. If you don’t have shampoo, you can use shower gel. However, you should not do this most of the time because over time, shower gel can destroy your lovely hair.
Below are the two shower gel I use that seems effective for me.
Should You Use Shampoo Every Time You Take A Bath?
To be honest, it is good for your hair to not use shampoo every time you take a bath. Shampooing your hair often will leave your hair dry, brittle, and damaged.
The reason why is because of the ingredients shampoo has. The ingredients of shampoo create lather, scent, or color. These chemicals can remove the natural oils your hair has if you use them too often.
The number of times you wash your hair per week depends on your needs. Some people have dry hair. If this is you, I suggest you put shampoo on your hair once to twice a week to let your body’s natural oils condition your hair.
Other people need to shampoo their hair often because they have greasy hair, use styling products, sweat too much, or work in dirt places. If this is you, I suggest you shampoo your hair four to five times a week.
Can You Wash Your Hair With Just Water?
Washing your hair with just water has some effects. However, it will not give you the clean hair you like. Like I have said above, shampoo is made to remove the dirt in your hair. Rinsing it with water only will not get rid of the dirt your hair has.
Now you know that you should not shampoo your hair too often, so on days that you don’t shampoo your hair, it is good to rinse your hair with water only. Doing this, it will make your hair clean without damaging it.
Using water only on your hair will not damage your hair. However, there are some things that you need to be aware of when it comes to water and your hair.
Can You Wash Your Body With Shampoo?
You can use your shampoo for washing your body. However, avoid using shampoo on your face and sensitive private areas of your body. Shampoo’s lower surfactant levels make it less effective for your skin than body wash.
Like I have said, you can wash your body with shampoo. However, there are some disadvantages to doing this.
First, your skin may feel slick and not clean. You might find that the shampoo is not removing the dirt, oils, and odors from your body. The reason why is because of the lower-level surface of surface-active agents. You have to double cleanse to get the same effects as your soap.
Second, your skin may feel better moisturized. You may be struggling with very dry skin. If this is the case, the lower levels of surface-active agents and in addition to conditioning molecules could help your skin stay moisturized.
Like any other skin product, you should not just put your shampoo all over your body for the first time. Of course, if you have been washing your hair with shampoo in the shower, then you already know that it is not going to bother your skin. If you use the bathtub, your hands and wrists can be exposed.
Your private area is sensitive to fragrances and other chemicals found in most forms of soap. Even though you have hair there, it does not mean it will be good for you to shampoo it!
For women, shampoos can interfere with pH balance. This makes women vulnerable to yeast and bacterial infections. So, if you are a woman, don’t use shampoo in your private area.
Can You Use A Conditioner As Shampoo?
Conditioner is the second step to hair washing. The shampoo is created to clean off sweat, dead skin cells, and dirt. Conditioner makes hair softer and easier to manage.
Using conditioner only will not clean your hair properly. Because like I have said, conditioner’s use is to make hair softer only. However, some shampoos are made to clean and condition the hair at the same time.
Is Shower Gel Used For Hair Or Body?
The shower gel is used for the body only. However, some formulations can be used on the hair as well.
However, even though some shower gel can be used on your hair, I would not suggest it. The reason why is because your hair will not get the cleanliness that it needs.
Final Words
You can use shower gel as shampoo. However, shower gel is not designed for hair and will dry out over time. Even though shower gel is made out of many of the same ingredients shampoo has, they are still different. It is better to use shampoo because using shower gel can damage your hair if used too often.