Shampoo – do we really need to use it? – Quiz

Answer

1.  Read the text and answer the questions. 

1. What is sebum?

Sebum is an oil-like substance that our bodies make to maintain healthy skin and hair.

2. Is it unhealthy if our hair is greasy?

No. Many people choose to wash their hair regularly for aesthetic reasons, but greasy hair is not connected to health.

3. True or False? Some surfactants clean the hair too much.

True. Some surfactants take the natural oils out of the hair, as well as the dirt and grease they’re intended to remove.

4. What difference can buying a more expensive shampoo make?

More expensive shampoos may contain less harsh surfactants.

5. Which affects our hair more – shampoo, or conditioners and styling products?

Conditioners and styling products can affect the texture and feel of our hair, but shampoo is on our hair too briefly to really matter.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. This new face cream is supposed to nourish the skin.  

2. I forgot to wear a hat in the sun yesterday and I got sunburned. Now I have an itchy scalp !

3. There are many aesthetic treatments to help people change their appearance, including plastic surgery and hair transplants.

4. We didn’t want to put too many harsh chemicals on our baby’s skin, so we switched to organic and herbal soaps and shampoos.

5. The doctor said there is no miracle cure but that a better diet and more exercise would help. 

Shampoo – do we really need to use it? 

Buying shampoo can be overwhelming – there are so many brands to choose from, across a huge range of prices. Some brands promise to repair and nourish our hair, while others promise to strengthen and add volume. But are any of these claims true? Do we even need shampoo at all?

Since long before shampoo was invented – some say in India – our bodies have been producing sebum – an oil-like substance. Sebum stops our skin from getting dry, manages the health of our scalp and makes our hair shiny. But it also collects dirt, and, if left untouched for too long, sebum can cause our hair to become greasy. There are no disadvantages from a health perspective to letting our hair be greasy, says Eleanore Richardson, Trichologist at Fulham Scalp and Hair Clinic, but many people choose to wash their hair regularly for aesthetic reasons.

And so we reach for the shampoo bottle. Shampoos contain a group of chemicals called surfactants. They grab the dirt and grease from the surface of our hair, meaning when we rinse away the shampoo, we also wash away the grease and dirt. But, as Laura Waters, who’s a Professor of Pharmaceutical Analysis in the School of Applied Sciences at Huddersfield University, points out, ‘some surfactants work too well’ and take the natural oils out of the hair, as well. More expensive shampoos may contain less harsh surfactants, but – adds Laura Waters – the type of shampoo doesn’t really matter. ‘It’s on our hair very briefly and gets washed away’. It’s the conditioners and styling products that we use after the shampoo that make a bigger difference to the texture and feel of our hair.

Of course, the more we put onto our hair, the more we need to cleanse it off, creating a vicious circle. So, yes, it seems we do have a need for shampoo, but we also shouldn’t expect it to be a miracle cure. And, finally, next time you’re in a shampoo aisle, remember that hair is made up of dead protein cells and that, sadly, not even the most expensive shampoo can bring them back to life.