Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is formulated to be used for cleaning (scalp) hair. Less commonly, it is available in solid bar format (not to be confused with "dry shampoo" which is a separate product). Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product in the hair, roots and scalp, and then rinsing it out. Some users may follow shampooing with the use of hair conditioner. Shampoo is typically used to remove the unwanted build-up of sebum (natural oils) in the hair without stripping out so much as to make hair unmanageable. Shampoo is generally made by combining a surfactant, most often sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate, with a co-surfactant, most often cocamidopropyl betaine in water. The sulfate ingredient acts as a surfactant, trapping oils and other contaminants, similarly to soap. Shampoos are marketed to people with hair. There are also shampoos intended for animals that may contain insecticides or other medications to treat skin conditions or parasite infestations such as fleas.
History
Ancient Mesopotamia Texts from Akkadian period show that Mesopotamians dealt with a wide range of skin diseases. Their culture emphasized personal hygiene to prevent illness, and there is frequent reference to their use of both medicated and regular soaps and shampoos as methods of prevention and treatment. Ancient Mesopotamian tablets from the Neo-Assyrian period document the use of medicated shampoo to treat scalp eruptions.
Indian subcontinent
The word shampoo entered the English language during the colonial era in India. It dates to 1762 and derives from the Hindi word cā̃pō (चाँपो, pronounced [tʃãːpoː]) or shampoo, itself derived from the Sanskrit root chapati (चपति), which means 'to press, knead, or soothe'. Shampoo is a type of traditional Indian head massage using hair oil. In India, a variety of herbs and their extracts have been used as shampoos since ancient times. A very effective early shampoo was made by boiling sapindus with dried Indian gooseberry (amla) and a selection of other herbs, using the strained extract. At the pre-Indus Valley Civilisation site of Banawali evidence is found of sapindus, Indian gooseberry and shikakai which were used for to prepare herbal products including those for hair care. Sapindus, also known as soapberries or soapnuts, a tropical tree widespread in India, is called ksuna (Sanskrit: क्षुण) in ancient Indian texts and its fruit pulp contains saponins which are a natural surfactant. The extract of soapberries creates a lather which Indian texts called phenaka (Sanskrit: फेनक). It leaves the hair soft, shiny and manageable. Other products used for hair cleansing were shikakai, hibiscus flowers, ritha (Sapindus mukorossi) and arappu (Albizzia amara). Guru Nanak, the founder and the first guru of Sikhism, made references to the soapberry tree and soap in the 16th-century.
Europe
Gauls used soap from goat's fat and beech ash for brightening the hair. Romans did not make soap, but cleansed their bodies and hair with a mixture of oils and sand. During the 17th century, people of the upper classes commonly wore wigs; cleaning hair with water was discouraged and instead hair was applied with oils. In the 18th century, the wealthy classes had spas, but as the working class moved to the cities because of industrialisation, their hygiene suffered. Dean Mahomed, an Indian traveller, surgeon, and entrepreneur, is credited with introducing the practice of shampoo or "shampooing" (a type of traditional Indian head massage using hair oils) to Britain. In 1814, Mahomed, with his Irish wife Jane Daly, were established as shampooing bathhouse keepers, and a few year later in 1821 opened the first commercial shampooing vapour masseur bath in England, in Brighton. He described the treatment in a local paper as "The Indian Medicated Vapour Bath (a type of steamy "Turkish" bath), a cure to many diseases and giving full relief when everything fails; particularly Rheumatic and paralytic, gout, stiff joints, old sprains, lame legs, aches and pains in the joints". His 1826 book on shampooing featured testimonies from his patients, as well as the details of the treatment made him famous. The book acted as a marketing tool for his unique baths in Brighton and capitalised on the early 19th-century trend for seaside spa treatments. The "wash the hair" meaning of shampoo was first recorded in 1860. During the early stages of shampoo in Europe, English hair stylists boiled shaved soap in water and added herbs to give the hair shine and fragrance. Commercially made shampoo was available from the turn of the 20th century. A 1914 advertisement for Canthrox Shampoo in American Magazine showed young women at camp washing their hair with Canthrox in a lake; magazine advertisements in 1914 by Rexall featured Harmony Hair Beautifier and Shampoo. In 1900, German perfumer and hair-stylist Josef Wilhelm Rausch developed the first liquid hair washing soap and named it "Champooing" in Emmishofen, Switzerland. Later, in 1919, Rausch developed an antiseptic chamomile shampooing with a pH of 8.5. In 1927, liquid shampoo was improved for mass production by German inventor Hans Schwarzkopf in Berlin; his name became a shampoo brand sold in Europe. Originally, soap and shampoo were very similar products; both containing the same naturally derived surfactants, a type of detergent. Modern shampoo as it is known today was first introduced in the 1930s with Drene, the first shampoo using synthetic surfactants instead of soap.
Indonesia Early shampoos used in Indonesia were made from the husk and straw (merang) of rice. The husks and straws were burned into ash, and the ashes (which have alkaline properties) are mixed with water to form lather. The ashes and lather were scrubbed into the hair and rinsed out, leaving the hair clean, but very dry. Afterwards, coconut oil was applied to the hair in order to moisturize it.
Philippines Filipinos have been traditionally using gugo before commercial shampoos were sold in stores. The shampoo is obtained by soaking and rubbing the bark of the vine Gugo (Entada phaseoloides), producing a lather that cleanses the scalp effectively. Gugo is also used as an ingredient in hair tonics.
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