does your shampoo clean your hair?

Does Your Shampoo Clean Your Hair?

Armaan Gill & Namraj Dhillon

Background Research

Shampoo is usually made with a surfactant. Surfactants are molecules that quickly bond with other molecules to produce little sealed bubbles. They are compounds that lower the surface tension between 2 liquids, a liquid and a solid or a liquid and a gas. Most of the time sodium lauryl sulfate or it is sodium laureth sulfate. Both chemicals are surfactant which are substances that reduce the surface tension of water when the chemical is dissolved.

Both sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate have advantages and disadvantages, sodium lauryl sulfate is an excellent and efficient surfactant capable of removing oily stains. With its ability to clean oily stains effectively it is used in very many industrial and household products. But with such an effective product there has to be some flaws.

These flaws include skin irritation and damage to people with skin conditions and products that have it inside have reportedly been linked with hair loss and damage. While sodium laureth sulfate this chemical is a different form of sodium lauryl sulfate, it's made through the process of ethoxylation where ethylene oxide is added to the chemical compound changing its structure. Some benefits include removal of oily stains, not irritant on sensitive skin, does not damage hair and does not induce hair loss. But some of the flaws are it can irritate the eyes and lungs, and with long term use of the product has shown signs of cancer indicated by use of the chemical/ product on lab animals.

Background Research Continued

The micelle structure surrounds and traps the dirt, oil and other unwanted substances that are in your hair. After, we can use water to rinse this entire structure out. This will bring the unwanted substances with it.


Shampoo foams because inside of the chemical compound there are foaming agents. When these foaming agents have contact with air and water at the same time a reaction is created, and foam is created. These foaming agents are also sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate

Background Research

The first liquid shampoo was created in the year 1927 in berlin by a German inventor by the name of Hans Schwarzkopf who marketed and sold it in Europe. Before they made it shampoo was not a thing people mostly used soap for shampoo as both were used for cleaning and had surfactants. Before the main surfactant was sodium lauryl sulfate but nowadays companies are trying to strive away from this chemical because of its serious health impacts, they are now going towards sodium laureth sulfate as it possesses less of the cons.

The word shampoo came from India where the Hindi word champu meaning to massage soon evolved into the word shampoo in modern day English. The reason for cleaning your hair in the first place is to clean oily substances that accumulate in your hair called sebum. Sebum is an oily and waxy substance produced by your glands that protects and moisturizes your skin. Although it does these things too much of it can start to develop an odor. Some people tend to use soap as a means of washing their hair. Also, they think it cleans everything but they're wrong. Shampoo that will work efficiently have the pH level between 4-6. This level is ideal but having 1 level less or more, will not be a big issue. This is the natural pH of hair. This way it can efficiently clean the hair without damaging any of the hair cells. While on the other hand soap has a higher pH level with stronger detergents that are inside of the chemical compound in order to clean more amounts of dirt and oil as your body because it can become dirty more easily.

Background Research

Last year, in 2020, the top three selling brands of shampoo were #1 Moroccan Oil, #2 Bumble And Bumble, #3 Matrix Biolage.

After researching and inquiring with hair salon stylists and experts, we discovered that 100% cotton or wool was the best substitutes to use to test shampoo in place of real hair. This is because this material is fibrous like real hair and these materials both come from living organisms. This material is not synthetic or artificial like polyester or acrylic.

What is the purpose of the conditioner? Conditioner seals up/counter acts shampoo. Shampoo opens up your hair fibers so it can deeply clean your hair fibers and get rid of the excess sebum. Conditioner seals the hair fibres back up so no damage can be dealt to the hair cells.

Human shampoo is different from dog shampoo because dogs have a higher normal pH than humans. Their normal pH balance is between 6.2-7.4. This means that their shampoos have a higher pH as well. If we were to use human shampoo on dogs, their pH balance would be disrupted and changed. This will make them more prone to infections and other issues that can make them sick.

Testable Question

Does price, foam, and PH levels affect the quality of shampoo and its cleaning capabilities?

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to figure out which type/company of shampoo has the best results for washing hair. With these results we can infer which shampoos to buy and which to avoid when buying for your hair.

Hypothesis

• We think that Paul Mitchell will be the best shampoo because of two factors. Firstly, it is the most expensive shampoo out of the ones we are testing and its a very well-known brand. Secondly it has high concentrations of (SLS ) or sodium lauryl sulfate which is one of the most effective surfactants for cleaning oil and dirt in human hair.

Materials for Foam Testing

Materials (detailed list) Quantity (be specific)

Oster Personal Size Blender 1

Water 190 mL (95%) for each test

Shampoo/Water 10 mL (5%) for each test

Timer 1

Notebook 1

Pencil or Pen 1

Paper towel 1 roll

Camera 1

Materials for 100% Cotton Yarn Cleaning Test


100% Cotton Yarn 99 yarn pieces (each piece is 16.3 feet long and weighs 3 grams)

PH Paper 33 strips of PH Paper (3 for each testing variable)

Tin Foil Paper 3 rolls

Handheld Blow Dryer 1

Shampoo 10 different shampoos (different brands)

Kirkland Water 1 case

Mason Jars 33 jars

Materials for 100% Cotton Yarn Cleaning Test Continued


Notebook 1

Writing Utensils 1 Sharpie and pencils or pens for recording

Scissors 1

Potting Soil 1 bag

Coconut Oil 2 jars

Tea/Chai 1 box

Measuring Spoons 1 set of

Materials for 100% Cotton Yarn Cleaning Test Continued


Kitchen Scale 1

Labels 200

Timer 1

Measuring Tape 1

Camera 1

Thermometer 1

Measuring Cup 1 set

Variables

Uncontrolled Controlled Responding ManipulatedHow long the product were sitting on the shelves

Room temperature How much foam was created in the blender (Foam Test)

Type of Shampoo

If the product was tampered with after production

How much of the dirt/other substance were applied

The weight, color, and texture of cotton yarn before/after cleaning

Type of stain

Factory defects that occurred during manufacturing

The length and the weight of cotton yarn to simulate for hair

If the cotton yarn was damaged at all after cleaning

Duration it took to deliver (what conditions it was kept in during delivery)

Size of jars The PH paper result after checking the shampoo PH

Location of Manufacturing facility The amount of cotton was shaken and clean forWater TemperatureWater (Was a controlled test)

Procedure ( Foam test)

1. Make a 5% shampoo solution with water for each shampoo (190 ml of Kirkland water at room temperature with 10 ml of shampoo). Also make a controlled solution with just 200 ml of water.

2. Pour solution into hand blender and mix for 10 secs3. After 10 seconds stop blender and pour solution into measuring cup, take note of the amount

of water at the base and total volume of solution with foam. 4. Take another measurement every minute for 4 mins5. Then repeat steps until all shampoos are measured including control variable water6. After all solutions have been completed and recorded, take the measurement for each

recording and minus the water volume from the entire volume

Procedure ( PH test)

1. Open each of the shampoo bottles

2. Get one strip of PH paper for each shampoo

3. Get a separate container or a spoon for each of the shampoo

4. Pour the shampoo onto the spoon/container

5. Dip the PH paper into the each of the shampoos

6. Record the results

7. Repeat steps 1-6 for each trial

Procedure ( Main test)

1. Measured the same length of yarn (Yarn was used as I spoke to three different hair salons – Mastercuts, Tommy Gun, and Chatters, and spoke with stylists regarding my project and all of them recommend using 100% cotton yarn or second choice 100% wool yarn. They indicated not to use a mixture of cotton and acrylic yarn). For each shampoo including water we needed 33 pieces of yarn per stain.

2. Then on a large table placed all the shampoo across the table3. Then rolled out tin foil under each shampoo 4. Weighed each yarn piece and placed it under each shampoo and water on tin foil and recorded the weight5. Then in 11 exact same mason jars we added 200 ml of water and 1 tablespoon of potting soil 6. Place each dirt solution by the yarn (one under each testing shampoos and control variable water)7. Dropped 1 yarn pieced into its corresponding dirt solution jar and shook the jar for 30 seconds. Left yarn in the solution for 1 hour. Repeat step for

each testing agent8. Drain the water out and placed back under each testing shampoo/water9. I waited 4 hours and then recorded each yarns weight

10. Repeat steps 1-9 for second trial 11. Repeat steps 1-9 again for third trial12. With clean and dry mason jars, make 5% shampoo solution in each mason jar for each shampoo and water (250ml water 42 degrees Celsius with 12.5

ml of shampoo)13. Place each yarn in the mason jar corresponding to its shampoo and shake each sample for 3 mins14. Drain out solution and wash with 500 ml of warm water (42 degrees Celsius) for 30sec15. Place each yarn back under its corresponding shampoo 16. Wait 4 hours to let cotton dry and then record the weight of each yarn piece17. Repeat steps 12-16 for trial 218. Repeat steps 12-16 for trial 319. Repeat steps 1-18 but changing the dirt solution to coconut solution with same ratio solution20. Repeat steps 1-19 but changing the dirt solution to tea solution with the same ratio solution

Visual Observation – Dirt - Trial #1

Trial #1 Dirt Paul Mitchell

Biosilk Chi Joico Matrix Rusk Pantene Garnier Tresemme Aussie Water

Before Product Added Jan 24th 3pm

3 grams Cotton Yarn was very soft to touch Pure White











After dirty solutionJan 24th 4:30pm

5 gramsRough to feel Smelt dirtyLight brown

5 grams Rough to feel Smelt dirtyLight brown










Cleaned Jan 24th 10pm

3 grams Smells clean light gray feels a little rough

3 gramsSmells the best Light gray Soft touch

3 gramsSmells floral Very light gray (lightest of all)Soft touch

3 gramsLight brown smell was mixed reactions Feels rough

3 gramsFruity smell light brown Very coarse Rough feeling

3 grams smells like body soap light gray Rough to touch

3 grams strong smell dark brownFeels dirty - rough

4 gramsHospital smell dark brown feels rough

4 grams smells like dish soap light brown feels rough

3 gramsFruity smell light brown rough texture

3 gramsLight gray smells dirty feels like original normal cotton




Before Product Added Jan 24th 3:30pm












After dirty solutionJan 24th 5pm












Cleaned Jan 24th 10:30pm















Before Product Added Jan 25th 8am












After dirty solutionJan 25th 9:30am
























Visual Observation – Tea - Trial #1

Trial #1 Tea Paul Mitchell


Before Product Added Jan 25th 8:30am












After dirty solutionJan 25th 10am



























Before Product Added Jan 25th 9am







































Before Product Added Jan 25th 9:30am




































Visual Observation – Coconut Oil - Trial #1

Trial #1 Coconut Oil

Paul Mitchell








































Paul Mitchell


Before Product Added Jan 25th 4:30pm












After dirty solutionJan 25th 5:30pm


























Paul Mitchell






































Visual Observation – Foam Calculation

Trial #1 Paul Mitchell


0 minsWater Foam Total Foam

5 ml450 ml445 ml

0ml690ml690ml

0ml725ml725ml

0ml650ml650ml

0ml700ml700ml

5ml500ml495ml

0ml575ml575ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml650ml650ml

0ml650ml650ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


60 ml450 ml390 ml

0ml690ml690ml

10ml690ml680ml

10ml650ml640ml

0ml700ml700ml

40ml490ml450ml

10ml550ml540ml

5ml675ml670ml

30ml625ml595ml

30ml650ml620ml

190ml 0ml 0ml

2minsWater Foam Total Foam

100ml 425ml 325ml

0ml690ml690ml

40ml640ml600ml

60ml600ml440ml

30ml680ml650ml

100ml475ml375ml

30ml540ml510ml

7ml650ml643ml

60ml600ml540ml

75ml600ml525ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


120ml415ml295ml

20ml670ml670ml

60ml640ml580ml

90ml600ml510ml

60ml625ml565ml

120ml475ml355ml

60ml540ml480ml

10ml650ml640ml

90ml575ml485ml

100ml550ml450ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


180ml400ml220ml

50ml690ml640ml

90ml630ml540ml

100ml580ml480ml

90ml625ml535ml

180ml450ml270ml

70ml530ml460ml

40ml650ml610ml

100ml575ml475ml

125ml500ml375ml

190ml 0ml 0ml





0 ml450 ml450 ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml715ml715ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml520ml520ml

0ml550ml550ml

0ml650ml650ml

0ml750ml750ml

0ml650ml650ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


40 ml445 ml405 ml

7ml675ml668ml

10ml700ml690ml

15ml650ml635 ml

10ml670ml660ml

40ml490ml450ml

10ml550ml540ml

0ml650ml650ml

10ml750ml740ml

45ml650ml605ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


90ml 415ml 325ml

10ml675ml665ml

40ml650ml610ml

70ml600ml530ml

50ml640ml590ml

90ml480ml390ml

50ml560ml510ml

10ml650ml640ml

30ml700ml670ml

90ml650ml560ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


125ml415ml290ml

15ml650ml635 ml

70ml650ml580ml

90ml590ml500ml

80ml625ml545 ml

115ml460ml345ml

70ml550ml480ml

20ml650ml630ml

50ml675ml625ml

110ml650ml490ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


140ml410ml270ml

50ml650ml600ml

100ml600ml500ml

115ml580ml465ml

100ml600ml500ml

180ml450ml270ml

90ml540ml450ml

40ml625ml585ml

70ml650ml580ml

140ml650ml460ml

190ml 0ml 0ml





0ml450ml450ml

0ml700ml700ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml600ml600ml

0ml650ml650ml

0ml500ml500ml

0ml525ml525ml

0ml675ml675ml

0ml700ml700ml

0ml675ml675ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


50ml425ml375ml

0ml700ml700ml

10ml650ml640ml

10ml580ml570ml

0ml650ml650ml

40ml475ml435ml

10ml520ml510ml

0ml675ml675ml

5ml700ml695ml

40ml650ml610ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


100ml 415ml 315ml

10ml700ml690ml

50ml645ml595ml

70ml550ml480ml

0ml650ml650ml

90ml460ml370ml

40ml500ml460ml

5ml675ml670ml

30ml675ml645ml

70ml600ml530ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


125ml400ml275ml

20ml695ml675ml

70ml625ml555ml

90ml550ml460ml

0ml650ml650ml

125ml445ml320ml

70ml495ml425ml

10ml625ml665ml

50ml650ml600ml

100ml625ml525ml

190ml 0ml 0ml


180ml390ml210ml

45ml695ml650ml

100ml600ml500ml

110ml525ml415ml

0ml650ml650ml

190ml440ml250ml

90ml495ml405ml

30ml650ml620ml

80ml650ml570ml

140ml625ml500ml

190ml 0ml 0ml

Picture Observations – Foam Test

Picture Observations – PH Test

Picture Observations – Experiment

Pricing of Shampoo per Liter

Ph Test Level for Trial 1, 2 and 3

Average PH Levels

Shampoo Foam Test Trial #1

Shampoo Foam Test Average of Trial 1,2, and 3

Measurement of Weight of Dirt Trial #1

Average Measurement of Weight for Dirt Trial #1,2, and 3

Measurement of Weight of Coconut Trial #1

Average Measurement of Weight for Coconut Trial #1,2, and 3

Measurement of Weight of Tea Trial #1

Average Measurement of Weight for Tea Trial #1,2, and 3

Conclusion

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate which shampoo is the best for washing your hair with. To conduct this experiment, the following steps were taken. Firstly, we needed to conduct and gather background research to get a greater understanding of shampoos and what make them good. We learned about surfactants and how they work in shampoos. We discovered that PH levels are key to having a good shampoo.

We hypothesized that the result of this experiment would be that the shampoo brand Paul Mitchell would be the best performing shampoo. This proved to be correct because it had the best overall performance compared to the other shampoos.

This shampoo had the closest PH level to our hair which makes sure that it doesn’t damage our hair, but it gets out all the dirt, debris and unwanted particles in our hair. Also, Paul Mitchell was one of the foamiest shampoos out of all. Some people believe that good shampoos produce more foam. Lastly, this shampoo was the most expensive out of the rest and we would expect to receive an amazing product for the price they pay. This shampoo is expensive because it has high volume of very effective surfactants that clean efficiently.

Sources of Error

This experiment could be improved by having making sure that we get all of the cotton yarn pieces out of their solutions at the same time. Some pieces may have sat longer than others because we were not able to work fast enough to get to them at the same time. Also, variables like the water temperature could have been better controlled because the water temperature may have changed while it was being poured. Also, the temperature may have decreased by the time we got to the last shampoo.

Application

The results of this experiment would be useful to everyone who wash their hair. Everyone can benefit from these results and implement them into their everyday lives.

People now know that they should look at the price, the ingredients (specifically for surfactants) and check the PH levels to make sure the shampoo is fitted for their type of hair. The PH level that is similar to your hair will make sure not to damage it.

Next Experiment

In order to further study the results of this experiment and to gain additional insight into the topic, a good follow up experiment would be to check the effects of different water temperatures and the cleaning capabilities of it when washing hair with shampoo. This is because we only used 1 controlled water temperature while doing this experiment. But the results may differ when using different water temperatures. Therefore, we can test this experiment out.

Bibliography

● Shampoo. (2021, January 21). Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shampoo

● Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. (2020, May 08). Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/sodium-lauryl-sulfate/

● Surfactant: Definition of Surfactant by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Surfactant. (n.d.). Retrieved January 02, 2021, from https://www.lexico.com/definition/surfactant

● Tejaswi, & Siva. (2021, January 27). 15 Highest Selling Popular Shampoos in the World 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021, from https://stylesatlife.com/articles/shampoos-in-the-world/

● What makes shower and bath products foam? (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2021, from https://www.stephensonpersonalcare.com/blog/2018-07-31-what-makes-shower-and-bath-products-foam

● What's The Difference? SLS vs SLES. (2019, August 15). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://www.ilovecosmetics.co.uk/blog/whats-the-difference-sls-vs-sles/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shampoo

https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/sodium-lauryl-sulfate/

https://www.lexico.com/definition/surfactant

https://stylesatlife.com/articles/shampoos-in-the-world/

https://www.stephensonpersonalcare.com/blog/2018-07-31-what-makes-shower-and-bath-products-foam

https://www.ilovecosmetics.co.uk/blog/whats-the-difference-sls-vs-sles/

Bibliography

● Bad Shampoos - Stay away from these ingredients [Video file]. (2016, July 10). Retrieved January 22, 2021, from https://youtu.be/Rb3tpsM2Z34

● How Is Shampoo Different Than Soap? (n.d.). Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-is-shampoo-different-than-soap

● Lundin, E., R, B., Ao, & Hannah. (2019, March 23). What Did People Use Before Shampoo? Retrieved January 02, 2021, from https://historythings.com/people-use-shampoo/

● Pedroja, C. (2018, November 26). What Is Sebum and Why Does It Build Up on Skin and Hair? Retrieved January 25, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/sebum

● Reisen, J. (2019, November 19). Can You Use Human Shampoo on Dogs? Retrieved February 02, 2021, from https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/human-shampoo-on-dogs/

● The Secret Behind a Sulfate-Free Lather. (n.d.). Retrieved February 01, 2021, from https://johnmasters.com/blogs/the-wellness-journal/the-secret-behind-a-sulfate-free-lather

https://youtu.be/Rb3tpsM2Z34

https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-is-shampoo-different-than-soap

https://historythings.com/people-use-shampoo/

https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/sebum

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/human-shampoo-on-dogs/

https://johnmasters.com/blogs/the-wellness-journal/the-secret-behind-a-sulfate-free-lather

does your shampoo clean your hair?

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