Hydrating Shampoo 300ml - Firsthand

Shampoos are designed to remove greasy dirt from your hair. Unfortunately, the soaps in shampoo can sometimes be too strong and active, stripping away too much natural oil from the hair and scalp. When this happens, the hair can feel frizzy and dry, and in extreme cases, it can lead to hair damage. Firsthand has formulated this shampoo specifically to have a soap balance that is sufficient to gently remove dirt and oil, but not so strong as to eliminate excess oil from the hair. This is the first of three important steps in creating a hydrating shampoo.

The second step is adding natural oils and fatty compounds to the hair and scalp. At Firsthand, they have chosen light oils that absorb quickly and mimic the molecular structure of natural hair oil (sebum). This helps ensure that any natural oil loss due to the soaps is replaced by other ingredients in the shampoo.

The third step is to add real moisturizing ingredients to the shampoo. Chemists call these ingredients "humectants," and they help draw moisture to the hair and scalp. They would like to highlight some of the humectants they have added, as they believe they are a very effective but natural way to hydrate the scalp.

One of the humectants is hydroxypropyltrimonium honey. People have been using honey to hydrate their hair for thousands of years. As a cosmetic ingredient, honey has some issues. For example, it is sticky. Once the shampoo is rinsed out of the hair, the honey is washed away as well, so its effects are minimal. Hydroxypropyltrimonium honey (also known as HoneyQuat) is honey that has been chemically modified with a positive charge. This not only removes the stickiness of the material (making it more pleasant to apply to the hair), but the positive charge is attracted to the negative electrical charges in our hair strands. This makes the HoneyQuat material difficult to wash off, so it (as an invisible, microscopic layer) remains on the hair and scalp, drawing in water throughout the day.

Another humectant is pro-vitamin B5 or panthenol. This molecule easily penetrates the hair and skin, bringing softness, shine, and moisture.

Another humectant is saccharide isomerate. This is a form of plant sugar. Like the HoneyQuat ingredient, it forms an invisible layer/bond to the hair and skin that lasts up to 72 hours; the whole time, it draws moisture into the hair and skin.

These steps, along with the addition of sodium L-pyroglutamate (sodium PCA) ingredient, a natural amino acid that attracts water, make this hydrating shampoo a top choice.