What is a good shampoo?
Before we at Gentlemen of Sweden developed our Hair & Beard Shampoo, we asked ourselves the question “What is a good shampoo?” tons of times, we poked and prodded the question so many times both between ourselves and with both our reference groups and the staff at the lab.
We came up with 9 points that we consider to be the most important when it comes to how a good shampoo should be. The points are general and of course apply equally well to both a shampoo that is adapted for men and women.
So what makes a shampoo a good shampoo?
- It does not contain too much water.
- It has a discreet scent.
- It is cleansing but not drying.
- It is moisturizing.
- It is not ‘jelly-like’.
- It smells “just right”.
- It contains beneficial substances for hair and scalp
- It also treats the scalp.
- It repairs hairs
We know from our own experience that finding the right shampoo can feel like a tangled jungle with all the different products on the shelves out there. But no matter what everyone says (including us), it really comes down to what is a really good shampoo for your hair and scalp. So, to help you choose the right one, we’ll go through the most important characteristics that we think you should keep in mind when looking for a shampoo below:
1. concentrated formula
A good shampoo does not contain too much water. A concentrated formula means you need much less shampoo to clean your hair, making the shampoo thicker and more effective per click you use.
Gentlemen of Sweden’s Hair & Beard Shampoo is so good that you only need to use a click in the order of a SEK 1 to shampoo your hair, provided that you do not have shoulder-length or longer hair, then of course it takes a little more.
The fact that you don’t have to buy shampoo as often is an added bonus.
2. discreet scent
It’s great to have fragrant hair, but a good shampoo shouldn’t have too strong a scent as excessive perfume can irritate sensitive scalps and in some cases add unnecessary chemicals. Gentlemen of Sweden’s Hair & Beard Shampoo has a subtle scent of pepper and cardamom that after a while turns into more mature notes of leather, wood and citrus.
3. effective but gentle
A good shampoo has one primary task and that is to clean the hair and scalp, but it must not dry out either hair or scalp! The shampoo should effectively remove dirt and other product residues ex Firm Hold Paste or Natural Matte Paste from Gentlemen of Sweden, while preserving the natural moisture balance of the hair and scalp.
A natural balance makes both the scalp and hair feel good with less irritation (read less risk of itchy or flaky scalp) as a result.
4. moisturizing properties
In addition to cleaning, a good shampoo, as we already know, should also moisturize hair and beard. A shampoo should contain ingredients that both moisturize and help keep the hair soft, smooth and shiny while preventing frizz. In a shampoo like Gentlemen of Sweden Hair & Beard Shampoo, you will find a well-balanced amount of glycerin, which is a well-known moisturizer that both attracts and retains moisture in both hair and scalp. It helps to keep the hair soft, smooth and shiny while effectively combating frizz and providing a well-groomed result.
If you want to read more about the benefits of glycerin in hair and skin care, you can do so here –> Link to more in-depth information about the benefits of glycerin in hair and skin care.
5. it is not jelly-like
A shampoo should have a pleasant consistency when it comes out of the bottle, no one wants it to slide around in their hands like a knob of butter in a frying pan before the clicks even find their hair! A good shampoo has a consistency that is not too “jelly-like” so that it stays in the hand while being easy to distribute and work up in the hair. It took us at Gentlemen of Sweden almost two months to find the right consistency before our hairdressers and barbers were completely satisfied.
6. it smells “just right”
A shampoo should lather, we all know that, but many people associate a lot of lather with cleanliness and a good shampoo, but a good shampoo should only lather enough. When a shampoo lathers a lot, it is often a sign of strong surfactants that are usually dehydrating for both the skin and hair. A mild but sufficient lather is ideal for effective cleansing.
Should it be that your hair needs a really thorough cleaning, we at Gentlemen of Sweden recommend that you use our Boosting Body Wash to deep clean your hair and scalp. Boosting Body Wash is not only a body wash but also a perfect product for deep cleaning of hair and beard even if we do not write it on the bottles.
7. it contains beneficial substances for hair and scalp
Like skin, hair benefits from nourishment. A good shampoo contains beneficial substances for the hair and scalp, here we look for vitamins, proteins and natural oils that strengthen the hair strands from the inside out.
In Gentlemen of Sweden’s Hair & Beard Shampoo you will find a carefully selected blend of ingredients that not only help your hair and scalp, they also work together to give your hair and beard a silky and healthy feeling. Among the key ingredients we find wheat protein, hops extract and glycerin.
- We’ve added wheat protein because it helps strengthen hair strands while leaving them feeling soft and supple.
- Hops extract because it helps to soothe the scalp, resulting in less irritation.
- We mentioned glycerine earlier for its moisturizing properties.
We have also chosen to use both witch hazel and nettle extracts, which are known for their soothing and caring properties for both hair and scalp. This means less “fnas” in the beard and significantly higher resistance to dandruff on the scalp.
We also want to take the opportunity to insert a little information about dandruff while we’re talking about it, many shampoos are sold as dandruff shampoo with active ingredients such as hops extract, witch hazel and nettle extract, but the dandruff that we usually encounter, Malassezia, comes from a fungal infection and to get rid of it completely, a shampoo is usually needed that has something of zinc pyrithione, ketoconazole or selenium sulfide as active substances in any case if you have severe problems with dandruff.
Another really nice ingredient is sunflower seed oil which is a component that not only ensures that hair and beard retain their natural shine but also protects against external stresses such as heat, discoloration and sunlight.
Gentlemen of Sweden’s Hair & Beard Shampoo took almost a year from drawing board to bottle before we were completely satisfied. It’s based on a formula designed for daily use, suitable for all hair and beard types, and also helps you care for your hair and scalp.
8. it also treats the scalp.
A healthy scalp is the foundation of healthy hair so a good shampoo must also treat your scalp by helping to maintain its balance, whether you have a dry, oily or sensitive scalp. Gentlemen of Sweden’s Hair & Beard Shampoo does this through the ingredients witch hazel and nettle extract, witch hazel helping to reduce the risk of inflammation and irritation of both the scalp and beard, irritation that can lead to itching and redness.
To help dry and oily scalps, we use the nettle extract which helps balance sebum production which
Wheat protein and glycerine: These substances, also mentioned in point 7 above, help indirectly to create a better scalp environment. Wheat protein, which strengthens hair strands, reducing the risk of them breaking off near the scalp and thus contributing to an overall healthier environment. Glycerin that moisturizes by attracting and binding moisture, which is important to counteract dryness and flaking.
By moisturizing, soothing and balancing sebum production, our Hair & Beard Shampoo creates an optimal hair environment by balancing the scalp, making it less prone to problems such as dryness, itching, dandruff or excessive oiliness, which in turn promotes strong and healthy hair.
9. It repairs hairs
No, our shampoo cannot repair split ends. As far as we know, there are no other products that can either. There are of course products that claim to be able to repair split ends but they simply lay down like a film over the hair and encapsulate what is split, it is not visible but the problem is still there.
To really get rid of split ends, the best and probably only way is to cut the ends. However, there are products that can help prevent split ends and at the same time make them less visible, for example by strengthening the hair and protecting it from damage. Best of all, regular use of a good shampoo that soothes and moisturizes the hair and scalp while containing heat-protective ingredients generally reduces the risk of split ends to a greater extent.
Try it out Offer
Take the opportunity to let your hair and beard decide what is a good shampoo, take advantage of our “try on” offer where you as a new customer can buy a Hair & Beard Shampoo for only SEK 199!
Use the button below to take part in the offer.
