What is Mild Shampoo and What Are Its Benefits?
We all use shampoo to clean the dirt, oil, and styling products from our hair. This keeps those strands healthy and strong, though some shampoos aren’t as beneficial as you may think. Many shampoo formulas contain harsh ingredients that can do more damage than they prevent. If your hair needs a bit more care, a mild shampoo is a good option to try out. These formulas are gentle and safe for all hair types. If you’re wondering what mild shampoo is and what its benefits are, read on.
Regular Shampoo Issues
Though they are designed to clean your hair, many shampoos on the market contain several ingredients that do more harm than good. These include strong cleansers, like sulfates, which help wash away all the dirt and oil that has accumulated in your hair.
There are also a variety of other harsh ingredients in many formulas. Parabens and formaldehyde are preservatives to keep the shampoo from growing bacteria. The parabens also mimic estrogen and may be linked to breast cancer, while formaldehyde is a carcinogen that can be absorbed into the skin. Sodium Chloride is salt and is used to create a thick consistency in shampoos, though it can cause irritation and even increase hair loss in some cases.
Synthetic fragrances may create a lovely scent but many people are allergic to them. They also aren’t the healthiest alternative since there are natural fragrance options. Dimethicone is a type of silicone and is used to create those glossy locks but it can weigh down your hair, clog your pores and reduce moisture absorption.
Why is Mild Shampoo Better?
Mild shampoo eliminates all of these chemicals and many more from their formula, making it a much gentler choice for your hair and scalp. Most mild shampoo brands stick to natural ingredients that contain a variety of nutrients, giving your hair a healthy glow and protecting it at the same time.
Though they still use cleansers, the ones included in the mild shampoos are not as strong, including Cocamidopropyl betaine, ammonioesters, alkanolamides, and a few others that sound scary but don’t cause any of the issues associated with the harsh chemical cleansers.
Mild shampoo also includes a few extra conditioning agents to help nourish, moisturize, and protect your hair as it cleans it. These include keratin, amino acids, plant extracts, vitamins, shea butter, glycerin, and natural or essential oils.
All of those mild ingredients work together to clean the hair and scalp without irritation. They won’t cause dryness, either, so you won’t be dealing with split ends, dry strands, or a flaky scalp.
Who Should Use Mild Shampoo?
A gentle shampoo is great for all hair types, though some need it more than others.
Oily Hair
Oily hair doesn’t have the dryness issues that other hair types deal with, so those extra moisturizers and conditioning agents aren’t needed for this hair type. A mild shampoo that focuses more on cleansing instead of moisturizing is best for oily hair to get rid of that excess oil without leaving a greasy texture behind.
Dry Hair
All of those harsh chemicals do a number on dry hair since they can make such issues even worse, leaving you with brittle hair with a rough texture and more split ends than you can count. Mild shampoos can give your dry hair new life since it doesn’t strip away the natural oils your scalp produces.
Instead, it focuses more on the dirt and styling products, leaving much of the oil where it belongs. Those conditioning agents also add a touch of softness to your hair, repairing damage to your strands and preventing it from recurring.
Curly Hair
Curly hair tends to be one of the driest hair types. This is because it takes so long for the natural oils of your hair to work their way down those twisting strands. Using the wrong shampoo can make this issue worse, leaving you with frizzy hair instead of gorgeous curly locks.
A mild shampoo is a must for curly hair to reduce dryness, thanks to the moisturizing ingredients included in these formulas. It’s also a good idea to shampoo every other day or so. More frequent washing can strip those oils away, so no matter what shampoo you use, less washing can help your hair stay soft and gorgeous.
Colored Hair
It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to color your hair. The harsh chemicals in a regular shampoo can strip that color away, leaving you with a dull shade that you never wanted in the first place. The gentle cleansers in mild shampoos don’t do the same damage, so your hair stays the color you want for much longer.
Dandruff
Those harsh chemicals aren’t great for dandruff since they can dry out your scalp even more and increase the oil production in your scalp. This leads to an increase in dandruff. A mild shampoo doesn’t have this same effect. Many of them also contain zinc pyrithione, which can help reduce the dandruff you already have.
Thin Hair
Thin hair tends to be a bit drier and more prone to breakage than most other hair types. Using a mild shampoo can keep it strong and add softness to it. Depending on which brand you buy, it could also include a thickening agent in the formula, such as biotin, amino acids, ginseng, or peppermint oil. This will give your hair a fuller look and add a bit of volume, so it will look thicker than it is.
Conclusion
With so many brands and types of shampoo on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is the right one for your hair type and issues. No matter what your hair is like, a mild shampoo is always a good choice. These shampoos are gentle on your hair and scalp, so they don’t cause any breakage or irritation. As well as the gentle cleansers, they also contain a variety of other helpful ingredients, like vitamins and moisturizers, to keep your hair as healthy and beautiful as possible.
Resources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/mild-shampoo
https://www.femina.in/beauty/hair/benefits-of-mild-shampoo-for-healthy-hair-139931.html
