Published Paper Details:

Shampoo is the most common form of hair treatment. Shampoos are mainly used for cleansing the hair and scalp. But these days additional benefits other than pure cleaning of the hair are expected from shampoo formulations such as conditioning, smoothing of the hair surface, good health of hair including hair free from dandruff, dirt, grease and lice and, above all, it should be safe to use without any harmful effects. So to popularize herbal shampoo, the consumer expectations from a shampoo have to be changed, with emphasis on its safety and efficacy. The challenges also lie in selecting materials that can be reasonably justified as natural and also match the performance characteristics of the chemical shampoo formulations available in the market. The increase in variety and the number of chemicals introduced into the market and also into the environment has resulted in the requirements for protection of human health and the environment. This has necessitated the monitoring of materials used and the development of rapid and reliable methods for toxicity evaluation and risks. This investigation reveals that the various chemicals and synthetic preservatives used in synthetic shampoos sometimes have been the cause of harmful effects among consumers. As our scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of the body, products applied to the scalp enter directly into the blood. So it is very important to know the effects of ingredients used in shampoo formulations. In the present review the shampoo formulations based on synthetic ingredients and herbal ingredients are compared for their effectiveness and safety.