Liquid soaps - how are they all different?

Anyone here with a chemistry background? I'd love to know the real difference between shampoo, body wash, bubble bath, liquid hand soap, heck, even dish washing soap.

Are they interchangeable? What happens if you wash your body with shampoo? What...

happens if you use hand soap in your hair? Some seem more watery, some seem more soapy but I've seen that even within shampoos themselves. That giant bottle of body wash at wal-mart for 2.99... how is it different from my Jasmine Vanilla Body Wash that came in a tiny bottle and cost almost $15?

Is it all a big con? Or a little con, to some extent? lol. Is it all the same thing with different smells? I have a friend who has used shampoo for everything. Last time I saw him he seemed healthy and clean.

I think they differ mainly in ph value and % of detergent

The ingrediants in a typical shampoo for example, are 75% water, 10% detergent - also known as surfactants, that have the special ability to surround oily materials which allows them to be rinsed away by water afterwards.

5% salt to thicken

The remaining 10% is alkanolamides, (these make it foam better), polymers and silicones (conditioning agents) the perfume and colour.

Everything is put into a huge mixing vessel, mixed well and then pumped into barrels ready to be bottled.

Basically, the cheap bottle from Walmart is likely to treat your hair in a similar way to the $15.00 bottle you mention.

Like perfumes, you pay more for the brand name and quality of the ingredients

PS
I dont have a chemistry degree but I used to work at the head office and manufacturing plant at The Body Shop cosmestic company in Britain. (There are quite a few of these shops in the US and all over the world)

I did not make the products but one of my buddies gave me a great tour one afternoon around the manufacturing plant.

Kiasu

I think all of them have different makes and effects...not all the same.

Like for example: If you used dishwashing soap on your hair, it strips out the pugmint and moisture...alas, you have dry, off color hair. The same goes with hand soap, although it is less potent than the dishwater soap.

Shampoo however, is made for the hair, which, would be created to be gentle on the body as well.It won't provide you with the greatest CLEAN or moisture you would have with body wash, but it would work.

The giant bottle from Walmart must lack the moisturizing anfd healing benefits that your Jasmine body wash will have...the minerals and vitamins haven't been incorperated into the Walmart stuff like they have into the Jasmine, so they are not the same.
The benificail contents raise the price of anything.

The difference is the ingredients for everything...and how they are made to use on certain things...shampoo for hair, hand wash for hands, ECT.)

I might not make any sense...but, just a few thoughts.

in an emergancy only {lol} I've used shampoo for body wash and liquid hand soap for my dishes and it works the same however I wouldn't get into the habit of doing that because in my mind it's 'not supposed to be that way' lol!

If you were to do that regulary ya3ni , it would damage your skin as it is too harsh and has a much higher detergent content that shampoo.

Kiasu

LOL Kiasu, ya3ni is using shampoo on her body... wouldn't shampoo be probably the mildest of all the soaps? Or did you think she was saying she's used hand soap on her bod?

Probably the only thing we shouldn't do is use shampoo for the dishes... and dish soap for our hair and bodies? Kiasu can you list them all by their detergent percentages? Thanks!

Sorry pinkpearl,
I read it wrong.

I thought she said dish washing liquid for shampoo...!!

Sorry again, late night.

:-)

HEYYY. Where's my list? lol

Hi pinkpearl

I only just got in from work a few minutes ago and I'm (as we say in Britain,) Knackered'!

Will try and do this tomorrow. Just off to bed in a few minutes.

Kiasu