Is Old Spice Shampoo good for your hair?

Old Spice is known for its legendary manly scented products, budget-friendly prices, and big product sizes. For so many Old Spice Shampoos are a staple in their hair care routines but are these products really good for your hair? Can they cause hair loss? In this post, we outline everything you need to know about Old Spice shampoo. 

Ingredients in Old Spice shampoos

Old Spice shampoos contain common ingredients found in other shampoos. While most of these ingredients are safe, few may present a potential risk for the hair. Some of these ingredients include:

Surfactants

Old spice shampoos contain a blend of both natural and synthetic surfactants that cleanse off dirt and oil particles on the hair. Like most brands on the market, these shampoos contain sulfate-based surfactants like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. 

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate although an effective cleanser, is known to cause mild irritations to the skin and scalp and may also trigger allergic reactions and cause dryness of the scalp.  

Old Spice shampoos also contain Cocamidopropyl Betaine a naturally-derived surfactant made from coconut oil. This cleanser is more gentle than sulfate-based cleansers and softens hair texture.

Silicones

The role of silicones in shampoos is to impart a silky texture and glossy shine to hair strands. SiIlicones act by forming a shiny protective film on each hair strand to prevent water loss and enhance hair softness.

Although this sounds great, the problem with silicones is that some silicone compounds tend to be too heavy for the hair and difficult to rinse out leaving residue on the scalp. 

In the case of Old spice shampoos, Dimethicone is the most frequently used silicone. This water-based silicone washes off relatively better than most silicone compounds in shampoos. 

Fragrance

Old Spice stands out for its enticing manly signature scents that are well balanced to be strong yet not overwhelming notes. To achieve this the brand blends various fragrance compounds.

These scents are created by blending both synthetic fragrances like Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, and Ethyl Hydroxypyrone, and naturally-derived fragrance ingredients like Limonene (from citrus fruit peels), Coumarin (Tonka bean) and Hexyl Cinnamal (chamomille fower).

There is a concern with fragrance ingredients being skin sensitizers, meaning they can cause allergic reactions in some.

In Europe, 26 fragrance ingredients including Coumarin, Limonene, and Hexyl Cinnamal have been listed as potential skin sensitizers.

Although considered safe, these chemical compounds may trigger allergic reactions on the skin after prolonged use, especially in people with sensitive skin.

Preservatives

Because shampoos are products that come in contact with water, preservatives are necessary to prevent the growth of bacteria in them. The main preservatives found in Old Spice shampoos are Methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI), Methylisothiazolinone(MI), Sodium Benzoate, and Tetrasodium EDTA.

These preservatives also present a risk of irritations to the skin. Notably, MCI is known to cause dry flaky or scaly skin and irritations such as redness and itchiness of the skin. If your scalp is prone to eczema chances are this preservative will trigger a reaction. 

MI is equally known to cause the body to react in the form of itching, burning, scaling, hives and blistering of the skin. 

Natural plant oils

Old Spice shampoos also contain natural plant oils that nourish and strengthen hair. This includes oils like shea butter, castor oil, coconut oil, hemp oil, etc. 

Plant extracts

Old Spice shampoos also contain other plant extracts like tea tree essential oil, vitamin C, and biotin to maintain hair health. 

Conditioning compounds

Old Spice shampoos are formulated with hair conditioning ingredients whose role is to soften and smoothen the hair. These include ingredients like Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, dimethicone, polyquaternium-6 and dimethiconol.

Does Old Spice shampoo cause hair loss?

Although Old Spice products contain sulfates and other ingredients susceptible to irritating the scalp, there is no scientific proof that these products can cause hair loss.

Old Spice shampoos on the contrary contain hair nourishing ingredients like biotin which help maintain and improve hair health.

The OLD Spice 3 in 1 thickening system for men comes with a shampoo infused with biotin, a conditioner infused with vitamin C and a moisturizer made with castor oil.

However, because these shampoos contain potentially irritating ingredients it is possible to experience dryness which may in turn weaken hair strands.

FAQs

Can Old Spice shampoo cause acne?

Shampoos in general can trigger acne in some people because they contain oils and other pore-clogging compounds like silicones.

If you have oily or acne-prone skin it is best to prevent Old Spice shampoo from coming in contact with your face or acne-prone areas of your body. In case your shampoo comes in contact with these areas of your skin, rinse thoroughly and cleanse your skin with a salicylic acid-based face wash.  

Are Old Spice shampoos color safe?

Yes, Old Spice shampoos are color-safe.

Do Old Spice shampoos have DMDM Hydantoin?

No, Old spice shampoos do not contain DMDM Hydantoin. This is a preservative known to be a formaldehyde-releaser which can be cancerogenic.

Does Old Spice shampoo have sulfate?

Yes, Old Spice shampoos contain sulfates in the form of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl sulfate. These two surfactants have a mild irritant potential however, Old Spice shampoos also contain more gentle surfactants that balance the effect of sulfates for very mild formulas for the hair. 

Are Old Spice shampoos good for dandruff?

Although Old Spice shampoos are mild, they may cause dandruff in people who are sensitive to sulfates, fragrance and certain preservatives found in these products. 

Is Old Spice shampoo good or bad for your hair?

Overall, Old Spice shampoos are not bad shampoos to use for your hair. The brand is one of the few that uses a minimal amount of toxic ingredients in its products.

Old Spice Shampoos are mild cleansers and also contain hair-friendly ingredients like natural oils, plant extracts, and conditioning compounds.

Although they contain sulfates, their potential drying effect is balanced out by the presence of other gentle surfactants that result in overall gentle products.

Customers rave about how nice they smell without being overwhelming or irritating. However, people who have known allergies to fragrances should be careful when trying Old Spice shampoos. In terms of quality, these shampoos are among the best drug store shampoos although they are not classed as “natural”.