The Real Way You Should Be Double Shampooing
For years, we were told to lather, rinse, repeat. And then for a few more years, we were all told it was one big lie constructed by the hair-care industry to sell more shampoo. After we busted that myth—double shampooing is totally necessary, which is good because I do it compulsively anyway—we come to a fork in the road. Can’t you just double shampoo by washing with the same shampoo twice? As turns out, nope.
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“The use of two different shampoos for this double-wash has a lot of merit,” says cosmetic chemist Jim Hammer. “It allows us to first strip away the dirt, scalp oils, and leftover product residue, and then use a specialty shampoo to deliver additional performance benefits.”
And hairstylist DJ Quintero agreed: “Double shamps aren’t just aren’t just for the experimental,” he said. (And now from this moment forward, I will refer to the process of washing your hair twice in succession exclusively as “double shamps.”) “Many—if not most—people benefit from using two different shampoos because most people have combination hair.”
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But, as is true for all product cocktailing, it can go really wrong, really fast. Ahead, Quintero breaks down the best double-shamps formulas depending on your hair type. It’s sort of like math, but easier.
