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What Is Vanilla Shampoo?

S. Gonzales
S. Gonzales

Vanilla shampoo is shampoo that is made with either vanilla extract or vanilla fragrance. Consumers usually choose vanilla shampoo over others because of its scent, but some opt to buy vanilla shampoo because of its healing properties on the hair. Vanilla shampoos can be marketed alongside complementary vanilla beauty products, and buying them can become costly, but shampoos containing vanilla can also be prepared inexpensively at home.

Besides being an appealing fragrance to its users, vanilla has a reputation for having high conditioning properties. The polysaccharides in natural vanilla are considered to have great moisturizing abilities. For this reason, many people choose shampoos with natural vanilla in them to help treat damaged hair. Amino acid proteins contained in the shampoo might also be able to strengthen the hair.

Some vanilla products are shampoos and conditioners in one. Certain vanilla shampoos claim to thicken the hair, too. Adding volume to the hair can be one effect that vanilla shampoos have on their users.

Vanilla shampoo is often chosen because of its sweet scent.
Vanilla shampoo is often chosen because of its sweet scent.

Vanilla shampoos are often sold with complementary products. For instance, the same manufacturer of a vanilla shampoo can offer a vanilla lotion, body spray, bubble bath or other beauty or skin-care products. Many manufacturers will advise users to use the products in conjunction with each other for maximum effect of the vanilla fragrance. They might even say that the different products layer over each other to provide a vanilla fragrance all day long.

Using vanilla shampoo may help alleviate dry scalp.
Using vanilla shampoo may help alleviate dry scalp.

Though many vanilla beauty products are sold separately, it's not uncommon to find all-in-one vanilla products. For example, a vanilla shampoo might also be marketed as a body wash. This means that its users can apply it to both their hair and their body to achieve a post-bath vanilla scent. Buying these types of all-in-one products might save consumers money.

Vanilla shampoo is often sold in packages with fragranced bubble bath, shower gel and other products.
Vanilla shampoo is often sold in packages with fragranced bubble bath, shower gel and other products.

Certain vanilla shampoos can be used with permed or colored hair without damaging the treatments. Consumers who want to use vanilla shampoo on processed hair should look for products that advertise gentle cleaning and no ill effects on treated hair. Regular products might provide a harsher cleaning.

Consumers who are interested in using vanilla shampoo but don't want to spend a lot of money on retail beauty products can look into making their own. Vanilla shampoo can be created at home using common ingredients such as cocoa, vanilla essential oil and table salt. Recipes are easy to follow, and the resulting shampoo can stay fresh for weeks after it is prepared.

Discussion Comments

seag47

Vanilla shampoo is the absolute best moisturizing shampoo on the market, in my opinion. I have tried many shampoos in my life, but vanilla is by far my favorite.

I have hair that is somewhat dry, so this shampoo is ideal for me. I use it every day, and it keeps my hair soft and hydrated.

I also love the scent. I own vanilla perfume, lotion, and air fresheners, so it is kind of my thing. I was searching for a moisturizing shampoo when I stumbled on vanilla, so imagine my joy at finding out that what I needed was available in my favorite scent!

wavy58

My sister makes her own vanilla shampoo, but because it smells so much like chocolate and looks gooey and brown, I call it fudge shampoo. She makes it so that her daughter and son will get more excited about bath time, but she has to keep them from eating it, because it smells so good!

I know that she used cocoa powder and vanilla essential oil, but I'm not sure what else she had to put in it to make it act like a shampoo. It's great for kids, but I don't think I would want to use it on my own head.

For one thing, the smell lingers in your hair. If I had to smell like fudge all day, I wouldn't be able to stop the cravings for it. I have enough trouble avoiding overeating as it is, so I don't need this added temptation!

shell4life

@kylee07drg – I didn't know that vanilla shampoo would work that well at repairing severely damaged hair. I use it solely for its volumizing ability, and I am very impressed with it for this alone.

I used to have thick hair, but over the years, it has thinned out. I missed the lively hair I used to have, so I began looking for the best volumizing shampoo.

I tried vanilla shampoo after several other cheaper kinds had failed to deliver the results I wanted. As soon as I lathered it up, I could feel a difference. As I was rinsing it out, I could tell that my hair had more body.

After I blow dried it, I could really tell. It felt thicker than it had when I got in the shower, and this amazed me.

kylee07drg

I started using vanilla shampoo after a hair fiasco at the salon that was years in the making. I had started out with a perm, which I had chemically straightened after only three months. I also had blonde highlights put in at the time, and this was just too much for my hair to bear.

Pieces of it actually curled up and melted away. My hair looked awful. I knew that it needed therapy, and I had heard that vanilla shampoo could have a healing effect.

I used the shampoo along with a vanilla conditioner, and though they were rather costly, they were worth the money. The products actually made my hopeless hair softer and more voluminous, a feat which I thought impossible.

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    • Vanilla shampoo is often chosen because of its sweet scent.
      By: Valua Vitaly
      Vanilla shampoo is often chosen because of its sweet scent.
    • Using vanilla shampoo may help alleviate dry scalp.
      By: Jasmin Merdan
      Using vanilla shampoo may help alleviate dry scalp.
    • Vanilla shampoo is often sold in packages with fragranced bubble bath, shower gel and other products.
      By: stormy
      Vanilla shampoo is often sold in packages with fragranced bubble bath, shower gel and other products.