One for All

Time is Money.  It’s a saying that everyone has heard once in their life.  It’s been pretty much ingrained in our psyche.  Saving time is pretty much a badge of honor for most men.  It’s the reason why we get the groceries into the house in one trip.  Men love to save time, AND if we can save money while saving time…that’s the ultimate win-win.  

Here’s the problem with that….

Companies know that we think this way and (some) will exploit it.

Like most guys, I am guilty of trying to save time AND money by buying shampoo & conditioner combos.  Pretty harmless stuff.  Nothing wrong with a good 2 in 1 hair product, right?  The problem is eventually, those 2 in 1 combos became 3 in 1s (body wash, shampoo & conditioners) and then those become 4 in 1s (face & body wash, shampoo & conditioners).  If this trend continues the next thing you know, you will be brushing your teeth with the same thing that you clean your armpits with.  There is such a thing, as too much of a good thing.

My biggest beef with these products is that they encourage bad habits.  First of all, you should NEVER use shampoo as a body wash.  That’s the quickest way to dry out your skin and irritate it.  Secondly, you should NEVER shampoo your hair every day.  Shampooing your hair every day rips out the natural oils that your body produces that are good for your hair, dries out your scalp and your hair, making it brittle and unhealthy.  It may feel good to do and you might love the way your hair smells afterward, but you can bet that you will start to notice your hair thinning sooner rather than later.  You should, however, be using conditioner and using it often.  Can’t do one without the other if you are using a combination shampoo and conditioner.  

To be fair, most brands have taken the steps making their 2 in 1s more conditioner than shampoo to reduce the harmful effects of shampooing your hair too often.  If you have oily hair, they may be too heavy for you but in most cases, they work pretty well.  However, these 2 in 1s are typically silicone based (Dimethicone is the most common).  If you happen to use hair gel or pomade that’s silicone based as well, then you are going to run into silicone build up in your hair.  Then you’ll need to buy “clarifying” to wash out the build-up.  So much for those couple of bucks that you thought you were savings.

Buy your products separate.  I know it’s not the only way but it’s a better way.