James Grundy, R&D Director of Eufora12.01.14
Cleansing Conditioners are all the rage. But, what exactly is a Cleansing Conditioner? How does it work? Should your clients ditch their current shampooing regimen?
First, let me explain what exactly Cleansing Conditioners really are. Cleansing Conditioners are basically conditioner’s… which begs the question, “How do they clean the hair? …or do they?” The answer… “Emulsion technology”. Emulsion (in Latin “milked out”) is defined as, “a liquid preparation consisting of two completely immiscible liquids”. For the instance of a lotion or conditioner this is the blending of water with oil. If you were to take vegetable oil and put into water it would float on top. The only way to get the oil to mix with water is to create a “micelle” emulsion. Micelle is “an aggregate of surfactant molecules dispersed in a liquid colloid. A typical micelle in aqueous solution forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic "head" (water loving) regions in contact with surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single-tail (oil loving) regions in the micelle center” Wikipedia.
These micelles are what make emulsions white…and allow them to capture excess oils and dirt from the hair. The other way to remove dirt is through solvents like glycerin, or glycols that can dissolve oils and dirt and remove them. Neither of these methods do a great job of removing oils and dirt on a limited basis…there is only so much oil the emulsion can hold (remember) the formula itself has oils which is why there is an emulsion in the first place. If hair is too dirty the emulsion won’t be able to trap the oils and dirt and oil will continue to accumulate and “Build Up”. This is the problem with a lot of the current cleansing conditioners.
Now that we know a little about how cleansing conditioners work and what their limitations are, we can now move to what Eufora is doing and how we feel our Cleansing Cream has technology that over comes the challenges others face. When Eufora launched the Curl’n Collection we decided a cleansing cream would be a perfect fit. Curly hair especially ethnic hair demands more oils/moisture. However, we knew the limitations with the current cleansing conditioners and wanted to fix them. Eufora utilizes a blend of special plant extracts with high levels of saponins (desert date/soap berry, baby’s breath and shikakai) that help to cleanse the hair without the need of traditional surfactants, leaving the hair hydrated without buildup. SapoWhat’s…? Saponins are a found in many plants around the world and are characterized by their “Soap-Like” functions. By utilizing these special soap-like extracts we were able to remove excess oils and buildup yet still maintain the benefits of a conditioner. In a sense, Eufora was the first to be a truly “Cleansing Conditioner.”
Does this mean you should ditch your current shampoo? Even Wen after receiving many complaints of buildup and drying, admitted that using a traditional shampoo once a week was a must. The fact is there isn’t enough surfactants in the Cleansing Conditioners to really remove all the oils, dirt and product buildup. Using traditional shampoo’s every so often is important to keep the hair and scalp refreshed and healthy.
In conclusion, cleansing conditioners seems to be growing and consumers are looking for products that condition yet cleanse the hair in a safe and effective manner. I believe that Eufora's Curl'n Cleansing Cream will meet there needs in a way that is more effective than what others are doing.
About the expert
Things aren’t slowing down for professional haircare manufacturer, Eufora Intl., as the company continues to expand with the addition of a new laboratory and James Grundy as Director of Research and Development, Quality Assurance and Regulatory. Eufora stands behind the mantra “Beauty without Compromise,” and Grundy will continue to bring this vision to life. With over a decade of experience developing ground-breaking products for world-renowned beauty companies, Grundy will seek out the newest and best technologies and ingredients to develop high performance and sustainable products.
Grundy has developed many products for companies such as American Crew, Eufora, Icon, Micheal O’Rourke, Garden Botanika, Creative Nail Design and many of the top spas and resorts around the world. He will continue to innovative exclusively for Eufora.
First, let me explain what exactly Cleansing Conditioners really are. Cleansing Conditioners are basically conditioner’s… which begs the question, “How do they clean the hair? …or do they?” The answer… “Emulsion technology”. Emulsion (in Latin “milked out”) is defined as, “a liquid preparation consisting of two completely immiscible liquids”. For the instance of a lotion or conditioner this is the blending of water with oil. If you were to take vegetable oil and put into water it would float on top. The only way to get the oil to mix with water is to create a “micelle” emulsion. Micelle is “an aggregate of surfactant molecules dispersed in a liquid colloid. A typical micelle in aqueous solution forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic "head" (water loving) regions in contact with surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single-tail (oil loving) regions in the micelle center” Wikipedia.
These micelles are what make emulsions white…and allow them to capture excess oils and dirt from the hair. The other way to remove dirt is through solvents like glycerin, or glycols that can dissolve oils and dirt and remove them. Neither of these methods do a great job of removing oils and dirt on a limited basis…there is only so much oil the emulsion can hold (remember) the formula itself has oils which is why there is an emulsion in the first place. If hair is too dirty the emulsion won’t be able to trap the oils and dirt and oil will continue to accumulate and “Build Up”. This is the problem with a lot of the current cleansing conditioners.
Now that we know a little about how cleansing conditioners work and what their limitations are, we can now move to what Eufora is doing and how we feel our Cleansing Cream has technology that over comes the challenges others face. When Eufora launched the Curl’n Collection we decided a cleansing cream would be a perfect fit. Curly hair especially ethnic hair demands more oils/moisture. However, we knew the limitations with the current cleansing conditioners and wanted to fix them. Eufora utilizes a blend of special plant extracts with high levels of saponins (desert date/soap berry, baby’s breath and shikakai) that help to cleanse the hair without the need of traditional surfactants, leaving the hair hydrated without buildup. SapoWhat’s…? Saponins are a found in many plants around the world and are characterized by their “Soap-Like” functions. By utilizing these special soap-like extracts we were able to remove excess oils and buildup yet still maintain the benefits of a conditioner. In a sense, Eufora was the first to be a truly “Cleansing Conditioner.”
Does this mean you should ditch your current shampoo? Even Wen after receiving many complaints of buildup and drying, admitted that using a traditional shampoo once a week was a must. The fact is there isn’t enough surfactants in the Cleansing Conditioners to really remove all the oils, dirt and product buildup. Using traditional shampoo’s every so often is important to keep the hair and scalp refreshed and healthy.
In conclusion, cleansing conditioners seems to be growing and consumers are looking for products that condition yet cleanse the hair in a safe and effective manner. I believe that Eufora's Curl'n Cleansing Cream will meet there needs in a way that is more effective than what others are doing.
About the expert
Things aren’t slowing down for professional haircare manufacturer, Eufora Intl., as the company continues to expand with the addition of a new laboratory and James Grundy as Director of Research and Development, Quality Assurance and Regulatory. Eufora stands behind the mantra “Beauty without Compromise,” and Grundy will continue to bring this vision to life. With over a decade of experience developing ground-breaking products for world-renowned beauty companies, Grundy will seek out the newest and best technologies and ingredients to develop high performance and sustainable products.
Grundy has developed many products for companies such as American Crew, Eufora, Icon, Micheal O’Rourke, Garden Botanika, Creative Nail Design and many of the top spas and resorts around the world. He will continue to innovative exclusively for Eufora.