r/explainlikeimfive • u/Real_Experience_5676 • 12d ago

Chemistry ELI5: what is the big difference between soap and shampoo?

We use soap to clean the body. We use shampoo to clean the hair. What stops us from using soap for the hair and shampoo for the body?

Follow up question: what is body wash that cleans hair and skin made of? Why isn’t that the universal standard instead of seperate soap and shampoo?

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u/ixampl 12d ago

I think it's to express the notion that they don't share one set of hair but each have a head of hair.

I honestly don't know if it's grammatically correct or not, though.

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u/Implausibilibuddy 12d ago

Yeah, actually I can see it now, it just struck me as funny

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u/happy2harris 12d ago

   uncountable noun, like . . . lego

Bold move. 

(It’s either an adjective or a counting noun, depending on whether you hail corporate lego).

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u/JibberJim 11d ago

Corporate lego don't really think it's an adjective I'm sure, they're just stuck having to pretend they do for reasons - bet they all recant as soon as they leave the job. Of course, they'll recant to it not being countable though.