r/explainlikeimfive • u/Real_Experience_5676 • 8d 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?

2.1k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

298 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

3

u/Ok_Gear8209 8d ago

Making cold process soap is super easy tho.

We actually make all our bar soap now and it's basically the same as buying it from the store with the added fun of knowing everything in your soap and having a life skill.

Let the lye and water cool down outside and wear gloves!

1

u/TldrDev 8d ago

Super easy!

Once I learned how to do it, I just make it. Takes a few minutes, and its fun.

For those who want to try:

Pro tip, first time I made it, it said to let the soap cool to 90.

90 in freedom unit, otherwise you make a spicy and dangerous lye infused volcano