Can toothpaste be used to wash hair?

Toothpaste is used in almost every aspect of our daily life. The main function of toothpaste is to clean our oral hygiene. But sometimes we find that there is no shampoo at home. Some people use toothpaste to wash their hair because toothpaste can also play a certain cleaning role. However, the substances contained in toothpaste are not suitable for washing hair because there are more alkaline substances. So can we use toothpaste to wash hair?

1) Toothpaste is highly alkaline. If you use toothpaste to wash your hair, it will damage the hair cuticles and make your hair dry and damaged.

2) The chloride contained in some toothpastes can irritate the skin. When the skin is irritated, it tends to thicken, clog the pores and form dandruff.

3) The ingredients in toothpaste are not for cleaning but for abrasive purposes. It is difficult for them to form foam on the hair and will make the hair lose its luster after washing.

extend:

The main ingredients of toothpaste

Toothpaste is made up of powdered abrasives, wetting agents, surfactants, adhesives, flavors, sweeteners and other special ingredients.

1. Friction agent

Commonly used abrasives in toothpaste are:

① Calcium carbonate (CaCO3): There are two types of calcium carbonate: heavy and light. Heavy calcium carbonate is made by crushing, grinding and refining the limestone and calcite in the rock. Light calcium carbonate is prepared by dissolving calcium salt in hydrochloric acid and then introducing carbon dioxide to obtain calcium carbonate precipitate. Light calcium carbonate has fine particles and light specific gravity and can be used in toothpaste.

② Calcium hydrogen phosphate (calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate CaHPO4•2H2O and calcium hydrogen phosphate anhydrous CaHPO4): Calcium hydrogen phosphate is divided into two types: dihydrate with two molecules of water and anhydrous salt. Dihydrate salt has good miscibility with other ingredients, but since anhydrous salt has high hardness and strong friction, 5% to 10% anhydrous salt can be mixed into the dihydrate salt in a special toothpaste for removing smoke stains.

③Calcium pyrophosphate (Ca2P2O7): Calcium pyrophosphate is obtained by high-temperature treatment of calcium hydrogen phosphate. Since it does not react with fluoride-containing compounds, it can be used as a base for fluoride toothpaste.

④ Hydrated silicate (SiO2•nH2O): Hydrated silicate is very fine white particles and can be used in transparent toothpaste. In addition, due to its large specific volume, it can be used as a toothpaste extender and viscosity enhancer.

⑤ Aluminum hydroxide [A1(OH)3]: The particles of aluminum hydroxide are relatively coarse, but it will not damage the enamel, and can increase the brightness of the toothpaste and has excellent tooth cleaning power.

2. Wetting agent

The wetting agent prevents the toothpaste from solidifying and hardening in the tube and gives the paste a glossy finish. The wetting agents used in toothpaste include glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol and many others.

3. Surfactants

To clean the dirt in the mouth, a neutral detergent, sodium lauryl sulfonate, is currently widely used. It can foam quickly, and can both produce foam and clean the dirt in the mouth. The surfactants used in toothpaste must have very high purity and must not have any odor. The general usage is 2%.