Throughout a person’s life, their hair is influenced by various factors. Sun exposure, chemical processes, the use of straighteners, hair dryers, as well as improper nutrition and even stress—all of these make our hair thin, dull, and lifeless. Hair care products are intended to address these hair problems, which is why we use them in our daily lives. Everyone wants to choose a shampoo or conditioner that will not only make their hair beautiful but also nourish it from within.
Hair types and needs
Before purchasing hair care products, every person should determine their hair type. There are four main types: dry, oily, normal, and combination. Each of these types requires specific care and a specialized range of products to help the hair rather than making it worse.
- Dry hair lacks shine, often splits and becomes highly electrified. This hair type is prone to dullness and over-drying, making it difficult to comb and style. To improve the hair situation, special restoration, moisturizing, and nourishing treatments are helpful. For this purpose, organic components such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and plant oils like olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil are added to hair care products. By the way, panthenol even prevents mechanical damage to the strands, for example, when combing or using a hairdryer.
- Oily hair tends to produce an excessive amount of sebum secretion, which results in quick dirt buildup. It is possible that greasy strands can be noticeable as early as the next day after washing. Such hair requires constant control over sebum secretion and proper scalp cleansing. There are ingredients that can help minimize hair dirtiness. These include chamomile extract, thyme and rosemary herbs, salicylic acid, and citric acid. Citrus fruits contain a substance called limonene, which helps the strands become more manageable.
- Normal hair type is everyone’s dream. People with normal hair have a healthy secretion of scalp sebum, and their hair has a natural shine and texture. It is crucial to maintain the health of normal hair and protect it from negative factors to avoid exacerbating the situation. Plant extracts, panthenol, and specific vitamins that also provide moisture are suitable for normal hair.
- Combination hair type is characterized by individuals with increased sebum secretion on the scalp and dry, easily tangled ends. In this case, a product is needed that can separately control sebum production at the roots and moisturize and restore the ends. Chamomile extract, aloe vera, plant oils, and proteins work well in handling this type of hair.
Composition and ingredients
If we look at hair care products from a manufacturing perspective, they are a combination of components with specific durability and physicochemical form. Hair care cosmetics manufacturing should select such components that will ultimately provide the product with the necessary effectiveness.
Each product contains a base, active ingredients, stabilizers, and preservatives for product preservation. Of course, not all products include the same ingredients, and they vary depending on the brand and specific product. However, we have prepared a list of hair care cosmetics and some popular components:
- Shampoos always contain cleansing agents because their purpose is to cleanse the scalp from dead skin cells, dirt, and residues of other cosmetic products. However, cleansing always leads to dryness, so shampoos should also moisturize the scalp. This is possible thanks to glycerin, oils, and plant extracts.
- Conditioner is responsible for restoring the hair structure, protecting the locks from damage, and detangling them. Therefore, softening components such as argan oil or coconut oil, and glycerin, are added to its composition. To give the hair a pleasant scent, high-quality fragrances are added to conditioners. Do not confuse conditioner with a balm, as the latter is designed to nourish our hair and therefore works more deeply.
- Masks and serums help restore the hair, giving it a healthy shine throughout its length. The main components that intensely nourish the hair include olive oil, macadamia oil, rosewood oil, as well as keratin, collagen, and vitamins. Hair will look healthy when it has enough moisture within its structure. This is possible thanks to hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and aloe vera.
- Sprays and lotions are additional assistance to our hair. They smooth and moisturize the locks, protecting them from temperature and UV rays. Therefore, thermal protective components such as arginine, certain types of silicone, plant extracts, and UV filters are added to their composition.
Manufacturing equipment and premises
Hair care cosmetics manufacturing is impossible without special equipment. The set and configuration depend on the type and volume of production, but most commonly used are mixing devices, emulsifiers, and thermostats, equipment for filling and packaging the product, as well as labeling application. Let’s go through each of them one by one.
- Mixing equipment. By the name, it is clear that they will be involved in mixing components of cosmetic products. These could be special mixers or mixing drums with a huge mechanism inside.
- Emulsifiers and thermostats are very important. Water and oil have different densities, so it is impossible to mix them together using the same mixer. Therefore, scientists came up with a trick: they heat the components to a certain temperature and then mix them using these same emulsifiers. Thermostats in production maintain and control the necessary temperature of the mixture to obtain a stable product.
- Then, the obtained liquid or emulsion needs to be properly packaged, following the dosage. And here, packaging machines are highly necessary. The parameters of packaging are programmed into them, and as a result, the manufacturer obtains the same shampoo in a special jar, a mask in a tube, or a balm in a jar.
- Simply giving consumers a transparent or white jar is not possible. No one would allow that. And that’s where it is necessary to label the packaged product. Labels, barcodes, and production dates are applied using labeling equipment. Now, the customer can identify the brand, learn about the composition of the product, follow the instructions, and dispose of it after the expiration date.
Hair care cosmetics manufacturing can operate fully when the basic components of the production facility are observed. This includes spacious premises with several zones for individual processes, specialized equipment, skilled specialists, an established raw material supply system, production management, and quality control.
Compliance and safety
In every production, adhering to rules means guaranteeing customers a safe product. Otherwise, the brand loses customers and, along with them, its reputation. Even changes in laws, regulatory acts, and testing principles must be monitored by the manufacturer and adjusted accordingly. Let’s take a closer look at these rules.
Firstly, hair care cosmetics must comply with the laws of the country in which they are manufactured. This includes requirements for registration, labeling, and providing information for consumers on the packaging. No product will reach store shelves if quality standards are not met during production. Customers always want to receive a product that is safe and effective. Therefore, it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to use ingredients, methods, and production processes that align with these standards.
Safety and effectiveness of the products are assessed through testing. Everything is inspected, from skin testing to evaluating the stability of the product. The same applies to quality control. Every production facility must have individuals or a group of people who monitor the process and conduct audits. A conscientious manufacturer of hair care products should also be concerned about the environment, following the principles of good manufacturing practices.
Conclusion
When we buy shampoo, hair masks, or sprays, we rarely think about the lengthy and meticulous production process behind them. Raw material selection, careful mixing, separation, packaging, quality control—these are just a few stages of hair care product manufacturing. The production process itself is impossible without facilities, equipment, and people overseeing the work. And once all of this is in place, it must be accompanied by product safety testing. After all, everyone wants to release an effective product on the market to satisfy their audience and increase profits.
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