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I’ve recently updated this article reviewing the E45 Shampoo as it’s been getting a lot of traffic, largely from people wanting to know about it’s effect on hair loss. I’ve refreshed the piece and added it below so it’s updated for 2022.
As a beauty/grooming blogger, I try out a lot of stuff – loads. Therefore it’s inevitable that every now and then, something is going to cause a reaction and unfortunately for me, when I react, I react.
This week I was trying out a certain shampoo (that shall remain nameless) and received one hell of a reaction, and my scalp was on fire. I had to calm it all down with one of my prescription antihistamines, a good one and a prescription topical antihistamine and hydrocortisone that I have for the odd flare up. I took the tablet and applied the cream thickly to my scalp and then slept in a head-scarf to keep it all in. It took 2 days of this to calm it down!
So when you’ve had your reaction or if you’re naturally prone to an itchy, dry or flaky scalp, what the hell are you supposed to use? E45 to the rescue and I wish I’d had a bottle of this on hand that night.
E45 not usually a go-to beauty brand
It’s a weird one is E45 occupy that middle space between pharmaceutical and cosmetic. It’s not a brand you’re proud to take a #shelfie of or have displayed by your bath. But, despite E45 not being Instagrammable I love their products and have sworn by their shower cream for about two years now, since it’s launch, for 2 reasons:
- If you’re a hairy Mary and shave, harsh shower cleansers can cause the follicles to become dry, irritated and red.
- If you gym regularly your bot-bot and front-bits can become a bit dry from the sweat and constant, erm, motion.
So the E45 shower cream really comes in handy and often, even since writing this article originally 7 years ago, there’s a bottle of this in my bathroom cabinet – a new one, obviously. I didn’t know however that E45 actually do this shampoo, the E45 Shampoo for dry, itchy and flakey scalp, until I went hunting for it out of hope. My god it’s amazing.
E45 Shampoo Ingredients
The ingredients are as follows:
Aqua, Sodium Myreth Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Laureth-6, Laureth-2, Sodium Chloride, Glyceryl Oleate, Glycol Distearate, Climbazole, Panthenol, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-10, Potassium Sorbate.
That’s it. There’s very little in there and in particular, no fragrance and it’s clinically tested.
It’s a sort of pearlescent texture and appearance as it contains hydrating moisturisers to try and put the moisture back into the scalp whilst cleansing it.
How does E45 shampoo feel after use?
Even though I will always use a conditioner afterwards, after rinsing out the E45 Shampoo, my hair feels very cleansed but not dry, dehydrated or straw-like plus my scalp feels soothed and very, very fresh.
At the same time, as I worried it might, your hair doesn’t feel greasy and sludgy like you’ve dumped a bucket of aqueous cream over your hair; it’s a very nice product that would make a great base to any scents, actives or essential oils.
E45 Shampoo and hair loss
I’m not 100% sure where this is coming from but have seen a lot of search traffic around this. I wasn’t sure where this was coming from so I did some digging. E45 make zero claims either way on their shampoo’s effect on hair loss.
Does E45 Shampoo cause hair loss?
Regarding this E45 Shampoo causing hair loss, there’s not much I could find after researching each of the main ingredients. It’s a very simple shampoo and avoids a lot of the true nasties and I cannot find anything that would cause this to lead to increased hair loss versus any other regular shampoo out there.
Can E45 Shampoo prevent hair loss?
In terms of E45 shampoo preventing hair loss, there could be an angle for that. By using calming shampoos and products on the hair and using products that focus on scalp health rather than superficial hair appearance, you might reduce some hair loss.
The E45 Shampoo also contains Climbazole, an anti-fungal agent that is commonly used in shampoos that benefit dandruff and eczema, which can help soothe the scalp and prevent hairloss that would be associated with these concerns.
However, please don’t take my comment on hair loss benefits out of context. Hair loss is largely genetic and whilst some products such as Alpecin can slow it down, if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen.
Nothing restores hair other than a hair transplant; do not be fooled by dubious claims purporting miracle cures and reversal. However, hair loss that’s caused by damaged to the scalp caused by exceptionally bad products and ingredients, hair breakages caused by overly dry hair and other external hair loss factors; the E45 Shampoo may be able to calm that and reduce the symptoms, but that’s where that starts and stops.
Is there an E45 Conditioner?
No, currently there is no E45 conditioner available. However I found that afterwards my hair did not need more hydration as the Shampoo delivers quite a lot.
Building an E45 first-aid kit
If you spend a lot of time with beauty products, either professionally or as a hobby, or even someone who is just prone to skin reactions, get yourself a capsule collection/first-aid kit of E45 skin products such as the shower cream, shampoo, itch cream and body lotion just in case; I think I’d be lost without mine.
- E45 Dermatological Dry Scalp Shampoo
- E45 Emollient Shower Cream
- E45 Itch Relief Cream
- E45 Dermatological Moisturising Lotion
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