--- title: Hair: The History of Shampoo description: Lather, rinse, repeat canonical: https://time.com/3998228/history-of-shampoo/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-08-14T18:27:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:58:09.407Z article:section: Health og:title: The History of Shampoo og:description: Lather, rinse, repeat og:url: https://time.com/3998228/history-of-shampoo/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56740b61281d32ae/69885f4ce20a875732a8cbfd/shampoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5163 og:image:height: 2904 og:image:alt: shampoo og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The History of Shampoo twitter:description: Lather, rinse, repeat twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56740b61281d32ae/69885f4ce20a875732a8cbfd/shampoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The History of Shampoo > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=414323e8-3dc5-4c4a-a268-717025858342&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: WATCH: How to Wash Your Hair in Space [Watch (HLS stream): WATCH: How to Wash Your Hair in Space](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MFNw3RP8.m3u8) (2:57)  _Published 2013-07-12. All you need is a bit of water and no-rinse shampoo._ by [Melanie Abrahams / MIMI](https://time.com/author/mimi/) ## Melanie Abrahams / MIMI Author Aug 14, 2015 6:27 PM UTC  Bubbles coming out of a shampoo bottle Bubbles coming out of a shampoo bottle Getty Images by [Melanie Abrahams / MIMI](https://time.com/author/mimi/) ## Melanie Abrahams / MIMI Author Aug 14, 2015 6:27 PM UTC [_MIMI_](https://www.mimichatter.com/) _is a Time Inc. property._ Shampoo is good for many things. It makes you smell good, it can give you an extra little bounce, and it’s a delightful substitute for bubble bath in a pinch. But where did this miracle stuff come from? We owe a ton of gratitude to the people of ancient Egypt, who invented many of our favorite beauty products way, way back in the day — but shampoo got its start somewhere else: India. As early as the 1500s, people in India used the pulp of a fruit called soapberries combined with some herbs and even hibiscus flowers to keep their hair on point. When British colonial traders were going back and forth between India and England, they knew a good thing when they saw it and brought the notion of shampooing your hair to Europe. Yes, it’s true, prior to that, strands in the Western world were left to their own — probably quite dirty — devices. Even once shampoo arrived on European shores, it still wasn’t available in the mass market. Pretty much, it was only used by professional hair stylists — and it came in a solid form, similar to a bar of soap. Much to the delight of Jane Austen and her contemporaries, I’m sure, the ability to lather up at home became a thing in the 1800s, but people were still using the stuff very sparingly. We’re talking washing your hair only once a month sparingly. These were grim times. The _New York Times_ announced in a 1908 article that it was fine to wash your hair every couple weeks (one would hope). Then, in the late 1920s, liquid shampoo was finally invented, making it far simpler to wash that man right out of your hair. Dermatologists and beauty experts alike advise against daily shampooing, saying it’s best to only lather up a couple times a week at most — and the NoPoo anti-shampoo movement has caught on with certain people — but I still say few things feel better and make me feel more confident than shiny clean hair. _This_ [_article_](https://www.mimichatter.com/shampoo-history-invention-use-1293000560.html) _originally appeared on_ [_MIMI_](https://www.mimichatter.com/)_._ _More from MIMI:_ * [How Yeast Can Help Your Skin](https://www.mimichatter.com/yeast-skin-care-ingredient-1280941926.html) * [Spice Things Up for a Longer Life](https://www.mimichatter.com/spicy-chili-peppers-longer-life-1283795430.html) * [How One Female Engineer Is Starting an Internet Revolution](https://www.mimichatter.com/female-engineer-social-media-movement-1283942239.html) ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] [00:05] And that is how I wash my hair in [ INAUDIBLE ]. [00:05] [ MUSIC ]. Hi, [00:16] there. I've had a lot of people ask me how I wash my [00:19] hair in space, and I thought I, I'd show you how I do it. [00:23] Let's see, to get started these are the things I need: a [00:27] bag of warm water, a little no- rinse shampoo, towel, [00:33] and my comb. What I like to do is start [00:37] by just putting some hot water. Squirting it onto my [00:40] scalp and I have a mirror here so I can [00:44] kind of watch what I'm [00:50] doing. Sometimes the water gets away from you. And [00:51] you try and catch as much as you can. And [00:55] I just work the water up through to the ends of my [00:59] hair. [ MUSIC ] There, and I take my no rinse shampoo, [01:05] and squirt it also on the scalp, just a little bit, and [01:09] rub it in. Again kind of working it out to the ends, and [01:12] sometimes I'll actually take my comb and help work it [01:15] all the way to the end. Ends [ MUSIC ] [01:19] and I like to take my towel while I have the shampoo in [01:23] there and just kind of work it. Because, [01:27] without standing under running water you kind of need [01:30] to use the towel a little bit to help get some of the dirt [01:32] out. I like to follow [01:37] that by a little more water. [ MUSIC ] It's called [01:39] no- rinse shampoo. But, I think it's best if you use a [01:41] little water with it. [ NOISE ] [01:55] It actually feels kinda squeaky clean right now. [01:57] [ NOISE ] Now I'll [02:02] take the dry part of my towel. We use towels for quite [02:05] a while, here. Since we have limited supplies. [ MUSIC ] [02:11] We use them wisely. I think that is pretty good. And [02:15] now as my hair dries as the water evaporates from my [02:18] hair it will become humidity in the air and our air [02:21] conditioning system will collect that into condensate. [02:24] [ MUSIC ] And it won't be long, and our water [02:27] processing system, will turn that into drinking water. [02:30] [ NOISE ] [02:32] At the end, I just do one final comb- through, to make [02:34] sure there are no snarls and snags. And [02:38] while it dries I would like to let it stay, stay free, [02:43] I don't put it back in a ponytail. While it's [02:48] drying. And that is how, I wash my hair, in space on [02:52] the International Space Station. 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