How do shampoos work? Hair care, acids and bases | 14-16 years

A photograph showing a woman's hand holding a white plastic cosmetics bottle against a blue background.

Source: © Mykola Sosiukin / EyeEm / Getty Images

Test shampoos and investigate their ingredients as an application of acid–base chemistry using this lesson plan with practical activities for 14–16 year olds.

This practical activity capitalises on teenagers’ hair obsessions to explore the acid‑base chemistry behind how shampoos work. Students bring in their own shampoos to test and use a database to find out more about the ingredients present, with the objectives of being able to:

Explain that most shampoos are weak acids.
Make experimental observations that produce reliable evidence.

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