Hydrophobic activators shampoos

The active ingredients in a shampoo play three fundamental roles. Some allow water to wash away the substances that make hair dirty. Others adhere to hair to impart a desirable feel and texture. The rest are emulsifiers that keep the mixture from separating into its components. To accomplish these effects, ingredients combine two types of interactions a strong attraction to water (hydrophilic) and an aversion to water (hydrophobic). It may seem that these properties are incompatible, but shampoos contain molecules that are designed to be simultaneously hydrophilic and hydrophobic. One example is sodium lauryl sulfate, our inset molecule. The ionic head of the molecule is hydrophilic, so it interacts attractively with water. The hydrocarbon tail is hydrophobic, so it interacts attractively with grease and dirt. Molecules of the shampoo associate with hydrophobic dirt particles to form hydrophilic clumps that dissolve in water and wash away. 

Surfactants are organic compounds that possess surface-active properties. This unique property of the surfactant is due to the presence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic qualities in the same molecule. The hydrophilic part of the molecule has affinity toward the aqueous phase and the hydrophobic part of the molecule interacts with the oil phase. This unique property of the surfactant molecules helps in its movement toward the interface and reduces the surface tension between the two immiscible phases. This dual behavior of surfactant molecules is responsible for their wide range of application in products such as cleansers, creams, lotions, shampoos, agricultural products, and medicines. 

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