“2-in-1” vs. ”cleasing conditioner”?

[Ophidian]

Is anyone aware of any real difference between products sold as 2-in-1‘s and those sold as cleansing conditioners? Since both contain surfactants and conditioning ingredients, I was thinking that maybe it’s just a marketing thing.

ETA: “Cleasing conditioner”... I can spell I promise .

[Pacific]

I have both in my stash and the Pantene 2 in 1 Shampoo and Conditioner has SLES as surfactant and Dimethicone and Dimeticonol to condition the hair.

So it's IMO a harsh Shampoo with heavy silicones.

My Elvive Cleansing Conditioner is sulfate free and has only Amodimethicone in it. It doesn't cleanse very well and is much gentler.

[lapushka]

I think a 2 in 1 might be a little more "sulfaty" still. Kind of depends on the brand you go with, I guess. Some might not be that different anymore. 2 in 1s never worked for me, because I couldn't hack the conditioner on my scalp.

[blackgothicdoll]

I agree with Lapushka, from what I've noticed 2-in-1s are more likely to have sulfates in them, while a cleansing conditioner tends to have super gentle surfectants - the ones I've seen don't even have surfectants that I recognize in sulfate-free shampoos. Others I've see are literally just conditioners marked as cleansing conditioners.

[Ophidian]

That makes sense. It's weird, I've been using this sulfate-free 2-in-1 product from Jason which my hair and scalp has been loving (a rarity). It contains both conditioning ingredients and recognizable surfactants. But I got to thinking that other products with similar ingredients I usually see marketed as cleansing conditioners, while I see 2-in-1's from brands like H&S marketed as kind of no-fuss workhorse products for those who can't be bothered to use more than one product in their hair. It's a medicated treatment though (zinc), and I'm wondering if that has something to do with it.

[lapushka]

Why change "a good thing", Ophidian? If the Jason shampoo does you a world of good, I'd stick to it!

[Ophidian]

Oh yeah! I’m definitely sticking with it, this is just a matter of curiousity

[Corvana]

In my experience the 2-in-1 is more focused on the shampoo half, while the cleansing conditioners are more focused on the conditioner half if that makes sense!

[Ophidian]

In my experience the 2-in-1 is more focused on the shampoo half, while the cleansing conditioners are more focused on the conditioner half if that makes sense!

Yes it does! I was reading around outside the forums on this too and I read a very similar explanation on Naturally Curly