The last time I used Johnson's Baby Shampoo, I was illiterate and, most likely, incontinent as well. (Thank goodness things have changed in the decades since.) When I recently visited my parents, I noticed that they had a bottle of it in the shower, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.
There's something comforting about the bottle, labeling and smell. These things don't necessarily revert me to childhood, but there's something simple and sweet about it nonetheless. But does the no-tears shampoo work well for grownups? To find out, read more.
Although it doesn't lather much, it cleaned my greasy hair well, Now that it's dry, I've got this wispy Shiloh Jolie-Pitt thing goin' on. (Sadly, though, I think Shiloh beats me in the cutiepie department.) The only problem is that it strips my hair of too many of its oils, giving me more flyaways than usual and drying out my hair. A conditioner would help with this, but my grown-up shampoos don't do this. Sadly, Johnson's Baby Shampoo isn't something I'd regularly use.
Finally, did you know that some people use this shampoo as a makeup remover? Yep. I haven't tried doing this yet, but I can see it being a great and inexpensive choice for cleaning makeup brushes. For hair, though, it's a wash (yuk, yuk).




















David & Scotti
Net-a-Porter
Robert Clergerie
I once got a stye on my one eyelid, and a friend recommended cleaning it with baby shampoo, and it went away in a day.
1I remember they used to have the Johnson's baby conditioner too, it was like a pinkish color.. I don't think they make it anymore..
But still, baby shampoo has sodium laureth sulfate in it, which is why it stripped all the oils from your hair. They use that ingredient in dish soaps and degreasers! It's horrible.
There is NO way I'm ever putting that on my [future] baby's head!
2control, wow that's a great tip!
3I've never used this shampoo as a makeup remover, but I do use plain old baby oil to remove my eye makeup at the end of the day. It works, and it is so cheap.
4I have a big bottle that I use to clean my makeup brushes, it really does the trick! It even cleans all the pigment off of the white-bristled Smashbox brush collection from this holiday season!
5baby oil = mineral oil.. yuck. it's a petroleum by-product.
there are so many better products that aren't so expensive. I'd use olive oil, or at least some other kind of vegetable oil like safflower.. especially near my eyes.
but thats just me..
6Oh dear... shampoo that strips all natural oils and makes hair even more prone to flying around like Aunty Em's house in a tornado? No thank you! I'll stick to my grown-up shampoos
7Johnson & Johnson tests on animals. Boo.
8My former stylist told me that some people make the mistake of using baby shampoo on color-treated hair because they think it's gentle. She said it's meant to be gentle on eyes -- it matches their pH, hence the "no more tears" slogan -- but isn't good for hair.
9I've tried it before because I thought it would be more gentle since it didn't contain any lathering ingredients - nope! It was less gentle than adult shampoo. I wouldn't use this on a baby. I do bathe my cats with the all-in-one version. But I found a better, shea-butter shampoo for them.
10I washed my puppy with this years ago and I ended up breaking in hives from it. weird
11For my baby's hair it's Paul Mitchell's version of "no more tears," called "Baby Don't Cry." It's awesome on my girl's fine, fine hair. I've been told by countless stylists that J&J's version is just too drying.
12I actually tried the Nivea Baby Shampoo when I was at my parents last week, it has the same effect; it cleans really well but the roots don't stay clean very long.
However baby shampoo (or at least Nivea's) is the BEST thing when it comes to washing cashmere clothes - even better than soft soaps they sell for this purpose (I got the tip straight from going to a chasmere factory).
13Baby shampoo as makeup remover? Nah. But baby LOTION--now you're talking! It's awesome: clean-smelling, gentle, and moisturizing without being greasy.
I do find that baby shampoo does a bang-up job of cleaning my makeup brushes, though
14I had surgery on my eyes a few years ago, and the eye doctor had me washing my eye area with baby shampoo for a couple of weeks, It was a bit drying for the skin around my eyes, but it did help with the healing process.
15I've heard the tip about using baby shampoo to clean makeup brushes... I was at Sephora a month ago and the sales person recommended it for my BE brushes! Thanks for spreading the word!
16I clean my makeup brushes with this and it's perfect. Only thing I ever use it for.
17After an at home hair coloring went awry, I was told to use the baby shampoo to strip some of the color off to lighten it up. It worked for that but made it oh so dry, like straw.
18I don't think so. I feel like it would make my hair feel very dry.
19I use it on my dog sometimes because flea shampoo can make her itch. Her coat looks fantastic after it! She's a golden retriever and looks as if she's just had her highlights retouched!
Also I'm hoping to get laser eye surgery this year and my optician has recommended I start using baby shampoo to clear the grit out of my eyes in the morning. That way, by the time the surgery rolls around, I'll be getting much less grit in my eyes. Apparently.
20Baby Shampoo has novicane in it which is what makes it not affect your eyes.
21I saw a sample bottle in my parent's bathroom cabinet when I went home for the holidays! But when it comes to achieving serious locks I guess it's best for all the little illiterate and incontinent ones out there.
22I have oilly hair too. J&J worked well as long as you double wash [meaning double shampoo, i heard it makes your hair super shiny].
23Novacane huh. Spooky for a shampoo for babies.
I looked at the ingredients for J&J Baby Shampoo and it doesn't list novacaine or a recognizable IUPAC name for novacaine.
24Trace Face makes a good point. Sodium laurel(th) sulfate is not good for your skin and hair.
25J&J Baby shampoo does NOT contain Novocain.
26Is that an urban legend or something?
i'd read about this last year from elle or vogue, so i tried it a couple times and didn't notice anything. after a while though, i started noticing my hair texture started feeling a lot grosser. definitely didn't experience any of the benefits elle/vogue or anyone else talks about when they use baby shampoo.
27I hate that shampoo; my hair was sooo dry that it looked like straw. It might be good for children however not for me. I love the products from WEN; it's one step that eliminates shampoo by creating a one step product. It's unlike any other 2-in-1 out there; try it! I love the fig one and it makes my hair very soft and shiney.
28i use shampoo to clean my brushes - haven't used this particular one, but in general, shampoo works great!
29All you had to do was follow-up with a DC or a moisturizing rinse, like Patene Essential Moisture
30I mean, deep conditioning.
31i dont use j&j shampoo but what i do use is j&j detangler for kids....it's a spray and i LOVE it...i dont like to weight my hair down w/ too much conditioner so i'll use some for the lower part of my hair and the ends and then spray the detangler allover...LOVE it
it's also so good for after swimming in the ocean or pool to detangle and keep ur hair manageable and smelling nice
32This does nothing for my hair but I use it in the shower or on a cotton pad to take off eye-makeup. It doesn't sting my eyes and gets everything off. It also works great, diluted with a little water, for cleaning makeup brushes.
33I used it thinking it would be gentle on my very very dry scalp...I was WRONG
34Thanks for the makeup brush cleaner tip--I'm definitely going to try it!!
35trace face, you're moderately incorrect
most baby shampoos use sodium dodeceth sulfate in place of sodium lauryl sulfate
this makes the shampoo less harsh
36ALL TAT NO MORE TEARS STUFF HAS NOVICAINE IN IT. TRY PUTTING IT ON YOUR EAR AND IT WILL BECOME NUMB. DO YOU GUYS WANT TO BE PUTTING THAT STUFF ON YOUR BABY?? AND ON TOP OF EVERYTHING IT IS MADE WITH MINERAL OIL WHICH DOESNT ALOW YOU TO SWEAT SO YOU BECOME DEHIDRATED. AND LASTLY IT IS TESTED ON ANIMALS NOT HUMANS. TRY ARBONNE
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