So this has been a topic that has made me think for quite some time now. So I have noticed that there is no norm or consistency when it comes to shampoo bottles. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but this most common issue that I have come across is that there is no distinction from shampoo and conditioner. There have been designs that have been done where one is a different color that the other or one is upside down and the other is not, but there is not true product language for telling them apart.
An example of my issue: My wife of course has long hair and uses both shampoo and conditioner, I on the other hand have a clipper cut so my hair is extremely short and I only require a small amount of shampoo which is usually what ever my wife buys. Both bottles are Black and the only difference between them other than the writing on one is white and the other is purple. This causes a problem as when I am showering and go to was my hair I reach down and grab the black bottle and have a 50% chance of choosing the right product. This is especially interesting as most people take showers in the morning after they wake up and the shower does not lend itself to examining thing.
My Question for discussion: I know that there are 2 in 1 products out there and each brand has come up with a different way to solve this with different shapes and colors, but what I am putting out there is how do you create that product identity. I think this is a bit different that brand identity, or is it? There are plenty of products out there that have done this. So how can you create that identity that when I go to grab the shampoo bottle, no matter what brand it is I know that it is shampoo not conditioner?
Has this research been done? Are there any P&G designers on here that could give some insight? What other products have done this? What other example of product identity are out there?
Jeannieinabottle
I remember back in the good old days when shampoo bottles and conditioner bottles all sat in the same direction. You simply popped the top of the bottles and used the product inside. Those were easy days. Simple days. Yet now, companies have decided to complicate my life. Most companies have now created the conditioner bottle so it opens at the bottom. Ummm... why?
Is it really that much more difficult to get the conditioner to come out of the bottle rather than shampoo? Don't get me wrong, I know squeezing all of the conditioner out of the bottle can be a challenge at times. I have felt this struggle. You are in the shower and it is hot and steamy. The bottle is slipping out of your hands. You just want to have well-conditioned hair! Yet, it so tough getting out the last bit of conditioner. Do you know what is equally difficult to get out of the bottle? SHAMPOO!
What did the shampoo do that was so wrong that it doesn't deserve its own fancy, upside down bottle? I daresay it is similar to the easy-squeeze ketchup bottles that are upside down. So why should I suffer, unable to squeeze out that last bit of shampoo when I can easily have access to all the hair conditioner and ketchup I want? (Just not at the same time... usually.)
I personally believe the shampoo deserves the same treatment the conditioner gets. It is completely unfair to allow one product its own snazzy bottle and not the other. It also causes other issues when organizing bathroom products.
OK, so perhaps this is a little obsessive, but I like my bottles to all face the same direction. With the cap at the bottom of the conditioner, but at the top of the shampoo bottle, they never quite look like a matching set.
If I turn the shampoo bottle upside down (gasp!), then all the words and instructions (that I totally need, of course) are upside down as well. This at least allows the shampoo and the conditioner to look similar because the caps now match. However, the words being upright on one, yet upside down on the other bottle is simply unacceptable.
Now, if I keep the bottles sitting the way the manufacturer intended, then yes, the words all appear normal. However, one cap is up and one cap is down. Furthermore, I have problems getting the shampoo to actually come out the bottle. I can't win!
If you are the manufacturer of these shampoo and conditioner bottles (and you know who you are Fructis, Herbal Essences, Suave... to name a few), please consider the sanity (or lack of sanity) of the customers that so desperately want beautiful hair, yet they want their bottles to look alike.
I realize there are many other important issues out there I could be tackling right now, but that would take research and effort on my part. Instead, I would like to begin my one-woman crusade to make shampoo and conditioner bottles conform to look the same. I am really not picky about how this is achieved either. Put the caps on both bottles at the top or both at the bottom, but just have them the look same. I just want to easily get shampoo and conditioner out the bottles for my hair. Thanks!
Copyright ©2013 Jeannieinabottle
Even mini-bottles are frustrating!
Jeannieinabottle
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on April 16, 2013:
You are so right. I hate the bottles that fall over all the time. I try to lean them against my shower gels whenever possible. Thanks for checking out my hub!
Nicole S Hanson from Minnesota on April 16, 2013:
So true. I get tired of them not being the same as well. Plus the upside down ones never stay standing up and I always seem to knock them over somehow.
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on April 15, 2013:
Fructis bottles are definitely the hardest bottles to open. When I first started using the shampoo and conditioner, I thought there was some trick I was missing. But no, it seems no one can open those bottles. Thanks for sharing and thanks for your comment!
Lyz B. from Vermont on April 14, 2013:
Read this randomly and said, Yes. Bottles should NEVER be too hard to open! Like those little ball things on the Fructis? Do you know how slick those get in the shower when wet? I can't open them, I hurt myself each time I have to do my hair! Why all the complications? Why? :-]
MissJamieD from Minnes-O-ta on March 01, 2013:
lol....I should do that:) That's a topic for hubs I can write next week. Definitely.
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on March 01, 2013:
Oh, you should so do a hub just about trying to squeeze that bottle. You are right! I thought I was the only one struggling to work the conditioner bottle. Thanks for helping me realize I am not alone!
MissJamieD from Minnes-O-ta on February 28, 2013:
OMG, I actually use the Garnier in the green bottles that you show and I literally thought the other day of doing a hub on them because I cannot get the damn conditioner out of the bottle! I need Superman arms just to get it to squeeze and it has like reinforced steel towards the cap as it gets closer to the end! I had to take the cap completely off and pour the conditioner into a bowl that I set on the side of my tub because I cannot squeeze the conditioner bottle hard enough to get it to work when I'm in the shower. I want these companies to make it easier to get the crap out of them. In my opinion they do that on purpose so we give up and just buy another one! So they're making way more money per oz. Anyway, I had to laugh when I saw this article and photo because I think about this every day when I shower:)
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 26, 2013:
Thank you for supporting me no matter how crazed I get about this issue. Sometimes I need to tackle some of the major problems no one else has the nerve to discuss! ;-)
drbj and sherry from south Florida on February 26, 2013:
You make a very valid point or two, Jeannie, and I can understand how frustrating it may be when bottles are not aligned perfectly. I shall stand by you even when you are accused of deep-seated OCD. Promise!
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 25, 2013:
macteacher - Thank you for support in this very important matter. It is a mystery why they make those bottles like that.
torrilynn - I do wonder why they changed the shampoo and conditioner bottles, too. It would be nice if both were easy to squeeze. Thanks for the vote up!
Movie Master - You are so right! They need to all face the same direction and stay upright! Thanks for the vote up!
aethelthryth - You see, I am helping open everyone's eyes to this serious issue. ;-) Thanks for your comment!
randomcreative - It is good to know I am not the only one wondering why the bottles look that way. Thanks for checking out my hub!
Rose Clearfield from Milwaukee, Wisconsin on February 25, 2013:
I have wondered the same thing myself...what gives?
aethelthryth from American Southwest on February 25, 2013:
I agree with billybuc; I hadn't thought about this before, but now that you mention it, it is a serious annoyance. See what you can stir up with one little rant?!
Movie Master from United Kingdom on February 25, 2013:
I completely agree with you Jeannie, I find it infuriating that my bottles can't all face the same direction and they keep toppling over!
Voting up!
torrilynn on February 24, 2013:
hi jeannieinabottle,
hahaha ive always wondered why they have changed the style and shape of the shampoo.
i definitely understand how this can be frustrating and has been frustrating
ive used the product before
nice subject and great information
voted up.
Wendy Golden from New York on February 24, 2013:
You are right, it's insanity. I can never figure out which way to stash the bottles. Some continuity in packaging would be very helpful right about now. Great hub!
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 24, 2013:
It is good to see others are just as frustrated. Thanks for checking out my hub!
Natasha from Hawaii on February 24, 2013:
Ahahahaha. I'm glad to know I'm not the only irritated one!
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 24, 2013:
Thanks so much! It is good to know I am not alone with this rant.
europewalker on February 24, 2013:
I couldn't agree more, those mismatched bottles are quite annoying. Great hub, it's the little things that drive us nuts. Voted up.
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 24, 2013:
Alecia Murphy, you are so right. A jar does not belong in the shower or the bathtub! I also get frustrated when I need to tear open a packet in the shower, too. Sample size stuff is great, but can they make those packages a little easier to open? Thanks for your comment!
Victoria Lynn - Hahaha... yes, this is quite a rant. You are teaching students how to write rants? That sounds like a great class! I believe I am actually a "natural" at writing rants, but it is good to teach it to students that do not have that natural ability. Hehe. Thanks for the votes!
Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on February 24, 2013:
OMG, this is so true, Jeannie! This is really going to bother me now. I love your crusade! I'm actually teaching my students how to write rants and raves right now. This is a perfect rant! Love it! Many votes!
Alecia Murphy from Wilmington, North Carolina on February 24, 2013:
Another thing I would add to the list is the fact that some companies got the ingenious notion to include conditioner in a jar. Now mind you this is fine for lotions, creams, and mayonnaise but I don't understand is that most people wash their hair while soaking wet. Don't they ever think that your hands will not easily open a jar if they're wet?
This is something the public needs to know about for sure. Great hub Jeannie!
Jeannie Marie (author) from Baltimore, MD on February 24, 2013:
carol7777 - You are so right! There are just too many choices now. I never thought cereal would deserve to have an entire large aisle in the supermarket, but yet it does. Even Cheerios has about a dozen flavors. Sheesh!
billybuc - Hahaha... you may have never even noticed this before. It depends on whether you even use conditioner. Not every brand does that, but many of the popular brands have the upside down conditioner bottles. Welcome to your new obsession! ;-)
RealHousewife - I am happy you agree with me! I am glad to hear I am not the only one bothered by this trend.
lambservant - I can't stand it when the bottles topple over. It is true. The conditioner gets the sturdy bottle, but you can't tip the shampoo bottle over and sit it down. I usually lean it against my shower gels. Not cool!
MJennifer - You are so right! This is an entirely different issue I did not even discuss. My shampoo and conditioner always run out at different types. Sometimes I mix and match brands because of this.
Thanks everyone for your comments!
Marcy J. Miller from Arizona on February 24, 2013:
Now, if they could just make it so that the bottles of conditioner always last as long as the shampoo, so that when you buy those bargain two-packs you don't wind up with an unmatched orphan halfway through the set ...
lambservant on February 24, 2013:
Funny stuff. You never disappoint, Jeannie. Although I like the concept of making it easier to get every last drop out of the bottle, they do not always balance right. And the mismatch drives me crazy too. On the other hand there is much less waste. I have three bottle of shampoo right now in my shower that have 1/2 to 1 inch of shampoo left in them. When I turn them upside down they topple over. So you are right, shampoo definitely deserves the special bottle.
Kelly Umphenour from St. Louis, MO on February 24, 2013:
Seriously! I have 3 girls so you know half my life revolves around hair products. I do get so annoyed about this .... There is a lot to be said for conformity! Lol. very funny Jeannie:)
Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on February 24, 2013:
LOL....well, Jeannie, there is one issue I have never thought of. I'm a bit miffed at you because now that you wrote about it you just know I'm going to head to the bathroom and start obsessing over it. :) Great fun you whacky lady!
carol stanley from Arizona on February 24, 2013:
along with everything else..too many choices and too many venues. Remember when there were about 4 brands..Maybe you don't remember that. Life is more complicated by the day.