Mild thickened shampoo compositions with conditioning properties

A thickened mild liquid shampoo composition having conditioning properties comprising:

• A. from about 4% to about 8% of an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of (1) a surfactant of the formula R(OC.sub.2 H.sub.4).sub.n OSO.sub.3 M, wherein R is a hydrophobic group selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms, alkylphenyl groups wherein the alkyl group contains from about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms, and fatty acid amido groups wherein the fatty acid contains from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms, wherein n is a number from about 1 to about 10, and M is a non-toxic cation which makes the surfactant water-soluble, (2) a water-soluble polyethoxylated fatty alcohol sulfosuccinate monoester, (3) a water-soluble N-fatty acyl sarcosinate containing a fatty acyl group containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms, (4) a water-soluble alkyl sulfate containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms, and (5) a water-soluble N-fatty acyl-N-methyl taurine containing a fatty acyl group containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms;
• B. a surfactant selected from the group consisting of (1) a quaternary ammonium zwitterionic surfactant having the formula (R.sup.2).sub.A N.sup.(.sup.+) (R.sup.3).sub.3.sub.-A CH.sub.2.sub.-B (R.sup.2).sub.B (R.sup.4).sub.C Y.sup.(.sup.-)
• wherein A, B, and C are each selected from the group consisting of 0 and 1, wherein A is 0 when B is 1 and A is 1 when B is 0, wherein C can only be 1 when Y is a sulfonate group, wherein each R.sup.2 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms and a moiety having the formula R.sup.5 -- C(O)NH -- R.sup.6 -- wherein R.sup.5 is an alkyl group containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms and R.sup.6 is an alkylene group containing from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, wherein each R.sup.3 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, hydroxyalkyl and alkoxyalkyl groups which can be connected to form a ring and each of which contains from 1 to about 3 carbon atoms, wherein Y is selected from the group consisting of sulfonate and carboxylate groups, and wherein R.sup.4 is an alkylene group containing from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms when Y is a carboxylate group and is selected from the group consisting of alkylene and hydroxyalkylene groups containing from about 2 to about 5 carbon atoms when Y is a sulfonate group and wherein the hydroxy group is on a secondary carbon atom, and (2) a water-soluble N-alkyl .beta.-aminopropionate wherein the alkyl group contains from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms, and (3) a water-soluble N-alkyl .beta.-iminodipropionate wherein the alkyl group contains from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms;
• C. a polyethoxylated nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of:
• (1) polyethoxylated alkyl alcohols, said alcohols containing an alkyl group containing from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms and said polyethoxylated alcohols containing from about 10 to about 45 ethoxy moieties per molecule, (2) polyethoxylated alkylphenols wherein the alkyl group contains from about 6 to about 15 carbon atoms and wherein the polyethoxylated alkylphenol contains from about 10 to about 45 ethoxy moieties per molecule, (3) polyethoxylated mono fatty acid esters of sorbitol wherein said fatty acids contain from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms and said polyethoxylated mono fatty acid ester of sorbitol contains from about 10 to about 45 ethoxy moieties per molecule, (4) polyethoxylated polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of from about 2,000 to about 6,000 and containing from about 40% to about 60% by weight of polyethoxy groups, and (5) polyethoxylated fatty acids wherein said fatty acid contains from about 8 to about 16 carbon atoms and said polyethoxylated fatty acid contains from about 10 to about 45 ethoxy moieties per molecule;
• D. from about 50% to about 85% water;
• and
• E. as a thickener and hair conditioning agent, from about 0.2% to about 4% of a quaternary nitrogen-containing cellulose ether having substituent groups of the formula
• (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O--).sub.m [--CH.sub.2 CHO(CH.sub.2 N.sup.(.sup.+) (R.sup.7).sub. 3 Cl.sup.(.sup.-))--].sub.n (C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O--).sub.p H
• wherein each R.sup.7 is selected from the group consisting of methyl and ethyl groups, m + p ranges from about 1 to about 10, n is from about 0.1 to about 0.5, the degree of substitution of the cationic group on the cellulose is from about 0.1 to about 0.5, and the viscosity of a 1% solution of the cellulose ether at 25.degree.C. ranges from about 100 to about 2,000 centipoises, the molecular ratio of (A) to (B) being from about 1:1 to about 4:1;
• the weight ratio of (A) + (B) to (C) being from about 2:1 to about 1:2;
• and the pH of the composition being from about 6.0 to about 8.0.