Is Car Shampoo Safe to Use on Wax?

When shopping for the right car shampoo, the options can be overwhelming with terms like "added gloss," "wash and wax," and "easy rinse" among the latest features. But what do you really need? If you're passionate about car care and already use a dedicated LSP (Last Stage Protection) like a wax or paint sealant, those extra features might not be necessary. The "added wax" is often inferior to the high-quality wax you've already applied, and "easy rinse" agents can actually interfere with your existing wax's performance. After consulting with our detailers and customers, the consensus was clear: what matters most in a car shampoo is effective cleaning power, being wax-friendly, and having good lubricity.

When we introduced our car shampoo, Lather, to our car care range, we had a few clear goals. Most importantly, we wanted a straightforward, no-nonsense pH-balanced shampoo that would clean effectively without compromising or breaking down the existing paint protection, such as wax or sealant layers, by avoiding added gloss agents or synthetic waxes.

Lather was designed as a true "detailer's" car shampoo, with no added wax or gloss enhancers that can dull or clog a high-quality car wax finish. These additives can interfere with the wax's ability to repel water and keep your car cleaner for longer. After all, who would want to cover a premium Carnauba wax finish with cheap gloss enhancers?

Next, we focused on making Lather a high-concentrate shampoo with a dilution ratio of 1000:1. It’s powerful, but naturally, the question arose: "At such a concentration, if not diluted correctly, won’t it strip the car wax?" The answer is no. Surprisingly, Lather contains no raw ingredients that would degrade your car's paint protection, no matter the concentration. To prove this, we created a short video demonstrating how even pouring Lather directly onto a waxed surface won’t remove or affect your car's wax.

Car Shampoos