"How Is That Even Allowed?" — TikTok’s "White Shampoo" Trend Is Worse Than You Think

If you’ve heard about the “white shampoo” epidemic taking over TikTok, then you’ve probably also seen a bunch of big-name influencers say, “don’t search up white shampoo," which only makes people want to search it up even more.

This whole white shampoo situation is kind of a big deal, partly because of the explicit nature of the content it refers to, and because people are genuinely confused about how in the world this is even allowed on the app.

So, we went ahead and searched “white shampoo” on TikTok (so you don’t have to, though you probably still will), and here’s the rundown. And believe us when we say, it’s very NSFW and exactly the kind of content the TikTok algorithm might want to rethink allowing.

The white shampoo trend on TikTok is gaining traction, and at this point, you're probably seeing more reaction videos to it than actual clips of the trend. So, let us catch you up. The trend is widely inappropriate because, well, it’s basically porn. No, seriously. The trend involves a quick flash of something you’d find attached to a male that is not TikTok-friendly. It then squirts out what looks like white shampoo … but definitely isn’t. Catch our drift?

It all seems to stem from a video of a guy casually leaning back, with the caption: “Guys, this guy got a little scared because his mom caught him using special white shampoo…” A few seconds in, his hand is moving in an up-and-down motion, followed by a very brief glimpse of male genitalia, and then, the, uh, grand finale.

There’s a major shock factor tied to this trend, not just because of the NSFW vibes, but because you can actually see the guy’s genitalia. While porn itself is nothing new, the fact that TikTok is letting this slide is. Whether it’s real or just a prop featured in the video, it’s definitely not something that should be searchable on TikTok, especially with kids and teens having full access to the app.

It’s the question on everyone’s mind (once they’re able to erase the image of the “white shampoo” from their brain). It’s not entirely clear how the platform hasn’t flagged or removed videos showing the trend play out, but with all the attention it’s getting, chances are it won’t stick around much longer. Still, people are flabbergasted that it even showed up on their FYP in the first place.

One commenter on a reaction video made a solid point, writing, “How the hell is that on here but I get a strike for 'bullying' Lilytino?” Another joked, “TikTok moderators [blind person emoji].” And then someone else simply asked, “Why did I even search it?

Honestly, that might be the only question we can answer: because it’s human nature. The second someone says, “Don’t look,” we look. Now that you know what the white shampoo trend actually is, you can go about your day (and maybe try to unsee it).