I don't know what they do or use but some women are willing to shell a fortune on hair stuff, whether it make it smoother, sleeker, shinier adds moisture, takes it away..... god knows.... however, I do see some of the stuff she sells on and I remember making soap in school 5th year chemistry, Castor oil & ethanol, boil mix through sodium or potassium hydroxide, bleed off the water produced and the generally glycerol by product then heat the soap curds and reprecipitate with a simple salt solution ... sounds about right.
Straight soaps and detergents can do what they suggest but people want extraxcts orf this and that in their soaps becaiuse the believe the work. Old style natural remedies meets science if you like.
Do things cheap cheeky bit of a simple liquid soap drizzle in your favourite esters for smell, Methyl benzoate will get you the Ylang Ylang scent without the expensive natural plant extracts. Natural additions to these products rather than cheaply manufactuered chenmicals makes them more expensive and a great deal off difference to women who use them........