The interaction between oppositely charged polymers and surfactants often leads to the formation of coacervates and can be employed to facilitate the deposition of hair care products. Understanding the e ffects of molecular structure, surfactant and polymer concentrations, and ionic strength is essential for controlling this phenomenon. This study utilized polymers and surfactants with opposing charges that are already employed in the cosmetic industry: So dium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate (SS), Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate (LS), Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC), and Cationized Hydroxyethylcellulose (cat HEC). To understand how molecular structure affects colloidal st ructure in dilution induced coacervation, a typical concentration range of products was used, which is rare to find in the literature. We employed zeta potential analysis, low angle X ray scattering, and optical microscopy to characterize the materials. De position on hair strands was assessed through optical and atomic force microscopy . The concentrated SS and LS+PDADMAC systems formed micellar solutions that phase separated into a Pm3n cubic mesophase upon dilution. The SLES+PDADMAC system exhibited phase separation even at high concentrations, with mixture design revealing that small variations in the PDADMAC amount had a significant impact. The study with cat HEC demonstrated that hair strand coating could occur even without coacervation, being more depen dent on the nature of the polymer . As a result, this work established a correlation between colloidal structures in different systems and macroscopic properties, enabling strategic control of hair care formulations.