The Shampoo Bar Thread

[sweetkandi]

Okay, I just tried my CV bar again, after I had gone back to regular poo and co. This time, I lathered it up in my hands, then applied to my hair. I then rinsed really well. I did this three times, just to make sure I was getting "clean". This time it was so much better than the first. I could actually comb through my hair this time! lol. I didnt use a rinse afterwards...But I am waiting to see how my hair is when it is dry. I hope its not greasy at all, but I dont think it will be. I finally gave it another go after my fiance talked me into it. He had tried it, and LOVES it now. Whats up w/ that? His hair was perfect on the first try! lol. I just dont want to do an extra step, unless I really need to.

[n3m3sis42]

I used my Cafe Moreno bar for the second time today. This time, I didn't oil the night before, and I used the "combing" technique Calista suggested. I lathered and massaged it in thoroughly, scalp and length, rinsed, and then repeated. I followed with my usual ACV rinse and then a cold-water final.

When I got out of the shower, my hair was literally squeaky clean, which scared me a little. However, I used a little extra care in combing it out and it didn't have any real tangling issues. I was scared that it might dry waxy, but it dried soft, shiny, and full. It looks great!

I am in love. :D

[sweetkandi]

I have an update...After my hair dried it was waxy. :( It seems like doing the rinse everytime i wash my hair would be a hassle. But my fiance LOVES that bar! His hair is so soft. I wonder why mine just wont work like that? He thinks it might be because his hair is short. I think so too. At least I know this bar wont go to waste. :) I just dont think the CV bars are for me. its just a hunch. maybe i will try a diff brand. I dont feel like trying to find the right one. Im fine just doin my regular shampoo.

[Katja]

Originally posted by Hedera: Most bars worked at least ok for me, some of them (Nettle, Herb Garden) good, but my absolute, hands-down favourite is the Rosemary-Lavender-Aloe; perfect hair!
And it stays perfect for at least three days, too.

I just tried the Rosemary, Lavender, Aloe bar for the first time this morning, and WOW! I had the same experience as Hedera with this bar. My hair is completely clean, very soft, and shiny. Not piece-y at all, which I have experienced with some of the CV bars I have tried. My hair likes this bar even better than CV Chamomile Citrus. I didn't expect these great results, so it was a very nice surprise.

Another nice surprise: today, I received the PLH bars I ordered. If I didn't have a shedding problem, I would be tempted to try one of the new bars right away. My next regular wash day is not until Monday . . . not sure if I can wait until then . . .

[Miss Murphy]

It seems like doing the rinse everytime i wash my hair would be a hassle.

Really? I do a rinse every time, and considering how much longer it takes me to use the bars than regular poo, the time for the rinse can really be neglected.

I take a picture with the vinegar in the shower, fill it up with water, dip my ends in, swirl them around a bit, and then dump everythin over my head. That's it, really - I doubt it even takes me 2 minutes :)

[Hypnotica]

I tried the citrus bar two days ago and WOW! My crown hair was so FULL! :inlove:
The only downside was waxy lenghts. Hedera told me that I need to clean the lenghts too....but I find it kind of hard to manually clean my lenghts. I can not use ACV due to my BF, so I use lemon water instead.

[Miss Murphy]

Hypnotica, that's good to hear! :)

I love the chamomile citrus, too. Last night I dreamed about using the bars again (that happens more often than you'd think LOL), but this time I forgot the rinse, and everything was a clotted mass...

[redhead_rachel]

I'm a shampoo bar convert- I now use LUSH reincarnate, which is amazing, though the first time I used it my hair went so soft and flyaway after being freed from half its cones! But now it's lovely, soft and manageable. I've just bought some pure solid coconut oil which I'm going to try and use as a conditioner and loose the second half of my cones.
My main reason for going onto shampoo bars was actually not my hair- I wanted a more enviromentally friendly option- less packaging, less plastic in packaging and the product. One £4 chunk should last me around 3-4 months so it's working out as a more cost effective option too. My coconut oil from superdrug comes in a plastic tub, but it should last longer also so therefore less plastic consumption. and it only cost 99p!
It'll also save space when I go travelling for 3 months- 1bar of shampoo + 1 tub of coconut oil vs 2 bottles shampoo + 2 bottles conditioner

:) :)

As a side note, the natural shampoo bar has been less drying on the skin on my face and neck as well, which used to suffer after washing my hair :))

[Miss Murphy]

I'm a shampoo bar convert- I now use LUSH reincarnate, which is amazing, though the first time I used it my hair went so soft and flyaway after being freed from half its cones!

Rachel, is that one of the few Lush-bars without SLS? I have heard that most of the bars are like regular poo, just solid.

[xrosiex]

I've been working on like my cv shampoo bars. I think I've tried about everything. But my hair hates them. It aways feels waxy. But after a wash my hair always feels so soft. Wish I could get them to work for me.:confused:

[Melein]

I'm worried my hair isn't going to adapt to them either. I tried a bar for the first time today - my Cafe Moreno sample. I oiled the length first, then washed my scalp with baking soda before using the bar. I lathered twice, and followed with an ACV rinse.

My hair after drying was amazingly full - but also very waxy particularly along the length and I had a lot of breakage when detangling.

I'm hoping if I skip the oil next time and dilute my vinegar less I might get better results. Waxy hair, though it holds an updo incredibly well, does not feel good.

[Calista]

Melein, what dilution was your ACV rinse? Waxy buildup is hard water residue most times. Try a much stronger rinse.

[Neoma]

I have an update...After my hair dried it was waxy. :( It seems like doing the rinse everytime i wash my hair would be a hassle. But my fiance LOVES that bar! His hair is so soft. I wonder why mine just wont work like that? He thinks it might be because his hair is short. I think so too. At least I know this bar wont go to waste. :) I just dont think the CV bars are for me. its just a hunch. maybe i will try a diff brand. I dont feel like trying to find the right one. Im fine just doin my regular shampoo.sweetkandi, I'm responding to your post, but also to everyone in the thread who posted that they're having problems with shampoo bars.

First, sometimes the problem is finding the "right" shampoo bar. Though my hair now does "ok" with most poo bars, it really seems to like PLH best.

Often, it's just a matter of patience -- waiting out the waxy, weird hair. Eventually, time might win out over waxies.


Melein, what dilution was your ACV rinse? Waxy buildup is hard water residue most times. Try a much stronger rinse. Calista is right on the money with this advice.

Another thing to consider is method... There's more than one way to use a poo bar. Many people shampoo two or three times with the poo bar, then follow with an acid rinse (vinegar, lemon, citric acid, etc.), which they either leave in or rinse out. Let's call this method WV.

Some people use a conditioner, before the poo bar and acid rinse (CWV).

Another option: Apply the conditioner between the poo bar and the acid rinse (WCV).

Yet another: Apply the conditioner last (WVC).

Don't like any of those options? Apply a leave-in after you follow the usual WV routine.

And, last but not least, you can try mixing a little vinegar into your conditioner. That's one of my favorite, time-saving "recipes."

HTH

[Liluri]

So I seem to be stressed at the moment and I have a higher than normal oil content in my hair, working in a kitchen near deep fryers might also contribute, any bars you'd recommend or anything I can do to cut through the grease more without resorting to shampoo please?

[Nynaeve]

I have always wanted to try shampoo bars, but every time I try, the stuff I want is not in stock, or won't be ready for a while, or I don't have the money. :P

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd sure be willing to take them.

[Melein]

Melein, what dilution was your ACV rinse? Waxy buildup is hard water residue most times. Try a much stronger rinse.

Mine was about 5% vinegar. The water here is very hard so I think I should at least double that next time. Also I read here that someone dipped the length of their hair in the rinse before pouring it over their hair so I'll try that too, it might be more effective.

Neoma - thanks for the tips! I wanted to try going all-natural, hence not using any conditioner. I'll keep it as an option though as I'd rather have to condition afterwards than not be able to use the bars at all!

[Calista]

Liluri, for me the citrus bars work well when my hair is in need of some extra cleansing. Try Chamomile Citrus or Summer Sunshine. Nettle and Herb Garden are cleansing and soothing at the same time.

Melein, I pour 100ml white vinegar in a 1l pitcher and fill it up with water - and my water isn´t even that hard. I´m sure you can double the strength of your rinse without doing any harm whatsoever.

[Liluri]

Liluri, for me the citrus bars work well when my hair is in need of some extra cleansing. Try Chamomile Citrus or Summer Sunshine. Nettle and Herb Garden are cleansing and soothing at the same time.


Thanks for that I have summer sunshine, I will try it :)

[Neoma]

Another thing to consider is method... There's more than one way to use a poo bar. Many people shampoo two or three times with the poo bar, then follow with an acid rinse (vinegar, lemon, citric acid, etc.), which they either leave in or rinse out. Let's call this method WV.

Some people use a conditioner, before the poo bar and acid rinse (CWV).

Another option: Apply the conditioner between the poo bar and the acid rinse (WCV).

Yet another: Apply the conditioner last (WVC).

Don't like any of those options? Apply a leave-in after you follow the usual WV routine.

And, last but not least, you can try mixing a little vinegar into your conditioner. That's one of my favorite, time-saving "recipes."

I forgot to mention one of my favorite methods, that, for me, provides the moisturizing and detangling benefits of using a conditioner, without loosing the body that poo bars provide...

I shampoo twice with my poo bar and rinse well. Then, I add a dollop of conditioner into my herbed WV/EO rinse. I dunk the ends for a second, then pour the concoction over my head. After a few minutes, I rinse well under running water.

The result is something akin to a "cream rinse" detangler -- more conditioning than a vinegar rinse, but not as heavy as straight conditioner.

I used this method this morning after leaving Moonchaser's SS Oil on my hair overnight. Down, my hair is a bit lank, but I think that's probably from the heavy oiling. But detangling was a breeze, my hair is super soft, and bunning was actually easier than when I follow my usual poo bar/vinegar rinse routine.

HTH

[Miss Murphy]

I forgot to mention one of my favorite methods, that, for me, provides the moisturizing and detangling benefits of using a conditioner, without loosing the body that poo bars provide...

I shampoo twice with my poo bar and rinse well. Then, I add a dollop of conditioner into my herbed WV/EO rinse. I dunk the ends for a second, then pour the concoction over my head.

The result is something akin to a "cream rinse" detangler -- more conditioning than a vinegar rinse, but not as heavy as straight conditioner.

I used this method this morning after leaving Moonchaser's SS Oil on my hair overnight. Down, my hair is a bit lank, but I think that's probably from the heavy oiling. But detangling was a breeze, my hair is super soft, and bunning was actually easier than when I follow my usual poo bar/vinegar rinse routine.

HTH

Neoma, you don't rinse that out, do you?

Also, I got some baking soda and will do a clarifying wash tomorrow, but I think Calista said to shampoo with the bars after that, too. Is that correct?

[Neoma]

Neoma, you don't rinse that out, do you?

Also, I got some baking soda and will do a clarifying wash tomorrow, but I think Calista said to shampoo with the bars after that, too. Is that correct?
Miss Murphy, my friend, you are always catching my omissions! Thank you. :flower:

Yes, I do rinse that out. I'll edit the post where I described this method. :)

I'm not sure what Calista does, but when I need to clarify, I lather up with a shampoo bar and rinse. Then, I lather up a second time with the shampoo bar, and add a little bit of baking soda to the suds.

I always use a vinegar rinse after using this method, since baking soda and poo bars are both alkaline.

[Miss Murphy]

Miss Murphy, my friend, you are always catching my omissions! Thank you. :flower:

Yes, I do rinse that out. I'll edit the post where I described this method. :)

I'm not sure what Calista does, but when I need to clarify, I lather up with a shampoo bar and rinse. Then, I lather up a second time with the shampoo bar, and add a little bit of baking soda to the suds.

I always use a vinegar rinse after using this method, since baking soda and poo bars are both alkaline.

Sweetie, it's not so much that I catch you it's rather that I'm still such a newbie to all this, that I just can't seem to make any sense out of it if you so much as omit a single word :D

Thanks for the clarification, and also for the tip re the clarifying. A little bit means like a teaspoon?

Calista just gave the tip over on one of the I'm-frustrated-with-poobars thread to clarify first, to get rid of any accumulated debris on the hair and scalp. I think she said she clarifies and then lathers with a bar. But in the end that probably comes up to the same thing you're doing.

[Calista]

Miss Murphy, I only use a shampoo bar afterwards to remoisturize my hair, because the baking soda is very stripping. You could also do a deep treatment instead. I do the baking soda thing and then just wash as usual, but with one of the more moisturizing bars (Olive Babassu is my favourite at the moment :inlove: ). Neoma´s method also sounds good.

[Neoma]

Sweetie, it's not so much that I catch you it's rather that I'm still such a newbie to all this, that I just can't seem to make any sense out of it if you so much as omit a single word :D

Thanks for the clarification, and also for the tip re the clarifying. A little bit means like a teaspoon?

Calista just gave the tip over on one of the I'm-frustrated-with-poobars thread to clarify first, to get rid of any accumulated debris on the hair and scalp. I think she said she clarifies and then lathers with a bar. But in the end that probably comes up to the same thing you're doing.

Yes, I use approximately a heaping teaspoon of baking soda.

What Calista does and what I do probably provide the same results. I just prefer this method because adding BS to the suds feels better to me; the result is big, slippery suds. BS paste on its own always feels a tiny bit scratchy to me.

[Calista]

I just prefer this method because adding BS to the suds feels better to me; the result is big, slippery suds. BS paste on its own always feels a tiny bit scratchy to me.
That´s why I mix the BS with conditioner. I never even thought of just adding it to the shampoo suds. :oops:

[Miss Murphy]

Miss Murphy, I only use a shampoo bar afterwards to remoisturize my hair, because the baking soda is very stripping. You could also do a deep treatment instead. I do the baking soda thing and then just wash as usual, but with one of the more moisturizing bars (Olive Babassu is my favourite at the moment :inlove: ). Neoma´s method also sounds good.

Hm, I have marshmallow babassu, so I might use that one...

The problem is that I only wash my hair once a week, so it's taking me a reaaaly long time to try out all my bars and compare them...


Yes, I use approximately a heaping teaspoon of baking soda.

What Calista does and what I do probably provide the same results. I just prefer this method because adding BS to the suds feels better to me; the result is big, slippery suds. BS paste on its own always feels a tiny bit scratchy to me.

I see - I'll think about the both methods, and then decide on a whim tomorrow morning. I'll also try out putting some EOs in my vinegar rinse (oh, and I bought herbs for the rinse with my last PLH order).

[Neoma]

That´s why I mix the BS with conditioner. I never even thought of just adding it to the shampoo suds. :oops:That's a fine method, too, Calista! I've done that before. I stole the idea from someone here at LHC, maybe you! :)

[Miss Murphy]

Alrighty, I did it! I was a bit hesitant at first, seeing that baking soda has sometimes very drying effects. So here's what I did:

I mixed up a generous amount of my favourite non-cone condishioner and a heaping teaspoon of BS, as well as some water to make it a runny paste. I thoroughly wet my hair and applied it. I had to do a second batch, as it wasn't enough to cover everything.
I then washed it out, and lathered up really well with my babassu marshmallow bar. Rinsed that out, too and applied non-cone condish everywhere. I rinsed that out as well, and then did my vinegar rinse. This time I made it much stronger - 100ml to 1l water, as well as 2 drops chamomile and rosemary EO.

My hair is only partially dry right now, so I can't say anything of the final effects. I do know that the BS wash was not too detrimental to my hair - detangling was a breeze.

[Neoma]

Alrighty, I did it! I was a bit hesitant at first, seeing that baking soda has sometimes very drying effects. So here's what I did:

I mixed up a generous amount of my favourite non-cone condishioner and a heaping teaspoon of BS, as well as some water to make it a runny paste. I thoroughly wet my hair and applied it. I had to do a second batch, as it wasn't enough to cover everything.
I then washed it out, and lathered up really well with my babassu marshmallow bar. Rinsed that out, too and applied non-cone condish everywhere. I rinsed that out as well, and then did my vinegar rinse. This time I made it much stronger - 100ml to 1l water, as well as 2 drops chamomile and rosemary EO.

My hair is only partially dry right now, so I can't say anything of the final effects. I do know that the BS wash was not too detrimental to my hair - detangling was a breeze.

Miss Murphy, I'm holding my breath and turning blue!:cool: What, pray tell, were your final results?

This morning, I shampooed twice with a Basil C.O.P.A. soap. I conditioned with Giovanni TTTT, and finished with my usual vinegar rinse, which I did not rinse out.

My hair is super soft, moisturized and conditioned. It probably wouldn't look great down, but it looks fabulous up. And since up is how I wear it, all is right with the world.:D

[Miss Murphy]

Hey Neoma, I just wanted to check in right now!

Weeell - it's almost dry (my hair is thick, and though I was wearing it down all the time - which I usually never do - it's still not quite dry), and it's super soft and silky. It's still a bit stringy on the lengths, though. I think it's just that CV is a bit too moisturising for me.

BUT: what you just wrote made a huuuge lightbulb go up over my head! I never never never wear my hair down (well, apart from today), so it just doesn't matter what my length looks like when down!
So though I was not able to find a solution, I just changed the problem :D

[Neoma]

Hey Neoma, I just wanted to check in right now!

Weeell - it's almost dry (my hair is thick, and though I was wearing it down all the time - which I usually never do - it's still not quite dry), and it's super soft and silky. It's still a bit stringy on the lengths, though. I think it's just that CV is a bit too moisturising for me.

BUT: what you just wrote made a huuuge lightbulb go up over my head! I never never never wear my hair down (well, apart from today), so it just doesn't matter what my length looks like when down!
So though I was not able to find a solution, I just changed the problem :D
Phewwww! Thank goodness I can stop holding my breath. The suspense was killing me! :D

I'm glad that my experience provided you with a lightbulb. :flower:

[swan]

i was wondering if any of you CV poo bar users have had any experience with one particular bar increasing your shedding dramatically. I think Rosemary Lavender Aloe has trippled my shedding if not more. I've used it 3 times in a row since last week and though i just love love love its texture and what it does to my hair i suspect my scalp hates it for some reason. i'll go back to my QH Garlic Shampoo tomorrow just to sort of clarify and then back to my other poo bars. Unfortunately this is the only bar I ordered in full size this time (I cut about 1/4 every time and don't take the whole thing to the shower to have it last longer) and if my suspicion is true I'm stuck with it.

[redhead_rachel]

Rachel, is that one of the few Lush-bars without SLS? I have heard that most of the bars are like regular poo, just solid.

I think so. The ingrediants label had none of the scary sounding things that my old shampoo had anyway (I'm not very knowlegable on the science of shampoo :confused:, but it has nothing that ends in " 'cone"
Anyway, I really like it and my hair feels better than it has in...well, forever! :rolleyes:


BTW, the coconut oil worked a treat on my hair and scalp. Took a while for it to fully absorb, but then it does take my hair 24-26 hrs to airdry. Though I think i managed to get a bit too much oil on the top of my head when I was running it through, because my bangs are a bit heavy and lank; but it's all about experimentation and practice, eh?!:o

[Carina]

Me and a friend decided to place an order fo some PLH bars yesterday.I'm going to try Ginger beer,Pinion Leaf,Patchouli and Hempchouli.I wonder how long it will take before they arrive in my mailbox?I'm going to order some cv bars too when summer sunshine is in stock again.

[Hypnotica]

Well, I'm officially off this schampoo bar project of mine. Waxy, greay hair is no fun at all.

[Smokie]

Blargh. My scalp has been driving me nuts. Pretty sure it's a dryness issue. Save for when I tried CV's Scarborough Faire soap on my head, my scalp always feels much better immediately after washing. But within a few hours (by the time my hair is dry enough to put up) it's itchy and flaky again. I've tried increasing the amount of vinegar in my rinses, lathering twice (helps with the roots sticking to eachother and making it hard to detangle issue), keeping conditioner off my scalp, rubbing conditioners into my scalp, more moisturizing bars, less moisturizing bars (I have tons of samples to choose from), etc and nothing seems to help. I've also been trying aloe and oils on the scalp before a wash as well as trying it out after a wash. Nothing seems to help for more than an hour or two...

Does my head just not like poo bars? I don't think that'd be the case as I've always had itch and flake issues. Oh, and I've been taking fatty acid supplements (flax, fish, and borage 3in1 pill) and trying to drink more water. No matter what I do, by DD3 it's almost intolerable. Clarifying doesn't help either. :( What am I doing wrong here?

[Miss Murphy]

I think so. The ingrediants label had none of the scary sounding things that my old shampoo had anyway (I'm not very knowlegable on the science of shampoo :confused:, but it has nothing that ends in " 'cone"
Anyway, I really like it and my hair feels better than it has in...well, forever! :rolleyes:

Rachel, cones and SLS are not the same ;) Cones provide the slip, and are usually found in conditioners. SLS - sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate - are an ingredient in most shampoos. They are what gives you that "squeaky clean feeling". It's also what most of us are trying to avoid when using poo bars, which is why I asked.


i was wondering if any of you CV poo bar users have had any experience with one particular bar increasing your shedding dramatically. I think Rosemary Lavender Aloe has trippled my shedding if not more.

Swan, some members report increased shedding with the nettle bar. But as usual, every hair and scalp is different. If it doesn't work for you, I say good riddance! Put the bar up on the swap board. No routine is worth increased sufferance and annoyance, I believe.


Phewwww! Thank goodness I can stop holding my breath. The suspense was killing me! :D

LOL, I would have posted earlier had I known about that! So, the final verdict is in: my hair is very moisturized. To be honest, parts of it is downright stringy. I brushed with my BBB last night before bed, that has helped a bit. I think the marshmallow babassu is just waaaay too moisturizing for me. Up on the swap board it goes!


Me and a friend decided to place an order fo some PLH bars yesterday.I'm going to try Ginger beer,Pinion Leaf,Patchouli and Hempchouli.I wonder how long it will take before they arrive in my mailbox?I'm going to order some cv bars too when summer sunshine is in stock again.

Carina, my first order took a bit over 4 weeks shudder:. The second didn't even take a week. Lord knows what makes the difference... I'll keep my fingers crossed for you, I know about the suspence!


Does my head just not like poo bars? I don't think that'd be the case as I've always had itch and flake issues. Oh, and I've been taking fatty acid supplements (flax, fish, and borage 3in1 pill) and trying to drink more water. No matter what I do, by DD3 it's almost intolerable. Clarifying doesn't help either. :( What am I doing wrong here?


Smokie, I'm afraid I just don't have any advice for you. Have you tried adding tea tree oil to your rinse? If you have such a fickle scalp, I say find a routine that makes your scalp happy - and if that's an SLS-poo and a heavy cone condish (I'm exaggerating here, of course), then so be it.

[Smokie]

Smokie, I'm afraid I just don't have any advice for you. Have you tried adding tea tree oil to your rinse? If you have such a fickle scalp, I say find a routine that makes your scalp happy - and if that's an SLS-poo and a heavy cone condish (I'm exaggerating here, of course), then so be it.

Sulfates of all flavors seem to make things worse. Scalp is ultra-itchy superfast. CO didn't work very well either. I'm very sensitive to TTO. Like, one drop to a tablespoon of liquid is too much for me. Pretty sure that's why the neem and tea tree CV bar that I tried out didn't do me any good either. :( Maybe I will try WO on the scalp if none of my other bars (still have 7 or 8 to try LOL) don't work for me.

It also might be an EO sensitivity in general. When I first started on the miconozole thing I was putting way too many drops of EO in my mix (now I'm using less EO and adding water and carrier oils also) and my scalp went absolutely nuts. Was not fun. Maybe CV bars have too much EO for my head?

[Miss Murphy]

Smokie, it could very well be that you're sensitive to EOs.
How is your hair? If it is rather dry I would give castille soap (or castille calendula) a shot, but these are regular soaps and hence even more moisturizing.
If your hair is normal/oily, you might want to give PLH a try - they have an unscented poo bar.

[Calista]

Smokie, if that is the case, have you tried Olive Babassu yet? It is unscented and very very moisturizing. Or try one of the unscented soap bars if your hair can take soap.

[Smokie]

Miss Murphy,

Yes, my hair is definitely dry. Scalp too. And the skin all over my body except my back thanks to washing oils out of my hair. Haha. Castile soap is just soap made from olive oil instead of fat isn't it? I know CV makes a soap from olive oil which I ordered a sample of (can't think which it is offhand). Could give it a shot. And will definitely look into the unscented PLH bar and other castile soaps.

ETA:

Calista, I haven't tried the Olive Babassu bar, but do have the Marshmallow Babassu. It isn't strongly scented (may not be scented at all, but I don't know if babassu has a smell) and doesn't seem to make much of a difference with the itchies. Granted, I always used it with the neem and tea tree oil bar... Perhaps I'll try it alone. Tomorrow's wash day.

[Miss Murphy]

Smokie, if you have the castille, give it a shot. Alternatively, try the olive babassu, like Calista said.
With troublesome scalp like yours, I'd only ever try one bar at a time. Otherwise you'll never know which one's giving you all the trouble ;)

[Calista]

The Babassu Marshmallow contains essential oils of ylang ylang, lemon and ginger and rosemary oil extract.

Look at Ida´s website to find out which bars are unscented.

ETA: The Honey Beer&Egg bars are also unscented, but they do contain rosemary oil extract.

[Miss Murphy]

The ingredients of olive babassu are: Saponified oils of olive, babassu, unrefined shea butter, and castor bean; and vitamin E oil.

That sounds pretty good for your scalp!

Also, castile calendula (Saponified olive oil; filtered rainwater; calendula petals; and vitamin E oil.) might be worth a shot - if it's good enough for a baby, it might be good enough for you ;)
I'm not too sure about olive & shea (Saponified oils of olive, unrefined shea butter, and castor bean; filtered rainwater; finely ground lavender flower petals; and vitamin E oil.), as it has lavender petals, and you sound like the less ingredients, the better.

Also, I checked out PLH: their Just Shampoo bar is listed as containing Olive oil, Purified Water, Castor oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Coconut oil, Palm kernel oil, & Jojoba.
They do say it leaves hair squeaky clean, so that might already be too much cleaning for you.

[Katja]

I tried my first PLH bar this morning -- Peppermint & Tea Tree. The scent is very refreshing, and it lathered well. I liked that the bar was very cleansing, but not too drying.

My hair turned out pretty well, but not as perfect as when I used CV Rosemary Lavender Aloe. I can't wait to try one of my other PLH bars when I shampoo on Thursday.

[hrimfaxi]

You guys are all enablers. :tongue: I went and purchased two Serpentine 'poo bars, so... we'll see how that goes, come wash day.

[Gemma]

You guys are all enablers. :tongue: I went and purchased two Serpentine 'poo bars, so... we'll see how that goes, come wash day.

I just heard on the LJ community that they're releasing three new scents in May, and are working on liquid shampoo!!

ENABLE ENABLE ENABLE

;)

I'll probably buy one of everything. I really dig their poo bars and the liquid shampoo would be very useful to take to the gym.

[Moonstone]

For some reason, I've never been interested in 'poo bars, never bothered to read anything about them... until a few days ago, when I happened across a thread that mentioned them. Now I've read all about them and bought three samples from CV (olive babassu and cafe moreno shampoos and honey butter soap)! I can't wait for them to get here!

[Miss Murphy]

Moonstone, I was the same! The old thread had a title like "CV bars" or something, and I always thought it meant the drugstore chain CVS :silly:

As soon as I read about them though, I went to CVs site and immediately put up an order!

Keep us posted how it goes once you get them, will you?

[Moonstone]

Miss Murphy, I will definitely update with my impressions of the 'poo bars when I get them! I really hope they work for me, because I like the idea of them being easy to travel with and I'm also hoping I won't need conditioner anymore.

It's true that the LHC is full of enablers!

[Miss Murphy]

Miss Murphy, I will definitely update with my impressions of the 'poo bars when I get them! I really hope they work for me, because I like the idea of them being easy to travel with and I'm also hoping I won't need conditioner anymore.

Just be aware that it might take some time to adjust. I started using poo bars 6 weeks ago, but since I only wash once a week, I'm still adjusting.


It's true that the LHC is full of enablers!


That's the first thing I learned on here :demon:

[Hedera]

Also, if you don't love your first-day-hair, wait and see what the second-day-hair looks like!

I started using them in December, and I think I've only recently really adjusted (I wash every 5-7 days, so it takes a while to experiment).
The first few months, my hair was a little waxy on DD1, but much better on DD2.

Now, it's already wonderful on DD1 but that really took a while.

[Gwaihiril]

Yay! Unbeknownst to me, my mom ordered some of the sample CV bars, so now I have samples of the Nettle and the Chamomile & Citrus bars (and she has some of the soaps). I'm really excited to try them, especially as it's coincidence that they arrived on the day I was going to wash my hair.

[Neoma]

Yay! Unbeknownst to me, my mom ordered some of the sample CV bars, so now I have samples of the Nettle and the Chamomile & Citrus bars (and she has some of the soaps). I'm really excited to try them, especially as it's coincidence that they arrived on the day I was going to wash my hair.Let's hear it for Gwaihiril's mom! :applause . Please let us know how you like CV bars.

[lynnala]

I'm a poo bar newbie. I've been experimenting with BS/ACV, but I was out of town last week and saw a Burt's Bee's shampoo bar at the store and thought, what the heck, no time like the present! Before using it I checked and saw that it doesn't get very favorable reviews here, so my expectations weren't high. But I liked it! It does leave my hair waxy, but that's okay because it's so fine, I like the body. But weirdly, after just three washes, it's turned my blonde/white hair a darker color! Even slightly greenish. Perhaps that's the rosemary at work? Anyway, I was intrigued, so I ordered some CV bars, which just arrived today. I can't wait to try them, and will report back in!

[Neoma]

I'm a poo bar newbie. I've been experimenting with BS/ACV, but I was out of town last week and saw a Burt's Bee's shampoo bar at the store and thought, what the heck, no time like the present! Before using it I checked and saw that it doesn't get very favorable reviews here, so my expectations weren't high. But I liked it! It does leave my hair waxy, but that's okay because it's so fine, I like the body. But weirdly, after just three washes, it's turned my blonde/white hair a darker color! Even slightly greenish. Perhaps that's the rosemary at work? Anyway, I was intrigued, so I ordered some CV bars, which just arrived today. I can't wait to try them, and will report back in!
lynnala, as a sister fine hair, I understand about not minding the waxiness because of the body that it adds.

I haven't tried the Burt's Bees bar because of the bad reviews here. I've picked them up at the health food store a few times and sniffed the box (I'm weird, I know) -- they smell wonderful. I'm thinking of the baby ones, BTW.

Scary that they changed your hair color.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you like CV bars.

[lynnala]

BTW, today I used the Burt's Bee's poo bar not only on my hair, but my face and body as well. I really loved it on my skin, I may keep buying it just for that purpose!

[lynnala]

lynnala, as a sister fine hair, I understand about not minding the waxiness because of the body that it adds.

I haven't tried the Burt's Bees bar because of the bad reviews here. I've picked them up at the health food store a few times and sniffed the box (I'm weird, I know) -- they smell wonderful. I'm thinking of the baby ones, BTW.

Scary that they changed your hair color.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you like CV bars.Neoma, regarding the color change, I suppose it could be causing a reaction with the cassia treatment too.

[Miss Murphy]

LOL, Neoma - I'm a product sniffer, too! :D

Today I got my order from PLH. I'm so happy - they sent me a total of 4 soap samples and a facial serum sample!
I ordered the Fragrant Tresses and the Sage, Sweetgrass & Cedar - and they smell. A lot more than CV soaps. I also ordered 3 herbal rinses for blonde hair. I really can't wait until saturday to try them out!

But the big question remains: which bar should I take this time? When summer comes around, I might start washing my hair more often than every 6-7 days, just to try out more bars :)

[rhosyn_du]

I got my CV bar samples today, and since it was wash day, I tried out the Olive Babassu bar. My hair is almost dry, now, and the last couple inches where I've still got significant chemical damage feel all dry and plastic-y. The rest of my hair feels great, although I seem to have a bit of the 80s "big hair" look going on.

Has anyone else experienced the crunchy ends thing with shampoo bars? If so, is it one of those things that's likely to go away as I adjust to the bars, or should I go ahead and start conditioning the ends with my next wash?

If anyone wants to see the exact procedure I used, it's in my blog.

[Calista]

Fragrant Tresses was my first shampoo bar ever! :) While I liked the way the PLH bars smelled I had to wash much more often than before (CO), and also more often than I eventually did with CV bars. I think PLH bars are more cleansing, so my hair got kind of stripped.

After about a year of CV addiction I tried some shampoo bars from a German soap lady and experienced the same thing I did with the PLH bars. For me nothing compares to CV bars! :inlove:

[Calista]

Rhosyn_du, for the longest time my hair would be a little dry and crunchy on day 1 but soft and moisturized by day 2. No idea why - but there are others who experienced the same thing. These days my hair is great on day 1 already. It might be a transitioning problem, or the reason might be that I trimmed off more damage. I think CV bars work best on healthy virgin hair. If you feel you´d do better with a little conditioner thrown into the regimen, just go ahead, although I think there is no need.

[Miss Murphy]

Calista - I will report back with PLH results. My hair did just fine with SLS - I could go a week without washing. Yesterday was DD3, and I had to use some of GladtoBeMom's Airing Powder, my hair was stringy and greasy :-(
On the plus side, though: I did my first successful Figure-8 today! My hair practically sticks to itself LOL

I will try a much much weaker vinegar rinse next time, maybe that makes a difference.

BTW - have you tried buying citric acid in Germany? I have no idea where to look and what to ask for. I want to use it when travelling with my bars - I don't want to take vinegar with me LOL

[Calista]

Miss Murphy, no I haven´t. My BF works in a chocolate factory and has easy access to citric acid powder, so he brought some home once. I didn´t use it on my hair though, but cleaned the bathroom with it. I honestly have no idea where to go to for citric acid bar an "Apotheke" (where the prices would accordingly...).

Is it the vinegar per se or the fact that it´s a liquid? Some people use those little yellow plastic lemons for their hair, maybe that would be convenient for travelling?

[Miss Murphy]

I just bought baking soda at my Apotheke, and it was very cheap. But I don't really know what to ask for...
I'll just buy it on ebay.co.uk, then.

It's both the liquid and that it's vinegar. I don't want to image the mess if it spills :(

[Melian]

I haven't been to this thread for a long long time, but I am still using the CV bars! I finally found some that are my favourite and some that does not work as well. I love Nettle, Chamomile Citrus, Lavender Spice and Mud & Clay so far. I do not like the Cafe Moreno (too moisturising) and Herb Garden (idem) but will give them another chance sometime.
I love the fluffy feeling I get from washing with CV bars, but the adjustment period has taken a while for me. I think 2-3 months since I am only washing once a week. I also stopped using CO after the bars and the blue/black gunk that had invaded my comb (I had to clean my comb every three days to get rid of lots of gunk) is now almost entirely gone (I have only a little bit after a week). It takes some time to wash with them, but with washing only once a week I love the routine I have with them!

[KatKeRo]

BTW - have you tried buying citric acid in Germany? I have no idea where to look and what to ask for. I want to use it when travelling with my bars - I don't want to take vinegar with me LOL

I'm in Belgium and went to the pharmacy and asked about citroenzuur. Apparantly heaps of people buy it to clean their coffeemachine with instead of vinegar.

[Miss Murphy]

Ah, thanks KatKeRo! I might just ask for Zitronensäure, then.

They should be used to my weird requests by now ;)

[Calista]

Yes, that´s right, Zitronensäure. Apparently it´s not the same as Ascorbinsäure, which is vitamin C, so make sure they give you the right thing.

[lynnala]

I also stopped using CO after the bars and the blue/black gunk that had invaded my comb (I had to clean my comb every three days to get rid of lots of gunk) is now almost entirely gone (I have only a little bit after a week). !I was wondering about that! I just started using bars, and yesterday when I combed my hair my comb was full of this waxy lint like substance, I could not understand where it came from! I examined my scalp and it seemed fine, so I thought something in my purse got into my comb! Is that really all the built up gunk coming off my hair? Wow!!!

[Lavendula]

Yay!!! I am a happy girl, my CV bars arrived (I ordered only 10 days ago :))! I ordered the mud&clay shampoo bar, the cucumber-lime-yogurt soap bar and some sheabutter. I was on the safe side considering the 22 euro (including shipping costs) limit we have here for products from the US. The taxes and costs for administration when higher than 22 euro are outrageous... But I don't think I have to worry about that, since I saw the costs Ida wrote down on the package. European ladies, what are your experiences with this?

There's only one tiny problem I need your help with... For some weird reason, the smell of ACV stays in my hair, even when it's dry. I thought about mixing my rinse with honey and some EO. Do you have any ideas to neutralize the smell of the vinegar? TIA!

Oh, and so sweet... in my package was a small note, it said: "Thank you! Ida & Sam"... in DUTCH!

[Hedera]

I was on the safe side considering the 22 euro (including shipping costs) limit we have here for products from the US. The taxes and costs for administration when higher than 22 euro are outrageous... But I don't think I have to worry about that, since I saw the costs Ida wrote down on the package. European ladies, what are your experiences with this?



Yeah, I've never had to worry about customs with their parcels.
I think that, as long as you stick to the cheapest international shipping option (the flat-rate envelope), you should be pretty safe.

[Hedera]

and the last couple inches where I've still got significant chemical damage feel all dry and plastic-y.

Has anyone else experienced the crunchy ends thing with shampoo bars? If so, is it one of those things that's likely to go away as I adjust to the bars, or should I go ahead and start conditioning the ends with my next wash?

If anyone wants to see the exact procedure I used, it's in my blog.

I had that weird, plasticky feeling to my ends as well!
I blamed the fact that those had been dyed a few times.

It seems to have gone away now; could have been because of how I've tweaked my conditioner/leave-in (at the moment; leaving Lavera Deep Treatment on for about 10 minutes before rinsing and ACV rinse, no leave-in), could be that it's just one of those things that goes away.

I personally love the Big Hair; never thougth a thinnie & straightie like me could have big hair! :disco:

[Neoma]

I ordered the Fragrant Tresses and the Sage, Sweetgrass & Cedar - and they smell. A lot more than CV soaps. :)Miss Murphy, you probably know this already, but those two "flavors" are scented with fragrance oils, not EO's. I've never used the Sage, Sweetgrass and Cedar, but I had the Fragrant Tresses. I couldn't use it, because it was way too perfumy for my taste.

The "flavors" that I use, Aloe Fresh and Rosemary Nettle, do not contain fragrance oils, only EO's.



BTW - have you tried buying citric acid in Germany? I have no idea where to look and what to ask for. I want to use it when travelling with my bars - I don't want to take vinegar with me LOLI don't know if you're thinking about flying, but citric acid is a white powder. There was a discussion on the old LHC about the wisdom of flying with citric acid. I sure would hate to be wisked off to security for packing a "suspicious white powder."

Just something to think about.

********************************
On another note...

This morning, I shampooed twice with my Aloe Fresh PLH bar. I did not follow with a vinegar rinse, because I could feel the tangles falling out in the shower.

My hair dried super soft and silky and very slippery. It's so slippery, in fact, that I couldn't make a decent bun to save my life, so I made an English braid.

I think that it's interesting that not using the ACV made it too slippery, as if I had used conditioner. I had this experience the other day with another brand, I think it wsa CV. I can't understand why that would be. vinegar rinses are supposed to smooth the cuticle. So why would using a vinegar rinse give me big, bunnable hair?

[Kimberly]

Has anyone else experienced the crunchy ends thing with shampoo bars? If so, is it one of those things that's likely to go away as I adjust to the bars, or should I go ahead and start conditioning the ends with my next wash?

I had crunchy ends using shampoo bars (or anything else). Here's what worked for me:

* clarifying shampoo to get the last of the cones out
* a pretty serious trim, because I had a zillion splits and they just wouldn't hold any kind moisture no matter what I did
* a teensy bit of coconut oil on the ends when they're still wet after a wash

Once in a while a few days after a wash the ends get a little crisp again. A few weeks ago I figured out I can fix that if I sort of rub my fingers around in the roots where things are a little oilier and then rub them on the ends -- does the trick every time.

[Carina]

I'm not a happy girl now.Why?I just saw that my summer sunshine is not available until may/june.So please tell me of another bar I can use until then.I really hope PLH works out for me.Why oh why :wail:

[Miss Murphy]

Yay!!! I am a happy girl, my CV bars arrived (I ordered only 10 days ago :))! I ordered the mud&clay shampoo bar, the cucumber-lime-yogurt soap bar and some sheabutter. I was on the safe side considering the 22 euro (including shipping costs) limit we have here for products from the US. The taxes and costs for administration when higher than 22 euro are outrageous... But I don't think I have to worry about that, since I saw the costs Ida wrote down on the package. European ladies, what are your experiences with this?

There's only one tiny problem I need your help with... For some weird reason, the smell of ACV stays in my hair, even when it's dry. I thought about mixing my rinse with honey and some EO. Do you have any ideas to neutralize the smell of the vinegar? TIA!

Oh, and so sweet... in my package was a small note, it said: "Thank you! Ida & Sam"... in DUTCH!
Yes, Ida is a doll. I never had problems with customs, but apparently here in Austria the limit is higher, because I didn't have to pay either when the amount was around 40USD.

Re the vinegar rinse: could it be that your rinse is too strong? When I do a too strong rinse, I get a whiff of vinegar every time I sweat. Or, you could put some EOs in it. Or, if all else fails, switch to citric acid :)


Miss Murphy, you probably know this already, but those two "flavors" are scented with fragrance oils, not EO's. I've never used the Sage, Sweetgrass and Cedar, but I had the Fragrant Tresses. I couldn't use it, because it was way too perfumy for my taste.

The "flavors" that I use, Aloe Fresh and Rosemary Nettle, do not contain fragrance oils, only EO's.

Yes, I did know they were fragranced with perfume, and I was hesitant. But I really wanted a more cleansing bar, and all the others were described as moisturizing...
And I will probably have to get rid of the patchouli sample. It's just such a tiny sliver of soap, but it's stinking up my soap drawer :rolleyes:


I don't know if you're thinking about flying, but citric acid is a white powder. There was a discussion on the old LHC about the wisdom of flying with citric acid. I sure would hate to be wisked off to security for packing a "suspicious white powder."

Thanks for the input. I do mean to put it in my checked baggage. If I fly for less than a week, I don't need to wash my hair anyway. If I go longer than a week, I need to check my baggage anyway :)


This morning, I shampooed twice with my Aloe Fresh PLH bar. I did not follow with a vinegar rinse, because I could feel the tangles falling out in the shower.

My hair dried super soft and silky and very slippery. It's so slippery, in fact, that I couldn't make a decent bun to save my life, so I made an English braid.

I think that it's interesting that not using the ACV made it too slippery, as if I had used conditioner. I had this experience the other day with another brand, I think it wsa CV. I can't understand why that would be. vinegar rinses are supposed to smooth the cuticle. So why would using a vinegar rinse give me big, bunnable hair?

How would I know? Heck, you're the friggin expert here :D :p
Seriously though, maybe the cuticles are smoothed by the ACV rinse, but the hair is fluffed up? I don't know.


I'm not a happy girl now.Why?I just saw that my summer sunshine is not available until may/june.So please tell me of another bar I can use until then.I really hope PLH works out for me.Why oh why :wail:

Carina, what type of hair is yours? I would suggest the chammomile citrus. It's said to be equally cleansing, smells good and you're a blonde anyway. That should give you something to play with until the summer sunshine is available again.

[Lavendula]

Miss Murphy and Hedera, thanks for answering my questions!

As for the ACV rinse, I used a dilution of 1:10 (1 for the ACV of course :))... at the most. I will try a less stronger rinse anyway, plus the EO's. See how that works out...

[Kupferzopf]

@Miss Murphy: You can buy Zitronensäure a big supermarkets like real.-, Kaufland etc. Ask for "Dr. Oetker Zitronensäure". Here a picture:
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5649/img0412thumbxk0.th.jpg (http://img292.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0412thumbxk0.jpg)

[rhosyn_du]

Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about crunchy ends. I'm noticing that they smell like the bar I used, whereas the rest of my hair has lost that smell by now, and I'm thinking the porosity of the damaged ends means that part of my hair isn't rinsing as easily as the rest. I'm going to try being extra thorough with the rinsing on my ends the next time I wash.

[Miss Murphy]

Wow, thanks Kupferzopf! That looks like I should find it somwhere near the baking stuff.

[Miss Murphy]

Yeah, I got some citric acid! :disco:

And right where Kupferzopf said I would, in my regular supermarket! I couldn't be happier - well, one of you dears could tell me how much of it I need in my rinse :)

[Kupferzopf]

I take 1-2 points of a knife for 1liter.

[Miss Murphy]

Wow, so little! Thanks - I surely would have taken at least a teaspoon for a litre.

[Lavendula]

It was a non-washing day... but couldn't wait to try :). So I washed my hair with my mud&clay bar. Overall, I'm satisfied: my hair is clean (haven't got the "waxies": yay!), has great volume (didn't have to use my Aveda foam, wow!) and my waves come out pretty well.

The only thing is, it isn't so shiny and soft... Could this be due to the adjustment? Or is my ACV rinse too weak? I tried looking it up in this thread, but forgive me for not searching the entire 34-page thread ;).

And it's a bit dry and frizzy, but as for the frizziness, can't be for sure if that's because of the bar or the honey (why did I put that in my rinse? I *know* my hair gets frizzy when I use it... *sigh*). I'll probably try the soap bar on my length next time the second time I lather to give it more moisture, maybe that helps.

BTW I mixed some peppermint EO (and, yep, honey... aarghh) in my ACV rinse and it pretty much neutralized the smell, so that's no longer a problem :).

[Calista]

Lavendula, wait until tomorrow. Maybe your hair will be softer by then. That´s the way it was when I started to use shampoo bars. No idea why, though. My hair would be dry and frizzy on day 1 and soft and shiny after that.

Also, different shampoo bars achieve different degrees of shine. Café Moreno is one bar that coes to my mind that does not give me great shine, whereas others make my hair very shiny and smooth.

[Neoma]

As I reported yesterday, I shampooed twice with an Aloe Fresh PLH bar and did not follow with a vinegar rinse. My hair was so smooth and silky that it felt as if I had used conditioner.

Last night, before I went to bed, I combed a tiny amount (the size of two peas) of Giovanni SAS conditioner through my hair. This morning, my hair felt so good -- and so clean -- that I decided not to shampoo. This is virtually unheard of for me.

I made a wrapped bun. I had a little more scalp show-through than I do when I shampoo, but it wasn't awful. And I suspect that if I hadn't used the conditioner last night, I would have had less show-through.

[brok3nwings]

I need some help here...
One week ago i was at NYC and i bought all that i thought i couldnt find here in Portugal, i found a shop called Sabon that had a lot of soaps and so i got in, asked for shampoo bars, they told me they didnt have shampoo bars but there was one that was also used as shampoo (and the description afirmed it) so i bought it. I dont know the specific ingredients but i know it has mint so i tried it today. With a citric acid rinse... i passed it through my hair three times and rinsed it very well with water. Then the rinse and then a quick final water rinse...(i also put a bit of conditioner for about 20 sec and then rinsed). My hair now has a lot of volume but...it seams it has glue on it...like some stlyling product that as you touch the hair it changes. My hair has about 2 or 3 inches of virgin hair and the rest is dye so it is a bit more dry. Usually i have to put a lot of conditioner to get my hair as i like, now you could say..why dont you use a soap as conditioner? Well i have washed my hair once with a soap and it was a bigger disaster as this time. The good thing is...my scalp is wonderful! So what could you suggest me? Maybe use conditioner for longer?

[Calista]

Bárbara, I suggest you read through this entire thread very carefully, tedious as it may seem. There´s lots of great information about shampoo bars in here.

If this is the first time you have used a shampoo bar, and you used a commercial product containing SLS or cones before, then I advise you to do a clarifying first. Take 1 tablespoon of baking soda and mix that with some cone-free conditioner and a little water to make a paste. Use this on your hair like you would use a shampoo. Rinse thoroughly and follow up with a vinegar or citric acid rinse. This should get rid of all possible buildup. Do a deep treatment afterwards or use a conditioner (cone-less), because baking soda is quite drying on your hair.

When you use your shampoo bar always follow up with a vinegar or citric acid rinse. If your hair can´t go without conditioner you can also use a light conditioner either before, after or together with the rinse.

And please bear in mind that it might take a while (up to several months) for your hair to adjust to shampoo bars. Healthy, virgin hair seems to like shampoo bars best, while damaged and dyed hair often has difficulties with this routine. Hang in there.

Also, it would be interesting to hear just what exactly was in this shampoo bar of yours. Could you post the ingredients? If it contains something like beeswax it is not suitable as a shampoo bar.

Hope this helps some. :flower:

[n3m3sis42]

It was a non-washing day... but couldn't wait to try :). So I washed my hair with my mud&clay bar. Overall, I'm satisfied: my hair is clean (haven't got the "waxies": yay!), has great volume (didn't have to use my Aveda foam, wow!) and my waves come out pretty well.

The only thing is, it isn't so shiny and soft... Could this be due to the adjustment? Or is my ACV rinse too weak? I tried looking it up in this thread, but forgive me for not searching the entire 34-page thread ;).


Lavendula, I don't know what your previous washing regimen was like, but I know that people who go from commercial shampoos with detergents tend to have adjustment periods before shampoo bars really "work" for them. I switched to shampoo bars from a baking soda and apple cider vinegar no-poo routine, so I haven't had any problems. But when I first went to no-poo, my adjustment period definitely included a period of time where I had reallllllly dry hair (and also a period of time when I had greasy roots, which was gross).

I used the Mud and Clay bar for the first time on Tuesday, and it seemed to make my hair shiny enough, but unlike Calista, I actually got AWESOME shine from the Cafe Moreno bar (and not as much from the Mud and Clay one). However, Mud and Clay made my hair smell pretty, even after a vinegar rinse.

I use about 2 tbsp of vinegar in somewhere around 1-1.5 cups of warm water for my rinse. I think that may be more vinegar than most people use, but I don't mind the smell (at least not with the processed vinegar I am currently using, though we'll see what happens when I switch to this bottle with the "mother" that I just bought).

[Periwinkle]

I like Lush shampoo bars. I don't use them on a regular basis, but I do have a wonderful pink-coloured one (wish I could remember what it was) that's shampoo and conditioner in one. I take it with me when I go on holiday because it's a good way of taking two very decent products.

[Miss Murphy]

I like Lush shampoo bars. I don't use them on a regular basis, but I do have a wonderful pink-coloured one (wish I could remember what it was) that's shampoo and conditioner in one. I take it with me when I go on holiday because it's a good way of taking two very decent products.

Good for you, Periwinkle! If you found something your hair likes, hold onto it for dear life! :D
Just don't confuse your poo bar with the ones this thread is about - yours is very likely to contain SLS, and hence is just regular poo in a bar. What everybody's talking about here however, is SLS-free (and some like to call it hair soap, for better distinction). :)

[Lavendula]

n3m3sis42 and Calista, thanks so much for your replies.

Calista, you were right: my hair is much softer and has more shine than yesterday today. Btw, I've been using rhassoul for a while now, so my hair is used to non-commercial products. I've found that most commercial shampoos en conditioners don't do anything but harm to my hair, so I'll definitely stick to the natural products (oils for conditioning). That's why it's really great that my hair has so much body with the shampoo bar, because now I can skip the Aveda foam from my daily routine as well... Wooha :)!

My goal is now to find the optimum ACV rinse dilution and I'll check the soap bar for conditioning next time I'll wash.

[brok3nwings]

Calista thank you so much for your answer! Well i will have to buy baking soda and try it...i havent used cones for about 3 months and my hair instantly loved it..i also am using a sulfate free shampoo...but today i think i will use the rest of my Redken Hair Cleansing Cream that is a shampoo and it has sulfate but no cones...or should i try to buy the baking soda? About the ingredients i dont have them but this is where they have the description of the ingredients they use on their products http://www.sabonnyc.com/html/ingredients.html
I must say i really liked the volume that it gave me...and my scalp is great so maybe i should try it again today? I know i did it yesterday but i went out yesterday and there was a lot of smoke so it isnt a clean hair right now. Also i will try to read the thread but it is really long one! And my english sucks...
Is there any people that besides trying it for a while is not satisfied with the results? And why are you so in love with shampoo bars?

[Moonstone]

As promised, I'm back with my first CV bar experience! :)

I got them in the mail yesterday, so I did my first 'poo bar wash this morning. I chose Olive and Babassu to start out. I soaped up my scalp by applying the bar directly, and lifting pieces of my hair to make sure I didn't miss any spots. Then I scrubbed with my fingertips, and left the suds there while I did the rest of my shower. Before rinsing, I scrubbed a little more, but by then the lather had died down. When I rinsed, I got a very squeaky clean feeling - even moreso than I get with shampoo or with baking soda. That made me a bit nervous.

I didn't use conditioner or an ACV rinse, because I wanted to see how the bar would act by itself. I would say the results are good: I have no waxy or coated feeling, my hair just feels clean. My hair is moderately soft, but the length is a bit dry. I wonder if I went a little overboard with the amount of soaping or the amount of time I left it on my head? I really liked the feeling of using a solid bar on my head. It just felt, I don't know, wholesome or something.

Before this, I've mostly been washing with baking soda followed by Kiss My Face conditioner and an ACV rinse. That probably helped make this an easy transition, although my hair has never really had any problems adjusting to new routines (well, except for the time I tried WO...).

Conclusion: I'm going to keep experimenting with these. They are fun and natural and I have a good feeling about them. :D

[Miss Murphy]

Le sigh. :sad

I washed today, this time with my Summer Sunshine. Lathered twice. Followed that with a citric acid rinse (I used 2 pinches - yes, I have a teeny tiny spoon for measuring a pinch) to roughly 1 litre of water. My hair felt very weird after that, all rough, so I followed with some non-cone condish. Finally I did a herbal rinse (my one from PLH for blonde hair).

I shed a ton - in the shower, and also while detangling. My hair is dry now - and it's the same story as always: the scalp is nice and clean, and from my ears down is a stringy mess. I don't think it's greasy, but I don't know what it is. I know that before my first poo bar wash my length was fine, and afterwards it started getting stringier every time I washed...

What gives? It's not that I would want to wear my hair down - I never do, anyway. But I still don't feel right :confused:

ETA: I did a baking soda wash last time - didn't help a bit.

[Neoma]

Calista thank you so much for your answer! Well i will have to buy baking soda and try it...i havent used cones for about 3 months and my hair instantly loved it..i also am using a sulfate free shampoo...but today i think i will use the rest of my Redken Hair Cleansing Cream that is a shampoo and it has sulfate but no cones...or should i try to buy the baking soda? About the ingredients i dont have them but this is where they have the description of the ingredients they use on their products http://www.sabonnyc.com/html/ingredients.html
I must say i really liked the volume that it gave me...and my scalp is great so maybe i should try it again today? I know i did it yesterday but i went out yesterday and there was a lot of smoke so it isnt a clean hair right now. Also i will try to read the thread but it is really long one! And my english sucks...
Is there any people that besides trying it for a while is not satisfied with the results? And why are you so in love with shampoo bars?brok3nwings, I have never used that brand. When I went to their store, none of the salespeople could tell me what was in their soap, and they looked at me like I had three heads when I asked for a shampoo bar.

Yes, there are many people who try shampoo bars and don't like them. I would second Calista's suggestion to read this entire thread, as daunting as that task may be. It will answer a lot of your questions about people who ended up not loving shampoo bars as well as why we who do love them, do. I know that I have posted on the latter topic at least twice in this thread.


As promised, I'm back with my first CV bar experience! :)

I got them in the mail yesterday, so I did my first 'poo bar wash this morning. I chose Olive and Babassu to start out. I soaped up my scalp by applying the bar directly, and lifting pieces of my hair to make sure I didn't miss any spots. Then I scrubbed with my fingertips, and left the suds there while I did the rest of my shower. Before rinsing, I scrubbed a little more, but by then the lather had died down. When I rinsed, I got a very squeaky clean feeling - even moreso than I get with shampoo or with baking soda. That made me a bit nervous.

I didn't use conditioner or an ACV rinse, because I wanted to see how the bar would act by itself. I would say the results are good: I have no waxy or coated feeling, my hair just feels clean. My hair is moderately soft, but the length is a bit dry. I wonder if I went a little overboard with the amount of soaping or the amount of time I left it on my head? I really liked the feeling of using a solid bar on my head. It just felt, I don't know, wholesome or something.

Before this, I've mostly been washing with baking soda followed by Kiss My Face conditioner and an ACV rinse. That probably helped make this an easy transition, although my hair has never really had any problems adjusting to new routines (well, except for the time I tried WO...).

Conclusion: I'm going to keep experimenting with these. They are fun and natural and I have a good feeling about them. :D Moonstone, I'm glad that your first experience with CV bars was so positive. :flower:

[Calista]

Miss Murphy, do you lather your length as well, or do you just let the suds run down your hair? I know I absolutely have to lather my length in order to get it clean. Just letting the suds run through it definitely isn´t enough for me.

And what condition is your hair in? Do you have old dye damage by any chance? Damaged hair reacts very differently to shampoo bars than healthy virgin hair.

Other than that, I´m clueless. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/a050.gif

[Neoma]

Le sigh. :sad

I washed today, this time with my Summer Sunshine. Lathered twice. Followed that with a citric acid rinse (I used 2 pinches - yes, I have a teeny tiny spoon for measuring a pinch) to roughly 1 litre of water. My hair felt very weird after that, all rough, so I followed with some non-cone condish. Finally I did a herbal rinse (my one from PLH for blonde hair).

I shed a ton - in the shower, and also while detangling. My hair is dry now - and it's the same story as always: the scalp is nice and clean, and from my ears down is a stringy mess. I don't think it's greasy, but I don't know what it is. I know that before my first poo bar wash my length was fine, and afterwards it started getting stringier every time I washed...

What gives? It's not that I would want to wear my hair down - I never do, anyway. But I still don't feel right :confused:

ETA: I did a baking soda wash last time - didn't help a bit.Miss Murphy, when I first started using shampoo bars (CV), my hair was like what you described. I finally gave up on them. When I came back to them (PLH the second time around), eventually this problem went away.

I would like to suggest that you try not detangling in the shower or while your hair is wet. A few weeks ago, I discovered that if I shake pieces of my hair while I air dry, most of the tangles fall out. This might help with your shedding issue.

If you haven't done so in the past, I would also suggest not using a conditioner after your shampoo bar and citric acid rinse. The weird stringy look may be from using conditioner on top of the poo bar and acid rinse. My hair doesn't mind conditioner on top of poo bars and acid rinses, but some people end up with gunky hair.

And I definitely second what calista said about shampooing the length. That, in and of itself, might solve your problem.

Keep us posted.

[Miss Murphy]

Miss Murphy, do you lather your length as well, or do you just let the suds run down your hair? I know I absolutely have to lather my length in order to get it clean. Just letting the suds run through it definitely isn´t enough for me.

And what condition is your hair in? Do you have old dye damage by any chance? Damaged hair reacts very differently to shampoo bars than healthy virgin hair.

Other than that, I´m clueless. http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/konfus/a050.gif

Well - my whole top layer has highlights, not just the length. I try my best to actively lather my length, but it's a lot more difficult than my scalp. I don't think it's because from a lack of lather - my length was fine when I stepped in the shower for the first poo bar cleanse, and was stringy when I stepped out of it.


Miss Murphy, when I first started using shampoo bars (CV), my hair was like what you described. I finally gave up on them. When I came back to them (PLH the second time around), eventually this problem went away.

I would like to suggest that you try not detangling in the shower or while your hair is wet. A few weeks ago, I discovered that if I shake pieces of my hair while I air dry, most of the tangles fall out. This might help with your shedding issue.

If you haven't done so in the past, I would also suggest not using a conditioner after your shampoo bar and citric acid rinse. The weird stringy look may be from using conditioner on top of the poo bar and acid rinse. My hair doesn't mind conditioner on top of poo bars and acid rinses, but some people end up with gunky hair.

And I definitely second what calista said about shampooing the length. That, in and of itself, might solve your problem.

Keep us posted.

Hm, I might just try PLH next time. I never detangle in the shower, I always do that afterwards. I have found out that I gets easier once my hair is mid-dry, so I do it then. If it's too wet or too dry, more damage results.
I already had the intention of not using conditioner this time - but then my hair was so hard, that I got it out after all. I'll see wether I'm more strong next time.

Thanks for your help, girls :flower:

[brok3nwings]

I have to post!
Well i tried it again...and this time...lovely lovely hair, lot of volume and having none of that glue sensation...but now i just feel that maybe i used to much of vinegar then normal ? The thing is...this time i only washed it once because when i wet my hair i could still feel that glue sensation...so i used the shampoo bar (or soap i dont know) once (passing many times through hair) and then...(what really made the diference to me) not once, not twice but three times vinegar rinses...the first too i let it be for about a minute...massage...then rinse with water...the third time...a quick rinse and voila, i instantly knew it would work because i could see the diference on my hair texture. So, anyone use this much vinegar rinse? I think i put about 3/4 cup of vinegar with 10 times that water...
really happy about it for now!

[Neoma]

I have to post!
Well i tried it again...and this time...lovely lovely hair, lot of volume and having none of that glue sensation...but now i just feel that maybe i used to much of vinegar then normal ? The thing is...this time i only washed it once because when i wet my hair i could still feel that glue sensation...so i used the shampoo bar (or soap i dont know) once (passing many times through hair) and then...(what really made the diference to me) not once, not twice but three times vinegar rinses...the first too i let it be for about a minute...massage...then rinse with water...the third time...a quick rinse and voila, i instantly knew it would work because i could see the diference on my hair texture. So, anyone use this much vinegar rinse? I think i put about 3/4 cup of vinegar with 10 times that water...
really happy about it for now!

That's great news brok3nwings! I'm glad to hear this.I suspect that the relatively high concentration of vinegar, plus the repeated applications, made the difference. I also suspect that next time you will be able to reduce the amount of vinegar in your rinse.

[Calista]

Bárbara, I also use a 1:10 vinegar rinse, so it´s not that unusual. The important thing is, it worked for you. :)

[brok3nwings]

Neoma well the important thing is that there is hope! eheh i actually think that it made my hair more wavy than usually and for me that is a good thing! I just have a problem about this...if i actually fall for shampoo bars i have a LOT of shampoo´s and conditioners that i bought when i went to USA ...

Calista that is good to know, i was afraid of giving my hair too much acid and that it would damage my hair at long term of use...

Has ir been reported any colour changes by the use of shampoo bars? Its because i would like to keep my blonde

[Calista]

Bárbara, I looked at the site you linked, and I guess the soap you are using is the rosemary soap for oily skin, because it says "doubles as shampoo". Well, rosemary tends to darken hair, which is why it is generally recommended for brunettes. If you are at all interested in continuing the shampoo bar routine I suggest getting some shampoo bars that are suitable for blonde hair. Chagrin Valley (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com) does a chamomile bar and several bars that are rich in honey, which is also said to lighten the hair. There are also several neutral bars, but if you are a blonde you should be wary about exclusively using rosemary soap. It won´t hurt to use it off and on, though.

[Neoma]

Neoma well the important thing is that there is hope! eheh i actually think that it made my hair more wavy than usually and for me that is a good thing! I just have a problem about this...if i actually fall for shampoo bars i have a LOT of shampoo´s and conditioners that i bought when i went to USA ...
I hear you, brok3nwings. I have a bathroom full of bottled shampoos and conditioners, most of which I will never use. Day after day, I reach for my shampoo bars while everything else languishes.

I have taken to mixing a couple squirts of conditioner into my WV/EO rinse. After I complete my showerly duties, I rinse this out. The result is that my hair is soft and smooth, without a trace of dryness. Down the road, you may want to try that. At least you would be able to use your conditioners.

As for bottled shampoo, it makes great hand and body soap. And I've actually used it as laundry detergent in order to use it up.

[brok3nwings]

Calista thank you so much for the information! I dont want to get my hair darker...for the contrary! I would like to keep it as light as possible! eheh dark blond sucks...but i actually think i dont own the rosemary, i dont really know how rosemary smells but the one i have it has defenetly a lot of mint and i think it is this one http://www.sabonnyc.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=33300011120&Category_Code=oliveOil
I know that they are very simillar in colour...but the one i have is green and also i think it also smells like lemon. Anyway...i have to order a decent shampoo bar, but first i have to make paypal...for that i have to open another acount at the bank cause my parents dont trust internet at all! Hoppefully my soap is the lemon mint one.

Neoma those are very good sugestions! I think i am actually adicted to the smell of the honeysuckle from aubrey organics..so that one at least i will have to get some way of puting it into my hair (if i decide to change totally into shampoo bars)

[lynnala]

I can second the fact that rosemary darkens your hair. I first used the Burts bees poo bar, and my hair immediately darkened! Then I used the CV nettle bar which contains rosemary, and it seems to keep my hair darker too! I actually don't mind, because I like the change. Next time I order from CV I'll get the chamomile lemon and see what happens. It's fun!

[MermaidGirl]

Ok, I've completed reading all 36 pages of this thread! *Whew!* Daunting task! And yes, you ladies are total enablers, and yes, I am easily influenced!

I was ready to make a purchase from CV, but found that most of the shampoo bars I am interested in aren't available right now. *Bummer!* Ok, moving on ... I was then ready to place sample orders for 3 'poo bars and some other soaps and lotion bars, but then discovered that CV is CLOSED until 4/20 or so! NO WAY can I wait that long for my products to arrive. I have instant gratification issues, people!

So, I went to PLH and placed an order for 3 'poo bars (Aloe Fresh, Ginger Beer and Peppermint Tea Tree), plus the Flowing Tresses kit, which contains a 'poo bar (Rosemary Nettle), a bag of herbs to make their Herbal Hair Rinse, a Conditioning Hair Oil, and a Herbal Hair Vinegar (which should help this newbie out and solves the problem of whipping up my own vinegar mix for the time being!).

In the past, I've used the Burt's Bees Baby Bee shampoo bar, and at first it gave my hair body, but then I noticed I got waxy buildup and lots of breakage after while. I stopped using it, and in late September '07, chopped off about 6 inches of hair (which is NOT what someone who wants to grow their hair out is looking to do!). I'm going in for a trim next week (its been 5-1/2 months and I've grown back most of what was cut off - I'm back to BSL) but am happy to report that my ends are looking really quite good and I don't have nearly the breakage as last time I had my hair cut. My stylist will be happy with that. I'm really hoping these PLH 'poo bars give my fine thin hair some body and won't cause breakage.

[Neoma]

Ok, I've completed reading all 36 pages of this thread! *Whew!* Daunting task! And yes, you ladies are total enablers, and yes, I am easily influenced!

I was ready to make a purchase from CV, but found that most of the shampoo bars I am interested in aren't available right now. *Bummer!* Ok, moving on ... I was then ready to place sample orders for 3 'poo bars and some other soaps and lotion bars, but then discovered that CV is CLOSED until 4/20 or so! NO WAY can I wait that long for my products to arrive. I have instant gratification issues, people!

So, I went to PLH and placed an order for 3 'poo bars (Aloe Fresh, Ginger Beer and Peppermint Tea Tree), plus the Flowing Tresses kit, which contains a 'poo bar (Rosemary Nettle), a bag of herbs to make their Herbal Hair Rinse, a Conditioning Hair Oil, and a Herbal Hair Vinegar (which should help this newbie out and solves the problem of whipping up my own vinegar mix for the time being!).

hehe...MermaidGirl, I live to enable!

It is really quite frustrating when I want to place an order with Ida and she is either out of what I want or on vacation. How dare she have a life?!!!! Where are her priorities? Doesn't she know that I need my shampoo bars? :silly:

Seriously, I think that you're going to love the PLH bars. I really think that they are better for me than CV. I am totally in love with my Aloe Fresh bar. I may slice off a piece of the Rosemary Nettle tonight.

Keep us posted.

[MermaidGirl]

Oh, thank you for your reply, Neoma! I will most certainly keep everyone posted.

Yes, I guess when we are dealing with small, home-based companies, we also have to deal with their vacation schedules too! ;) No problem, as I love to support small, woman-owned company, and I found an alternative in the PLH 'poo bars, so no harm. But, I will certainly go back to CV and order some of their bars - probably some time in May.

The Aloe Fresh sounds like it will be perfect for my hair! I can't wait to give them all a try!

[Gwaihiril]

So, I used the CV Nettle shampoo bar for the first time three days ago and will probably use it again tonight or tomorrow night. I like how it felt on my hair - smooth and silky, no problems with it feeling waxy, though definitely a different feel from my previous bottled shampoo. However, I brought it with me when I went to all-state orchestra, which is a three day event, and it made everything in my bag smell like the shampoo bar; while I like the scent in small doses, it was far too overwhelming! Any recommendations on traveling with shampoo bars? Is there any way to keep the smell from spreading? In any case, I'm going to continue to use the Nettle bar here at home, but I'm definitely going to try other ones, including the unscented one.

[Neoma]

Oh, thank you for your reply, Neoma! I will most certainly keep everyone posted.

Yes, I guess when we are dealing with small, home-based companies, we also have to deal with their vacation schedules too! ;) No problem, as I love to support small, woman-owned company, and I found an alternative in the PLH 'poo bars, so no harm. But, I will certainly go back to CV and order some of their bars - probably some time in May.
You're very welcome, MermaidGirl.

Yes, I agree. I, too, love supporting small companies, especially women-owned ones. And Ida is a sweetheart, with amazing customer service.


So, I used the CV Nettle shampoo bar for the first time three days ago and will probably use it again tonight or tomorrow night. I like how it felt on my hair - smooth and silky, no problems with it feeling waxy, though definitely a different feel from my previous bottled shampoo. However, I brought it with me when I went to all-state orchestra, which is a three day event, and it made everything in my bag smell like the shampoo bar; while I like the scent in small doses, it was far too overwhelming! Any recommendations on traveling with shampoo bars? Is there any way to keep the smell from spreading? In any case, I'm going to continue to use the Nettle bar here at home, but I'm definitely going to try other ones, including the unscented one.
Gwaihiril, I would love for my clothes to smell like Rosemary Nettle! :) I supect that if you put your dry shampoo bar into a plastic ziplock bag and sealed it, it would keep the fragrance from permiating everything. :flower:

[Calista]

Or how about one of those soap dishes made for travelling? or a small tupperware box?

[Hedera]

I've been eyeing the Lush tins for travel storage of (half) a bar of CV shampoo, but none of them seem the right size, the soap bars are a little too thick.

I would like to find something that fits sort of snugly, but where it's still easy to get the bar out.

Actually, what would fit rather well is the plastic container for the mouth guard I wear at night (teethgrinder, or rather -clencher here. Well, sometimes), but that has little holes in it, so I'm not sure it's suitable.
Besides, I need it for my 'bit'. ;)

I keep thinking there must be something really obvious that would work, like a certain kind of candy-tin, the way certain tins are perfect for Moo-cards (little business cards), but I can't quite think of what that would be.

[Miss Murphy]

I searched far and wide for the perfect travel container for my soaps. In the end I had one handmade to order via etsy's alchemy.
I wanted it to fit 2 sample size bars next to each other (so I can take a poo bar and a body soap), and a removable rack, so it gets cleaned easily.
I don't have it yet, but this is the final sketch:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/47659/LHC/get_convo_imagephp.jpg

It was pretty expensive, with 20USD, but with the current exchange rate it's not so bad. Plus, I get exactly what I wanted. And I really didn't want to travel with a plastic soap box.

[Hedera]

I searched far and wide for the perfect travel container for my soaps. In the end I had one handmade to order via etsy's alchemy.


Ooooh, that sounds / looks perfect!

Please post pictures when you get it! :)

Is 'alchemy' the name of the Etsy store?
Would you mind if I ordered one 'just like the one you made earlier'?

[Miss Murphy]

Hedera - no, alchemy is a feature on etsy that lets you post a request for a handmade item, and what you're willing to pay for it, and sellers than can make offers :)
http://www.etsy.com/alchemy/
Read a few of the listings, and I'm sure you'll get the idea ;)

I bought it here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5715321

You can just convo him, and tell him Murphy25 sent you ;) I'm sure you can give other dimensions, too, if you wish slightly different dimensions.
Oh, and he even said he'd burn my initials into the lid :cheese:

[Hedera]

Thank you Miss Murphy! :)

I didn't know about the Alchemy-option.

So, yours is for two sample-sizes?
I think I would like one for one or two half bars...

We'll see, I've sent him a note.

[pietri]

I've ordered three bars of the Serpentine Medusa variety - might as well get a bunch of bars to make the shipping costs to Europe worth it (hey, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) I mean, a shampoo bar scenting of sandalwood, frankincence and myrrh? No way I can resist that :D
:disco::disco::disco:

Mh, I just noticed I'm late with my opinion on the Medusa bar... they arrived in just about record time :D but I'm not terribly impressed. They smell nice, but I don't really get any franccantspellitence or myrrh, it's more like a pleasant earthy scent that's kinda nice but not something I'd have to buy again. If it was scented like Lush's Goth Juice gel I'd have to order 20 bars right away ;)

I also ordered the scent samples and of all those Kahlua would be a favourite, very nice coffee smell but again I wouldn't order it just for that scent.

Works nicely, haven't used it for more than two shampoos though as I got sidetracked by finding a non-sulphate liquid shampoo that I hadn't tried yet, I'm flighty in my shampoo use! :p

If any shampoo bar lovers from Germany would like one of the two still wrapped bars I'm open for a swap against any other shampoo bar :cheese:

[Miss Murphy]

Thank you Miss Murphy! :)

I didn't know about the Alchemy-option.

So, yours is for two sample-sizes?
I think I would like one for one or two half bars...

We'll see, I've sent him a note.

Yes, it is - I measured two samples next to each other, and then added some room. Let me know what he has to say :)

[Hedera]

Yes, it is - I measured two samples next to each other, and then added some room. Let me know what he has to say :)


He's very friendly and helpful!

He's going to make me one that's slighty higher; I measured two (large) bars, and this way I can either fit in one whole bar, or two halves.

LOL, the poor guy has barely opened his Etsy shop, and before you know it, he'll be a specialized CV-bar-container maker! ;)

[Neoma]

I've been eyeing the Lush tins for travel storage of (half) a bar of CV shampoo, but none of them seem the right size, the soap bars are a little too thick.

I would like to find something that fits sort of snugly, but where it's still easy to get the bar out.
Hedra, Lush also makes a square tin that's larger than the round shampoo bar tins. It's for their massage bars and body butters. Maybe that would work?

[Miss Murphy]

He's very friendly and helpful!

He's going to make me one that's slighty higher; I measured two (large) bars, and this way I can either fit in one whole bar, or two halves.

LOL, the poor guy has barely opened his Etsy shop, and before you know it, he'll be a specialized CV-bar-container maker! ;)

Hey, good to hear! I too found him very helpful. I love to give my money to small shops with great customer service. Which is why putting my sweet sweet CV soaps into a corporate capitalistic container just wouldn't work :D

[Hedera]

Hedra, Lush also makes a square tin that's larger than the round shampoo bar tins. It's for their massage bars and body butters. Maybe that would work?

Yes, I have one of those. ;)
(apart from the hair stuff, which I'm not crazy about, Lush has some lovely things for hands and face and bath.... :D)

It's a little too low for most of my shampoo bars.
Also, much too small for a whole one, much too big for a half one - it's silly, I know, but that would bug me.

[Miss Murphy]

Yes, I have one of those. ;)
(apart from the hair stuff, which I'm not crazy about, Lush has some lovely things for hands and face and bath.... :D)

It's a little too low for most of my shampoo bars.
Also, much too small for a whole one, much too big for a half one - it's silly, I know, but that would bug me.

Hedera - I'm like that, too! I'm such a perfectionist :D Which is why I so love the etsy alchemy - I get exactly what I wanted!

[Calista]

But, but - the size of the soap bar changes, doesn`t it? I mean, the bars get smaller with use. So what do you perfectionist ladies do about that? It looks like you need some more of those etsy boxes in different sizes. ;)

[Miss Murphy]

But, but - the size of the soap bar changes, doesn`t it? I mean, the bars get smaller with use. So what do you perfectionist ladies do about that? It looks like you need some more of those etsy boxes in different sizes. ;)

Oh curse you, Calista! Now I will not be able to bring myself to use my soaps when I travel :wail:

[Hedera]

But, but - the size of the soap bar changes, doesn`t it? I mean, the bars get smaller with use. So what do you perfectionist ladies do about that? It looks like you need some more of those etsy boxes in different sizes. ;)

I know, I know, I try to ignore that.... :mad: ;)

Besides, when traveling, I'll most likely start out with two new (half) bars, not one that's already partly used up. I'd hate to find myself without at some point!

You know what else used to bug me as a child (still does, when I think about it)?
Those milk cartons that say something like 'fresh milk'. So, what if you leave it out of the fridge for a week? The milk won't be fresh anymore! But it will still say it on the carton! So now the carton lies!

Better not think about that sort of thing too much.... :p

[homeschoolmama]

I woke up early this morning, and have JUST finished reading all 38 pages of this thread!

I will be placing an order for my very first shampoo bars this evening. Because of the wheat in CV, I have decided to go with PLH. I am planning to order:
* Wild Man - for DH; collarbone-length "perfect" hair that never tangles or damages
* Sage Cedar & Sweetgrass - for DS; collar-length greasy preteen hair
* and Aloe Fresh - for DD & me; both somewhat dry, somewhat fragile long "skanda-hoovian" hair?

Now if I've read everything correctly, we ought to rub the soap ONLY down, NEVER up and try the following routine:
lather, rinse, lather, rinse, and then a vinegar rinse with or without herbs and/or conditioner.

Am I missing anything important or obvious? I really really want this to work for us, but am just a bit worried about us girls. Our hair likes to snap & split if you look at it sideways so I'm not sure how much "playing around" we'll be able to try. And I know that if I don't give my son extremely explicit instructions the very first time he will never get the hang of this.

Thanks so much! There was a TON of info here!
love,
mom

[Smokie]

So I'm subscribed to this thread. And I'm a gmail user. Gmail likes to give you advertisements related to your emails...

Today gmail gave me this when I went to read the 'Hey! Someone posted in the shampoo bar thread!" email: Alpenglow Skin Care (http://www.alpenglowskincare.com/index.html)

And they have shampoo bars! Has anyone heard of/tried them? I'm curious.

[Miss Murphy]

[...]
Now if I've read everything correctly, we ought to rub the soap ONLY down, NEVER up and try the following routine:
lather, rinse, lather, rinse, and then a vinegar rinse with or without herbs and/or conditioner.

Am I missing anything important or obvious? I really really want this to work for us, but am just a bit worried about us girls. Our hair likes to snap & split if you look at it sideways so I'm not sure how much "playing around" we'll be able to try. And I know that if I don't give my son extremely explicit instructions the very first time he will never get the hang of this.

I think that's pretty much it! You should definitely expect to be in the shower waaaay longer than usual in the beginning, though. Just getting enough lather for me takes forever - and combing the hair doesn't do it for me, I have to make a lather in my hands, and then apply that to my hair.

[Neoma]

I woke up early this morning, and have JUST finished reading all 38 pages of this thread!

I will be placing an order for my very first shampoo bars this evening. Because of the wheat in CV, I have decided to go with PLH. I am planning to order:
* Wild Man - for DH; collarbone-length "perfect" hair that never tangles or damages
* Sage Cedar & Sweetgrass - for DS; collar-length greasy preteen hair
* and Aloe Fresh - for DD & me; both somewhat dry, somewhat fragile long "skanda-hoovian" hair?

Now if I've read everything correctly, we ought to rub the soap ONLY down, NEVER up and try the following routine:
lather, rinse, lather, rinse, and then a vinegar rinse with or without herbs and/or conditioner.

Am I missing anything important or obvious? I really really want this to work for us, but am just a bit worried about us girls. Our hair likes to snap & split if you look at it sideways so I'm not sure how much "playing around" we'll be able to try. And I know that if I don't give my son extremely explicit instructions the very first time he will never get the hang of this.

Thanks so much! There was a TON of info here!
love,
momhomeschoolmama, this is a rather daunting thread, isn't it? It's so darn big!

With regards to "rubbing the hair down," I would just suggest thinking in terms of "gliding," rather than "rubbing.":flower: When my hair is wet, the bars do glide, which is a much more gentle action than "rubbing."

Please do keep us posted about how you like your shampoo bars when you get them.

[MermaidGirl]

Ok, ladies, preliminary update: I got a very nice, personal e-mail the other day from Donna at PLH, confirming my order and letting me know that she will mail my goodies out on Tueday (yesterday). Nice touch on the e-mail!

I can't wait to try my new goodies! :)

[Neoma]

Ok, ladies, preliminary update: I got a very nice, personal e-mail the other day from Donna at PLH, confirming my order and letting me know that she will mail my goodies out on Tueday (yesterday). Nice touch on the e-mail!

I can't wait to try my new goodies! :)
I so love it when a vendor takes a moment to send an email.

Waiting for shampoo bars is torture!

[lynnala]

I will be placing an order for my very first shampoo bars this evening. Because of the wheat in CV, I have decided to go with PLH. Mom, I think when CV gets back from vacation, we should request some wheat-free bars. I bet they'll do them.

[Chromis]

I describe my usage of shampoo bars as "petting" my hair with them :)

I now get to play with my rinse ratios all over again with the new water. I have flakies after only a day. My hair was still wonderfully soft and smooth at least. The water really, really makes a difference on my scalp!

[Lamb]

I have a question to the shampoo bar users here. I liked my shampoo bar (Rasta Bar Hemp by MountainSky) but the ACV rinse I used made my hair 1.very dry 2.smelly. I experimented with different vinegar:water ratios, the result was always the same.
I am trying to find a gentle everyday wash method that doesn't cost quite as much as a sulfate-free shampoo. Can I skip the ACV rinse with shampoo bars, if I use them every day?
Thank you! :)

[Miss Murphy]

Lamb, the ACV rinse has nothing to do with how often you use the bar. The poo bar is alkaline, and the rinse is supposed to smoothe the ruffled cuticles of the hair again, and restore the slightly acidic PH-level of your scalp.

Some can do without the rinse - I think it also depends on the hardness of your water. Most report the rinse making their hair softer, though.
As far as the smell, you might give citric acid a try. HTH, and if you got more questions, just fire away! :)

[EtherealJane]

Are all shampoo bars created equal? I tried some from the Heart of Iowa once, and I just recently tried a few from Serpentine Hair. I do love the way my hair feels, but I can't get over the flakes and "dust" that seem to go along with them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I noticed this because I have a boar hair bristle brush, and the bristles trap what really does look like dust after I brush my hair. It's a little un-nerving. Has anyone ever experienced this, or know what it is? I do use vinegar rinses, and that seems to help but not eliminate the problem.

I really want shampoo bars to work for me. I'm really committed to living as natural a lifestyle as possible, and even liquid "organic" shampoos contain ingredients that I'm not thrilled by.

I placed an order for 3 CV shampoo bars last night, but I won't get them for another 2-3 weeks because of the vacation schedule. In the meantime, I'd like to get my Serpentine Hair bars to work for me if I can. Any ideas or suggestions?

[Miss Murphy]

EtherealJane - have you tried a clarifying baking-soda wash? It could be build-up from before coming lose now.

[Chromis]

Are all shampoo bars created equal? I tried some from the Heart of Iowa once, and I just recently tried a few from Serpentine Hair. I do love the way my hair feels, but I can't get over the flakes and "dust" that seem to go along with them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I noticed this because I have a boar hair bristle brush, and the bristles trap what really does look like dust after I brush my hair. It's a little un-nerving. Has anyone ever experienced this, or know what it is? I do use vinegar rinses, and that seems to help but not eliminate the problem.

I really want shampoo bars to work for me. I'm really committed to living as natural a lifestyle as possible, and even liquid "organic" shampoos contain ingredients that I'm not thrilled by.

I placed an order for 3 CV shampoo bars last night, but I won't get them for another 2-3 weeks because of the vacation schedule. In the meantime, I'd like to get my Serpentine Hair bars to work for me if I can. Any ideas or suggestions?

Some bars work better on some scalps/hair than others, even from the same brand. You can also try clarifying or even just playing with your rinse ratios.

[EtherealJane]

I've never tried any sort of baking soda wash, and that completely makes sense. I'll try that tonight and see if that makes a difference! Thanks for the suggestions :) I'll keep at it--I know it's worth it!

[HappyKarin]

My bars arived from PHL yesterday. I got a bunch of sampels one of them was Facial Serum normal skin. And I must say its really great, hope the bars are that to:)
I got:Fragrant Tresses, Rosemary Nettle, Sage, Sweetgrass & Cedar.

I even make my one shampo bars. The last batch I did was with nettle in and it did smell really nice when I sett it for curing. But now it dont smell good at all :(
Hope it is good for my hair.

[Lamb]

Lamb, the ACV rinse has nothing to do with how often you use the bar. The poo bar is alkaline, and the rinse is supposed to smoothe the ruffled cuticles of the hair again, and restore the slightly acidic PH-level of your scalp.

Some can do without the rinse - I think it also depends on the hardness of your water. Most report the rinse making their hair softer, though.
As far as the smell, you might give citric acid a try. HTH, and if you got more questions, just fire away! :)

Thank you! :) I think I will check out citric acid (hope I can get it at a grocery store) - or simply rinse longer with normal water after the ACV.

[lynnala]

I noticed this because I have a boar hair bristle brush, and the bristles trap what really does look like dust after I brush my hair. It's a little un-nerving. Has anyone ever experienced this, or know what it is? EtherealJane; I had the same thing happen after I started using shampoo bars, I was looking through my purse to see where all that 'lint' had come from, and then I realized it came from my hair! After a couple of weeks, it stopped. I've been rinsing with an orange juice rinse or a honey rinse. No conditioner. My hair is superfine.

[n3m3sis42]

I tried my third CV bar yesterday: Olive Babassu.

I'm going to have to say that I don't think I'm a fan of this one. Either that, or I'm one of those people who's going to need to do a clarifying BS rinse every 2-3 weeks. My roots just look flat and a little oily today, and I just washed last night.

I don't use -cones or really any styling products, nor have I used a commercial shampoo in over a year, so this is not styling product buildup and I don't think it's an adjustment period.

It may be that this particular bar is not for me. I'm going to use Mud and Clay for my next wash, since that was one of the two I've tried and liked. If I still have weird greasies, then I'll know that it's time to try a clarifying BS wash next time.

[Morag]

I am particularly fond of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil Shampoo Bar. It's been amazingly good for my hair - pretty much nothing in it but saponified coconut oil.

Of course, recently I'm doing CO, and that's been wonderful, too, but any time I want to shampoo, I'm going straight back to the coconut oil bar!

[Neoma]

Are all shampoo bars created equal? I tried some from the Heart of Iowa once, and I just recently tried a few from Serpentine Hair. I do love the way my hair feels, but I can't get over the flakes and "dust" that seem to go along with them. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I noticed this because I have a boar hair bristle brush, and the bristles trap what really does look like dust after I brush my hair. It's a little un-nerving. Has anyone ever experienced this, or know what it is? I do use vinegar rinses, and that seems to help but not eliminate the problem.

EtherealJane, I don't have any flakes on my hair. But I do notice that my BBB collects lint when I follow my shampoo bar routine. We actually had a thread about this on the "old" LHC. I can't remember if anyone came up with a satisfactory explanation. My hair is clean, my scalp is clean. I try not to worry about my linty brush. I just wash it more frequently than I would if I were using conventional shampoos and conditioners.


My bars arived from PHL yesterday. I got a bunch of sampels one of them was Facial Serum normal skin. And I must say its really great, hope the bars are that to:)
I got:Fragrant Tresses, Rosemary Nettle, Sage, Sweetgrass & Cedar.

HappyKarin, please let us know what the Sweetgrass & Cedar smells like. Is it really "perfumy"? I couldn't use the Fragrant Tresses because it had such a strong perfume smell. Sweetgrass & Cedar also has fragrance oils (not EO's). I'd like to hear what you think.

[Miss Murphy]

HappyKarin, please let us know what the Sweetgrass & Cedar smells like. Is it really "perfumy"? I couldn't use the Fragrant Tresses because it had such a strong perfume smell. Sweetgrass & Cedar also has fragrance oils (not EO's). I'd like to hear what you think.

I'll give you a report, too ;) I'm going to wash today with my new S&C, as it is advertised as being good for greasy hair. My next hair wash will be on tuesday, at my hairdresser's - and I cannot go in with my hair looking like it does at the moment. I'll be getting highlights, too - and I don't know if the colour would take at the moment.

So if it doesn't work out tonight, I shall have to poo my length with my sulfate poo :rolleyes:

[KatKeRo]

I have a question to the shampoo bar users here. I liked my shampoo bar (Rasta Bar Hemp by MountainSky) but the ACV rinse I used made my hair 1.very dry 2.smelly. I experimented with different vinegar:water ratios, the result was always the same.
I am trying to find a gentle everyday wash method that doesn't cost quite as much as a sulfate-free shampoo. Can I skip the ACV rinse with shampoo bars, if I use them every day?
Thank you! :)
I wash twice a week with my PLHbars and never do a ACVrinse because it dries out my hair. Once in a blue moon I use a citric acid rinse but it is equally as drying. I just rinse really wel and I don't have flakes and waxies.



HappyKarin, please let us know what the Sweetgrass & Cedar smells like. Is it really "perfumy"? I couldn't use the Fragrant Tresses because it had such a strong perfume smell. Sweetgrass & Cedar also has fragrance oils (not EO's). I'd like to hear what you think.
I have the Sweetgrass and Ceder bar and I don't think it smells parfumy, it has a great smell.

[Miss Murphy]

Alrighty, hair's still wet but here is the preliminary result:

I found the smell of the Sweetgrass&Cedar quite nice, and not overpowering at all! And in no way artificial. Lathering up was significantly easier than with my CV bars - for the first time I was able to do the combing thing, versus lathering up in my hands. That might have to do with the size of the bar, though (all my CV are sample sizes).

I lathered the scalp twice, the length three times. Rinsed, then did my citric acid rinse. And here's the funny thing: before the rinse, my hair feels like I would expect after a poo bar - very rough, and kind of like one solid piece (imagining to run a comb through it is impossible!). But after the rinse, it's not like it used to be, after regular poo and conish - it still feels rough, kind of hard in a way. Difficult to explain.

So I hobbled to the kitchen (naked and dripping, because I only think of these things afterwards :rolleyes:) to fetch my vinegar, and did a ACV rinse too. That helped - but only a bit.

Then I did my final, herbal, rinse.

So it's still wet and I can't really say anything much. But I do know if lathering three times doesn't get rid of the stringies, I don't know what will.

[tennies]

I have used a cv shampoo bar for a few days now, and like the results. My hair is very soft, and I don't have to use the ACV rinse every day.

I was no poo alternating with no cones, so my hair didn't need to be clarified.

My scalp is much less itchy, I no longer need conditioner. I can finger comb now, something I couldn't do well before.

Will see what the long term results are, but I like the short term!

I used the barbasso olive, and found that my hair seems to drink it in. I lather and get lots of suds, then leave the lather in for a few minutes. When I go to rinse, the lather is gone, and my hair feels great.

The first time I rinsed right away, and my hair wasn't so soft. Leaving in the lather seems to make the difference, I hadn't known my hair could absorb so much, and feel so soft.

[Neoma]

Thank you, KatKeRo and Miss Murphy, for describing the Sweetgrass & Cedar fragrance. I think I'll order a bar next time.

[MermaidGirl]

Ok, ladies, preliminary update #2: my hair products from PLH arrived today! Yay! :cheese:

As for 'poo bars, I got the Aloe Fresh, Ginger Beer, Peppermint & Tea Tree, and my Fragrant Tresses kit came with Chamomile Citrus (I thought I was getting Rosemary Nettle, but I was wrong - I ordered the "blonde" kit and all the stuff in it is chamomile based). She sent me a small sample of the Patchouli 'poo bar, a sample of her regular soap called Tranquility, and a sample of the bath salts in Lavendar Vanilla - they smelled SO GOOD, but I don't take baths so I gave it and 1/2 of my Patchouli sample to a friend at work. Unfortunately, the bag containing the dried herbs to make the herbal hair rinse pretty much exploded, so I have all this loose, dried herb dust to contend with. :mad:

I'm wondering how very different the 'poo bars can really be from one another because the ingredients lists are almost identical, aside from order/placement of one or two ingredients on the list and the addition of an ingredient in one bar vs. another. Regardless, I'm anxious to try them out! I'm going to cut a chunk off each bar to give to my friend at work, and cut another chunk of each for me to use just in case I end up hating one bar or another - that way I can swap what I might not use.

I will be washing my hair in the morning and will come back my post-first-use comments. ;)

[MermaidGirl]

Oh, dear ... just to clarify ... in my post, above, when I commented that I don't take baths, I meant to say that I take showers instead of baths! :o Don't want anyone to think I don't ever bathe!

[Miss Murphy]

Alrighty, hair's dry, ends are stringy. Not as bad as they were last time, but still stringy.

I really think it has to do with how I shampoo my length. The hair all around my head is fine - nice and soft and clean - and as soon as from the ears down, it's all stringy and ugh.

So, how do you clean your length? I am apparently a doofus when it comes to that. Yesterday I lathered up, and then tried to clean it in an up-down motion, squeezing my hair. But apparently that's not enough :(

On the upside, though: I didn't use conditioner, and didn't really need it! And I shed very little during the shower, and a bit more during detangling.

[Calista]

So, how do you clean your length? I am apparently a doofus when it comes to that. Yesterday I lathered up, and then tried to clean it in an up-down motion, squeezing my hair. But apparently that's not enough :(

Miss Murphy, that´s exactly what I do. I do the "combing" thing on my length and and ends and then kind of squeeze from nape down to ends. I used to not get great lather at all on my length. Now the best lather I get is on my length! But I have no idea why - I didn´t change anything about my technique. Maybe the damaged part of my hair simply moved further down.

[Calista]

I tried my third CV bar yesterday: Olive Babassu.

I'm going to have to say that I don't think I'm a fan of this one. Either that, or I'm one of those people who's going to need to do a clarifying BS rinse every 2-3 weeks. My roots just look flat and a little oily today, and I just washed last night.
The Olive Babassu is a really heavy and moisturizing bar. The first time I used it I had major buildup, but it has become one of my favourite bars - maybe even THE favourite bar during wintertime. I don´t use it several times in a row, though, to prevent buildup.

[Miss Murphy]

Miss Murphy, that´s exactly what I do. I do the "combing" thing on my length and and ends and then kind of squeeze from nape down to ends. I used to not get great lather at all on my length. Now the best lather I get is on my length! But I have no idea why - I didn´t change anything about my technique. Maybe the damaged part of my hair simply moved further down.

Dang, I was seriously hoping I'm doing something wrong. I just don't get why my length is so stringy - where does it come from? I'm not even sure it's greasy :rolleyes:

[Calista]

You are sure it is stringy? I mean stringy like greasy hair is? It´s not simply your waves being more pronounced? I´m asking because before I joined LHC and realized I´ve got wavy hair I used to hate my "stringy" hair. I just couldn´t fathom why my hair wouldn´t fall all soft and silky down my back like other people´s hair. My hair is all silky on top, but my length separates into distinct strands of maybe 1cm width. It´s the curse of having 2a hair. :shrug:

[Miss Murphy]

Hm, good question. I'm not sure it is greasy (after all, where should the grease come from?). It's more like you said - 1cm wide strands of my hair clumping together. If my hair is open and I tilt my head to the side, it's most pronounced.
Maybe I'll leave it like this to show my hairdresser next tuesday. I'm just afraid that the colour won't take.

[Calista]

Does it look like this?

http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/29/3925829/400_3564653036323938.jpg

This a pic of my hair at BSL, uncombed or finger-combed, I don´t remember which.

This is the same brushed out:

http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/29/3925829/400_3236316333623539.jpg

In both pics you can see that it´s smooth enough on top but the length starts to separate.

[Miss Murphy]

Yes, I think this is pretty much how it looks. Brushing with a BBB helps a bit with seperating.

Thanks, Calista! :) Maybe I'll take a pic of my hair, so you can take a look at it, if you don't mind.

[Calista]

Yes, please, do! I can only guess that with commercial products there is some kind of product buildup that pulls out the wave. Or the shampoo bars moisturize better, which would also result in more wave.

[KatKeRo]

When I use a shampoobar I have more wave than when I wash with my GRshampoo. It looks just like Calista's hair.

[n3m3sis42]

The Olive Babassu is a really heavy and moisturizing bar. The first time I used it I had major buildup, but it has become one of my favourite bars - maybe even THE favourite bar during wintertime. I don´t use it several times in a row, though, to prevent buildup.

Calista, thanks for this reply. I sort of knew when I saw that it said "moisturizing" on the site that this bar might be too much for me. I was wondering if it might work better for me in the winter, when my hair is reallllly dry at times. Or maybe just after doing my henna, since I use lemon juice in my mix and that can be drying.

Do you find the Marsh Mallow and Babassu to be the same way?

Edited to add: I do have to say that my hair was pretty nice (albeit still a little on the wimpy side) last night after I combed it out. I washed it with Olive Babassu Tuesday evening, so that was around 48 hours after the washing. The scalp-oilies seemed to be mostly gone, which I think suggests that the "greasiness" was probably the bar being too moisturizing for me rather than it just not getting my scalp oils out.

[n3m3sis42]

Does it look like this?


Oh, boy. Thank you for posting these pictures! I have been putting off posting a hairtyping thread for a while, and wasn't sure if I was a 1c or a 2a. Now I know... if you're a 2a, then that's definitely what I am, because that's almost my same amount of wave. Actually, it's close to the same texture and thickness, too, it looks like, but mine is darker and I think it has more damage in the lower lengths.

Pretty hair!

[Calista]

Pretty hair!
Thanks! :blushing:

The Babassu Marshmallow is also very moisturizing, but not as much as the Olive Babassu. I use either one of those bars as a "deep treatment" after clarifying. I also use the Olive Babassu to wash out heavy oilings, and it works! My hair does get oily a tad sooner with that bar, though.

[Carina]

I have my PLH bars now:joy:.But I have a new problem :o.I don't no which one to begin with:confused::p:D.I have Ginger beer,Pinion leaf,Patchouli and Hempchouli.HELP!!!

[HappyKarin]

Carina I think the Pinion leaf:)

[Carina]

I think I will use Pinion leaf first;) because it smells so good.:)

[HappyKarin]

I don´t think it smell "perfumy", it have more a "friendly" smell then Fragrant Tresses, still a bit strong. More a male smell, but I like it, it smells fresh I think....oh this sound strange but I hope you understand.


HappyKarin, please let us know what the Sweetgrass & Cedar smells like. Is it really "perfumy"? I couldn't use the Fragrant Tresses because it had such a strong perfume smell. Sweetgrass & Cedar also has fragrance oils (not EO's). I'd like to hear what you think.

[Neoma]

I don´t think it smell "perfumy", it have more a "friendly" smell then Fragrant Tresses, still a bit strong. More a male smell, but I like it, it smells fresh I think....oh this sound strange but I hope you understand.No, HappyKarin, I understand what you mean. A rather fresh, "masculine" fragrance. I would probably like it. Thank you!

[Miss Murphy]

Alrighty, I took pictures! These are with my hair fresh from my night braid, uncombed:

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/47659/LHC/DSCN2802.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/47659/LHC/DSCN2803.jpg

And this is after brushing:
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/47659/LHC/DSCN2806.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/47659/LHC/DSCN2807.jpg

Let me know what you think. The length not only looks, but feels different from the hair on my head.

[Calista]

Miss Murphy, I think it does look waxy. :( My hair looks like that if I didn´t massage enough or used a soap bar rather than a shampoo bar.

[Miss Murphy]

Thanks, Calista, for taking a look and letting me know what you think! :blossom:

It sure feels waxy. I will poo the length with my sulfate poo, and then use some non-cone condish today or tomorrow - usually I'd sit it out, but with my hairdresser's appointment on Tuesday I don't want to take any risks.

After that, I'll be off to a fresh start. I think it's a good sign that I've got less waxies than last week, apparently I'll just have to massage even more.

[Lavendula]

Just wanted to let you all know my poobar and I are getting along pretty well... Last time I used my soap bar (cucumber and lime, a well moisturizing soap) the second time I lathered on my length (and the poobar on my scalp), and it turned out great. My hair gets less dry and looks and feels healthier each time I wash :)!
So I'll be ordering a bunch of samples and full size bars soon....

Miss Murphy, I read you're having some problems with the poobars, and there were a few things that crossed my mind.
* Maybe your length is more damaged? You have highlights, and the hair on the length could be damaged by that plus the fact it is just longer there. Does the hairdresser only highlight your roots or does (s)he also highlight the length each time you get it done? If that's the case, your hair would be way more damaged on the length.
* Do you feel you get good lather on your length? When I lather, my whole head is full with loads of foam. I make sure my length is not only covered by the lather, but it is also lathered itself (hmmm... not sure how to describe it, I hope you know what I mean :rolleyes:).

I couldn't tell from the picture for sure whether your hair looks waxy or not. But the most important thing is, you're not happy with it. Your hair is supposed to feel and look clean and soft after washing with a poobar; if that's not the case, I would say there is something wrong. I hope you'll find a way that works out for you :flower:!

[Miss Murphy]

Lavendula, thanks for your kind words! :blossom:

Yes, I do get highlights on my whole length, every time.
I don't think that's the cause for the weird ends, though - the fact that the problem starts once the hair is "hanging free" (from the ears down) makes me think that it is a cleaning problem after all.

I totally get what you are saying about lathering up vs. just having lather on your hair. I think I get my scalp really clean because I can just use a scratching motion with my fingers, and I have yet to find out what works for cleaning my length.

I haven't given up on the bars yet - it's a good thing I always bun my hair anyway :D

[Neoma]

Miss Murphy, after applying my shampoo bar to my head, I flip the length over my shoulder and glide the shampoo bar down the front of the length and few times, and underneath the length a few times.Then I gently work the poo bar into a lather, starting from the crown, and working down.

You may have already said, but, if so, I've forgotten: How many times do you shampoo with your poo bar? If it's only twice, perhaps a third shampoo would help get you through the waxies.

I'm also finding that when I add a small amount of conditioner to my vinegar rinse, my length is soft and silky. I haven't had the waxies for a long time but, as I've mentioned before, my hair isn't usually "wear downable" when I follow my poo bar and vinegar rinse routine. Adding the conditioner to the rinse makes my hair silky and "wear downable," without negating the "bunability" factor.

HTH

[Miss Murphy]

LOL Neoma - bunability and wear-downable! :D

This time, I lathered my head twice, my length thrice. I might have to do a bit more, still - I'll try next weekend.
I don't need my hair to be wear downable, but the waxies are not quite what I'm looking for, either.

[Neoma]

LOL Neoma - bunability and wear-downable! :D

This time, I lathered my head twice, my length thrice. I might have to do a bit more, still - I'll try next weekend.
I don't need my hair to be wear downable, but the waxies are not quite what I'm looking for, either.Hey! I coined those words! I want to see them in the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. :silly:

[EtherealJane]

Update on my shampoo bar situation--I think the baking soda clarifying really helped. My hair was slightly funky afterward, but when I pulled out my old sample of PLH's peppermint and tea tree bar and used it followed by an ACV rinse, it looks and feels MUCH better--I also think the lint/dust is reduced, and I seem to have NO flakes today! I think Serpentine's bars were just TOO conditioning for me. I may keep them to use on my ends, we'll see. I've got some CV bars coming once they re-open, so I've got lots to try coming up!

I think I'm going to try one of your techniques, Neoma, and put a wee bit of cone-free conditioner in with my ACV rinse and see if I can get the texture of my dry hair a bit nicer and still have the body that I get with the poo bars.

Thanks again for all the feedback--I'm new, but I'm already hopelessly addicted to this community!

[Neoma]

Update on my shampoo bar situation--I think the baking soda clarifying really helped. My hair was slightly funky afterward, but when I pulled out my old sample of PLH's peppermint and tea tree bar and used it followed by an ACV rinse, it looks and feels MUCH better--I also think the lint/dust is reduced, and I seem to have NO flakes today! I think Serpentine's bars were just TOO conditioning for me. I may keep them to use on my ends, we'll see. I've got some CV bars coming once they re-open, so I've got lots to try coming up!

I think I'm going to try one of your techniques, Neoma, and put a wee bit of cone-free conditioner in with my ACV rinse and see if I can get the texture of my dry hair a bit nicer and still have the body that I get with the poo bars.

Thanks again for all the feedback--I'm new, but I'm already hopelessly addicted to this community!I'm glad to hear that clarifying helped, EtherealJane.

I hear you about being addicted to LHC. My addiction was immediate. :flower:

[kimki]

Well I received my CV bars a couple of days ago. Tonight I used the Cafe Moreno. I shampooed twice and then used a vinegar and citric acid rinse. When I was rinsing it felt really clean but different to normal. No slip at all, almost felt coarse (?) if that makes sense.

But now it's dry it feels lovely. :D It's got lots of body and shiny but it is a little 'piecey' at then ends.

I'm really please with the result, might order some more...:D:D

Thank you for your advice. :)

[EtherealJane]

Well I received my CV bars a couple of days ago. Tonight I used the Cafe Moreno. I shampooed twice and then used a vinegar and citric acid rinse. When I was rinsing it felt really clean but different to normal. No slip at all, almost felt coarse (?) if that makes sense.

But now it's dry it feels lovely. :D It's got lots of body and shiny but it is a little 'piecey' at then ends.

I'm really please with the result, might order some more...:D:D

Thank you for your advice. :)

ooh, that was one of the samples I ordered, so I'm glad you like it! I'm anxiously awaiting the 21st when my order will (hopefully) ship! :D

[aprilmay]

Neoma, thanks for responding to my questions. I checked out the CV website and read their info about shampoo bars. I have been using my handmade soaps to wash my hair for the last week or so since I ran out of my shampoo. I like the way they lather better and seem to clean my hair. I still have some conditioner left so I haven't switched to the coconut oil yet. I don't have the time to rinse with vinegar as I am lucky enough to hide out in the shower as is. Right now I am wedged in the computer chair with my 6 year old on my lap and my almost 3 year old squirming around behind me!

[Chromis]

Still no luck after the move. My hair is waxy and gross feeling after washing. I tried playing around with the strength of my citric acid rinse and have now bought a shower filter. Sadly something on the shower head connection broke when we tried to unscrew it to fit the filter so we'll have to get some tools to install it but I'm hoping it helps!

[young&reckless]

I'm a new convert. Just started useing CV Cafe Moreno two weeks ago and I love it. I do have to follow with a ACV rinse but my hair is staying cleaner longer. I am an avid washer, every day, but now I'm getting two days if I don't work out too much.

Yeah to breaking the endless cycle of washing!

[CopperHead]

I really like the Cafe Moreno CV poo bar. I used one of my PLH ones last night and my hair is so nice today. I make my own herbal ACV rinse and it really smoothes my hair out. It seems my hair likes poo bars much better when I henna, than when I used chemical dyes. There is just something that meshes very well. The poo bars really bring out the red in my hair too. :) I got my 83 year old father hooked on poo bars and handmade soaps. He loves them too.

I like to order the PLH homelies in a bag. I get tons of poo bars and soaps that way. :cheese:

[Neoma]

Neoma, thanks for responding to my questions. I checked out the CV website and read their info about shampoo bars. I have been using my handmade soaps to wash my hair for the last week or so since I ran out of my shampoo. I like the way they lather better and seem to clean my hair. I still have some conditioner left so I haven't switched to the coconut oil yet. I don't have the time to rinse with vinegar as I am lucky enough to hide out in the shower as is. Right now I am wedged in the computer chair with my 6 year old on my lap and my almost 3 year old squirming around behind me!You're welcome, aprilmay. I'm glad that your soap bars are working well for you.

Wow, I can't even imagine trying to get a few moments of "me time" with two small children.


I really like the Cafe Moreno CV poo bar. I used one of my PLH ones last night and my hair is so nice today. I make my own herbal ACV rinse and it really smoothes my hair out. It seems my hair likes poo bars much better when I henna, than when I used chemical dyes. There is just something that meshes very well. The poo bars really bring out the red in my hair too. :) I got my 83 year old father hooked on poo bars and handmade soaps. He loves them too.

I like to order the PLH homelies in a bag. I get tons of poo bars and soaps that way. :cheese:I love the smell of the Cafe Moreno CV bar. I think it makes my hair look a bit more "chocolate" and a little less red. Funny, huh?

I think it's fabulous that your dad loves poo bars and handmade soaps. :blossom:

I was wondering if I could ask Karla to include nothing but poo bars in a bag of homlies.

[kimki]

I'm not sure if this is a silly question or not...But what do you do with your poo bar after you use it? I left mine to dry and it is just sat by the shower. Do you tend to wrap it up and put it away?

[Neoma]

I'm not sure if this is a silly question or not...But what do you do with your poo bar after you use it? I left mine to dry and it is just sat by the shower. Do you tend to wrap it up and put it away?kimki, it's not a silly question. I put mine in a soap dish with really good drainage. If the shampoo bar sits in water, it will melt really fast. If it's dry, it will last much, much longer.

[aprilmay]

I use the same soap for my hair and body right now and it is in a soap dish in the shower that drains well. I will be experimenting with other options for conditioning when my current bottle runs out. Baby steps here. :)

[aprilmay]

I don't think you should wrap up poo bars that are damp because if they dry out they will last longer.

[kimki]

kimki, it's not a silly question. I put mine in a soap dish with really good drainage. If the shampoo bar sits in water, it will melt really fast. If it's dry, it will last much, much longer.

Thank you Poo bar goddess. :D

[Neoma]

Thank you Poo bar goddess. :DYou're welcome.

LOL! Thank you for the title, kimki! :flower: I should put that in my siggy! :)

[Calista]

I rotate my poo bars, so after the bar is dry I put it back into the little paper bag it came in. My soap bar just sits in its soap dish by the shower.

[Miss Murphy]

I'm not sure if this is a silly question or not...But what do you do with your poo bar after you use it? I left mine to dry and it is just sat by the shower. Do you tend to wrap it up and put it away?

I first let it dry a bit in the shower, then it gets transferred to a wooden soap rack. Once it's completely dry, it gets put back into its paper bag, like Calista does.
That way, I always know which bar is which. It can get a tad confusing - and since I have a whole drawer of soaps and poo bars, I like to keep it organized.

[n3m3sis42]

I'm not sure if this is a silly question or not...But what do you do with your poo bar after you use it? I left mine to dry and it is just sat by the shower. Do you tend to wrap it up and put it away?

The CV website sells little mesh "soap sacks" for really cheap. I keep my shampoo bar that I'm using in one of those after I use it in the shower. My husband put up a little plastic hook in the back of our shower for me to hang it on. It seems to allow the bar enough breathability to dry between uses.

I also bought one of their wooden soap dishes so that if I want to switch to a different bar, I can put the one I was using before on the dish to drain/dry before wrapping it back up. When I do wrap it back up, I put it back in its original wrapper (so I know which bar is which).

[brok3nwings]

i would wanto to try the soap/shampoo bar again but im afraid..the last time i did it i think my ends were really really wierd! I cant even expain the texture...but it could be because of the excess of vinegar rinse? Has anyone had this experience with too much vinegar, could it dry your hair or do harm? Hmm...i am really confused right now, i would like to find out whats the best thing for me but i cant really decide myself. What ive been noticing is that lately the regular shampoo and conditioner or only conditioner is making my hair weight down. Not greasy but with no volume at all and i know that my hair can have a lot of volume as it had with the soap bar the first time, but i dont want volume and spit ends so...could anyone advice me here please?:shrug:

[kimki]

You're welcome.

LOL! Thank you for the title, kimki! :flower: I should put that in my siggy! :)


You should definatly! :D

Thank you all. I think I need to go out and get me a soap dish. :)

[brok3nwings]

anyone could help me out here please?

[Deborah]

I think the problem with your ends when you use a shampoo bar could be one of two things:

1. Are your ends maybe not in good condition? If so, that may show up more with soap bar shampoos, as there are not the usual extra ingredients that cover up such problems that are contained in other products.

2. Are your ends simply dry?

In either case there are a couple of things you could try. One is to add just a tiny bit of shea nut butter to only the last 6 inches of hair while it is still damp from washing. This moisturizes the ends well, and leaves them soft and silky.

Possibly you need a trim if the ends are very bad. But I would try the shea nut butter first.

I hope you find a good solution soon! :flower:

[KatKeRo]

i would wanto to try the soap/shampoo bar again but im afraid..the last time i did it i think my ends were really really wierd! I cant even expain the texture...but it could be because of the excess of vinegar rinse? Has anyone had this experience with too much vinegar, could it dry your hair or do harm? Hmm...i am really confused right now, i would like to find out whats the best thing for me but i cant really decide myself. What ive been noticing is that lately the regular shampoo and conditioner or only conditioner is making my hair weight down. Not greasy but with no volume at all and i know that my hair can have a lot of volume as it had with the soap bar the first time, but i dont want volume and spit ends so...could anyone advice me here please?:shrug:
I never use vinegar and only once in a while (every 3 months give or take) citric acid, it dries out my hair. I also never condition my hair, it weighs it down and it goes limp. I latter once with my shampoobar (sometimes twices if I don't have anough latter), massage, let it sit for a bit while washing my body and rinse very well with water. Result: soft wavy hair.
ETA: from time to time I have hard ends. I comb them out a bit and the problem is solved.

[brok3nwings]

Deborah thank you! those are things to consider...but i actually think my ends are ok, not too dry, they started to tangle a bit just about two weeks ago, before that they almost never did! But anyway..today i did again the shampoo bar (or soap i really dont know) and did it three times...rinsed a lot with water then citric rinse twice and rinsed them with water...my hair is not totally dry yet but i think it turned out ok, lets see. Maybe im not geting right the porpotions...

KatKero that is simply impossible for me to do...my hair just goes crazy without the citric rinse!!! Looks like if i had a lot of glue and just doenst let me do anything with it! It would be great that way if i wanted dreadlooks ;P but its great that you can do it without the citric rinse...probably you have a bit of oily hair ?

[Miss Murphy]

Barbara - I think whether or not you need an acidic rinse not only depends on your hair type, but also on the softness of your water. I can't live without it, either - my hair is all waxy and coarse and like one piece, until I rinse with vinegar.

[Calista]

Bárbara, vinegar rinses can be drying, yes. But I doubt if you could have damaged your hair by using a vinegar rinse just once or twice.

Did you use cones before switching to shampoo bars? Cones hide the damage, so maybe your ends were dry/damaged before, but you never noticed it. Shampoo bars show you your hair exactly the way it is - they don´t cover up any damage or give you artificial slip or anything. My ends have actually gotten better and better the longer I use shampoo bars. I believe if it hadn´t been for shampoo bars I would have had a serious trim ages ago. But my ends feel nowhere near soft or silky, except when freshly washed. It´s not the fault of the shampoo bar, but the fault of my hair.

[brok3nwings]

Miss Murphy i really dont know about the water..but i drink it so maybe its not that bad eheh :P but like you...if i dont do the citric rinse..my hair is just one piece...even the texture of the soap that i stay in my hands and body is the same...so yes i think i wont ever be able to do this without the rinse!

Calista i havent used cones since january...and i am happy without them ! (but i use heavy conditioners like aubrey organics honeysuckle...as i did with cones all of them must be heavy) I also stoped using sulfates...
i think there can be two reasons for this
First ...i went to New York and Boston three weeks ago...and my hair and my skin instantly dryed..it was soooooo cold for what im used to..it was a big shock !
Second... as i dont like how my hair goes and as i am in a wierd stage of growth i tend to wash my hair two and two days (my scalp only gets greasy after about 3/4 days but it gets itchy sooner so i wash it) and as i have bought a LOT of natural products that i couldnt find here in Portugal i try a new thing almost every wash so my hair probably gets confused...
Third... the last time i trimed my hair was in October, so, its been six months. But i am happy with it..i dont have split ends, and it does tangle a bit but not too much!
Forth... this may be one of the reasons why i am hating my hair! It is not all even...it has a lot of layers and as it is growing it is loosing its inicial shape...and it doenst go in the same boat..so it may be one of the resons why it is looking so wierd to me..
are these too many things? And not related? lol...

About shampoo bars specificly i did it again yesterday, and i think that i love it when i dont comb it because i stay with a lot more waves and a lot of volume...but then when i comb it it just stays wierd...but i dont hate it for now, i think i have to order some shampoo bars as the one i have i just know its natural ...(from the Sabon store i bought in New York)

[homeschoolmama]

They're HERE!!! Our PLH shampoo bars just arrived in the mail :)

My son thinks the Sage, Cedar & Sweetgrass one smells great - but we can't put a finger on the smell. I think it smells like an old blanket-chest, but in a GOOD way if that makes any sense. She sent a yummy sample of the Peppermint Tea-Tree bar too, and that was the other one he had considered trying so now he's trying to figure out which to try first.

The Wildman definitely has a patchouli smell to it, but... I dunno, it smells like green growing things. DH is gonna love it.

And DD just ran into the shower to try the Aloe Fresh. (she & I are trying the same fragrance) It smells almost like lavender & lemons combined - very yummy without smelling "fake." I explained how to wash with it, and sent her in with an ACV rinse. I'll let you know how her hair likes it once it's dried out.
love,
mom

[wishfulthinking]

I want to try to CV or PLH shampoo bars so much. I am just concerned since I really disliked the JR Liggett ones. Could anyone tell me how the CV or PLH compare to JR Liggett?

[homeschoolmama]

Well at least for the kids, the PLH shampoo bars are a hit.

DD's hair is completely dry now, and feels softer than it's ever felt. No funky hair, no nothing... just really soft hair. It's really making her halo stand out with how shiny it is, but that'll grow out. It wasn't as tough to brush through either - barely any tangles.

DS took a shower after his sister because he wanted to know how HIS hair would smell. And his hair is super soft as well. It looks like he may need a bit more vinegar in his rinses... it's just a touch oily still, but it feels wonderful. He said it lathered up really well too, and he liked it.

I'll be trying it myself tomorrow morning. With any luck, maybe the bar-friendly hair will run in the family?
love,
mom

[SweetPea88]

So far I've tried six different CV Shampoo Bars and here's my little review of each.

Let me start off by saying that none of the CV bar's I've tried have been really "bad", but I prefer some over others because of my hair's condition and needs. I also have been lucky to never have had an adjustment period.

Babassu & Marsh Mallow-good lather, a bit too moisturizing (stringy feeling), and my least favorite thus far.

Mud & Clay-I find the smell of this bar too be a little overpowering in the shower for me personally. It did give me great volume and cleaned very nicely without drying out my hair.

Extra Honey Beer & Egg-Great bar but too moisturizing to use consecutively. I love the smell and lather of this one. Added wonderful body and lightness to my hair.

Nettle-I really like this one. I consider it to be more of a "cleansing" bar and therefore do not use it every time I wash. I have noticed that this bar does not glide as smoothly over my hair as some of the others.

Summer Sunshine-Great bar! It cleans and lathers very nicely and leaves my hair very soft and light.

Cafe Moreno-This may just be my favorite. I love the smell (very clove-y, not coffee like) and texture of this bar. It feels so smooth over my hair and in my hands! Although my hair is black and not brown, I feel that it does enhance my dark color slightly (not absolutely positive though). This bar is nice and moisturizing but a good balance for my hair.

I am currently using Nettle, SS, and CM in rotation, which I believe is the best method for me. My absolute favs are probably the SS and CM but I enjoy the Nettle when my hair is especially lank or I have been oiling.

[ETA] I had no idea this post would be this long and I will be adding it to my journal...err blog!

[Neoma]

Great reviews, SweetPea! :flower:

[SweetPea88]

Great reviews, SweetPea! :flower:

Thanks! I figured it was about time to write those up!

[Miss Murphy]

They're HERE!!! Our PLH shampoo bars just arrived in the mail :)

My son thinks the Sage, Cedar & Sweetgrass one smells great - but we can't put a finger on the smell. I think it smells like an old blanket-chest, but in a GOOD way if that makes any sense. She sent a yummy sample of the Peppermint Tea-Tree bar too, and that was the other one he had considered trying so now he's trying to figure out which to try first.

The Wildman definitely has a patchouli smell to it, but... I dunno, it smells like green growing things. DH is gonna love it.

And DD just ran into the shower to try the Aloe Fresh. (she & I are trying the same fragrance) It smells almost like lavender & lemons combined - very yummy without smelling "fake." I explained how to wash with it, and sent her in with an ACV rinse. I'll let you know how her hair likes it once it's dried out.
love,
mom

Mama, it's so good to hear that everybody likes the bars! And you know we're waiting for your review, too ;)

I got a sample of the peppermint tea tree bar too - but I thought it was a facial soap? Now I'm confused :confused:


I want to try to CV or PLH shampoo bars so much. I am just concerned since I really disliked the JR Liggett ones. Could anyone tell me how the CV or PLH compare to JR Liggett?

I'm sorry, but I've never tried the JR Liggett ones. Maybe someone else here has experience?


So far I've tried six different CV Shampoo Bars and here's my little review of each.


SweetPea, thanks for the extensive review! I just love to hear what others are thinking about the different bars!

[swan]

i posted this before but apparently got no response. i've sent an inquiry to Ida as well regarding this and am waiting for an answer. i've used Rosemary Lavender Aloe 3 or 4 times and everytime it gives me huge (and i mean it, it's so scary) shedding both when in the shower and the next time i'm in the shower. i've stopped and re-started using it a few times to see if it's my imagination or real, but i'm afraid it's real. now i've tried to compare the ingredients of this one with other CV bars i've used (nettle, Babassu and Marsh Mallow, EXTRA Honey Beer & Egg, Olive
Babassu, Rosemary Mint, and Cafe Moreno) and seem to be unable to find anything that is unique to this one. i'm basically trying to find the source of allergy if there's any (as i can't see what else could make it cause such a bad shedding). now i just love what this bar does to my hair texture wise but alas it won't leave any hair on my scalp to then give it good texture if i keep using it. so though i've ordered a full bar of this one i'll just use it as a body wash (i ordered in full size because i just so much loved Rosemary Mint and thought they would be similar perhaps). does anyone have a similar experience with just one particular bar in terms of increased shedding. also, while i'm waiting for Ida to respond (after her vacation), can anyone think of a particular ingredient in Rosemary Lavender and Aloe that could be the culprit? thanks!

[n3m3sis42]

I tried a new CV bar today--Lavender and Spice!

It's a little soon to be posting about how it worked out for me, because my hair is still soaking wet. However, I did want to share that out of all the (4) bars that I have tried so far, my hair was easiest to comb out after using this one. I'm not sure if that's the bar itself or the fact that I henna'ed last weekend (and used cone-free conditioner to rinse out the henna).

Besides that, the bar smelled pretty nice (although now that my hair is wet, all I can smell is that Henna Hay smell, heh) and lathered well. I'd say I got the best lather from this one that I've gotten from any of the 4 bars I've tried. Not that I've really had any problems lathering with any of them, though I have noticed that I get MUCH more lather on the second lather-rinse-repeat cycle than the first.

Anyway, I am rambling. I'll post later to let you all know how my hair is when it dries.

[homeschoolmama]

Well my hair is dry now too. I trued the Aloe Fresh from PLH, and it smelled great & made TONS of lather with the second sudsing. As I was rinsing, my hair was literally squeaky-clean so I dumped a small blob of conditioner (cone-free White Rain... fruity something?) into my vinegar rinse but that literally made all the difference. Immediately my hair felt "normal" again.

Now that it's dry, my hair feels nice & soft, was relatively free of tangles, and seems to have just a bit more body than usual. I'm positively ecstatic... no scary hair, and my hair seems to LIKE this! I've had the "nice at first" reaction to shampoos in the past so I know not to get TOO excited quite yet, but my first opinion is that this is really going to be good for our hair.

Just have to see how DH likes it - but his hair never complains so I'm not worried. He's waiting 'til tonight because he competes in an international speech competition this afternoon & didn't want to risk "funky hair" at the podium.
love,
mom

[Calista]

swan, the Rosemary Lavender Aloe contains tea tree oil. Could that be the culprit?

[swan]

Calista,
thanks! i'm not sure; i've used teatree oil in my EO mix before and have put it in my rinses as well from time to time. so unless this one has a stronger dose of teatree and that makes the scalp act up, it's hard to tell if that could be blamed. But this is a good clue for me to start looking more carefully for teatree in my products from now on; in fact, i'm going to check CV site now to see if teatree is absent from the other bars i've used so far. thanks for putting that forth as a possible answer :)

[n3m3sis42]

Update on my hair after trying the CV Lavender Spice Bar today:

It dried really shiny and soft! I wouldn't say it has great body, but it's not flat, either. I'm a little concerned it's going to be oily on top by the middle or end of the day tomorrow, because it's so soft right now. But we'll see. :)

[jojo]

I have just used my new shampoo bar and im totally hooked. I got mine from here http://www.kernowharvest.co.uk/subprod/luxury-handmade-soap-0001491.aspx

I got the lemon one.


I just wet my hair and ran the bar from my hair line to the ends (it is ok to poo on the ends isn't it??) and massaged it into the scalp, to wash the back i just grabbed and squeezed a few time. I repeated once. I didn't do a ACV rinse as ive ran out.

My hair initially felt a bit stringy and waxy, but Ive let it air dry and omg the shine and softness is unbelievable, im hooked! no longer stringy at all.

Here's the ingredient so nothing wicked and nasty for my hair
Contains cocoa & shea butters, & castor, wheatgerm, avocado, jojoba, rosemary & cedarwood oils.

I did try a beer one but it did nothing for my hair, but it makes the dogs hair shine!!!

[Neoma]

I have just used my new shampoo bar and im totally hooked. I got mine from here http://www.kernowharvest.co.uk/subprod/luxury-handmade-soap-0001491.aspx

I got the lemon one.


I just wet my hair and ran the bar from my hair line to the ends (it is ok to poo on the ends isn't it??) and massaged it into the scalp, to wash the back i just grabbed and squeezed a few time. I repeated once. I didn't do a ACV rinse as ive ran out.

My hair initially felt a bit stringy and waxy, but Ive let it air dry and omg the shine and softness is unbelievable, im hooked! no longer stringy at all.

Here's the ingredient so nothing wicked and nasty for my hair
Contains cocoa & shea butters, & castor, wheatgerm, avocado, jojoba, rosemary & cedarwood oils.

I did try a beer one but it did nothing for my hair, but it makes the dogs hair shine!!!
jojo, I'm glad to hear that you found a shampoo bar that you like. The ingredients look great.

Yes, it's "ok to poo on the ends." :D

[Deborah]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I think it needs to go here.

I bought two bars of Nasabb's 'honey oatmeal soap' as I had read that it was good for hair washing, though not designated a 'shampoo bar.'

WOW! It went on and lathered up with unbelievable ease. I ended with an ACV rinse (did not rinse out), and my hair is just wonderful! It is soft and shiny, and now that it's three days later, I am shocked to find that it is still clean! The bar of soap and the lather feel so soft and creamy, that I thought for sure my hair would get dirty or oily quickly, but not at all.

For anyone interested, here is the link. This is a site that many of us go to for raw, real shea nut butter:

www.nasabb.com

I have used about six different Chagrin Valley bars, but none were as nice or worked as well for me as this soap. Years ago I tried a JR Liggett bar shampoo, and absolutely hated it. I have not tried any of the other brands mentioned in this thread.

The Nasabb bar of soap costs $4.50. I think that is cheaper than most. If you order from this site, be sure to put the 'free sample' pack in your cart. It contains five different nice-sized samples of some of their products: the 'honey oatmeal soap', the 'traditional black soap', some 'unrefined shea butter', some 'shea moisturizer' and a bottle of 'kelechi hair oil - tangerine'. It's a really nice haul of interesting, natural, African-made free stuff.

Your mileage may vary of course, but I am totally delighted with this soap, both as a soap and as a shampoo.

[Neoma]

I mentioned this in another thread, but I think it needs to go here.

I bought two bars of Nasabb's 'honey oatmeal soap' as I had read that it was good for hair washing, though not designated a 'shampoo bar.'

WOW! It went on and lathered up with unbelievable ease. I ended with an ACV rinse (did not rinse out), and my hair is just wonderful! It is soft and shiny, and now that it's three days later, I am shocked to find that it is still clean! The bar of soap and the lather feel so soft and creamy, that I thought for sure my hair would get dirty or oily quickly, but not at all.

For anyone interested, here is the link. This is a site that many of us go to for raw, real shea nut butter:

www.nasabb.com (http://www.nasabb.com)

I have used about six different Chagrin Valley bars, but none were as nice or worked as well for me as this soap. Years ago I tried a JR Liggett bar shampoo, and absolutely hated it. I have not tried any of the other brands mentioned in this thread.

The Nasabb bar of soap costs $4.50. I think that is cheaper than most. If you order from this site, be sure to put the 'free sample' pack in your cart. It contains five different nice-sized samples of some of their products: the 'honey oatmeal soap', the 'traditional black soap', some 'unrefined shea butter', some 'shea moisturizer' and a bottle of 'kelechi hair oil - tangerine'. It's a really nice haul of interesting, natural, African-made free stuff.

Your mileage may vary of course, but I am totally delighted with this soap, both as a soap and as a shampoo.What a great review, Deborah. :flower: You made me want to go out and buy some. I'm restraining myself, but I did bookmark the site.

[Deborah]

"What a great review, Deborah. You made me want to go out and buy some. I'm restraining myself, but I did bookmark the site." - Neoma


Thanks Neoma! :)

The Nasabb site is pretty interesting to visit, even if you don't buy anything. They have lots of good information about hair, and about all those cool African products.

[n3m3sis42]

The second day after shampooing with the Lavender Spice CV bar, my hair was sort of flat. When it gets flat, I start to be paranoid that it looks oily. My husband said it looked pretty, though.

Oh, and I am so tempted to buy that Nasabb soap now, too. :cheese:

[jojo]

jojo, I'm glad to hear that you found a shampoo bar that you like. The ingredients look great.

Yes, it's "ok to poo on the ends." :D LOL! ooops ive done it again! thanks for the advice, my only regret is i didnt find them earlier!

[squiggyflop]

hello i experimented with a burts bees baby shampoo bar today and am experiencing some problems... my main problen is the tangles... my hair doesnt look bad but its sort of woven together by the scalp... im not sure how to deal with knots so close to the scalp...
i put some camellia oil in my hair and it helped a little but not enough to keep me from having to finger comb every 5 minutes... i made sure to clarify before i used the bar so im pretty sure its not a residue problem... i rinsed my hair very well and used an ACV rinse... i wasnt able to detangle my hair while washing it like i usually do... my hair is softer but the breakage i got from trying to detangle it was awful...
does anyone know why im having these problems?

[Miss Murphy]

Squiggyflop, I can't say why you're getting these tangles, but I'd try to add ablob of conditioner to your vinegar rinse next time.
There are some of us that still use conditioner with our poo bars.

[Kazazi]

Looks like it's bye bye poo bars for me very soon... :(

I've been trying them now for over two weeks, washing approximately every other day, and I have tried a serpentine hair bar and three from CV (chamomile & citrus, olive babassu, and rosemary & lavendar).

My hair has been slightly stringy and waxy at its best and unbearable to touch at its worst (that's when I tried to condition the lengths with CV cucumber, lime & yoghurt soap).

I've played with different vinegar rinses, condish etc, clarified with baking soda, and it's just not working out. The vinegar definitely does something as I feel instant slip when it goes on the hair, but apparently that's not enough. Tried it up to 1:10 dilution.

In addition to my hair not looking great I also worry about the excess water I am using in the shower with those repeat latherings and extra rinses (just doesn't seem very environmentally friendly to me), the damage that all this extra wet handling may be doing to my hair, and whether hair that feels crap like this can actually be damaged by the poo bars.

I haven't used cones in years, so I don't think build-up is my problem. I threw in a conditioner only wash last week and my hair was instantly lovely. Plus, my skin does not seem to like the CV soaps either, they make my hands feel really dry :(

So, is it time to call it quits and just accept that the poo bars and CV soaps just don't work for me? Probably because my water is rock hard and possibly because I just don't like alkaline products?

Or is there anything else I could/should still try?

And if I give up on them, what to do I do with all the bars? I don't know if putting them up for swap is worth the hassle of packaging and posting them given that they are quite cheap originally and postage is likely expensive. Any tips?

Thanks,

Kaz x

[Miss Murphy]

Kazazi, I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I think that with every other routine, your hair is unique and it will react in a unique way.

To me it sounds like you tried pretty much everything. Maybe one of the longer users has an idea, though.

You could do two things with your bars, the way I see it:

-) Put them away, stop thinking about them and give them another try in a while. I think it was Neoma whose second time around was a charm.

-) Put them up on the swap board after all. There are lots of Europeans here, and postage from the UK is still cheaper than from the USA, where you bought the bars. Also, some people are more comfortable buying from the board than on the internet. I don't think it can hurt to put them up.

[swan]

another thing you can do with them if you decide not to use them on your hair anymore is to use them on your body/face. that's what i'm doing with my CV Rosemary Lavender Aloe which gave me so much shedding that i will refuse to let it touch my hair anymore. they work like any other soap after all (maybe a bit less moisturizing for the skin but i don't mind that personally as i have quite an oily skin).

[Hedera]

Kazazi,

I'm sorry to hear the shampoo bars didn't work out for you!
I guess they're not for everybody.

You could also bring them to an LHC meet the next time there is one in your area; they would be great for swapping, or you could sell them there and save everybody the hassle & costs of shipping. :)

[Kazazi]

Thanks for your words of encouragement everybody :)

I rewashed my hair with conditioner only yesterday because I just couldn't stand the waxies anymore and I will give the bars a break now whilst I decide how to progress with my hair routine. I won't get rid of them just yet because I still think they may be good on my scalp compared to regular shampoo, but we'll see.

In the meanwhile, I will keep following this thread. I'm still very interested to hear more about how those with hard water or those who couldn't get the bars to work in the beginning made their breakthroughs.

Thanks,

Kaz x

[Blueneko]

Kazazi, I had trouble with the Olive Babassu and anything citrus hates my hair. I am having good luck with Lush products right now (Squeaky Green and Veganese conditioner).

The Cafe Moreno CV bar has been demoted to a shaving soap for my legs. It was too masculine scented for me and left me dry.

But they can't work for us all. At least you tried.

[chloeishere]

Kazazi-- I might try one more time, if I were you, and up the vinegar rinse more. Just to see, before you swap them all. If your water is that hard, it might need a bit of an extra boost-- I've certainly used stronger vinegar rinses than that, and my hair felt fine. I have pretty hard water, too.
Of course, like everyone else has said, shampoo bars don't work for everybody. I'm sorry if that's the case for you! But it's great that CO works for you, I get horrible scalp itchies and gunkies on CO.

[squiggyflop]

ok so i washed my hair again today with the shampoo bar and i got massive shedding... i was losing 10 hairs at a time by just touching my hair... im afraid to try it again.. i havent had shedding like this in years... i tryed putting a little conditioner in my rinse but i still have tangles.. not to mention hair that looks so nasty i cant leave it down like i usually do after a wash... i think im going to have to go back to diluted shampoo... its such a hassle to use the bar anyway... im going to give the other bar to my friend thats having a baby..

[loves2spin]

I was using my own plain homemade soap for a while (just lye, soft water, lard and coconut oil) with a ACV rinse. It worked fine. I recently bought a shampoo bar on Ebay and love it. I've ordered some oils and some lavender essential oil and am planning to make a batch soon if I can find a reliable recipe. I really love how the shampoo bar does not dry out my hair and I don't need any conditioner! :joy:

[n3m3sis42]

I tried yet another new CV bar today!

I know that I probably need to use each bar a few times in succession to get a true impression of how it works with my hair... and in fact, I did do that with the first two (Cafe Moreno and Mud and Clay, both of which play very nicely with my hair). However, the last two I tried didn't thrill me. Olive Babassu is going into the drawer until winter when my hair needs more moisture, and Lavender Spice was good but not awe-inspiring and will get another shot in the near future. I'd normally try it a few more times right away, but my Honey Beer and Egg (which I've been really impatient to try) was FINALLY finished curing as of a couple days ago.

So guess what I tried this morning? Honey Beer And Egg. And I *think* I really love it. My hair *feels* fuller than it has in a while, and maybe a little coarser than I'm used to--but it doesn't *look* corase at all. It's really shiny and not in any way frizzy. The only reason I'm not sure if I love it is that (a) I had it up in a ponytail all day and I want to see how my hair looks if I wear it down after using this bar, and (b) I'm reserving judgment until I see whether the roots become an oil-pit by the end of the day tomorrow.

My husband said my hair looked really pretty (sincerely and without being asked how my hair looked first), but I have recently come to the conclusion he really likes my hair in a low ponytail, so I'm not sure if that's a result of the shampoo bar or just the hairstyle.

Wow, that was long. :D

[Miss Murphy]

Alright, that's it for me for now, count me out.
Last week I was at the hairdressers, so my hair was un-waxy when I washed it yesterday. I used my PLH sandalwood cedar again, lathered twice, three times on the lengths, did a vinegar rinse, a herbal rinse and no conditioner.
Hair is waxy and stringy. So it is not build-up, the waxies come from the poo bar. Has to be - remember, I went into the shower with totally un-stringy hair.

I will give them a rest for now, go back to my CWC routine. I really like the texture my hair had - I've never before been able to put my hair up on the day after washing. But this is just not working.
:(

[Kazazi]

Yep, this was the same with me, the waxies most definitely come from the bar. I think it must be hard water reacting with the soap and just making it hopeless to rinse away.

One thing you might try if you really liked the volume, Miss Murphy, is to follow a poo bar wash with what is effectively a CO wash - that's what I did three days ago when I just couldn't stand the waxies anymore and the conditioner definitely got the poo bar coating out.

I am still too new to CO to compare how the overall hair after this double wash compared to a CO wash only, but I imagine if you tweak it right you might be able to get the best of both worlds? Might not be the best option for every wash since it involves a lot of handling and rinsing but maybe worth a try for special occasions?

Me, I'll see how I get on with CO now and maybe use poo bars occasionally to complement it depending on how it goes.

[Calista]

I would like to emphasize again (and again and again, if necessary ;) ) the importance of the acidic rinse. Play with its strength. If any of you are experiencing waxiness it most likely is hard water residue. I use a dilution of 1 in 10 (100ml white vinegar in 1l ), and I don´t even have really hard water. Double the strength and see if it helps.

[n3m3sis42]

Miss Murphy, I'm sorry about your persistent-waxies problem. :(

I feel like I should try to offer advice, but I'm still a shampoo-bar noob, so take it for what it is--guessing. I'm pretty sure that we don't have hard water at our house and that's at least part of why the bars work for me.

I'm not trying to get you to change your mind about giving up shampoo bars (at least for now) because it sounds like you need a break at the very least since this has been so frustrating. I hope you won't find it bossy or intrusive if I throw out some questions or suggestions in the event that you want to try the bars again later? It's possible that some things that worked for me might work for you since our hairtypes seem to be similar.

I'm sorry for being too lazy to read back through the thread--I have read it all once, but I can't remember. Have you tried lathering twice and skipping the third time on your length? I'm not sure if it will make a difference, but I was paranoid about the third lather on the length, and so I have never done it. I just lather my roots and length once (using the method and number of strokes that Calista's shampoo bar article suggests), massage in at the scalp for a minute or two, repeat the exact same process, and then rinse.

My other question (again, forgive me for not going through previous posts) is about your vinegar rinse. I think I remember that you were using one. What strength was it? I use a little more vinegar than most people seem to--two tablespoons per 1-1.5 cups of water. I don't think we even have hard water, so if you do, you might even need a stronger rinse than that?

Also, I haven't tried the PLH bars yet (although I have 3 of them in the drawer to try soon) because they were rumored to be more moisturizing and heavy than the CV ones and so I wanted to try the CV ones first. But I seem to remember that you tried several of the CV ones too, right?

[Kazazi]

Thanks Calista. I think I will try a stronger rinse next time I do decide to give the poo bars a go. I just have doubts that it would be very practical for me in the long run because I already feel bothered by the lingering vinegar smell with a 1:10 dilution and I have found in the past that lemon juice makes my hair feel dry, so am reluctant to go down that route.

But I haven't tried pure citric acid yet and plan to experiment with it at some point in the nearish future.

Out of interest, what is your opinion on this observation?: when using my vinegar rinses with poo bars, I could feel them working immediately; ie I got instant slip and it was actually quite easy to run my fingers through my freshly rinsed hair. So I actually thought they were doing a good job, but I still had waxies when dry.

Does this sound to you like my rinse could really have been to weak? Or maybe I just need more of it? I was using about a pint/500 mls on my not quite shoulder length hair, so I would have thought this was plenty.

[Miss Murphy]

I would like to emphasize again (and again and again, if necessary ;) ) the importance of the acidic rinse. Play with its strength. If any of you are experiencing waxiness it most likely is hard water residue. I use a dilution of 1 in 10 (100ml white vinegar in 1l ), and I don´t even have really hard water. Double the strength and see if it helps.

We had our water tested a little while ago, and it's soft. I currently also use 100ml in 1l water, first swishing the length in it, like you recommended.


Miss Murphy, I'm sorry about your persistent-waxies problem. :(

I feel like I should try to offer advice, but I'm still a shampoo-bar noob, so take it for what it is--guessing. I'm pretty sure that we don't have hard water at our house and that's at least part of why the bars work for me.

I'm not trying to get you to change your mind about giving up shampoo bars (at least for now) because it sounds like you need a break at the very least since this has been so frustrating. I hope you won't find it bossy or intrusive if I throw out some questions or suggestions in the event that you want to try the bars again later? It's possible that some things that worked for me might work for you since our hairtypes seem to be similar.

I'm sorry for being too lazy to read back through the thread--I have read it all once, but I can't remember. Have you tried lathering twice and skipping the third time on your length? I'm not sure if it will make a difference, but I was paranoid about the third lather on the length, and so I have never done it. I just lather my roots and length once (using the method and number of strokes that Calista's shampoo bar article suggests), massage in at the scalp for a minute or two, repeat the exact same process, and then rinse.

My other question (again, forgive me for not going through previous posts) is about your vinegar rinse. I think I remember that you were using one. What strength was it? I use a little more vinegar than most people seem to--two tablespoons per 1-1.5 cups of water. I don't think we even have hard water, so if you do, you might even need a stronger rinse than that?

Also, I haven't tried the PLH bars yet (although I have 3 of them in the drawer to try soon) because they were rumored to be more moisturizing and heavy than the CV ones and so I wanted to try the CV ones first. But I seem to remember that you tried several of the CV ones too, right?

Don't worry, you're not being rude or anything ;) Actually, the PLH bars - especially the one I'm using. I will definitely not give the bars up for good, I'm thinking of maybe alternating regular washes and bars.

[Shannon4J]

Wow! It took me a WHILE, but I finally finished this whole thread!!!

There is a lot of GREAT info here!

I have been using CV bars since January & I really like them! I think my favorite is Cafe Moreno & I need to get some full sized bars when all my samples run out!

One thing that was happening is all the work trying to lather up was making me shed like crazy! So I tried a little experiment & so far it has been working for the last few shampoos. I shave a few small pieces off the bar and put them in a little squirt bottle & fill to 4 oz line (it's an old hair dye bottle & works GREAT!!) with plain water. I leave it in my bathroom until I shampoo next and it's all dissolved & I just squirt it on my scalp & lather up & I get really great lather without all the work! I lather twice, then ACV rinse, then VO5 SunKissed Raspberry conditioner.

Sometimes my scalp is pink & itchy, not sure if it is the current poo bar (Lavender & spice) or the ACV?? But at least there's no flakes!

Now I'm off to find that Shampoo Bar tutorial/article!!! :D

[n3m3sis42]

Wow! It took me a WHILE, but I finally finished this whole thread!!!


I feel like there should be a T-shirt for everyone who has read through the entire thread! :D

[young&reckless]

I tried Nettle from CV this week and I love it. I still have to use an ACV rinse but I'm starting not to mind so much. I love the way my hair feels!

:Happy dance: