The Shampoo Bar Thread

[Suldrun]

Thank you desdemona., I feel like I should bow or something lol.

I have also been using a non SLS shampoo regularly for a long time ( I get dandruff and irritation if I use SLS regularly) I do have an SLS clarifying shampoo that I used once a few weeks ago because I was trying a brand new hair experiment lol. I have only used SLS one time in the last year or so, so I asume my scalp is used to something more mild.

[healingsolitude]

healingsolitude, I am glad to hear about your hair thickness.

Yes, I am pleased with the results so far. I was really surprised at how easy mine detangled, of course I did detangle it very well with oil before I washed.

It is good that you are so happy with the results already! And your bar even rinsed out the oils you had used before the shampoo bar. I've heard where some have issues getting all of the oils out. Perhaps that is another hard water issue, though.

Now you have to deal with the tough decision on whether or not to stick with that bar or give in and try another. It can be very hard to resist moving onto another one. I try to give each one at least a week without rotating so that I can see how well I respond to each one after repeated uses. The rest go in my closet where they can hide from my curious glances and be less tempting. ;)

[Suldrun]

healingsoletude, yes all my oil was rinsed out:)

I am going to be moving at the end of the month. It's not far away but I hope I will still be using the same water.

Yes it's so tempting to try a new bar. I have already tried 2 of the soap bars :)
I think I will try and stick with this one for at least a week and see how it goes, that is if I have the self control.

[healingsolitude]

It shouldn't be a problem if you are only moving a short distance. Most of the ones I've seen dealing with changes in the water with different areas would be the ones who traveled somewhere or moved a good deal away to another state.

You could try hiding the rest of the shampoo bars and forgetting about them. But then out of sight doesn't always mean out of mind. I'm the same way as you when it comes to the soap bars. Those just need to be rotated constantly. Or that is what I tell myself. lol.

[Calista]

FWIW, I do not get good results with any one shampoo bar used multiple times in a row. I make a point of rotating with each wash.

[freznow]

I've been trying to hold out against all this raving over dairy whip because I love cv bars and really can't afford to get into yet another new product. I've tried all but a small handful of Ida's bars and I'm quite attached to them. :o Except after hearing all these wonderful things about dairy whip for a while now, I'm really tempted to try, but my problem is that I have insanely dry hair. In fact, I rarely use any of the cv shampoo bars but use the most moisturizing soap bars all the time. I've never had a problem with buildup and I've been using cv bars for a long time.

So I'm just wondering if anyone has hair similar to mine who's had success with dairy whip? It sounds so lovely that I'm really tempted to try it out.

Another thing is, I'm thinking of using conditioner again. I stopped using conditioner a year ago, but for several months now my ends seem to be dryer than I'd like, and since the weather's starting to get cooler here, I'm worried about even dryer ends for the winter. I slather my hair in oil, in shea butter, all sorts of home-made hair butter recipes, but they don't seem to enough. I think I might go out and get some Aubrey Organics conditioner to try out since I've always heard good things about them. :pray:

I'm interested if anyone has an answer to your post, as well.

We have very different hair types, but my hair is still so dry. May I ask which bars you have tried? So far I fare best with the soap bars as well - olive shea and sweet basil, out of what I've tried. But they're still so drying! I've found a strong vinegar rinse is a must but even when I oiled a ton before hand my hair was still dry after the wash.

I'm tempted to go back to CO, but this is cheaper and more natural/less chemicals, so I'm going to hold out.


So, I reiterate the question, might Dairy Whip be less drying? Or a different maker of soap?

[Cantabile]

Freznow, while you're waiting for a response from avarea, I thought I might jump in and add that while my hair typically isn't too dry, I do get some drying on my ends, especially during summer when the heat was just drying out my hair. I've found that focusing my lathering on just my scalp, rather than extending it past my ears and all the way to my ends, has really cut down on the dryness. I lather up on my scalp, and then "push" some of the foam down my length, but I don't apply the soap/shampoo bar directly onto the ends. After washing out the lather, I do an ACV rinse, and then I coat my ends with some V05 conditioner, and just leave it on while I go through the rest of my shower, and then finally rinsing it off in some cool water right before I get out. I haven't had any buildup from this, and I suspect the V05 may be doing some CO-cleaning on my ends, while the shampoo bars cleans my scalp and upper regions. :D

[freznow]

Thank you for your response, Cantabile.

Your method sounds much more appealing than going back to CO. Still, I rather like not having to use a plastic bottle of anything, no matter how little the amount. I'll keep it in mind if the shampoo bars decide not to work, though. :thumbsup:

[Dolly]

I'm interested if anyone has an answer to your post, as well.

We have very different hair types, but my hair is still so dry. May I ask which bars you have tried? So far I fare best with the soap bars as well - olive shea and sweet basil, out of what I've tried. But they're still so drying! I've found a strong vinegar rinse is a must but even when I oiled a ton before hand my hair was still dry after the wash.

I'm tempted to go back to CO, but this is cheaper and more natural/less chemicals, so I'm going to hold out.


So, I reiterate the question, might Dairy Whip be less drying? Or a different maker of soap?


My hair is very dry also (with an oilier scalp).....I do very well with the Olive Babassu.....also, I tried what other members have suggested....I add a small dollop of conditioner (I use Suave) to my vinegar rinse.....it makes a big difference in the condition of my hair.....

[Desdemona]

freznow, I tend to have an oily scalp but dry hair. The Dairy Whip was extremely drying and stripped all the natural oils from my hair. It also made my scalp itch after washing the first day and the second day it burned my scalp as soon as I applied it to wash. It caused a lot of shedding and left my hair dry, snapping and with lightning bolts for a halo.

[avraea]

freznow, I've found the most moisturizing ones on me are the honey butter, olive & shea, avocado oats & shea, and chocolate almond. Just as Cantabile says, I don't lather my length. I only lather my scalp and the lather is usually more than enough for me to slide it down my length and it'll get clean that way, but not be as drying.

Calista mentions a good point as well. I've actually never used the same bar twice before. In the beginning it was because I was impatient and wanted to try them all out right away, but over time I suspected that using a different one every time might be what's keeping me from getting buildup, which is important for me since I don't lather my length.

I generally have good results following with a mild acidic rinse and then oiling my damp hair with a bit of either camellia oil, shea butter or a whipped shea butter/honey/various oils cream. Lately though, maybe due to the weather or possibly the changing condition of my water (it's been smelling strongly of chlorine!) my ends have been getting dryer and I'm thinking of adding conditioner back into my routine. To be honest I'm very reluctant to have to buy commercial products again, and I'll only consider something very natural like Aubrey Organics, but the cost just kills me.

Thanks for the advice, healingsolitude. I think I'm going to wait until dairy whip catches on more around here so I can benefit from more reviews, including yours. ;) So yes, all of you who are waiting to try out dairy whip, I would very much appreciate your thoughts once you've used it!

I just saw your response, Desdemona, yikes! That's the kind of reaction I'm deathly afraid of. It sounds like the reaction I get from commercial shampoo (even the most natural and sls-free ones).

[Desdemona]

Yeah avraea, that's also the same reaction I get from detergent shampoos, even non-sulfate ones. It would be great if you could get a sample of the Dairy Whip first to try it out, I found it kind of an expensive mistake since it costs more to ship a tub of it than the tub costs.

[Celebrian]

I'm not up to date with this thread - but just dropped in to say that I've been having great success going no-cone for the last 5 weeks or so, and doing well with the Lush bars.

That gave me the confidence to try my Mehandi bars again - and they left me with waxy coated hair (even without conditioner). I tried them three times in a row. Not impressed. I'll try them again in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, it was back to my Lush Seanick tonight (with Veganese conditioner). Very pleased. Hair shiny and smooth - no wax etc.

[wintersun99]

That gave me the confidence to try my Mehandi bars again - and they left me with waxy coated hair (even without conditioner). I tried them three times in a row. Not impressed. I'll try them again in a few weeks.



I bought one from Mehandi as well, and it's doing the same thing to my hair, I'm beyond annoyed. I have never tried shampoo bars before though, so have nothing to compare them too... not sure if I should experiment or just call it quits :confused:

[healingsolitude]

The only issue I've had with using the same CV shampoo bar in a row was with the Summer Sunshine one. My hair never responded well to that one. I've used the Nettle for a week with no issues. The Cafe Moreno one just reached its seventh day in a row with me today and my hair is feeling the softest it has ever felt. I've also gone for two weeks using only the Chamomile & Citrus with no issues at all. My shampoo routine involves washing the top of my head everyday with whatever shampoo I used for the last all over wash (bedhead + fine hair = huge mess in the morning). I try to extend my all over hair wash to every two-three days. I guess results just vary from person-to-person. Maybe it also has something to do with hair types, location, water type, etc.

I found a stray hair tonight on my shirt and was pleased with how thick it looked. It prompted me to gently pull on the ends, which used to cause my stray hairs to break instantly. This one refused to break, even after I pulled a little harder. It was like a little bungie cord. I finally got it to break but I must say that I'm very impressed with the health of my hair since I've switched to these bars from regular detergent shampoo. I'm still a little in awe of it. Ida is the best! :D


I'm interested if anyone has an answer to your post, as well.

We have very different hair types, but my hair is still so dry. May I ask which bars you have tried? So far I fare best with the soap bars as well - olive shea and sweet basil, out of what I've tried. But they're still so drying! I've found a strong vinegar rinse is a must but even when I oiled a ton before hand my hair was still dry after the wash.

I'm tempted to go back to CO, but this is cheaper and more natural/less chemicals, so I'm going to hold out.


So, I reiterate the question, might Dairy Whip be less drying? Or a different maker of soap?

Did you try the more moisturizing Olive Babassu or Babassu Marshmallow shampoo bars? What about these soaps on your hair: Chamomile & Calendula, Castile & Calendula, Chocolate Almond, Honey Butter or Olive & Shea. I've heard those are the most moisturizing soaps for hair. I would think the Pumpkin Spice would also be very moisturizing.

Also, I've never tried these since I have oily scalp and normal hair, but some of the posts near the beginning of this thread mentioned that the Serpentine shampoo bars were much more moisturizing than CV's. Have you tried those? http://serpentinehair.com/products.html

I'd also recommend adding a dollop of conditioner to your vinegar or citrus rinse if you need more moisture. Maybe even add some honey? CV has a few honey rinse recipes:


Gail's Honey Hair Shine Rinse
Mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 1 quart (4 cups) of warm water. Add a squeeze or two of lemon juice if you have blonde or oily hair. After shampooing pour the mixture through your hair and do not rinse out.



Sarah's Honey & Vinegar Hair Shine Rinse

1-2 tablespoons Organic apple cider vinegar (you may have to experiment with the best dilution for your hair)
1 teaspoon honey (I like the raw kind)
1 cup warm water (I use filtered rainwater)
After shampooing pour the mixture through your hair and do not rinse out. If you have long hair you can double the recipe. This recipe gives my hair shine and works as a conditioner/detangler as well.


Thanks for the advice, healingsolitude. I think I'm going to wait until dairy whip catches on more around here so I can benefit from more reviews, including yours. ;) So yes, all of you who are waiting to try out dairy whip, I would very much appreciate your thoughts once you've used it!

You might have to wait a little bit. I'm having one heck of a time narrowing down which two blends I want. Would be nice if they were smaller so that I could order three. I'm flirting with the idea of grabbing a pen, some pieces of paper, and a hat. I'll figure this out somehow. ;)


I'm not up to date with this thread - but just dropped in to say that I've been having great success going no-cone for the last 5 weeks or so, and doing well with the Lush bars.

That gave me the confidence to try my Mehandi bars again - and they left me with waxy coated hair (even without conditioner). I tried them three times in a row. Not impressed. I'll try them again in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, it was back to my Lush Seanick tonight (with Veganese conditioner). Very pleased. Hair shiny and smooth - no wax etc.

I haven't heard many good reviews for those Mehandi bars. The prices are rather high, too. Those are shampoo bars I don't think I'll ever try out. It is good you found wonderful results with a Lush bar, though. I believe they have slightly different ingredients from the Mehandi and CV bars. You posted awhile back about having problems with CV bars, as well, right? Do you have very hard water?

[healingsolitude]

I bought one from Mehandi as well, and it's doing the same thing to my hair, I'm beyond annoyed. I have never tried shampoo bars before though, so have nothing to compare them too... not sure if I should experiment or just call it quits :confused:

Ah, I missed your post earlier. You said Mehandi is the only shampoo bar you've tried so far? I'd strongly suggest trying a shampoo bar from another company before giving up on them completely. Those shampoo bars seem to give many a hard time, at least from what I've read on this thread.

Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm) - Seems to be the most popular and the only one I've tried so far. The website recommends bars for your hair type and seems to work on all types of hair.

Soap Lady Oregon (http://www.soap-lady.com/shampoo.html) - These seem to be about the same as the above ones on all hair types.

Prairieland Herbs (http://prairielandherbs.com/hair.htm) - These have been referred to as being more cleansing for oily hair and scalp.

Serpentine Hair (http://www.serpentinehair.com/products.html) - Posts in the beginning of the thread recommended these bars for dry hair.

Just remember that everyone responds differently with the bars. Some work for one person and not the other. You just have to experiment quite a bit to find the perfect one for you. The best thing is to just buy samples of the shampoos you are interested in. The first two links (CV & Soap Lady) have very generously sized and wallet friendly samples of their shampoos. Look for the Soap Lady's samples in the gift part of the site.

Also, do you use any vinegar or citrus rinses with your bar? Do you know if you have hard water? This link (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm) can help you find out if you're unsure.

[Dolly]

I haven't heard many good reviews for those Mehandi bars. The prices are rather high, too. Those are shampoo bars I don't think I'll ever try out. It is good you found wonderful results with a Lush bar, though. I believe they have slightly different ingredients from the Mehandi and CV bars. You posted awhile back about having problems with CV bars, as well, right? Do you have very hard water?


Don't the Lush bars have SLS? That is the main reason I haven't tried those.....

I am actually VERY happy with the results I have gotten from the CV bars......I think I'll just stick with Ida!

[healingsolitude]

Don't the Lush bars have SLS? That is the main reason I haven't tried those.....

I am actually VERY happy with the results I have gotten from the CV bars......I think I'll just stick with Ida!

Some of them do, yes. Lush recently started making a few of their solid bars, like the Seanick one mentioned, without SLS. I was very close to buying one of the SLS free bars from Lush when I stumbled upon CV bars. The CV bars appealed to me more because it would mean supporting a small company and I liked the more natural ingredients found in Ida's bars. She seems to know her stuff. My hair has been extremely happy with her bars.

[n3m3sis42]

I've been away from LHC for a bit, but I am back and catching up on this thread. I saw Desdemona's post about Soap Lady Oregon, and just HAD to order a few of her shampoo bars. I'm such a sucker! I can't wait until they arrive. :D

[Dolly]

Some of them do, yes. Lush recently started making a few of their solid bars, like the Seanick one mentioned, without SLS. I was very close to buying one of the SLS free bars from Lush when I stumbled upon CV bars. The CV bars appealed to me more because it would mean supporting a small company and I liked the more natural ingredients found in Ida's bars. She seems to know her stuff. My hair has been extremely happy with her bars.

Yeah, I spoke with Ida on the phone one day.....she is such a sweetheart! I think it IS a good thing to support the smaller merchants.....

And, I am trying to get my son and I away from as many chemicals as possible.....

[healingsolitude]

I've been away from LHC for a bit, but I am back and catching up on this thread. I saw Desdemona's post about Soap Lady Oregon, and just HAD to order a few of her shampoo bars. I'm such a sucker! I can't wait until they arrive. :D

I can't wait to hear the results! Her bars are next on my list to try after the dairy whip. Are you still having good results with the CV bars or are you trying something else now?

Good luck with your order when it arrives! :D

ETA: Dolly - Getting away from those chemicals is a big plus for me! I mainly switched so that I could get away from SLS since I felt like it was burning my scalp. Comparing the ingredients between Lush's bars and Ida's bars made me want to just go completely natural. I've noticed some who don't respond well to Ida's bars and the other natural shampoos seem to respond better to Lush's shampoo bars, even with the SLS free ones. I'm not sure why that is. The SLS free bars do have Sodium Coco-Sulfate, though. Maybe that is why they work better for those who have trouble with the natural bars.

I agree about your son! I don't have any children but I wouldn't want to put those chemicals on them if I did. He is lucky to have you looking out for him. :)

[Dolly]

I agree about your son! I don't have any children but I wouldn't want to put those chemicals on them if I did. He is lucky to have you looking out for him. :)


Yeah, he has had eczema since he was born, which we finally got under control, and then he developed those nasty ugly yellowish patches in his scalp. We tried everything! The Neem and Tea Tree from CV has nearly cleared it up in a matter of just a few weeks!

[n3m3sis42]

I can't wait to hear the results! Her bars are next on my list to try after the dairy whip. Are you still having good results with the CV bars or are you trying something else now?

Good luck with your order when it arrives! :D

I'm still having good results with the CV bars. I did go through a phase about a month and a half ago where my hair was ridiculously dry. I only shampoo one or two times a week, and I have never even touched the more cleansing CV bars, so I was sort of concerned.

I had some really thin ends that needed a trim, so I got those trimmed off and then clarified a couple of times with a baking soda/water solution (followed by a deep condition). This seemed to mostly correct the problem, although my hair is still a little on the dry side (I've always had this problem, probably more so with other washing methods).

I'm thinking about trying Neoma's idea of putting a bit of conditioner in my ACV rinse to see if that helps with the remaining dryness, but overall I am happy.

I can't wait for my new bars to arrive! :D

[naturechild]

Missy60: The person Karen was talking about is me:o. We have been working on a shampoo bar for those of us who get a coating or build up feeling.

Charcoal shampoo bar for 1 week:

I still got a heavy feeling, Great body OMG but a coated Feeling
No way was I going to be able to not wash everyday. I tweaked
the ACV, tried rinsing longer, warm water, cold water, application
methods. Just about everything. :(

Charcoal soap. as of Fri. night

I now see why people LOVE the bars!! Clean lovely hair, no build up.
I have gone two days now with one wash! I used a VERY diluted
ACV/drop of Kiwi lime as a rinse. My hair is a clean blowing in the
breeze, happiness!!!

We are now working on a new scent!

SLO are great people and will work with you to get the best thing for your hair. I highly recommend them!!

[Neoma]

Missy60: The person Karen was talking about is me:o. We have been working on a shampoo bar for those of us who get a coating or build up feeling.

Charcoal shampoo bar for 1 week:

I still got a heavy feeling, Great body OMG but a coated Feeling
No way was I going to be able to not wash everyday. I tweaked
the ACV, tried rinsing longer, warm water, cold water, application
methods. Just about everything. :(

Charcoal soap. as of Fri. night

I now see why people LOVE the bars!! Clean lovely hair, no build up.
I have gone two days now with one wash! I used a VERY diluted
ACV/drop of Kiwi lime as a rinse. My hair is a clean blowing in the
breeze, happiness!!!

We are now working on a new scent!

SLO are great people and will work with you to get the best thing for your hair. I highly recommend them!!Hmmmm... This is very interesting, naturechild. I got insane body the two times that I shampooed with the charcoal bar, but the tangling (no matter how much conditioner, leave-in, oils I used) was insane. I was afraid that I was seriously going to damage my hair. Needless to say, I'm not sure whether I want to use it again.

I'm going to try the Sweet Orange one, which sounds like it may be more moisturizing and gentle, today. I'll keep everyone posted.

[naturechild]

Neoma: We have it almost pin pointed but it is still a little early to say until I use the adjusted one but we believe it is the Castor oil. Some people dont tolerate it at all. I believe most do. My hair I am sure hates it. I can run my fingers through it. Not a LOT of slip but we are working on it still, all and all very nice.
With the other soap I had a extreme piecieness the oil just wouldn't let go.

[Neoma]

Neoma: We have it almost pin pointed but it is still a little early to say until I use the adjusted one but we believe it is the Castor oil. Some people dont tolerate it at all. I believe most do. My hair I am sure hates it. I can run my fingers through it. Not a LOT of slip but we are working on it still, all and all very nice.
With the other soap I had a extreme piecieness the oil just wouldn't let go.

That's interesting, naturechild. I'm glad that you almost have it pinned down.

I wonder what the problem is in my case? :confused:I've been using CV and PLH shampoo bars for years, and they both contain castor oil. Nothing has ever made my hair tangle like the charcoal bar.

Hopefully, the Sweet Orange will be better. I'll keep you posted.

[naturechild]

Were you using the shampoo bar or the reg soap bar? I am using the reg. soap there isn't any Castor oil it. Could it be you are fine with Castor and your hair likes it? Kind of the opposite effect of what I was getting you NEED the oil's.

I see you have tryed the Dairy Whip do you like that? any build up?

[Neoma]

Were you using the shampoo bar or the reg soap bar? I am using the reg. soap there isn't any Castor oil it. Could it be you are fine with Castor and your hair likes it? Kind of the opposite effect of what I was getting you NEED the oil's.

I see you have tryed the Dairy Whip do you like that? any build up?naturechild, I've been using shampoo bars, not regular soap. They have castor oil.

I haven't tried Dairy Whip, yet. They're sending me a catalog. I am definitely going to try that.

I have a question for anyone who has been using Dairy Whip. One of the things that I do like about shampoo bars is they create the perfect texture for bunning. Does DW do the same thing?

[missy60]

Missy60: The person Karen was talking about is me:o. We have been working on a shampoo bar for those of us who get a coating or build up feeling.

Charcoal shampoo bar for 1 week:

I still got a heavy feeling, Great body OMG but a coated Feeling
No way was I going to be able to not wash everyday. I tweaked
the ACV, tried rinsing longer, warm water, cold water, application
methods. Just about everything. :(

Charcoal soap. as of Fri. night

I now see why people LOVE the bars!! Clean lovely hair, no build up.
I have gone two days now with one wash! I used a VERY diluted
ACV/drop of Kiwi lime as a rinse. My hair is a clean blowing in the
breeze, happiness!!!

We are now working on a new scent!

SLO are great people and will work with you to get the best thing for your hair. I highly recommend them!!

I am so glad to hear your having such great results. I also have a sample of the soap so if the shampoo bar doesnt work I will give the charcoal soap a try for sure. I havent gotten around to trying the bar yet because Im having shoulder problems right now and after I got to thinking about it I think it will be more difficult to shampoo with the bars. I cant get my arm up to shampoo I have to just use one hand. I was having pain when I washed my hair Sat so I didnt want the extra work. I will let you know how it goes though when I can build up the energy to use it.

Isnt she amazing really great customer service. I think she goes above and beyond to please. Ida also has great service but I really have never contacted her about her products. I always got great service though and I continued to use the soap bars I LOVE them. I like the variety of scents though with the soap lady Im not stuck with the natural scents. I love the orange it is just like a creamsicle

[naturechild]

Missy60: I am sorry to hear of the pain in your shoulder. I agree I wouldn't exert any more energy then I have to, Hair should be a pleasure not a pain. I recently broke my elbow and I can relate to pain in things you wouldn't think would cause it.

I think you will like the soap if it is the Castor oil bothering your hair too.

But now those evil enablers have be curious about dairy whip. OMG do the possibilities ever end! I love the bar for the travel and ease but now I want to know if the ACV can be eliminated with the DW because my beau HATES the scent. oh my goodness!

I am with Desdemona:
Hello, I am Nature child and I am a product junkie.
P.J.A. life time member.

[Desdemona]

missy60. I'm sorry to hear about your shoulder, I hope it feels better soon. :grouphug:

naturechild, that's great the soap is working for you! Is Karen making another formula for you now or are you just trying different rinses? I'm very interested to see what you find out, PJ that I am! :rollin:

You know, I have been reading that it's the high glycerin content in handmade shampoo bars that can cause build up over time. That makes a lot of sense since I had that problem when I tried using vegetable glycerin as a hair serum. It made my hair nice at first but then it started to make my hair feel dry and tangly. Just something else to think about. :confused:

[Calista]

Desdemona, I thought soaps that contain glycerin are clear? :confused: Do all handmade soaps contain glycerin?

[Desdemona]

Calista, here's a quote from a soap making site (http://www.teachsoap.com/soapmakingmethods.html):


Technically, all hand made soap is “Glycerin Soap.” In many commercial soaps, all the extra glycerin (formed naturally by the cold process soapmaking method) is harvested out. Thus, all handmade soap is glycerin rich (since hand made soapmakers don’t harvest out glycerin in their soap).

In today’s market, the term “Glycerin Soap” is commonly used to refer to clear soap. Generally, the clear soap has extra glycerin added to it to produce a very nourishing, moisturizing bar.
I'm wondering if different base oils produce different amounts of glycerin, that's why some bars are better than others?

[naturechild]

We are going to make a new soap. I am pretty excited.

[Desdemona]

Cool! What is the difference with this one?

[naturechild]

Less Castor oil/ trying to get the conditioning with the oil's w/o the build up of Castor.
wouldn't it be nice to get it right on the first try. I would faint. :bowtome:

[Neoma]

I just shampooed with the Sweet Orange SLO shampoo bar. It was a disaster:

* shampooed twice with SLO Sweet Orange shampoo bar. My ends were so tangly that I couldn't finger comb them at all.
* applied strong WV/EO rinse. Still tangly.
* applied SLO Treatment Bar. No effect. Still tangly, no slip.
* applied AO GPB conditioner to the length
* rinsed. Still tangly.
* shampooed once with a PLH Aloe Fresh bar. Immediately, I could feel the tangles loosening their death grip on my ends.
* applied another WV/EO rinse and a shot of AO GPB conditioner. No more tangles, at least while I was in the shower.

It's amazing how one person's dream product is another person's nightmare.

I'm going to use these as soap.

Blech.

[naturechild]

I just shampooed with the Sweet Orange SLO shampoo bar. It was a disaster:

* shampooed twice with SLO Sweet Orange shampoo bar. My ends were so tangly that I couldn't finger comb them at all.
* applied strong WV/EO rinse. Still tangly.
* applied SLO Treatment Bar. No effect. Still tangly, no slip.
* applied AO GPB conditioner to the length
* rinsed. Still tangly.
* shampooed once with a PLH Aloe Fresh bar. Immediately, I could feel the tangles loosening their death grip on my ends.
* applied another WV/EO rinse and a shot of AO GPB conditioner. No more tangles, at least while I was in the shower.

It's amazing how one person's dream product is another person's nightmare.

I'm going to use these as soap.

Blech.

I so agree, everyones hair is so different, we can even find our hair twin and still the ph in the water could be different and mess everything up.
I am sorry you had such a bad time. You can check that one off your list for sure.

It seems like when we find something that works for us we would stick to it. What makes us keep striving for something better. ..... well, I guess just that... Better...more natural... less fuss....

Neoma you are why I started trying the bar's. This thread has brought so many more possibilities to me and my hair more then just the poo bar. Thank you

[Desdemona]

naturechild, wow, that is wonderful that she is doing that. I'm wondering if the castor oil produces more glycerin.

Neoma, aw, I'm so sorry. :( I am also so amazed at how differently these bars work for different people. That happened to me with the Olive Babassu CV bar. So many people were raving about it and for me it was an unmitigated disaster that took several days with washes and oilings to undo the buildup. I'm glad you were able to fix the SLO bar problems faster!

[Neoma]

Neoma, aw, I'm so sorry. :( I am also so amazed at how differently these bars work for different people. That happened to me with the Olive Babassu CV bar. So many people were raving about it and for me it was an unmitigated disaster that took several days with washes and oilings to undo the buildup. I'm glad you were able to fix the SLO bar problems faster!Thank you, Desdemona. I'm not sure that I fixed it, yet. I just detangled, and it was extremely time consuming. :(

[Desdemona]

Neoma, The best thing I have found to remove the buildup is to do a CO. Wet your hair, apply gobs of cheap, no-cone conditioner and let it soak in really well. Then wash it with a shampoo that works!

Just found this on another soap making site http://www.essencesupply.com/instruction/instruction3.html



Shampoo Bar
There is so much glycerin in hand made soaps that, if you have long hair, you will need a vinegar rinse.
The thing is, the vinegar rinse doesn't always seem to be enough to get it off, as we all can testify.

[naturechild]

DESDEMONA!!!!! STOOOOPPPPP. You are killing me. I.......MUST...... FOLLOW.......LINK.......

[Desdemona]

Don't worry, they aren't selling anything, it's just recipes!! :rollin:

[Desdemona]

Well, I don't know what happened, that link does not work right now. Anyway, what I was linking to was a page of instructions and I just wanted to highlight what they said about glycerin in shampoo bars. Not trying to set off the PJ in you!

eta: Ok, I fixed the link in my post above.

[wintersun99]

Ah, I missed your post earlier. You said Mehandi is the only shampoo bar you've tried so far? I'd strongly suggest trying a shampoo bar from another company before giving up on them completely. Those shampoo bars seem to give many a hard time, at least from what I've read on this thread.

Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm) - Seems to be the most popular and the only one I've tried so far. The website recommends bars for your hair type and seems to work on all types of hair.

Soap Lady Oregon (http://www.soap-lady.com/shampoo.html) - These seem to be about the same as the above ones on all hair types.

Prairieland Herbs (http://prairielandherbs.com/hair.htm) - These have been referred to as being more cleansing for oily hair and scalp.

Serpentine Hair (http://www.serpentinehair.com/products.html) - Posts in the beginning of the thread recommended these bars for dry hair.

Just remember that everyone responds differently with the bars. Some work for one person and not the other. You just have to experiment quite a bit to find the perfect one for you. The best thing is to just buy samples of the shampoos you are interested in. The first two links (CV & Soap Lady) have very generously sized and wallet friendly samples of their shampoos. Look for the Soap Lady's samples in the gift part of the site.

Also, do you use any vinegar or citrus rinses with your bar? Do you know if you have hard water? This link (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm) can help you find out if you're unsure.

Thank you for the update! I will have time tonight to read through all of these links AND finish where I left off, on this thread.

I did use ACV rinses following the use of the Mehandi shampoo bar, but it didn't help. I did NOT however, use conditioner after the wash. I'm not sure about hard/soft water, I do know that our water (the city's water) is not filtered, it's runoff from the mountain... not sure...

I will put some more reading time in... thanks again! :D

p.s. here is the shampoo bar I ordered, just for reference...
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=13048

[Suldrun]

Update:

I used my shampoo bars for the 2nd time. healingsolitude, I tried I really did to stick with one bar.........but I am weak and the bars are strong lol.

I used a bit of jojoba before washing to gemtly detangle. first with my fingers anf then with my horn comb. ThenI used the summer Sunshine bar only on the very front sides of my hair that were greasy from OCM. I lathered once. Then I used the babbassu Marshmallow everywhere and lathered twice. I rinsed well and poured on diluted vinegar, bagged and went about my showly duties then rinsed out the vingar and dipped my hair in catnip. I drenched my hair and scalp with catnip, bagged it and left for 15 min. then rinsed out.

My hair is very soft and easy to detangle. I did not have the "waxy" feeling that I had the first time my hair was drying. My hair also looks a bit limp. I believe this is from the vinegar rinse i used to day, it was stronger then last time and my hair looks and feels the same as it did when i used to use BS and vinegar and used too much vinegar. I knew it was too much because as soon as I used it in the shower that sqeeky feeling went away and the first time it did not.

my hair does not look bad bit if I was wearing it down i would prefer yesterdays look( it had more body)

Summer sunshine bar was drying, the second it dripped down my face my skin got that 'tight" feeling. as soon as I followed with the babassu MarshMallow bar the tightness when away.

I do like having them both on hand though, I think SS will be great for my oily front area) but I would only use it on the length after a heavy oiling.

[Dolly]

Update:

I do like having them both on hand though, I think SS will be great for my oily front area) but I would only use it on the length after a heavy oiling.


I normally have dry hair, and on most days, I just use Olive Babassu on my whole head.....

But occassionally, I will have a day or two with an oily scalp. I keep a Summer Sunshine bar on hand for those days. I wash my scalp with Summer Sunshine, and then use a more moisturizing shampoo bar or soap bar on the ends.


I tried the Babassu Marshamallow today, and I really like it as well....it is not as moisturizing as the Olive Babassu, but still very nice.

[Desdemona]

See, this is what is so bizarre! I have dry hair (even though my scalp tends to be oily) and Summer Sunshine is the best CV bar for me all over, even on the ends, while Olive Babassu is the worst.

Samples are the way to go!

[Desdemona]

Just wanted to add this great link that talks about glycerin in soap making, very interesting: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/glycerin.html

Here is just a little bit from it that notes that different oils do produce different amounts of glycerin:


In the most simplest terms: you make soap out of fats and lye. The fats already contain glycerin as part of their chemical makeup (both animal and vegetable fats contain from 7% - 13% glycerine). When the fats and lye interact, soap is formed, and the glycerin is left out as a "byproduct". But, while it's chemically separate, it's still blended into the soap mix.

I have still not been able to find out how much glycerin each oil contains.

[Dolly]

See, this is what is so bizarre! I have dry hair (even though my scalp tends to be oily) and Summer Sunshine is the best CV bar for me all over, even on the ends, while Olive Babassu is the worst.

Samples are the way to go!


Absolutely! I bought a ton of samples on my first purchase from Ida.....actually, I didn't buy ANY full-sized bars with my first purchase, simply because I had read this thread!

Several just didn't work on my hair, so I used those samples as soap.

The only sample that I bought that I haven't tried yet is the Cafe Moreno. The Cafe Moreno bars aren't even going to be back in stock until November anyway, and I would hate to wait to get more if I love it!! So, I'll hang onto it for a while.

But I agree, it is a very strange thing, shampoo bars.....and it isn't just isolated to CV either.....it seems that everyone's hair reacts differently to each of the brands and each of the varieties within each brand. WEIRD!

[freznow]

Ooh thanks to everyone who responded to my questions! Now I'm seriously considering Serpentine bars. I'm getting over the initial caution of "oh noes, artificial colors and fragrance oils!" and think I might as well try 'em. It's either that or waiting a while until the ones I want to try from CV are back in stock. It's a tough decision!

Has anyone tried Serpentine's oil spray? It seems like a decent price, and I may just throw it in with my order if I decide to order some bars. (Haven't tried any of those oils but jojoba...)

[swanns]

I bought my first ever shampoo bar at a local natural products shop the other day (if you don't count the Lush bar I had a few years ago that I never used) ! Have washed my hair with it twice so far and am loving it! Made of hemp and peat and supposed to be good for flaky scalp :)

[healingsolitude]

Dolly - I'm glad to hear your son is having good results with the Neem & Tea Tree bar! That must be very frustrating for him (and for you) to have to deal with at such a young age. *hug*

Re: Cafe Moreno bar. I absolutely adore that bar after trying it for a week! I'd highly recommend trying it, though I obviously can't guarantee it will work as well for you as it did for me. Too many varying results around here. However, I also wanted to let you know that you can order the bars early. All you have to do is order everything you want through the email with Ida or her son and then put the still curing bars in a high place until the date they are due to be done curing.

n3m3sis42 - I think that putting the conditioner in the ACV rinse that Neoma suggested might help with the dryness. If not, maybe one of the honey recipes on Ida's shampoo bar page would help. Hopefully you will find something that helps out with the dry hair issue! The new bars could even react better to your hair.

Have you tried the Olive & Shea soap from Ida's site on your hair? I've heard that one is extremely moisturizing on the hair.

naturechild - Congrats on finding the bar that works for your hair! It sounds like you've had a rough time finding the right bar and combination for quite awhile. You got those results from the soap bar? The shampoo version still leaves a waxy feeling?

missy60 - I hope your shoulder feels better soon so that you can try your shampoo bars! :flower:

Neoma - The Soap Lady's shampoo bars just don't seem to agree with your hair at all. :( I sure hope the dairy whip is a success for you! Not being able to find the right products is frustrating. *hug*

Have you tried comparing the Soap Lady's ingredients with the CV and PL bars that you like and don't like? Maybe there is an ingredient in the SLO bars that your hair is having a bad reaction to.

wintersun99 - You're very welcome! I second the suggestion from that thread about cutting the bar and offering it as samples. I've heard there was a thread on here at one point about the Mehandi bars that had some good reviews on it, but I never bothered to look at it since it seems to be a risky bar to try for that price. Samples, in my opinion, are the best way to go for when you look into your next shampoo bar purchase. They are cheap and won't be a big deal if you don't respond well to them. Plus, the cheap factor also helps you to order enough samples that you will have plenty of choices and combinations to try. You can see here that not everyone responds the same to each bar. Having a variety will better your odds of finding the right bar that will work for you. :)

This link (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm) has a graph at the bottom to give you an idea about how hard or soft your water is. From what your location says, I think your area is soft or slightly hard, but you'll be able to better tell since you know your exact location. The hardness of your water can make shampoo bars a pain to deal with. I think I've had plenty of success with them without a vinegar rinse because my area is on the soft/slightly hard line.


healingsolitude, I tried I really did to stick with one bar.........but I am weak and the bars are strong lol.

Suldrun - Haha. I like that. It is very hard to stick with one bar when you have others to try. I've tried all of the shampoo samples that I'm interested in trying right now, so I'm now having the opposite problem. Told myself I would use a different bar for my shampoo today since I tried out the Cafe Moreno for a week. Didn't work out that way. I couldn't stop myself from reaching for that bar. Thank goodness Ida sent me such a huge sample of that one. I'm not even halfway through the first half of the sample.

The Summer Sunshine didn't seem to be very cleansing on my hair for some reason. It would be a good idea to only use it on your scalp if it is too cleansing for you, though. I've also noticed that vinegar rinses make my hair look limp. It is the main reason I try not to use them anymore since I never did find a balance with that rinse.

Desdemona - Now I'm wondering if the Summer Sunshine bar might be too moisturizing on my scalp. I was never able to get it to clean the oils out of my hair and it made my hair limp with a slight waxy feel. However, the Cafe Moreno bar doesn't cleanse my scalp and leaves my hair with that soft conditioner feeling without weighing down my hair. I don't know what causes such varying differences when it comes to each bar. I want to order a sample of the Babassu Marshmallow and one of the Honey bars in my next order to see how my hair responds to those.

freznow - I'm sorry I can't help you with the Serpentine bars since I haven't tried those. What I can suggest is possibly emailing Ida to see if you can get any of the CV bars you are interested in sent to you early. But then she is on vacation right now and you'd still have to wait until the bars were finished curing before trying them if you want the best results. It might be a while before you could get them or use them since I'm sure she will have her hands full when she gets back. It might just be easier to try the Serpentine bars for now, and then try the CV bars when they are back to being available to be used. Good luck with whatever you decide to try! :D

swanns - Congrats on finding a local bar that works on your hair! I haven't found any around here yet. Figured I would while I was at the fair but those were all just plain natural soap bars that I don't want to risk putting on my fine hair and oily scalp. What sort of rinse did you use or did you go without? Your hair feels better with that then it did with the Lush one?

[ljkforu]

Ooh thanks to everyone who responded to my questions! Now I'm seriously considering Serpentine bars. I'm getting over the initial caution of "oh noes, artificial colors and fragrance oils!" and think I might as well try 'em. It's either that or waiting a while until the ones I want to try from CV are back in stock. It's a tough decision!

Has anyone tried Serpentine's oil spray? It seems like a decent price, and I may just throw it in with my order if I decide to order some bars. (Haven't tried any of those oils but jojoba...)
I live on the other coast and I have never heard of Serpentine. Could you elaborate about the brand?

[ljkforu]

Thanks to everyone regarding the water hardness issue. I live in the Portland, Oregon area and seem to have the softest water in the country. It is no wonder that no matter what bar or soap I use I am getting excellent results. My water is around 5.0 - 5.2 I think.

So when I am recommending Dr. Bronner's bars and Tallow based soaps be aware of the fact that I could probably use anything.

[Desdemona]

So when I am recommending Dr. Bronner's bars and Tallow based soaps be aware of the fact that I could probably use anything.
Lol, yeah, I kind of figured that. I tried Dr. Bronner's a long time ago and it was instant dreadlock city for me! But I'm glad it works for you, you are very lucky to have such soft water. Must be all the rain up there!

[healingsolitude]

I live on the other coast and I have never heard of Serpentine. Could you elaborate about the brand?

Here is the link to the website if you are interested in the information: Serpentine (http://serpentinehair.com/products.html) :)

[ljkforu]

Lol, yeah, I kind of figured that. I tried Dr. Bronner's a long time ago and it was instant dreadlock city for me! But I'm glad it works for you, you are very lucky to have such soft water. Must be all the rain up there!
I am pretty sure that it is all the rain because the PH seems to follow the Columbia River Gorge. I'm glad I could clarify, I would hate to have anyone end up with dreads/pumpkin gut hair :)

[ljkforu]

Here is the link to the website if you are interested in the information: Serpentine (http://serpentinehair.com/products.html) :)
Oh my! I am sunk for sure now. Not only are they inexpensive but the scents they use are my favorite types of blend. You evil enablers :)

[healingsolitude]

Oh my! I am sunk for sure now. Not only are they inexpensive but the scents they use are my favorite types of blend. You evil enablers :)

We live to enable. ;)

I'm glad you like them! You'll have to let us know how they work out if you order some. And no worries. I got pulled in and just spent about $27 at flower moon soaps. Was only going to order two dairy whips, then I got to thinking about the cool weather coming up and how nice their castile soaps looked and.... So, I'm weak. I did narrow it down to only three soaps, though! Yay for the tiny bit of self-control that held on for me. :o

[Dolly]

We live to enable. ;)

I'm glad you like them! You'll have to let us know how they work out if you order some. And no worries. I got pulled in and just spent about $27 at flower moon soaps. Was only going to order two dairy whips, then I got to thinking about the cool weather coming up and how nice their castile soaps looked and.... So, I'm weak. I did narrow it down to only three soaps, though! Yay for the tiny bit of self-control that held on for me. :o


Yeah, I'm weak too.....:o

I was cleaning out the drawers in my bathroom vanity this weekend, and I have one whole drawer just for soaps/shampoos from CV. Then I have one drawer that has my coconut oil, jojoba oil, shea, and half a drawer full of other hair stuff.....barrettes, no elastic hair bands, scrunchies, shower caps, chopsticks.......I have a problem!

[healingsolitude]

Yeah, I'm weak too.....:o

I was cleaning out the drawers in my bathroom vanity this weekend, and I have one whole drawer just for soaps/shampoos from CV. Then I have one drawer that has my coconut oil, jojoba oil, shea, and half a drawer full of other hair stuff.....barrettes, no elastic hair bands, scrunchies, shower caps, chopsticks.......I have a problem!

We can just be weak together! At least it is a healthy habit, too. If you are going to get addicted to something it might as well be to something natural and safe. Well, minus the threat to the wallet. But then nothing in life is free, right? Besides, I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that happier hair equals a happier you. Spending some money to get there is worth it. :bluesmile

[Dolly]

We can just be weak together! At least it is a healthy habit, too. If you are going to get addicted to something it might as well be to something natural and safe. Well, minus the threat to the wallet. But then nothing in life is free, right? Besides, I'm quickly coming to the conclusion that happier hair equals a happier you. Spending some money to get there is worth it. :bluesmile


I agree.....but between CV and Love Potion perfumes, I am going to be a great-smelling bag lady with gorgeous hair before it's over with!

[naturechild]

Dolly: OOooo love potion perfumes????? How do they compair to BPA Black Alchemy.....oh no not another option!!!!

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat.... my wallet is getting skinnier....

Healingsolitude/Dolly: I received a shoe organizer form my mother-in-law, she didn't intend it for this but it makes a GREAT hair care organizer for the back of the bathroom door.... except I have one in three rooms now....ummmmmm

[Dolly]

Dolly: OOooo love potion perfumes????? How do they compair to BPA Black Alchemy.....oh no not another option!!!!

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat.... my wallet is getting skinnier....

Healingsolitude/Dolly: I received a shoe organizer form my mother-in-law, she didn't intend it for this but it makes a GREAT hair care organizer for the back of the bathroom door.... except I have one in three rooms now....ummmmmm


Well, I can't use BPAL.....most of them don't work with my body chemistry. Love Potions on the other hand......just WOW. I had to put up two sets of shelves in my bedroom, just for the LP perfumes....I even got my fiancee hooked on some of the men's scents.

They have really BIG samples.....about twice the size as bpal's imps.....and if you post on the forum within 2 weeks of an order, you get two free samples.....

Here's the link.....

http://www.lovepotionperfume.com/

[naturechild]

:cheese: GOODY Thank YOU!!!!! off I go to shop

[chrissy-b]

I've searched this thread and the boards but did not find an answer to my specific question. I'm sorry if this has already been discussed and I missed it.

I'm very interested in trying out a shampoo bar when my current shampoo runs out, but because of my halo, I still have to use some commercial styling products (particularly KMS Hair Paste and a little alcohol free hairspray).

Do you find that the shampoo bars are cleansing enough to remove this type of buildup? Of would I just have to clarify more frequently? Currently I use a SLS free shampoo 2x a week and only have to clarify once a month at most.

[freznow]

I've searched this thread and the boards but did not find an answer to my specific question. I'm sorry if this has already been discussed and I missed it.

I'm very interested in trying out a shampoo bar when my current shampoo runs out, but because of my halo, I still have to use some commercial styling products (particularly KMS Hair Paste and a little alcohol free hairspray).

Do you find that the shampoo bars are cleansing enough to remove this type of buildup? Of would I just have to clarify more frequently? Currently I use a SLS free shampoo 2x a week and only have to clarify once a month at most.

I have no personal experience with commercial styling products, but shampoo bars are the most cleansing thing I've used since sulfate filled shampoo. (Granted, I jumped from CO into WO into NW, so I haven't used many super cleansing things since then...) One major thing to consider (as I have recently learned) is that each shampoo bar is different. Makes for quite a bit of experimenting to find the right bar(s), but that can be fun!

But I'm fairly positive that there have been people who get commercial styling products out with CO. IMO, soap bars clean more than CO, so I foresee no problems. Someone may chime in with more experience, though. And you may have to clarify more, maybe not, but I think that depends more on your water quality than anything.

[healingsolitude]

I agree.....but between CV and Love Potion perfumes, I am going to be a great-smelling bag lady with gorgeous hair before it's over with!

Hmm. Let's just cross out the bag lady part and focus on the great-smelling and gorgeous hair parts. Those are the most important anyway! ;)

Eeek! You posted a link! Now I'm going to have a problem. I went to visit that BPAL site and forum to view their different perfumes a little while ago. I nearly threw my purse out the door to keep from spending any money. Now I'll try to test my restraint again with the link you posted. :D


Dolly: OOooo love potion perfumes????? How do they compair to BPA Black Alchemy.....oh no not another option!!!!

Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat.... my wallet is getting skinnier....

Healingsolitude/Dolly: I received a shoe organizer form my mother-in-law, she didn't intend it for this but it makes a GREAT hair care organizer for the back of the bathroom door.... except I have one in three rooms now....ummmmmm

LOL. That is too cute! I always thought shoes were overrated anyway. I'd much rather have a few different shoe organizers full of hair care products. That sounds like heaven.


I've searched this thread and the boards but did not find an answer to my specific question. I'm sorry if this has already been discussed and I missed it.

I'm very interested in trying out a shampoo bar when my current shampoo runs out, but because of my halo, I still have to use some commercial styling products (particularly KMS Hair Paste and a little alcohol free hairspray).

Do you find that the shampoo bars are cleansing enough to remove this type of buildup? Of would I just have to clarify more frequently? Currently I use a SLS free shampoo 2x a week and only have to clarify once a month at most.

I'm sorry that I can't help you about the products! I don't use any styling products on my hair. What I can tell you is that the shampoo bars I have tried have been very good about cleansing my oily scalp, even more so than regular detergent shampoo ever did. I use Chamomile & Citrus, Nettle, and Cafe Moreno from Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft. The first two are very cleansing and the third is cleansing while also being moisturizing for my hair.

My advice would be to order a bunch of different samples like freznow suggested. Everyone reacts differently to the bars and you will probably find that your hair reacts differently to each bar. For instance, I tried another cleansing bar that didn't cleanse my hair enough. I don't know if it was somehow moisturizing on my hair for whatever reason or if I had a reaction to one of the EO's. That is the only bar I've had any issues with, though. Either way it is best to just experiment and try different bars. The experimenting part is half of the fun.

As for clarifying, I have to clarify about once every two weeks with my oily scalp. I use the no-poo method because I think that works very well on my problematic scalp. What sort of clarifying treatment do you use on your hair? Do you have normal or dry hair or scalp? You might not even have to clarify. One of the cleansing bars could be enough to remove any buildup. It is just another one of those things you have to experiment with. There doesn't seem to be a right or a wrong answer when it comes to these bars since there are so many different results and experiences.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

------------

ETA: I just wanted to let everyone know that CV now has a new Coconut Milk shampoo bar currently curing. It sounds like it might be as moisturizing as the Olive Babassu bar if you are a fan of that one.

[chrissy-b]

What sort of clarifying treatment do you use on your hair? Do you have normal or dry hair or scalp? You might not even have to clarify. One of the cleansing bars could be enough to remove any buildup. It is just another one of those things you have to experiment with. There doesn't seem to be a right or a wrong answer when it comes to these bars since there are so many different results and experiences.

Thank you freznow and healingsolitude for your responses. I am going to order a bunch of samples to see which ones I like the best and I'll probably start off with CV bars since I've read the most about them here.

I usually clarify with Nutrogena's clarifying shampoo and I only do it before I do a cassia treatment, usually once a month, maybe every six weeks. I've cut back on the amount of product I use and I'm hoping that my halo will grow in even more and I'll have to use even less once I start with the bars. Right now, though, on wash days, without a little something extra to hold it down my hair poofs out something awful.

It sounds like the bars will work just fine and clarifying won't be an issue. Thanks again for the help! :)

[Chromis]

ETA: I just wanted to let everyone know that CV now has a new Coconut Milk shampoo bar currently curing. It sounds like it might be as moisturizing as the Olive Babassu bar if you are a fan of that one.

*gasp* You, you, enabler you! That looks lovely :love:

[Calista]

A new shampoo bar? :wail: Why didn´t Ida tell me when I ordered a couple of weeks ago? I would have waited!

Now my only hope is that the free sample I get due to my paying with funded PayPal will be a Coconut Milk one.

[avraea]

ETA: I just wanted to let everyone know that CV now has a new Coconut Milk shampoo bar currently curing. It sounds like it might be as moisturizing as the Olive Babassu bar if you are a fan of that one.

I'm weeping as I type this. healingsolitude, you're not good for my wallet! Ooh, and I promised myself I wouldn't order anything for myself for quite a while too.

[healingsolitude]

Thank you freznow and healingsolitude for your responses. I am going to order a bunch of samples to see which ones I like the best and I'll probably start off with CV bars since I've read the most about them here.

I usually clarify with Nutrogena's clarifying shampoo and I only do it before I do a cassia treatment, usually once a month, maybe every six weeks. I've cut back on the amount of product I use and I'm hoping that my halo will grow in even more and I'll have to use even less once I start with the bars. Right now, though, on wash days, without a little something extra to hold it down my hair poofs out something awful.

It sounds like the bars will work just fine and clarifying won't be an issue. Thanks again for the help! :)

You're welcome! I'd also suggest checking out the bars that are recommended for your hair type and for hair growth. Nettle and Herb Garden are both recommended to help boost hair growth. I've never tried Herb Garden but I absolutely adore Nettle. The only thing to watch out for with the Nettle is that it is a cleansing bar. You'd probably need to follow up with a soap bar on your ends to condition your hair if you have dry hair. Herb Garden is not recommended for dry or oily scalp, so I'm not sure if it is drying or moisturizing. I do have a male friend with thick normal hair and scalp who got good results with that bar. Also, feel free to order samples of bars from different categories since everyone seems to respond differently to each bar. I've also heard that using these bars can make oily or dry scalp feel normal again, so you might feel like testing out some of the others. I'm going to try the more moisturizing ones when I make my next order. I can see now why some have just gone ahead and ordered every available sample.

Good luck with whichever bars you order! :)

Chromis - I'm glad you like the sound of that one! Sounds like you might have to make another order. ;) I'm actually tempted to include that one in my next order, too.

Calista - It was a little surprising seeing that one there. I don't remember seeing it listed when I was looking on the site three days ago. There is also no NEW sign posted next to the shampoo bar link on the menu screen. It is like it just magically popped up on its own. I only saw it because I went to go get an ingredients list from a few of the bars and happened to notice one without a picture, which made me notice the title and NEW sign.

I hope she included that in your order as a free sample!

avraea - Sorry about that! I actually made that same promise to myself last month. Since then I've made two more orders, nearly made one from others, and have made a list of the stuff I want to order from two other sites. These promises just don't seem to last for very long at all. :)

[ljkforu]

Now that I know how PH affects the performance of soaps, I am really wondering what is going to happen when I visit Amman, Jordan this year.

Which soap should I take?
I can't find the water analysis on line?

The science part of this is kind of fun. :cheese:

[n3m3sis42]

n3m3sis42 - I think that putting the conditioner in the ACV rinse that Neoma suggested might help with the dryness. If not, maybe one of the honey recipes on Ida's shampoo bar page would help. Hopefully you will find something that helps out with the dry hair issue! The new bars could even react better to your hair.

Have you tried the Olive & Shea soap from Ida's site on your hair? I've heard that one is extremely moisturizing on the hair.

I'm definitely going to try that. I tried cone-free conditioner after my last two washes and my hair feels a lot nicer.

I haven't tried any soaps on my hair yet. I'm just scared to. I do have quite a few CV soaps, though, so I may get up the nerve to use one on my hair eventually.

My SLO bars came yesterday! I can't wait to try one. My next wash will be Saturday, so I will report back after that. :D

[serabelle]

I just bought my first shampoo bar - the Medusa bar from Serpentine Hair. Any suggestions as to how to use this? I'm assuming run it from your hairline to your ends - lather, rinse and then follow with an ACV rinse? Does that sound right?

[GlassEyes]

...

I sometimes really, really hate this site. Really, I do.

I got curious after reading some posts about chagrin valley shampoo bars and decided to check out the site just to see what the big deal was. I now want one.

D: You're all a bunch of freaking enablers. You realize that, right? xD

[Chromis]

...

I sometimes really, really hate this site. Really, I do.

I got curious after reading some posts about chagrin valley shampoo bars and decided to check out the site just to see what the big deal was. I now want one.

D: You're all a bunch of freaking enablers. You realize that, right? xD

We live to serve! If by serve you mean make other people drool in envy :twisted:

[eaglefeather71]

I've done a couple moisture treatments the past week, and had to wash where I ususally just do WO or very light CO or SV bar just on my finger tips. I just bought a bunch of Soaps and 1 shampoo bar from CV. I have use many CV shampoo bars but since I'm not shampooing much right now, I got lots of soaps to try. I used the pumpkin pie one first which washed the oils out great, and the second time I used the Rosemary lavender which worked great, but I ended up wit pimples in my hairline on my temples, which was the problem I was having with BS/ACV....weird. I think I may have a sensitivity to one of those EO's, which is a tragedy because I love them both! My point is that my hair is really loving the soaps as shampoo, so far no oilies.

[healingsolitude]

ljkforu - I'd make sure to take one that is more clarifying and one that is more moisturizing. Also make sure you take something else to use as a clarifying treatment in case you get any buildup if that area has very hard water. It will probably just mean even more experimenting, which can be very fun. :)

n3m3sis42 - I know what you mean about being wary about trying the soaps on your hair. I got very waxy hair when I tried one on just my ends, but that was when I also used the one shampoo bar I haven't had excellent results with. Maybe I'll give it another go now that I've found three shampoo bars I get good results with. You might have better luck since your hair seems to need the extra moisture right now. Mine is more on the oily side.

Good luck with your SLO bars! I'd love to hear the results when you try them. :D

serabelle - Yes, you just glide the bar down your wet hair. Make sure you don't scrub or glide the bar up your hair shaft. There is a good article about it on the CV website here: How To Enjoy A Shampoo Bar (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/enjoyshamp.htm)

You can also find other helpful articles on the Shampoo Bar page of that site. Good luck with your bar and let us know how it turns out!

GlassEyes - Hehe. It is fun to try new things anyway, right? ;)

Did you order one of the bars or are you still browsing?

eaglefeather71 - I'm sorry to hear that the soap caused you to break out! Does conditioner do the same thing when you condition your hair? If you are having such good results with the soaps, then the only advice I could suggest would be to dab a little conditoner around your hairline on your forehead in order to keep the soap from seeping into your facial skin. Kind of like how it is supposed to keep hair color from seeping. I'm not sure if that would work with this or not. It might be worth a try if it could help you out with the breakouts.

[littlemiss]

Im new to using shampoo bars and Im wondering what routine people are using? Do you use the bar on the lenght of your hair or just the schalp??? at present Im washing my hair then co with a ACV rinse Im thinking is there a better system with shampoo bars??? please do tell :smile:

[ljkforu]

Im new to using shampoo bars and Im wondering what routine people are using? Do you use the bar on the lenght of your hair or just the schalp??? at present Im washing my hair then co with a ACV rinse Im thinking is there a better system with shampoo bars??? please do tell :smile:
See if you can find out what your local water PH is and we will be able to share our techniques more easily with you :)

[littlemiss]

See if you can find out what your local water PH is and we will be able to share our techniques more easily with you :)
ok Im dumb:( but how do I find out that??:confused:

[Dolly]

Im new to using shampoo bars and Im wondering what routine people are using? Do you use the bar on the lenght of your hair or just the schalp??? at present Im washing my hair then co with a ACV rinse Im thinking is there a better system with shampoo bars??? please do tell :smile:


I use a CV shampoo bar on my scalp and length, then follow it with an ACV rinse that has a drop of conditioner in it. I sometimes use a leave-in detangler, but not always.

[healingsolitude]

Im new to using shampoo bars and Im wondering what routine people are using? Do you use the bar on the lenght of your hair or just the schalp??? at present Im washing my hair then co with a ACV rinse Im thinking is there a better system with shampoo bars??? please do tell :smile:

My routine is to glide the shampoo bars down my hair and massage the suds into my scalp. I usually only do this once with the Chamomile & Citrus, but I've found that my scalp does better when I lather twice when I use the Nettle or Cafe Moreno bars. Those last two don't seem to be able to get deep enough into my oily scalp on the first shampoo. I don't follow with any acid rinses unless I use baking soda to clarify. Then I'll just use a mild ACV rinse. Other times I'll only rinse with cold water as my final rinse. I might not need the acid rinse since my water is only slightly hard or it could have something to do with my hair chemistry.

Are you having good results with the bar or bars you have tried so far? Which ones have you been using?

As for the PH levels.... I tried to do a search to find a hardness water map for Australia, but I couldn't seem to find one online. The only two I have are for the U.S. and Canada. If you are interested in the information you could always contact your local water supplier and ask them. Here is the article from the CV website about how your water affects your hair: http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/hardwater.htm

[Desdemona]

I just wanted to clarify that pH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH) and water hardness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hardness) are two different measures. pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of water whereas water hardness is a measure of dissolved minerals in the water. The maps we have talked about on the thread show water hardness.

[healingsolitude]

I just wanted to clarify that pH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH) and water hardness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_hardness) are two different measures. pH is the measure of acidity or alkalinity of water whereas water hardness is a measure of dissolved minerals in the water. The maps we have talked about on the thread show water hardness.

I have no idea what the pH is for here. I guess it would be easy to find out by calling the water company, but I always worry about getting stuck on the phone with someone who wants to talk me into something that will cost money. ;) So now I just rely on the hardness levels to see the varying results. It seems to make a big difference from the number of people with hard water who have had issues with the bars. And I like that I can check my water hardness level without having to talk to someone over the phone for the above reason and also because I don't like talking on the phone. :D

[serabelle]

Thanks healingsolitude!

I got desperate today - I've been using BS/ACV for a month now, doing it about twice a week - and my scalp has been SO unhappy the last week! I think it's just too drying for me.

Since my shampoo bar won't be in until next week, I reached for the first appropriate soap bar I could find in my bathroom. I bought a honey soap bar recently from a local bee keeper - it seemed like it would work ok. I lathered well, rinsed a lot and then did a very mild ACV rinse. My hair looks great, very shiny - and it feels MUCH better than it has as of late.

I thought being 'poo free would be the best way to go, but it's just too harsh for my hair. Plus, I'm pretty greasy, even after weening myself down to "washing" twice a week over the past six months.

[healingsolitude]

The no poo method doesn't seem to work for everybody. Baking soda alone seems too harsh for some. Maybe you need a little something extra that can help to moisturize your hair and scalp. It is good that the soap you reached for worked so well for you! Your hair must have been very relieved to get that moisture. :)

As for no-pooing, I never got the chance to try it for an entire month. I started using it a week before I got my CV bars in the mail. It had been working extremely well for me using the baking soda and vinegar, but I couldn't resist trying out the CV bars the moment I got them. If the CV bars failed me for whatever reason at some point, then I think I would go back to no-pooing instead of going back to regular shampoo. I think I might be due for another baking soda clarifying wash, though. The bar I used for a week was more moisturizing then what I'm used to with the others I use.

Are you waiting to order a shampoo bar until it is available in the shopping cart?

[naturechild]

I just received notice about the new poo bar at SLO:

Anyway - I made a shampoo for you yesterday: Rosewood and palmarosa blend, no castor oil, but added marshmallow root powder. Did some reading up on that herb and found a thread of ladies with afros and curly hair who use marshmallow root powder in a rinse! So, thought this might be a key to success of that charcoal soap for you. Wouldn't hurt to add it to shampoos and it might help make a difference. Anyway, it will be ready to try in a couple of weeks - I will just send you a sample when ready. AFter that, we can go into full production and you can pass the word with other folks that have trouble with waxy buildup.
Karen

Very excited!!!

[Desdemona]

I have no idea what the pH is for here. I guess it would be easy to find out by calling the water company, but I always worry about getting stuck on the phone with someone who wants to talk me into something that will cost money. ;) So now I just rely on the hardness levels to see the varying results. It seems to make a big difference from the number of people with hard water who have had issues with the bars. And I like that I can check my water hardness level without having to talk to someone over the phone for the above reason and also because I don't like talking on the phone. :D
That was my point, you don't need to know the pH, just the hardness level. So you are cool!

[littlemiss]

The water here is soft water if that helps??
healingsolitude Iv been using some from a local person here in Australia at present Im using a lemon and chamile and its great!!

[Desdemona]

Soft water is the best. People with hard water have a lot of problems using soap based shampoos and usually give up.

[ljkforu]

The water here is soft water if that helps??
healingsolitude Iv been using some from a local person here in Australia at present Im using a lemon and chamile and its great!!
Yes, it really does help. It explains why people in Oregon (US) and Australia can both get away with any bar they want.

[serabelle]

Are you waiting to order a shampoo bar until it is available in the shopping cart?

Well, I went ahead and ordered one from Serpentine Hair - but I'm definitely interested in trying the ones from CV too. Right now they're on vacation, and it seems like most of the poo bars that I'd be interested in aren't going to be available until November. I'm thinking about trying the Extra Honey, Beer and Egg - and also the Carrot Milk and Honey - those sound divine!

In the meantime, I'm going to keep using that Honey and Oatmeal bar I have, it seemed to work *really* well. With bs/acv I was noticing that my hair was greasy the very next day, with this soap bar - my hair has tons of body and isn't greasy at all!

[ljkforu]

Soft water is the best. People with hard water have a lot of problems using soap based shampoos and usually give up.
I wonder if adding a little borax is the solution. What do you think?

[Desdemona]

I actually tried borax, it was very harsh. I ended up coming up with miracle water, in which I use Vitamin C to neutralize chlorine/chloramine and citric acid to chelate the minerals out of hard water. It works very well for me but it is still a pain in the neck, not as nice as being able to just stick your head under the shower. But it works, it's cheap and it's portable!

[rhosyn_du]

I just received notice about the new poo bar at SLO:

Anyway - I made a shampoo for you yesterday: Rosewood and palmarosa blend, no castor oil, but added marshmallow root powder. Did some reading up on that herb and found a thread of ladies with afros and curly hair who use marshmallow root powder in a rinse! So, thought this might be a key to success of that charcoal soap for you. Wouldn't hurt to add it to shampoos and it might help make a difference. Anyway, it will be ready to try in a couple of weeks - I will just send you a sample when ready. AFter that, we can go into full production and you can pass the word with other folks that have trouble with waxy buildup.
Karen

Very excited!!!

Oh dear. I have six or seven 'poo bar samples in my hall closet just waiting for me to try them out, but I think I'm going to have to try this one, as well. My hair loves both marshmallow and rosewood oil. :crush:

You know, I really ought to stop checking this thread so often if I want to get a handle on my inner product-junkie. :p

[GlassEyes]

GlassEyes - Hehe. It is fun to try new things anyway, right? ;)

Did you order one of the bars or are you still browsing?


Browsing, currently. I'm thinkin of getting the Extra Honey and Beer one, since my hair likes honey, but I'm debating just getting one of their regular soap bars and using them instead because they're supposed to have a higher superfatted concentration, which makes them more moisturizing. Also, I've yet to figure out if my water is hard, and I don't want to waste the money. Also, if I end up liking them, I'm probably dorming next year in a place where I KNOW the water is hard (which, oddly enough, makes my hair softer. Don't ask my why, it just does...albiet, it destroys my curl pattern) and I'll be sad to give them up.

But that's a year away or so. xD

[serabelle]

Browsing, currently. I'm thinkin of getting the Extra Honey and Beer one, since my hair likes honey, but I'm debating just getting one of their regular soap bars and using them instead because they're supposed to have a higher superfatted concentration, which makes them more moisturizing. Also, I've yet to figure out if my water is hard, and I don't want to waste the money. Also, if I end up liking them, I'm probably dorming next year in a place where I KNOW the water is hard (which, oddly enough, makes my hair softer. Don't ask my why, it just does...albiet, it destroys my curl pattern) and I'll be sad to give them up.

But that's a year away or so. xD

There are a couple suggestions on the CV site to use shampoo bars at the roots, and then to do the length with a regular soap bar. When my hair gets long enough, that's what I think I'll try.

[Kitara]

I know I am new, and I hope it's ok for me to post here.
Just wanted to say that it was this thread that got me reading this forum. Yes, I have read all 165 pages...I am just that cool (not bored...don't you dare say bored!).
I've tried just about every CV shampoo bar and have to say that the Babassu Marshmallow is my fave! I rotate it with Nettle and whatever else I am trying to make my hair like. I found the Serpentine bars to be too moisturizing for me and left me a bit waxy. I may have to try them again when the winter gets harsh...we'll see.
I have quite hard water, so it is possible to make it work, just have to play around with your ACV amounts.

[burns_erin]

I wonder if adding a little borax is the solution. What do you think?

Borax is something I would be careful with. i personally use it to kill bugs.

[Dolly]

I know I am new, and I hope it's ok for me to post here.
Just wanted to say that it was this thread that got me reading this forum. Yes, I have read all 165 pages...I am just that cool (not bored...don't you dare say bored!).
I've tried just about every CV shampoo bar and have to say that the Babassu Marshmallow is my fave! I rotate it with Nettle and whatever else I am trying to make my hair like. I found the Serpentine bars to be too moisturizing for me and left me a bit waxy. I may have to try them again when the winter gets harsh...we'll see.
I have quite hard water, so it is possible to make it work, just have to play around with your ACV amounts.

Well, let me say WELCOME!!

I like the Babassu & Marshmallow really well too.....I alternate it with the Olive Babassu....those 2 are really good for me on most days......if I have an oilier day, I use Summer Sunshine on my scap and Olive & Shea soap on my length.....

[healingsolitude]

Ok, I went to an Octoberfest event this weekend and bought five 4.5 ounce shampoo and soap bars from a vendor there. The lady who makes them sells them to various local stores in my area, so I just had to go and grab myself some to try out. So far I've only tried the Citrus Herb one with wonderful results. It lathered beautifully during the first rinse, much more so than any of the CV bars I have tried so far. I still did a very light second lather since it was my first time using the bar and I was hoping for the best results possible. The last two CV bars have made my hair feel odd during the first shampoo, so I ended up having to do an ACV rinse with those two on the first try. I skipped the ACV rinse with this one since I didn't feel like I needed it. This one just left my hair feeling very nice while it was wet. It felt clean but not squeaky clean. My hair then dried to feel as soft and as shiny as it does when I use the CV bars. Yay! I'm so glad I bought two bars of that one. I still have Rosemary Sweetgrass, Patchouli Mint, and Sandalwood & Patchouli to try.

The main ingredients from each bar usually include: coconut oil, palm oil, water, olive oil, rice bran oil, castor seed oil, and sodium hydryoxide. The rest includes EO's or FO's for each individual bar, as well as rosemary leaves in some of the bars. The Sandalwood & Patchouli one has no leaves of any kind in it and the Patchouli Mint has peppermint leaves instead of rosemary leaves. The only other difference between those four is that the Patchouli Mint has a slightly different olive oil since the olive oil used for that one is infused with annato seed. There are also no colorants added to the bars. They all come in various shades of cream. I posted pics of the bars in my blog (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/blog.php?u=16507).

The woman who makes them resides in Keedysville, MD. She even sells sample sizes available in a 4 pack for $5.50 and a 8 pack for $11.00. You can see if any of your local stores carry these bars or you can just check out the bars at this site: Cedar Ridge Soaps (http://www.cedarridgesoaps.com/files/index.php?id=13)


The water here is soft water if that helps??
healingsolitude Iv been using some from a local person here in Australia at present Im using a lemon and chamile and its great!!

The soft water definitely helps! Mine is slightly hard and I don't need to use any acid rinses with my shampoo bars most times. Unless I also use the stripping baking soda rinse to clarify my hair or if my hair feels strange during that first switch over to a new bar. It doesn't sound like you should need any rinses if you have soft water and success with the bars you have tried so far. I'd recommend the Citrus & Chamomile bar if you like the one you are using now. It has essential oils of pink grapefruit, bergamot, litsea, lime, lemon, and sweet orange. Quite a lovely and fresh citrus scent!


Well, I went ahead and ordered one from Serpentine Hair - but I'm definitely interested in trying the ones from CV too. Right now they're on vacation, and it seems like most of the poo bars that I'd be interested in aren't going to be available until November. I'm thinking about trying the Extra Honey, Beer and Egg - and also the Carrot Milk and Honey - those sound divine!

In the meantime, I'm going to keep using that Honey and Oatmeal bar I have, it seemed to work *really* well. With bs/acv I was noticing that my hair was greasy the very next day, with this soap bar - my hair has tons of body and isn't greasy at all!

Those sounds like they would work well for you! Your hair seems to love honey from what you've said about the Honey and Oatmeal bar. Good luck for when those bars are available and you can use them again! Ida is a very lovely woman to do business with. :)


Browsing, currently. I'm thinkin of getting the Extra Honey and Beer one, since my hair likes honey, but I'm debating just getting one of their regular soap bars and using them instead because they're supposed to have a higher superfatted concentration, which makes them more moisturizing. Also, I've yet to figure out if my water is hard, and I don't want to waste the money. Also, if I end up liking them, I'm probably dorming next year in a place where I KNOW the water is hard (which, oddly enough, makes my hair softer. Don't ask my why, it just does...albiet, it destroys my curl pattern) and I'll be sad to give them up.

But that's a year away or so. xD

Why not try both? Those who need a ton of moisture seem to do best with the more moisturizing shampoo bars and some of the soaps. The Extra Honey bar would qualify. Babassu & Marsh Mallow, Olive Babassu, and Coconut Milk would also be very moisturizing shampoos for you. I've heard Olive Babassu is the most moisturizing of the shampoo bars, though Coconut Milk could end up taking its place once it is available to use. Serabelle also had a good suggestion about using the soaps on your hair length and the shampoo bars on your scalp. Your hair might love the extra moisture from the soaps, but your scalp might not react exactly the same way. Having some shampoo bars to rely on would be good in case your scalp doesn't like the extra moisture.

I can understand your predicament about the hard water issue next year. But then it is a year until that will be an issue. That would give you a year of what should be healthy hair if the bars work out for you. Then you just might need to deal with an acid rinse or get a shower filter if that is at all possible. It is hard to know how your hair will react until it happens, though. Just think about it and let us know what you decide! :D


I know I am new, and I hope it's ok for me to post here.
Just wanted to say that it was this thread that got me reading this forum. Yes, I have read all 165 pages...I am just that cool (not bored...don't you dare say bored!).
I've tried just about every CV shampoo bar and have to say that the Babassu Marshmallow is my fave! I rotate it with Nettle and whatever else I am trying to make my hair like. I found the Serpentine bars to be too moisturizing for me and left me a bit waxy. I may have to try them again when the winter gets harsh...we'll see.
I have quite hard water, so it is possible to make it work, just have to play around with your ACV amounts.

Welcome to the thread, Kitara! Reading this thread is a rather daunting task. It took me about four days to read one hundred and thirty some pages. The vast amount of information is worth it, though!
How long have you been using CV shampoo bars? I also adore the Nettle bar, but I have yet to try the Babassu Marshmallow one. It also looks like a good one to try! I'm glad to hear these bars are working well for you when you have hard water. They are worth the effort to find a system that makes them work. A family friend was commenting this weekend on how soft and healthy my hair is now that I've switched over to shampoo bars.
Your suggestion to try the Serpentine bars during the Winter is a good one! I've heard the weather can make a huge difference when it comes to how well you react with each bar. You just might find that your hair loves the Serpentine bars during the Winter months.

[ljkforu]

Borax is something I would be careful with. i personally use it to kill bugs.
Yes, it is great at getting rid of roaches (boric acid). Borax for washing clothing is a water softener I think. As a soap maker I now that it is a common ingredient in some soap recipes.

Quantity is what it is all about because boric acid is a very common ingredient in eye drops.

I don't know how much of anything someone show use though. I suggest it as something for people to research.

[ljkforu]

I know I am new, and I hope it's ok for me to post here.
Just wanted to say that it was this thread that got me reading this forum. Yes, I have read all 165 pages...I am just that cool (not bored...don't you dare say bored!).
I've tried just about every CV shampoo bar and have to say that the Babassu Marshmallow is my fave! I rotate it with Nettle and whatever else I am trying to make my hair like. I found the Serpentine bars to be too moisturizing for me and left me a bit waxy. I may have to try them again when the winter gets harsh...we'll see.
I have quite hard water, so it is possible to make it work, just have to play around with your ACV amounts.
Hey, thanks for your opinion. That mean the Serpentine bars wil be perfect for me :)

[Kitara]

Welcome to the thread, Kitara! Reading this thread is a rather daunting task. It took me about four days to read one hundred and thirty some pages. The vast amount of information is worth it, though!
How long have you been using CV shampoo bars? I also adore the Nettle bar, but I have yet to try the Babassu Marshmallow one. It also looks like a good one to try! I'm glad to hear these bars are working well for you when you have hard water. They are worth the effort to find a system that makes them work. A family friend was commenting this weekend on how soft and healthy my hair is now that I've switched over to shampoo bars.
Your suggestion to try the Serpentine bars during the Winter is a good one! I've heard the weather can make a huge difference when it comes to how well you react with each bar. You just might find that your hair loves the Serpentine bars during the Winter months.

I started using the CV bars (Serpentine were my first) around the end of June. I was really hoping they would work well for me, and I was lucky that they did! I too get comments now about how nice my hair is looking/feeling (mostly from myself via the mirror ;)). Mostly, I just enjoy using more natural things. Due to some health issues I have had to have a quite restrictive diet the last year and it has made me much more aware of what I put in and on my body. I even started making soaps myself, though I still have yet to master shampoo bars.

I just tried the Rosemary, lavendar, aloe bar for the second time and the verdict is out. I think my hair just really loves the moisture from the other bars, especially as it's getting very cold and dry here. I am really itching to try the dairy whip as well...cursed enablers! I'll just keep telling myself that Christmas is coming.

[Dolly]

Browsing, currently. I'm thinkin of getting the Extra Honey and Beer one, since my hair likes honey, but I'm debating just getting one of their regular soap bars and using them instead because they're supposed to have a higher superfatted concentration, which makes them more moisturizing. Also, I've yet to figure out if my water is hard, and I don't want to waste the money. Also, if I end up liking them, I'm probably dorming next year in a place where I KNOW the water is hard (which, oddly enough, makes my hair softer. Don't ask my why, it just does...albiet, it destroys my curl pattern) and I'll be sad to give them up.

But that's a year away or so. xD

I have tried using the Olive Shea soap on my length with Summer Sunshine on my scalp for oilier days (it happens every couple of months or so).....and, it works rather well. On "normal" days, my hair is very dry.......I get a LOT of moisture from the Olive Babassu and/or Babassu Marshmallow.....you may want to give those two a try.....

[GlassEyes]

Well, it's official. I'm in the middle of ordering. XD

[healingsolitude]

I started using the CV bars (Serpentine were my first) around the end of June. I was really hoping they would work well for me, and I was lucky that they did! I too get comments now about how nice my hair is looking/feeling (mostly from myself via the mirror ;)). Mostly, I just enjoy using more natural things. Due to some health issues I have had to have a quite restrictive diet the last year and it has made me much more aware of what I put in and on my body. I even started making soaps myself, though I still have yet to master shampoo bars.

I just tried the Rosemary, lavendar, aloe bar for the second time and the verdict is out. I think my hair just really loves the moisture from the other bars, especially as it's getting very cold and dry here. I am really itching to try the dairy whip as well...cursed enablers! I'll just keep telling myself that Christmas is coming.

Ah, you beat me by a little bit over a month. I started CV bars in August, though I've never tried Serpentine bars since I've heard how moisturizing they are. It didn't sound like a good idea on my oily scalp. CV seems to be the most well-rounded of all the shampoo bar options out there for those of us who have success with them. You have the very moisturizing ones like Babassu & Marshmallow and Olive Babassu, then you have the more cleansing ones like Citrus & Chamomile and Nettle. Some of the others seem best for normal hair since they tend to go either way with dry or oily scalps.


Hehe. There is nothing wrong with telling yourself that your hair looks good while looking in the mirror. You've earned the right to be proud of your hard work in getting it to that condition. ;) You're right about natural being so enjoyable! Some don't seem to understand or get it, though. My mother is almost anti-natural, but I just think she is just too cautious about trying new things. She is also very stuck on her detergent stuff. She is always commenting that my hair smells weird because it has more of a herbal scent instead of the perfume scents she is used to with her detergent shampoos.

Perhaps suggest the dairy whip as a christmas present from someone? I've actually been thinking about ordering another order to give out as christmas gifts this year. I think I want to use this christmas as a way to introduce those I care about to the natural products since I don't think it is something most of them would think to try on their own. I was seriously considering ordering some shampoo bars from CV to gives as christmas gifts, but I'm worried they would end up with some of the bad reactions listed in this thread and then be completely turned off from the natural products. The dairy whip seems more safe when compared to the shampoo bars. I'll have to figure it out! Just keep in mind that the dairy whip seems to take anywhere from one to two weeks to get to most customers right now.

-----

So, I was just checking out the CV shampoo bar page and saw something that made me consider something. I posted a few weeks back about how my hair didn't respond well to the Summer Sunshine bar. It seemed to make my hair slightly waxy instead of being cleansing. I thought I might have been sensitive to one of the EO's or to one of the oils listed at the top of the ingredients list. Now I've noticed that coconut milk is added to that bar. The three other bars I've tried have no coconut milk in them and I've had good results with those three. I do still have the Lavender & Spice to try, which I just noticed also has coconut milk in it. Or maybe it is due to how moisturizing coconut milk is said to be? This is the description from the new Coconut Milk shampoo bar:

Coconut milk, often used as a deep conditioning treatment for hair, imparts silkiness and shine to your hair.

Perhaps this is why there are conflicting results with the SS and L&S bars? Some find them drying while others find them to be moisturizing. It could be that the coconut milk is causing more moisture for some. Or maybe some of the bars have a little more coconut milk in them, which might cause the oily problem some of us get from what is supposed to be a cleansing bar? Anyway, I was just curious when I noticed that. It is still bugging me that I can't figure out why exactly I didn't do well with that bar when I've done well with all of the other cleansing bars I've tried. ;)

ETA: GlassEyes - Congrats on your order! Which bars did you decide on?

[ljkforu]

There are a couple suggestions on the CV site to use shampoo bars at the roots, and then to do the length with a regular soap bar. When my hair gets long enough, that's what I think I'll try.
Aah, I think you may have something there. I have been using soap bar (soft water) to do my entire 30 inch length. Everything is great and my hair isn't fried or anything. But I am having to coconut oil my scalp to prevent the itchies (I have no dandruff).

[GlassEyes]

Yeah. I ordered the Avocado Oats and Shea soap bar and the Babassu Marshmallow shampoo bar. I wanted the olive barbassu one too, but they're out of stock at the moment. D:

I kind of wanted a tea tree bar too, for my acne, but that was out too. xD I sense this will be a new addictive habit. DDDDD: Bunch of freaking enablers.

[Dolly]

So, I was just checking out the CV shampoo bar page and saw something that made me consider something. I posted a few weeks back about how my hair didn't respond well to the Summer Sunshine bar. It seemed to make my hair slightly waxy instead of being cleansing. I thought I might have been sensitive to one of the EO's or to one of the oils listed at the top of the ingredients list. Now I've noticed that coconut milk is added to that bar. The three other bars I've tried have no coconut milk in them and I've had good results with those three. I do still have the Lavender & Spice to try, which I just noticed also has coconut milk in it. Or maybe it is due to how moisturizing coconut milk is said to be? This is the description from the new Coconut Milk shampoo bar:


Perhaps this is why there are conflicting results with the SS and L&S bars? Some find them drying while others find them to be moisturizing. It could be that the coconut milk is causing more moisture for some. Or maybe some of the bars have a little more coconut milk in them, which might cause the oily problem some of us get from what is supposed to be a cleansing bar? Anyway, I was just curious when I noticed that. It is still bugging me that I can't figure out why exactly I didn't do well with that bar when I've done well with all of the other cleansing bars I've tried. ;)



The coconut milk may well be the culprit....you can usually narrow down the problem by comparing the ingredients....I had 2 shampoo bars that didn't do well.....the Carrot Milk & Honey and the Extra Honey Beer and Egg.....I wasn't sure if it was the honey until a few days ago. When I got ready to wash, I noticed that my scalp was a little oilier than normal (I have a day like that every month or two). So, I grabbed my Summer Sunshine bar. Usually when I use that one, I use the Olive Shea soap on the length. Well, this time, I grabbed my sample of the honey butter soap......my hair was NOT happy. Nothing like my other results......I guess my hair just doesn't like the honey ones.....

[ljkforu]

Aah, I think you may have something there. I have been using soap bar (soft water) to do my entire 30 inch length. Everything is great and my hair isn't fried or anything. But I am having to coconut oil my scalp to prevent the itchies (I have no dandruff).
You all have giving me an idea. I think I may use a mixture of coconut milk and honey on my scalp before I shampoo bar and see if I can stop the itchies.

[Dolly]

You know, speaking of using the natural products, I have noticed that since I have started using the CV bars (with ACV rinses), my hair's texture has changed. For the better. It is still fine, but it is much silkier and it isn't all flyaway and crazy. My hairdresser used to call my hair "cat hair". That is how light and fine it was.

I had been CO washing for about a year, and that had helped with dryness, but it was still like cat hair. Since I have been using my new routine, though, the texture has changed. And, it is not a coating or anything like that. Now, it feels clean and bouncy, and is full of body, but it actually feels like human hair. Like it has gained some "heft". It's strange......anybody else have a similar result?

[Desdemona]

I have, Dolly! I used to describe my hair as "fur." After using soap bars for a year, it feels like real hair. That's a big reason I can't give them up, besides the fact that they make my scalp happy.

ljkforu, I notice that the bars you use don't tend to have castor oil in them. I have gotten the itchies from bars I've tried that didn't have castor oil. I think soap makers tend to put castor oil in shampoo bars because, when saponified, it is milder and less drying to the scalp and hair than some of the other oils.

[Dolly]

I have, Dolly! I used to describe my hair as "fur." After using soap bars for a year, it feels like real hair. That's a big reason I can't give them up, besides the fact that they make my scalp happy.



So nice to hear that someone else has had the same result!! I was wondering if I was just imagining it, or if I was crazy.....

[freznow]

Funny.... that's the opposite what's happened to my hair. I washed yesterday (avocado oats & shea CV) and my hair is flyaway and feels like what y'all describe.

I'm hoping it'll be different with serpentine bars. Otherwise I think I'll quit shampoo bars...

[Desdemona]

Avocado Oats & Shea isn't a shampoo bar, is it? I can't use regular soaps either, they leave my hair a complete mess.

[Dolly]

Avocado Oats & Shea isn't a shampoo bar, is it? I can't use regular soaps either, they leave my hair a complete mess.


Yeah,I think that one is a soap bar.....

[Kitara]

So here is my experience with the shampoo bars I have tried to date:

Serpentine- got the Edge of the Earth an Czarina scents. I'm not a huge fan of fragrance blends, but whatever. I wish it didn't have oxides in it. Worked up a VERY good lather, but ultimately was too heavy for my hair and left it with the waxies. Keeping them in the closet until the dead of dry winter...we'll see.

Chagrin Valley:

Babassu Marshmallow- Favorite bar of all!!! My hair LOVES this one. Gives ok volume, and very little frizz whatsoever. I deffinitely have to rotate other bars, but this one will be on my order list every time!
Olive Babassu- Initially, my hair didn't really like this, but it seems that is switching. Guess I finally got all those cones off. May still be too heavy on my hair, but I'll keep it in the rotation during the winter.
Extra Honey, Beer, and Egg- Surprise! My hair hates protein! Ah the things you learn when you are actually paying attention. Made my hair very fragile and poufy. I suppose I could use it very rarely as a protien treatment.
Nettle- When I was still blowfrying my hair, this was my fave. Gave great volume and shine, but still soft. I don't care for the smell, but I don't notice it as much anymore. I use it regularly in rotation with babassu marshmallow.
Rosemary, Lavendar, Aloe- Hair seems to like this one ok. Not as shiny as with nettle, but I will keep using it. Smells heavenly!
Cafe Moreno- I really wanted to like this one, but it was merely meh on my hair. Smelled really good, especially coming into winter, but my hair was a frizzy ball after using it.
Carrot Milk & Honey- My hair had mixed results with this bar. I did a heavy coconut oiling the night before and after washing it was soft and nice. I haven't been able to get consistant good results with it, so I won't be reordering anytime soon.
Mud and Clay- Seemed to give nice shine, and I love the citrus smell, but it was only ok on my hair. Similar results as the CM&H
Summer Sunshine- By far my favorite smelling bar! Nice cleansing and seemed to be a good balance of cleaning/moisturizing for summertime and wearing my hair straight. I may have to re-order in the spring.

Home-made shampoo bar- While thinking to myself "Hey, I could make a bar as nice as CV, right?" I went ahead and attempted my first shampoo bars. Not sure I put in enough castor oil, but who knows. I've tried it twice and can't quite tell if my hair likes it. I will have to try again next week and see what the verdict is. Obviously this is harder than it looks.

[Ohio Sky]

I haven't been on this thread in some time as I gave up on shampoo bars months and months ago. The water in my area is very very hard, and I think my hair might hate ACV as well. I've never had good luck with it.

I tried 5 or 6 different shampoo bars all with varying degrees of disappointment, but only from CV. So, I just placed an order with Serpentine for a Kahlua bar and another one, I forget...

Anyways, here's my question:

I have some citric acid, which my hair seems to like but it's unnecessary with my current routine so I haven't used it much. What kind of dilution should I try when I receive my order?

If this is anything like my last poo bar adventure, I'll be back next week, crying because I can't rake a comb through my hair to save my life. Let's hope such is not the case. :D

[Dolly]

I haven't been on this thread in some time as I gave up on shampoo bars months and months ago. The water in my area is very very hard, and I think my hair might hate ACV as well. I've never had good luck with it.

I tried 5 or 6 different shampoo bars all with varying degrees of disappointment, but only from CV. So, I just placed an order with Serpentine for a Kahlua bar and another one, I forget...

Anyways, here's my question:

I have some citric acid, which my hair seems to like but it's unnecessary with my current routine so I haven't used it much. What kind of dilution should I try when I receive my order?

If this is anything like my last poo bar adventure, I'll be back next week, crying because I can't rake a comb through my hair to save my life. Let's hope such is not the case. :D

Have you tried putting a little dollop of conditioner in your vinegar rinse? I use the white vinegar and put a little splash of suave in it......it makes all the difference in the combability of my hair.....

[ljkforu]

I haven't been on this thread in some time as I gave up on shampoo bars months and months ago. The water in my area is very very hard, and I think my hair might hate ACV as well. I've never had good luck with it.

I tried 5 or 6 different shampoo bars all with varying degrees of disappointment, but only from CV. So, I just placed an order with Serpentine for a Kahlua bar and another one, I forget...

Anyways, here's my question:

I have some citric acid, which my hair seems to like but it's unnecessary with my current routine so I haven't used it much. What kind of dilution should I try when I receive my order?

If this is anything like my last poo bar adventure, I'll be back next week, crying because I can't rake a comb through my hair to save my life. Let's hope such is not the case. :D
Hi, I highly recommend using a non-cone conditioner after the bar and then seal everything up with 1/4 tsp of citric acid in 16-20oz of cool water (it feels so good). My hair is 30 inches long and I never have that horrible snarled feeling that can't be combed when I use this routine.

[ljkforu]

I realize that the one thing I won't give up is the acid rinsing. I don't plan on ever going back to SLS and Cones together. But, even if I did I would still do the acid rinse to close the hair cuticle.

:poot:

[healingsolitude]

GlassEyes - You made some good choices! Perhaps it is good that the Olive Babassu bar was sold out since most seem to only have good results with that bar after they have used one of the other bars for awhile due to that bar being the most moisturizing of the shampoo bars. It seems like most need to work up to that one before they get good results with it. It sounds like Babassu Marsh Mallow is the second most moisturizing shampoo bar, so you'll know if the Olive one might work for you if the BM works out. :)

I've heard the tea tree bar works well when used in rotation with the rhassoul yogurt one for acne. I still need to try that combo but I keep going back to the juniper comfrey mint before I can get around to the tea tree sample.

Dolly - Perhaps coconut milk on my hair is like how honey is on your hair. I'll have to test out how I respond to the Lavender & Spice sample so that I can test that theory. The three bars I've had good results with have similar ingredients to the Summer Sunshine, which made me a little confused about why that one didn't want to work on my hair. I missed the part about the coconut milk being in that bar, though. Now it makes more sense if that is what caused the waxy build-up.

Grabbing the wrong bar and using the Honey Butter on your hair doesn't sound good! Do you find that you have to use a clarifying treatment when you get that soapy/waxy build-up? Or are you able to rinse it out with vinegar rinses or another shampoo bar? I had to do a baking soda rinse after trying the SS bar for a week since the cleansing Chamomile & Citrus shampoo bar couldn't get all of the build-up out.


Now, it feels clean and bouncy, and is full of body, but it actually feels like human hair. Like it has gained some "heft". It's strange......anybody else have a similar result?

I think it mostly has to do with the bars since I get those same results without using the ACV rinse very often. My hair was basically brittle when I used detergent shampoo. A fallen strand would easily break apart when I would pick up one and pull on either end to test the strength of my hair. I just figured it was due to my hair being so fine in texture. Now I think it had to do with the detergents in my shampoos since my texture is much different since I switched to the natural shampoo bars. Fallen strands now pass the test extremely well. I can see where they are about twice the size of what they used to be before the switch to the bars. They also don't break that easily anymore. It is like a bungee cord when I try to pull on the fallen strands that I find. Very nice. :D

ljkforu - Good luck with the coconut milk and honey rinse results! I would think those two would be able to help you with the itchies with no problem.

Have you tried not using an acid rinse since you have soft water? I've found that I can get away with not using any acid rinses when I use the shampoo bars that my hair loves. The only thing I do to seal the cuticle is to just use a plain cold water rinse. I honestly haven't seen a difference between the plain rinse and the acid rinse, except I have more volume when I just use the plain cold water rinse.

freznow - I don't think the soaps and the shampoo bars work quite the same, which could be why you are experiencing different results with the flyaways. Perhaps the Serpentine shampoo bars will work much better for you since it sounds like those shampoo bars are moisturizing enough for dry hair and scalp. You have dry hair and scalp, right?

Kitara - Wow, you had a good review to post about most of the shampoo bars! It is good to see that you've had success with a few of them. I also wasn't a huge fan of the Nettle scent at first. Now I adore that bar! It is strange how different the results are from person to person. I've found the Cafe Moreno bar to be balanced to moisturizing and very smoothing for my hair. Good luck with the heavy ones during the winter when you try them again!

I think it is interesting that you tried making your own shampoo bars. Getting the shampoo bar recipes to work with your hair seems to be the tricky part. It should be fun experimenting though. Did you use any EO's in your bars?

Ohio Sky - I second the conditioner recommendation. Also maybe adding the citric acid into the vinegar rinse like another member on here does for their hard water issue. I believe it is 1/2 tsp of citric acid added to the regular vineger rinse. You can check out this link for citric acid proportions here (http://chatter.thebeautybottle.com/showthread.php?t=1533).

------

Ok, I decided to experiment with a facial mask that led me into wanting to do a clay hair mask. Unfortunately both of the clay masks I have also have chemicals in them that I want to avoid putting on my hair now that I'm using natural shampoo bars. I ended up just lathering CV's Rhassoul Yogurt soap and leaving that in my hair while I ate a snack. The idea of the clay adding body to my hair had me lathering up this bar for a quick shampoo following the rinse instead of using a cleansing bar. My hair felt ok while it was wet. Now it is dry and a little waxy in the back. However, I do have nice volume and softness on the sides. Perhaps the soap bars work a little differently for me to where I need to use an acid rinse with those. Next time I'll use a cleansing bar at the end and see if that works any better.

[Dolly]

Dolly - Perhaps coconut milk on my hair is like how honey is on your hair. I'll have to test out how I respond to the Lavender & Spice sample so that I can test that theory. The three bars I've had good results with have similar ingredients to the Summer Sunshine, which made me a little confused about why that one didn't want to work on my hair. I missed the part about the coconut milk being in that bar, though. Now it makes more sense if that is what caused the waxy build-up.

Grabbing the wrong bar and using the Honey Butter on your hair doesn't sound good! Do you find that you have to use a clarifying treatment when you get that soapy/waxy build-up? Or are you able to rinse it out with vinegar rinses or another shampoo bar? I had to do a baking soda rinse after trying the SS bar for a week since the cleansing Chamomile & Citrus shampoo bar couldn't get all of the build-up out.



I think it mostly has to do with the bars since I get those same results without using the ACV rinse very often. My hair was basically brittle when I used detergent shampoo. A fallen strand would easily break apart when I would pick up one and pull on either end to test the strength of my hair. I just figured it was due to my hair being so fine in texture. Now I think it had to do with the detergents in my shampoos since my texture is much different since I switched to the natural shampoo bars. Fallen strands now pass the test extremely well. I can see where they are about twice the size of what they used to be before the switch to the bars. They also don't break that easily anymore. It is like a bungee cord when I try to pull on the fallen strands that I find. Very nice. :D




When I had the bad waxy results, I had to clarify....the shampoo bar wouldn't cut it.....instead of using baking soda, though, I used Suave clarifying......it worked quite well. It removed the gunk and then I went ahead with my normal routine....Olive Babassu followed by an ACV/condish rinse.

I'm very happy with my hair's texture and strength now, also.....I'm definitely going to stick with the CV bars.....

[littlemiss]

Iv just started using shapoo bars for the last 7 weeks and have noticed that Iv lost a bit of my curl :shrug: does anybody else have this problem???

[Calista]

Yes, littlemiss, several members noticed this, but I´m not sure if anybody ever found out the reason. You could try searching this thread.

[Kitara]

I think it is interesting that you tried making your own shampoo bars. Getting the shampoo bar recipes to work with your hair seems to be the tricky part. It should be fun experimenting though. Did you use any EO's in your bars?



I put rosemary and tea tree in the shampoo bar. Maybe some other ones...I don't recall anymore and don't have my notes with me. It's definitely fun to play around with it and see what works and doesn't. Besides, I figure if it doesn't work for me, I can always pass it along to someone else and it might be great for them.

[rhosyn_du]

Iv just started using shapoo bars for the last 7 weeks and have noticed that Iv lost a bit of my curl :shrug: does anybody else have this problem???

Are you using any conditioner with the bars? When I stopped using conditioner entirely, although my hair was still soft and shiny when I used moisturizing enough bars, I lost a lot of my wave. I recently started using conditioner again (just a teeny, tiny bit), and I've got my waves back and even some occasional ringlets.

[healingsolitude]

Dolly - I couldn't imagine going back to regular shampoo either. My hair is so much more healthy with the bars. I'd hate to lose that again by going back. Hopefully there will always be CV shampoo bars!

littlemiss - My hair is always stick straight so I can't really suggest anything. Perhaps try the conditioner method that rhosyn_du suggested. I would think that would help you with that problem. If not, I guess you could search the thread for the answer. I just can't remember anyone on here having figured out the solution to that when it was mentioned before by a few members.

Kitara - Rosemary and tea tree sound like a lovely combination! It certainly sounds like it would be fun to try making your own. I'd love to hear about any future ones you make and the results of those! :D

[burns_erin]

So while I have been alternating my shampoo bar with my giovanni and quite liked it, I usually only washed once or twice. I will note that I do melt my bar into water because none of the rubbing methods worked well for me, and it is the rosemary/sage one from H4H. Last night i had a bit more made up than i meant so i ended up doing three washes just to get it used up, and oh the difference it made. While my hair was clean before, the texture difference with three washes was amazing and for the better. i think i will switch to three washes in the future more.:cheese:

[GlassEyes]

Aww, I hope shampoo bars don't make my hair lose it's curl much. D:

Does anyone know how long it standardly takes Chagrin Valley to ship? I'm not EXPECTING them obviously until at least next week, but I'm curious since I can't track the order. xD

Edit: Oh nevermidn, I grew a brain and looked on tehs ite further. Ignore me. XD

[Kitara]

GlassEyes- I haven't noticed any loss of curl from the shampoo bars, so it doesn't happen to everyone. Here's hoping they work for you! Also, I have never had to wait more than a day for Ida to ship out to me. She's great!

[Desdemona]

burns_erin, I also have to liquify my CV bars so I could distribute the shampoo evenly. It seems to help prevent buildup as well. I use one quarter of a bar in 8 oz. of water, that amount lasts me two weeks which is the amount of time I am comfortable leaving it out of the refrigerator.

And I have to agree, lathering three times with CV bars makes all the difference in the world to the feel of my hair. Two lathers just isn't enough, even though I get plenty of lather on the second one.

[chrissy-b]

You're welcome! I'd also suggest checking out the bars that are recommended for your hair type and for hair growth. Nettle and Herb Garden are both recommended to help boost hair growth. I've never tried Herb Garden but I absolutely adore Nettle. The only thing to watch out for with the Nettle is that it is a cleansing bar. You'd probably need to follow up with a soap bar on your ends to condition your hair if you have dry hair. Herb Garden is not recommended for dry or oily scalp, so I'm not sure if it is drying or moisturizing. I do have a male friend with thick normal hair and scalp who got good results with that bar. Also, feel free to order samples of bars from different categories since everyone seems to respond differently to each bar. I've also heard that using these bars can make oily or dry scalp feel normal again, so you might feel like testing out some of the others. I'm going to try the more moisturizing ones when I make my next order. I can see now why some have just gone ahead and ordered every available sample.

Good luck with whichever bars you order! :)

The nettle bar was going to be my first choice! I have a really oily scalp but was intending to try a bunch of different ones since some commercial shampoos that are meant for dry hair have worked well, even with my overproduction of oil.

Thanks again for the help. :)

[twilight_faerie]

Did CV raise their prices? I haven't bought anything from them in a long while, so maybe these have been their prices for quite some time already...but the last time I looked at their shampoo bar selection, they were all $5.50 or so. Now they're $6.50 and up. Of course, this would make sense, since Ida sells out faster than she can make the soaps. But, I think I might try ordering from Serpentine Hair instead, since they're cheaper than CV's, and I just don't have that much money to spend.

[Desdemona]

Yes, CV did raise their prices. I think it was last spring? From the other bars I have tried, Soap Lady Oregon (http://soap-lady.com/shampoo.html) bars are the only ones that work better for me than CV and they are a lot cheaper at $4.50.

[burns_erin]

burns_erin, I also have to liquify my CV bars so I could distribute the shampoo evenly. It seems to help prevent buildup as well. I use one quarter of a bar in 8 oz. of water, that amount lasts me two weeks which is the amount of time I am comfortable leaving it out of the refrigerator.

And I have to agree, lathering three times with CV bars makes all the difference in the world to the feel of my hair. Two lathers just isn't enough, even though I get plenty of lather on the second one.

So how do you apply your liquid shampoo bar, because i use my trusty sprayer bottle. DH thinks I am a freak because all of my products are in sprayer bottles now.

[twilight_faerie]

Yes, CV did raise their prices. I think it was last spring? From the other bars I have tried, Soap Lady Oregon (http://soap-lady.com/shampoo.html) bars are the only ones that work better for me than CV and they are a lot cheaper at $4.50.

Thanks, Desdemona. Wow, it HAS been a while since I ordered from CV. I don't think I'm gonna order from Serpentine - they actually turn out to be more expensive than CV bars, weight by weight. Maybe I'll try Soap Lady of Oregon.

[healingsolitude]

burns erin & desdemona - I've never really considered melting down the bars to see how that method would work since I seem to do ok with the gliding method so far. Perhaps this method would work easier when it came to the troublesome bars that seem to leave some residue behind. I'll have to consider trying this with the Summer Sunshine bar to see if my hair likes it better that way. Do you find that the bars don't last as long when you melt them down or is it about the same?

GlassEyes - I've always found the CV shipping to be very quick. It only took three or four days for me to get each of the three packages I've ordered so far. I'm not sure if it would take a little longer right now since she just got back from vacation and the Christmas orders might be flooding in now.

chrissy-b - I'd definitely recommend the Nettle and the Chamomile & Citrus if you are looking for cleansing bars! I actually took the risk of ordering the full-size bar of the Chamomile and Citrus in my first shampoo bar order, as well as a few samples of the other bars and Nettle. Those two have been wonderful on my oily scalp so far. I'd have a very hard time choosing which one I like better on oily days. The main difference is the scent. The Nettle takes a little getting used to because it smells rather strong when you first pull it out of the bag. The scent settles once you sit it out and use it. It reminds me of licorice or those black jelly beans. Not an unpleasant scent by any means, but a little strange at first since it doesn't smell like any other shampoo or soap product I've ever tried. I plan on ordering a full-size bar of that one in my next order. Summer Sunshine is also supposed to be cleansing on most scalps, though the results seem to vary a bit since a few of us found it to be moisturizing. Cafe Moreno has been a nice balance on my scalp, but the results seem to vary with that one as well. Same seems to go for the regular honey bar and the Lavender & Spice bar. The most predictable bars seem to be the Chamomile & Citrus and Nettle as cleansing bars and the Olive Babassu and Babassu & Marsh Mallow as moisturizing bars. The rest you just have to experiment with a bit to see what your results will be. It would be fun trying them all though. :)

twilight faerie - I'm not sure how much they cost before. I've been ordering from them since August and had been looking at them in July. The bars cost $6.50 since I've been checking them out. I think it is mentioned somewhere on the site where costs of the ingredients has hiked up due to crop damage and such this year. The main ingredients in her bars seem to be more expensive than the main ingredients other soap makers use. Her husband also made a new soap mold that makes the bars larger. I've noticed many of the new bars have been made with the larger mold. Perhaps a combination of all that has been responsible for the price increase. Either way, I think the price of the CV bars pretty well evens out when compared to the other bars from soap makers when you consider the quality ingredients and size of Ida's bars.

[Desdemona]

So how do you apply your liquid shampoo bar, because i use my trusty sprayer bottle. DH thinks I am a freak because all of my products are in sprayer bottles now.
I put it in a plastic bottle with a squirt top and just kind of squirt it around on my scalp. Then I squirt some into my palm and use that to apply to the length.


burns erin & desdemona - I've never really considered melting down the bars to see how that method would work since I seem to do ok with the gliding method so far. Perhaps this method would work easier when it came to the troublesome bars that seem to leave some residue behind. I'll have to consider trying this with the Summer Sunshine bar to see if my hair likes it better that way. Do you find that the bars don't last as long when you melt them down or is it about the same?

They seem to last about the same for me. Summer Sunshine is the bar I use all the time and I find it causes less residue when liquefied but this does not solve the problem completely. I still get buildup after three or four uses and then have to do a CO to remove it. I think the biggest benefit for me of liquefying is being able to get the shampoo evenly distributed. When I used the CV bar, I always seemed to have some spots here and there that didn't get clean enough. I haven't had that problem with SLO bars and haven't had to liquefy them.

[healingsolitude]

They seem to last about the same for me. Summer Sunshine is the bar I use all the time and I find it causes less residue when liquefied but this does not solve the problem completely. I still get buildup after three or four uses and then have to do a CO to remove it.

That sounds good enough to me! I can't even get one use out of the Summer Sunshine bar without getting some sort of waxy feeling when using the gliding method. I do love the smell of that bar and wish I could use it as a shampoo. Even getting two or three decent washes out of it would sound lovely to me! What method do you use to melt the bar? You just take a quarter size portion and melt it in 8 oz of water in a pan?

[GlassEyes]

Actually, and I'm pleasently surprised by this, my bars came in today. I'm reeeeeaaaally tempted to try them now, but I may wait until the morning.

...

Maaaaybe.

[Desdemona]

healingsolitude , I just cut the 1/4 bar up into slices small enough to fit through the neck of my 8 oz. plastic bottle and then fill the bottle up with distilled water. The soap melts in about 4 hours. If I need it to melt faster, I heat the water in the microwave before I pour it into the bottle and shake it a lot!

[Suldrun]

Hi all :waving: I hope eveyone is well.

I have not had a chance to post for a bit. I am supposed to be moving at the end of the month so things have been crazy, and I was supposed to go on vacation in Nov. but that looks like it will be postponed:( Oh well I still have my bars to consol me.

I just used the Olive Babassu for the first time this morning and I love it.

It scared me a bit at first when my hair was still damp because when I rubbed my hair my fingers came off feeling oily. I thought arg my hair will dry flat and greasy looking....... nope it dried shiney, easy to detangle, looks nice and full. I can see how this could get a bit heavy and I would probably not use it more then 2 times in a row.

[olearyck]

I have been using shampoo bars successfully for several months now, but I could never get the acid rinse to work, I had been leaving it out. My hair was always greasy just a few minutes after it dried. Then, today it just worked. There were two things I did differently:
-a much lower concentration of ACV. I had been using about 1:6, this time I use 2 Tbs of vinegar in 1 qt of water. I
-rather than plain ACV, I used the recipe for lavendar vinegar from the CV site. It actually smelled nice, too!

I still may fiddle a bit with the exact concentration, but I'm glad I've found something that works. The shampoo bars without the ACV rinse worked about the same as my old SLS shampoo, but today's result is soft, fluffy, very clean, with a bit of shine. My hair has never before in my life been shiny without being really greasy.

Just for completeness, according to the flier from the city, my water should be moderately hard. Perhaps some of those who can't get the shampoo bars to work for them might find it helpful to try a much more dilute ACV rinse.

[Desdemona]

I said it many times before on the old board but I'll say it once again to underscore what you just said, olearyck. Whenever I use anything too acidic, I get greasy hair and scalp problems. I use a very weak ACV rinse myself and it works wonders.

[GlassEyes]

Well, I used them twice so far.

My hair doesn't really like either of the bars. xD And it took out varying amounts of my curl, to the point where it looked poorly relaxed, and felt waxy. I'll give them a few more tries, but I think they're out for me.

[burns_erin]

burns erin & desdemona - I've never really considered melting down the bars to see how that method would work since I seem to do ok with the gliding method so far. Perhaps this method would work easier when it came to the troublesome bars that seem to leave some residue behind. I'll have to consider trying this with the Summer Sunshine bar to see if my hair likes it better that way. Do you find that the bars don't last as long when you melt them down or is it about the same?



I find it lasts much longer for me melting it down, but I use maybe 1/4 of an ounce of shampoo bar to a six ounce spayer bottle which will last me 3-4 shampoos. I really only scalp wash. And I found i do not have to do an acidic rinse, but i have the most ridiculously nuetral water imaginable. It is chock full of nasty chemicals to be sure, but somehow nuetral nevertheless.

[Dolly]

Well, I used them twice so far.

My hair doesn't really like either of the bars. xD And it took out varying amounts of my curl, to the point where it looked poorly relaxed, and felt waxy. I'll give them a few more tries, but I think they're out for me.


Did you follow with an ACV rinse? That is the only way the bars work for some people (including me). I do a vinegar rinse with a small squirt of condish. Works like a dream!

[BunnyBee]

Does anyone know of any UK websites that sell shampoo bars? I know of lush but I want sulfate-free...( and maybe cheaper?) Everything good seems to be in America lol:p

[healingsolitude]

Desdemona - Thank you for the tips about making the shampoo bars into liquid form! I'll have to get a squirt bottle and try that with the Summer Sunshine to see if I get a better result with that method.

Suldrun - It is nice to see you again! :) Where are you going to be moving to? Will the hardness level of the water be the same there as it is where you are living right now? I'm sorry to hear about your postponed vacation in November! Hopefully that will work out for the better and you'll get a lovely vacation very soon afterward! *hug*

olearyck - I've been trying not to use an ACV rinse due to that exact problem. My hair is fine enough without adding onto it with the ACV weighing my hair down. However, I did try only a teaspoon of the ACV in almost two cups of water during my last wash with the Nettle bar. My results were much better this time. I usually get softness and shine even without the rinse, but this time it didn't weigh down my hair. My hair had the same body it usually does when I use the Nettle bar. Usually the ACV rinse ruins the body if I use that with the Nettle. My hair also felt slightly softer.

GlassEyes - I'm sorry to hear about the bars not working for you so far! I'd also be interested in hearing your washing and rinsing methods when using the bars. Also, would you be interested in trying to melt down a small portion of the bars to see if that works better? It sounds like that has helped to make the bars work for some.

burns_erin - That sounds good to me! I don't usually use an acid rinse either. One of the bars only works semi-ok for me if I use an acid rinse though. I'm hoping making that one into a liquid would help with the results with that bar.

BunnyBee - I'm sorry but I don't know of any located in the UK. I do know that Chagrin Valley is very good about being reasonable in regard to shipping costs to other countries. Soap Lady Oregon is another one with reasonable overseas shipping, I believe. You just have to contact them in an email and ask them what it would cost and what is the cheapest method to send your order. Perhaps someone else here might know more about one that is located in the UK.

[GlassEyes]

Actually...even though my hair has a layerof buildup and a weird shape...it's oddly soft, and freakish amounts of shiny. D: I don't know what to make of this.

[ljkforu]

Does anyone know of any UK websites that sell shampoo bars? I know of lush but I want sulfate-free...( and maybe cheaper?) Everything good seems to be in America lol:p
Bunny B, Do you have any supper fatted soaps like Basis, or Amla (for the African American population -- Coco butter based). How hard is your water and how greasy is your hair?

I will tell you how to melt a bar of what you can find and boost it up to shampoo quality if you would like.

[ljkforu]

I said it many times before on the old board but I'll say it once again to underscore what you just said, olearyck. Whenever I use anything too acidic, I get greasy hair and scalp problems. I use a very weak ACV rinse myself and it works wonders.
I haven't had the greasies, but my scalp gets a little itchy. I think I'll cut my Vit C amount in 1/2 down to 1/8 tsp (625mg).

[Suldrun]

Hi healingsolutude

I am not moving far so I hope the water is the same ( same county) Its kind odd a convoluted story but basically and I am not going to go into the details on the shampoo bar thread;) but the house I am supposed to be moving to ( this actualy may change) is being renovated and I keep getting different time frames from the contractor. It was supposed to be done Oct. 31st and I was going to move and then go on vacation, but now I found out it won't be done untill mid November around the time I was going to go on vaca:( But I will still go just not "when" I wanted to. Thank you for the cyber hug :)

OK back to shampoo bars.

I have the same problem in that too much acid leaves me very greasy. I am using a very very weak vinegar rinse. I have never used Vit. C so I can't comment that. I have had some itchies with too much vinegar in the past though.

Glasseyes, I was notincing yesterday that my hair seemed longer but I know my hair grows so so slowly ( way below average) then I realized that almost all my wave is gone( which is making it look longer) Since I have been using the CV bars my hair has body, its soft and shiny but it is definitly straighter then normal? I wonder why?

[Satyria]

GlassEyes: Don't give up! For me it took two weeks to get the bars work! And I washed every day. During the first week my hair looked and felt awful: one day it was a huge mess with waxies and the other day it was REALLY greasy. Second week was a little better and now I get wonderful results with poo bars. :magic: I just love how my hair feels and looks now!

[Kitara]

I'm going to second the recommendation to keep trying for a bit. If you've been using cones or store shampoos it's going to take a while for the cones to be able to get all the old gunk off, but it's worth it. My hair didn't really love the bars at first either, but now they are great. What bars did you use? It seems like the more moisturising ones aren't the best to start with since the extra oils just kinda sit on you hair (hence the waxy feeling).

[freznow]

I just read on another thread that buildup can cause dryness. Is there a generic feel to shampoo bar buildup? (Is it possible that my dryness is buildup from shampoo bar?) I don't know if I'm ready to believe it's buildup - it's been dry since I began using soap bars, and before that I'd been WO, NW, and a short stint of herbs (soapwort). (FWIW, the herbs weren't much better than the shampoo bars in terms of dryness.)

Ah, well, I've ordered the serpentine bars, lets hope those work!

[Desdemona]

I've experienced two different kinds of buildup.

I get a distinct dry, hard, crispy feeling that is caused by buildup. I wrote about it a few pages back and think it may be caused by glycerin.

I also get a waxy buildup from the bars that are more superfatted but that isn't what I would call dry (dehydrated), it's more greasy.

[Dolly]

I just read on another thread that buildup can cause dryness. Is there a generic feel to shampoo bar buildup? (Is it possible that my dryness is buildup from shampoo bar?) I don't know if I'm ready to believe it's buildup - it's been dry since I began using soap bars, and before that I'd been WO, NW, and a short stint of herbs (soapwort). (FWIW, the herbs weren't much better than the shampoo bars in terms of dryness.)

Ah, well, I've ordered the serpentine bars, lets hope those work!

I would think that your dryness could definitely be caused by buildup. Have you tried clarifying? Especially if you had dryness from the herbs also.....it may be old buildup.....I'd do a good clarify.....

[Desdemona]

Here are a couple more references to glycerin causing problems:


Vinegar rinses can do wonders! The acidity from the vinegar helps take away built up gook stuck to the hair such as those nasty forms of silicones found in many shampoos and conditioners today, helps breaks down excess oils, and also helps remove extra glycerin from the hair that can leave hair "waxy" feeling for those that use the more natural approach of soap shampoo bars. from: Natural Hair Conditioning and Build-Up Removal (http://www.bonusarticles.com/fashion-lifestyle/article4449.htm)


Glycerin in the wrong climate can dry out your hair as well. Glycerin works well with humidity but may do more harm than good in drier climates.from: Naturally You! Magazine Online Issue No. 7: Product Ingredients to Avoid (http://www.naturallyyoumagazine.com/content.php?id=16)

[ljkforu]

Here are a couple more references to glycerin causing problems:
from: Natural Hair Conditioning and Build-Up Removal (http://www.bonusarticles.com/fashion-lifestyle/article4449.htm)

from: Naturally You! Magazine Online Issue No. 7: Product Ingredients to Avoid (http://www.naturallyyoumagazine.com/content.php?id=16)
I did a comparison for somebody and I only felt waxy when I didn't -- shampoo bar, V05 and no Vit C rinse. When I added the rinse back there was no more waxies with the same products.

Ah, great to know about the glycerin because I live in Portland so it should work great for me.

[GlassEyes]

I'll keep at it, but I'll probably just use them once a week. I get pretty good results with CO anyway, and I was only looking for a way to change how I clarify, and if they worked better, i would have stuck with them. xD

[olearyck]

I can't believe how much of a difference it seems to make to switch to a different soapmaker for my shampoo bars! I had tried two different CV bars, and once I got the vinegar concentration just right, the results were nicer than my hair had ever been before, but today I used a SLO bar for the first time, and I have the kind of hair that I always wished for. It's silky and shiny and has more body than I thought possible. I'll have to see if it's just this bar, and if it lasts, of course.

I don't think I quite understood from reading through this thread how much tweaking it can take to get you hair exactly the way you want it with bars.

For the record, I do have hard, but not 'excessively hard' water according to the flier the city sent out last year (164mg/L, to be precise).

Once I get all the details worked out, I'll post again, maybe that will help others who are trying to find their perfect routine.

[ljkforu]

I can't believe how much of a difference it seems to make to switch to a different soapmaker for my shampoo bars! I had tried two different CV bars, and once I got the vinegar concentration just right, the results were nicer than my hair had ever been before, but today I used a SLO bar for the first time, and I have the kind of hair that I always wished for. It's silky and shiny and has more body than I thought possible. I'll have to see if it's just this bar, and if it lasts, of course.

I don't think I quite understood from reading through this thread how much tweaking it can take to get you hair exactly the way you want it with bars.

For the record, I do have hard, but not 'excessively hard' water according to the flier the city sent out last year (164mg/L, to be precise).

Once I get all the details worked out, I'll post again, maybe that will help others who are trying to find their perfect routine.
Thanks, would you post your water results on the hard water vs. soft water thread. We are trying to collect data that everyone can use. Oh, note where you are and if your are on the cities water or a well.

Thank you in advance.

[Desdemona]

I can't believe how much of a difference it seems to make to switch to a different soapmaker for my shampoo bars! I had tried two different CV bars, and once I got the vinegar concentration just right, the results were nicer than my hair had ever been before, but today I used a SLO bar for the first time, and I have the kind of hair that I always wished for. It's silky and shiny and has more body than I thought possible. I'll have to see if it's just this bar, and if it lasts, of course.

I don't think I quite understood from reading through this thread how much tweaking it can take to get you hair exactly the way you want it with bars.

For the record, I do have hard, but not 'excessively hard' water according to the flier the city sent out last year (164mg/L, to be precise).

Once I get all the details worked out, I'll post again, maybe that will help others who are trying to find their perfect routine.
I've had the same experience as you have had. It took a lot of work for me to get the CV bars to work but the results were so good I kept at it. And the SLO bars are even better for me.

Which SLO bar worked its wonders for you?

[healingsolitude]

Suldrun - That sucks about the house being put on hold a bit and messing up your plans. At least it didn't ruin your plans completely since you can still go on your vacation, just a little bit later then you had planned. Hopefully it all works out well and goes smoothly from here on out! :)

I'm not sure what to say about the loss of curl with the shampoo bars. I've read on this thread or other threads where the shampoo bars actually increased the curls and that straight haired girls suddenly found a bit of a wave after using the bars. It is odd how some are saying they are losing their curl with the bars. Perhaps it is the type of bar being used? Maybe some of the curly haired folks could say which bars they use that works well with their curls. The curly haired folks on the testimonial page of the CV website recommended Babassu & Marsh Mallow, Carrot Milk & Honey, Olive Babassu, Rosemary Mint, Rosemary Lavender Aloe, and Chamomile & Citrus. The first two were recommended most often. One also said the Chocolate Almond soap brought out her curls.

olearyck - I'm glad you are having such luck with the SLO bars! Those are next on my list to try after I use up more of the CV bars and try the dairy whip I have on the way. I've heard many good things about those bars though. Hopefully the good results will keep on coming! I'd also be interested in hearing which bars you are having success with.

[tina1025]

i had wavy hair but recently i have noticed that my hair is a lot more straighter. i have been using shampoo bars for about 6 7 months now. But now that i think about it rosemary and nettle didnt make my hair very straight. i think peppermint & tea tree oil is making my hair straighter. :confused:

[healingsolitude]

i had wavy hair but recently i have noticed that my hair is a lot more straighter. i have been using shampoo bars for about 6 7 months now. But now that i think about it rosemary and nettle didnt make my hair very straight. i think peppermint & tea tree oil is making my hair straighter. :confused:

Maybe you could try using the rosemary or nettle bar for one or two weeks to see if your waves come back? That should be enough time to get all of the tea tree bar out of your hair enough for some different results. If you do get your wave back then I guess it was the tea tree bar that was responsible for the loss of your waves.

[littlemiss]

i had wavy hair but recently i have noticed that my hair is a lot more straighter. i have been using shampoo bars for about 6 7 months now. But now that i think about it rosemary and nettle didnt make my hair very straight. i think peppermint & tea tree oil is making my hair straighter. :confused:
I have had the same effect since using shampoo bars I have lost my wavys.:( I have tried diffarent bars and nothing seems to bring it back :cry:

[Desdemona]

Are you guys that are losing your waves using any conditioner? I use just a drop in a mild ACV rinse and that seems to have brought even more waves out in my hair. I even have some spiral curls now underneath in the back, so weird! :eyebrows:

[littlemiss]

Are you guys that are losing your waves using any conditioner? I use just a drop in a mild ACV rinse and that seems to have brought even more waves out in my hair. I even have some spiral curls now underneath in the back, so weird! :eyebrows:
Im using conditioner and ACV rinse

[Desdemona]

Maybe it's the type of bar? What bars have you been using? Does your hair feel heavy or hard at all? Do you feel a coating on it?

[ljkforu]

Im using conditioner and ACV rinse
I use no cone conditioner and an acid rinse. I have noticed an increase in waves and body as long as I use the acid rinse.

[tina1025]

i do not use any condish as my hair is very oily. when i started using shampoo bar (abt 6 months ago i used to use ACV every time i shampooed my hair. Then i started using it once a week (i experienced more shedding with ACV) but i havent been using it for about two months. i have been using herbal vineger rinse which def made my hair straighter...I will try to use ACV at least once a week and see if the waves come back. i hope they do. i will also try using rosemary and nettle shampoo bar to see if the waves come back.

[missy60]

Desdemona when you use the SLO do you use a fourth of the round bars also? Im thinking this method would be easier for me to try my bars with my shoulder. Do you also still wash three times with the SLO bars?

ETA ok I see were you said you dont dilute the SLO bars but I might try it with them any way.

[Desdemona]

Hi missy60! You are right, I haven't had to dilute the SLO bars but if it did, I would also use 1/4 bar in 8 oz. of water. I only have to wash twice with these, so that might help your shoulder. Hope you feel better soon! :grouphug:

[healingsolitude]

Im using conditioner and ACV rinse

Could the ACV be too much for your hair? I've found that it weighs down my hair, so I now use a very mild ACV rinse when I need one. How much ACV do you put in your rinse? Mine is 1 teaspoon in 1 1/2 cups of water. You could try that and add a small amount of conditioner to the rinse. Or have you tried citric acid or lemon juice instead of the ACV? You could use one of those to replace the ACV and add the conditioner to that rinse. Perhaps you would have better luck if you changed it up a bit. I hope so anyway!


i do not use any condish as my hair is very oily. when i started using shampoo bar (abt 6 months ago i used to use ACV every time i shampooed my hair. Then i started using it once a week (i experienced more shedding with ACV) but i havent been using it for about two months. i have been using herbal vineger rinse which def made my hair straighter...I will try to use ACV at least once a week and see if the waves come back. i hope they do. i will also try using rosemary and nettle shampoo bar to see if the waves come back.

What kind of herbs have you been using in your herbal rinse? Perhaps those are causing your hair to be weighed down or for it to straighten? Good luck with the rosemary or nettle bars!

[Kitara]

So a co-worker of mine who I ordered some samples of CV for just came up to my desk to proclaim that her hair had finally adjusted and she was so excited. Here's to continuing the enabling :smirk:

[olearyck]

I have never really used conditioner, my hair always looks way to greasy if I do. It's interesting to hear about people losing waves, considering that my hair is more wavy with bars than with conventional shampoos. However, it's only at shoulder length now. The big difference the bars seem to make is to make my hair follow my scalp inward at the lower bottom of my head, then poof out and then curl under at the ends.

[olearyck]

Oh, I should mention that the added waviness is definately more pronounced with herbal vinegar (lavendar, using EO rather than fresh herb) than with none, and that it's more obvious with the SLO bar than with the CV bars I tried.

[tina1025]

The herbal vinegar that i use is from prairieland herbs Red Rose and Lemon Balm.


Could the ACV be too much for your hair? I've found that it weighs down my hair, so I now use a very mild ACV rinse when I need one. How much ACV do you put in your rinse? Mine is 1 teaspoon in 1 1/2 cups of water. You could try that and add a small amount of conditioner to the rinse. Or have you tried citric acid or lemon juice instead of the ACV? You could use one of those to replace the ACV and add the conditioner to that rinse. Perhaps you would have better luck if you changed it up a bit. I hope so anyway!



What kind of herbs have you been using in your herbal rinse? Perhaps those are causing your hair to be weighed down or for it to straighten? Good luck with the rosemary or nettle bars!

[venividibxtchy]

The herbal vinegar that i use is from prairieland herbs Red Rose and Lemon Balm.

Can you still smell the vinegar undertone? I gag at the scent, honestly...

[andrea1982]

Hi All, I've been reading this thread on and off for months and you have finally inspired me to try shampoo bars! I've been using one from a canadain company called Mountains Sky, and I've tried castille soap/herb mixtures as well. So far my hair has been tangle free, totally non-frizzy, and easy to put into updo's. I still have the odd waxy day, but I'm still adjusting. I've been shampooing twice a week. I just ordered some CV bars and can't wait to try them..

[ljkforu]

Can you still smell the vinegar undertone? I gag at the scent, honestly...
Hey, I have an idea for you. Brew up some beautiful smelling herbs and add a 1/8 tsp of either citric acid or vit c crystal (health food store or nutrition store). I would use 3 cups of water. The acid is a preservative so you can keep it in a bottle and it will smell great for you.

[ljkforu]

Just for people's interest apple cider vinegar is a 4% acetic acid solution. I was told this by the doctor when I had to cure a fungal infection in my ears with a 2% acetic acid solution. In other words you dilute vinegar by 50%. They wanted me to pay $20 per ounce.

A little off topic but I hope it will help everyone do the math to create their own rinses.:p

[tina1025]

yes....i absoutely hate the smell. Do you have the same one? i use it because i know its good for the hair but it made my hair straighter and now it looks like i have no volume....



Can you still smell the vinegar undertone? I gag at the scent, honestly...

The herbs are already added in this.


Hey, I have an idea for you. Brew up some beautiful smelling herbs and add a 1/8 tsp of either citric acid or vit c crystal (health food store or nutrition store). I would use 3 cups of water. The acid is a preservative so you can keep it in a bottle and it will smell great for you.

[ljkforu]

yes....i absoutely hate the smell. Do you have the same one? i use it because i know its good for the hair but it made my hair straighter and now it looks like i have no volume....




The herbs are already added in this.
I was thinking that if you hate the smell of ACV so badly (like I do). Maybe we should may our own rinses.

[healingsolitude]

My mother stopped by and stole some of my Juniper Comfrey Mint soap bar, which is my favorite scented bar. :( So much for thinking I could get away with not ordering another bar of that one in my next order. lol.

I also tried the last of the shampoo bar samples that I have. The Lavender & Spice is still iffy to me. I now like the smell but I feel like it left my hair very flat. Perhaps the coconut milk is not good on my hair since I also didn't like the Summer Sunshine bar that contained coconut milk. The only difference between the two for my hair is that the Lavender & Spice didn't leave my hair feeling slightly icky, but this could be due to the heavy baking soda treatment I did right before. I also did a lemon juice rinse to make sure my scalp was very clean. Perhaps there would be more buildup if I hadn't done all of that with this bar.

On to the Neem & Tea Tree shampoo/soap bar. Most of the bars from CV tend to lose some of their scent overtime or after the first use. This is not one of those bars. The first time I smelled the unused sample I could detect a very light medicated scent. Boy was I surprised when I chose to try this as a face bar and felt a strong scent come out of.... Bengay? I became quite obsessed with smelling this soap and getting everyone else to smell it after that. I just had to be mistaken, but everyone else agreed that it had a Bengay smell to it. Of course it is not as strong as Bengay. It smells like a more subtle Bengay smell to me with a hint of a woodsy undertone. Not overpowering, just not exactly my favorite scent in the world. Needless to say, my mother loves the smell of Bengay and took the unused other half of my sample. I'm going to continue using the portion I've been using since Friday until it is done before I give my full verdict. So far it is the same as the other two facial bars I've been using (Juniper Comfrey Mint and Rhassoul Clay Yogurt). I happen to love those scents, so I think I'll just stick with those two if this one doesn't work better. I've also decided not to try it as a shampoo. ;)


So a co-worker of mine who I ordered some samples of CV for just came up to my desk to proclaim that her hair had finally adjusted and she was so excited. Here's to continuing the enabling :smirk:

Yay for switching yet another one onto our side! :D


The herbal vinegar that i use is from prairieland herbs Red Rose and Lemon Balm.

Could the herbal mixed with vinegar just be too heavy on your hair? Just plain vinegar is heavy on my hair. Some others here have had the same problem. Perhaps that combination is just too much on your hair. Have you tried using only ACV diluted with plenty of water? I only use 1 teaspoon to 1 1/2 cups water when I feel like I need it.


Hi All, I've been reading this thread on and off for months and you have finally inspired me to try shampoo bars! I've been using one from a canadain company called Mountains Sky, and I've tried castille soap/herb mixtures as well. So far my hair has been tangle free, totally non-frizzy, and easy to put into updo's. I still have the odd waxy day, but I'm still adjusting. I've been shampooing twice a week. I just ordered some CV bars and can't wait to try them..

Congrats on having success with shampoo bars! I hope you have just as much success with the CV ones. :) Which bars/samples did you order from Ida?

[Suldrun]

healingsolitude,
hi , thanks for the thoughts ( sorry I dont know how to use the quote feature, i swear i did it once but......I cant get it now??)
I really cant wait for vaca...but I am dealing with contractors..uggg so who knows when it will be lol.

OK. My hair seems to be getting very straight ( I am one that is losing my waves with bars.) Strangly its not flat?? I still have more body then I do with shampoo, but less wave? this seems odd .

So far I am rotating bars mostly I use the Babassu & Marsh Mallow and the olive babassu? bvecause my hair tends to get dry. I have used the summer sunshine about 3 times when my hair felt a bit , over oiled or I really stretched a wash. I am fine with the loss of waves, it makes my hair look longer lol. But i do like waves and curls sometimes.

I use a a tiny bit of vinegar in a jug of water to rinse ,if i use more I get greasies.

can i get my wave back with the bars? it seems I am not alone.

[Cantabile]

@Suldrun, I can't say that this has happened to me personally (my hair's pretty much straight already :p), but I do recall reading somewhere in this massive thread that adding a bit of conditioner to your hair might remedy the loss of waviness. Though I'm afraid I'm not sure if that conditioner was added with the ACV, or after it...:confused: Perhaps a wavy/curly can offer more insight, or you could experiment with conditioner on your own. :o

[ljkforu]

Knowing the structure of hair will help you make decisions on which products to use when. I have a bunch and they give me different results.

Straight hair has a perfectly round shaft
Wavy hair has a slightly grooved shaft
Curly a deeper groove
Kinky hair has a very distinct groove

All of this as shown under a microscope

So, if you cone the heck out of straight hair you will have sleek hair with no volume.

If you have a waxy build up on wavy hair you will end up with a round shaft hence straight hair.

African American Women sometimes perm or straighten their hair with chemicals to change the shape of the hair shaft.

So the solution (I have lightly wavy hair) is to bring out the characteristics of your own hair the way you want them when you want them.

If I personally want waviness I shampoo with a Dr. Bronner's Castille soap bar condition coneless and do a light Vit C rinse (no herbs) but cool water. This gives me maximum volume because of the lack of deposit.

If I want sleek hair I use a mild poo bar, cone conditioner and no acid. This would be for days I want a smooth bun.

[healingsolitude]

healingsolitude,
hi , thanks for the thoughts ( sorry I dont know how to use the quote feature, i swear i did it once but......I cant get it now??)
I really cant wait for vaca...but I am dealing with contractors..uggg so who knows when it will be lol.

OK. My hair seems to be getting very straight ( I am one that is losing my waves with bars.) Strangly its not flat?? I still have more body then I do with shampoo, but less wave? this seems odd .

So far I am rotating bars mostly I use the Babassu & Marsh Mallow and the olive babassu? bvecause my hair tends to get dry. I have used the summer sunshine about 3 times when my hair felt a bit , over oiled or I really stretched a wash. I am fine with the loss of waves, it makes my hair look longer lol. But i do like waves and curls sometimes.

I use a a tiny bit of vinegar in a jug of water to rinse ,if i use more I get greasies.

can i get my wave back with the bars? it seems I am not alone.

No problem! The quote button is located at the bottom of the post you want to quote. The one with the + sign is for when you want to quote multiple posts. :)

The idea of putting a small amount of conditioner into your ACV rinse is a good idea. However, I wonder if that would be too heavy on your hair if ACV alone can be too heavy. I have the same issues with ACV and I can't use conditioner on my hair because it weighs it down too much. You could give it a try though. It might work out for you if you have had good results with conditioner in the past. You could also try adding honey to the ACV rinse like the CV website suggests.


1-2 tablespoons Organic apple cider vinegar (or maybe just a teaspoon for you since you need a low amount)
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water


Do you have any bars with Rosemary in them? Those seem to be recommended for those with curly hair. I don't think you bought the Nettle bar since it is rather cleansing. That one is also supposed to be good for curly hair.

[Dolly]

On to the Neem & Tea Tree shampoo/soap bar. Most of the bars from CV tend to lose some of their scent overtime or after the first use. This is not one of those bars. The first time I smelled the unused sample I could detect a very light medicated scent. Boy was I surprised when I chose to try this as a face bar and felt a strong scent come out of.... Bengay? I became quite obsessed with smelling this soap and getting everyone else to smell it after that. I just had to be mistaken, but everyone else agreed that it had a Bengay smell to it. Of course it is not as strong as Bengay. It smells like a more subtle Bengay smell to me with a hint of a woodsy undertone. Not overpowering, just not exactly my favorite scent in the world.

My 9 year old son uses this bar on his hair (he has seborrheic dermatitis and it has worked wonders).....he absolutely loves the scent......

[CopperHead]

I love the stronger natural scents. I used my PLH Cedar, Sage and Sweetgrass poo bar last night with my herbal ACV rinse. I love the scent of that bar along with the Hempchouli. I have great hair today!

I'm using a couple of CV body bars right now too. Pumpkin Orange Spice and Citrus Woods Green Tea. They have wonderful outdoorsy scents. :)

[Desdemona]

CopperHead, Pumpkin Orange Spice and Citrus Woods Green Tea are two of my favorite CV body soaps. Along with Cucumber Lime Yogurt!

[CopperHead]

They were out of the Cucumber Lime Yogurt, but I still have a little bit left of a sample. There is nothing better than opening a box of Ida's soaps. The scent is intoxicating! I have the box sitting next to me with a few bars still in it. :)

[Desdemona]

I remember once, I think it was last year, Ida ran out of Cucumber Lime Yogurt just when a bunch of people here wanted to order it. She made a new batch and then a few weeks later she said it wasn't up to her standards so she threw it out and had to start over. By the time it was ready, it was gone in a flash. I have to admit I grabbed a bunch of it! :wigtongue

[freznow]

For all you who care to know, I ordered some Serpentine hair shampoo bars! They had a little mix up with the order, and she's sending me two of their new liquid shampoos. I can't wait to get them, they ought to be here in under a week.

:D

Edit: I'm tempted to *make* the serpentine bars work, even if they don't, just because I love the mythological inspiration, among others, in the names of the soaps, etc. It makes me happy :)

[Desdemona]

Good luck, freznow, I hope those work for you! I love the scent descriptions and the inspirations too.

I didn't know they had a liquid shampoo, is there a link for that? Be sure to let us know how you like it.

I've been looking into a couple of natural liquid shampoos that I'd like to try as I think I'm starting to get some buildup from my SLO bars now. I'm curious to see if it's something that eventually happens with all soap-based shampoos (since it also happened with CV bars) or just the hard bars and maybe the liquid shampoos are ok.

[freznow]

http://www.serpentinehair.com/custom.html

They don't have it up on the regular products list yet, it's a REALLY new deal. Apparently, it'll be a little less build-up-y than their shampoo bars, I'm not sure what it's made of but it's sulfate and paraben free.

http://serpentinehair.livejournal.com/ Her LJ is oft more up to date than the site. I asked for some scents that I found there that she didn't have on her site, and she was nice enough to let me have them :D

[CopperHead]

I remember once, I think it was last year, Ida ran out of Cucumber Lime Yogurt just when a bunch of people here wanted to order it. She made a new batch and then a few weeks later she said it wasn't up to her standards so she threw it out and had to start over. By the time it was ready, it was gone in a flash. I have to admit I grabbed a bunch of it! :wigtongue

A couple of weeks ago it got very dry and windy out here and my skin was so dry and itchy. The Cucumber Lime Yogurt soap really saved the day. I went back to making my own facial serum too and wash with CV soaps. I have great skin going right now. :)

[kwaniesiam]

I just made my first CV order, got 2 shampoo bar samples (nettle and carrot honey), 2 regular soap samples, and 2 lotion bars. Hopefully these will work out for me :)

[Desdemona]

Thanks for the links, freznow! :flowers:

I had no idea they would do all those custom scents, cool! I'm very curious to see how you like the new liquid shampoo. I saw in the blog where she is adding protein to it, which should be ok for me. I just hope she doesn't add any panthenol or glycerin since those build up on me.

[annielauri]

Have you guys used the pumpkin one on your hair? I am afraid it will turn my hair orange????

[eaglefeather71]

Have you guys used the pumpkin one on your hair? I am afraid it will turn my hair orange????

I have and no color change but then again I have very dark hair.

[Desdemona]

I haven't tried the Pumpkin or any of the regular soap bars on my hair. But I doubt it would stain your hair, it doesn't leave any color on my soap dish or bath mitt.

[avraea]

I just got my package with the new mistletoe soap, and it smells absolutely wonderful! Just like mistletoe with a lovely woodsy outdoor spicy kick. It reminds me of the holidays. :) I had actually ordered the eggnog spice as well since I didn't get to it in time the year before, and for some reason it doesn't smell like eggnog at all to me...just very spicy.

They're not ready for use until Nov 1, so I'll report back later with my results.

[serabelle]

I've tried to search through here - but honestly this thread is just so large it's too much of a task! I'm going to order some Chagrin Valley shampoo bars very soon - and I was hoping to get suggestions:

I have VERY straight hair - and it tends to be rather oily.

I try to only wash 2 times a week

I'm looking for something that will give me more body, and help with the oily problem :/

I have tried the Medusa bar from Serpentine Hair for about a week, but have noticed that my hair is oilier than usual. I did a WO "wash" today, and it's just disgusting! I had to resort to a ponytail, it was so bad.

Any suggestions for CV shampoo bars for me? I was thinking maybe the Honey, Beer and Egg, and maybe the Mud & Clay? Other suggestions are very very welcome!

[Dolly]

The Summer Sunshine bars from CV are pretty cleansing, and give me good body. I use it about 1-2 times a month, when I have an occassional oily day. I hear that the Nettle is also extra cleansing, but I haven't personally used that one.

I use to have the oily scalp really bad, about a year and a half ago, when I first started using CO. I could wash in the morning, and it would be greasy by the evening. Turns out my scalp was being over-stripped by harsh shampoos. After I started CO, it took a few weeks to train my scalp to produce less oil. I almost gave up, because my hair was pretty gross during the adjustment period. BUT, I a glad that I fought my way through it. Now, I am only oily once or twice a month.....and, I use the extra moisturizing bars from CV now. Olive Babassu and Babassu and Marshmallow.

[Desdemona]

I have an oily scalp but tend to have dry hair and Summer Sunshine is my favorite CV bar. I also like Chamomile Citrus and have gotten that when Ida was out of Summer Sunshine. The two are really close in effect but I seem to get a little more body from the Summer Sunshine.

[annielauri]

Thank you for the replies on the pumpkin bar. I have tried Babassu & marshmallow, cucumber lime, Chamomile citrus and have the pumpkin, eggnog, and orange cremesicle waiting patiently in my cabinet for future use. I love the CV bars, but also use another bar that I got at Fresh and Natural foods - apple cinnamon which leaves my hair really nummy smelling!! Not sure if it is available anywhere but Minnesota though. It works just as well as the CV bars. I haven't quite decided which of the CV bars is my favorite, but am leaning towards the Babassu one.

[healingsolitude]

Dolly - I have heard wonderful things about the Neem bar for skin and scalp problems. I originally bought the sample for use as an acne bar or as a bar for dandruff. The other shampoo bars seem to have cleared up my dandruff, though. Or maybe that was never dandruff and was instead a reaction to the SLS or whatever was in the regular shampoos that made my scalp burn a bit. I just find it hard to get past the scent of the Neem bar right now. It brings back memories of twisted ankles and tendinitis for me everytime I use it to wash my face, whereas the Juniper bar makes me feel like I'm walking through a minty forest and the Rhassoul bar makes me feel like I'm at a spa. That little bar has some tough competition since I've already found my favorites. :D

freznow - Good luck with your Serpentine bars! The names are quite interesting. I'd be tempted to try some of them if they were not said to be so moisturizing. You'll have to let us know how they work out for you! :)

Desdemona - I'm having the same problem with build-up. It used to be that I could get away with clarifying once every two weeks, but now I'm finding that I need to do it every week. My comb is also impossible to keep clean the past two weeks. I'm thinking that the baking soda is no longer cleaning my scalp as well as it used to. It is strange since I can't feel any soap residue on my hair when I touch it. It must be there somewhere since my comb is picking it up, though! I keep hoping the dairy whip will get here so that I can try that and see if that helps to cleanse my hair inbetween shampoo bar usage. I've been eyeing the Burt's Bees Grapfruit shampoo this week. Might have to grab some of that if the DW doesn't get here sometime this week. I even did a lemon rinse after my last shampoo to make sure my hair and scalp was cleansed enough. It is only three days later and I already feel like I might need another clarifying treatment, but that could be due to the Lavender & Spice bar. Keep us posted on any methods you find to help with the issue or if you find a shampoo that helps!
ETA: I bought a bottle to use to make a portion of one of the shampoo bars into a liquid shampoo. It is air drying right now. I'm going to cut off a slice from one of the bars before I go to bed so that it can soak in water overnight. I originally said I wanted to try the Summer Sunshine to see if I would react better to that one in liquid form, but I think I've just about given up on that one now. My hair is definitely getting the same reaction with the Lavender & Spice bar as it did with the SS bar, so I'm almost convinced that the coconut milk in those two bars is just not good for my hair. It will be awhile before I risk either of those two again.

kwaniesiam - Good luck with the Nettle and Carrot Honey shampoo bars, as well as the other CV items you ordered! Which soap and lotion samples did you get? I'm in love with the Hemp lotion bar. She seems to really know her stuff. :)

annielauri - I believe I've heard of some using the pumpkin soap on their hair with no problem on the soap thread here or on another board. I don't see why it would dye your hair. There shouldn't be much pumpkin pulp inside of the bar that could possibly discolor somewhat. You could always do a test in one area to make sure if you are worried about it. The only one that has "dyed" my hair was the Cafe Moreno bar and that washed out after two shampoos with another bar. My hair is on the dark side. I don't know how it works for those with lighter hair. Do you have blonde hair?

Yum! The apple cinnamon bar you mentioned sounds lovely! I was going around sniffing stuff today and looking at the ingredients on everything. Too many scents to choose from out there!

avraea - I can't wait to hear your results with those holiday soaps! They sound very nice from the description on the site. The eggnog one just smells like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves?

serabelle - The Nettle bar is the one I reach for when I want extra body. It leaves my hair cleansed, soft, shiny and full. Very nice! It smells kind of like those black jelly beans or licorice. Chamomile & Citrus is another one I use as a cleansing bar that gives me a fair amount of body. It smells exactly like the name suggests. One other suggestion? Both of the bars you suggested are a tad on the risky side. I've read very varying reviews on both of them. Some say the Honey bar moisturizes their hair, while others say it dries it out and leaves it feeling like straw. The same goes for the Mud & Clay bar, which is the reason I haven't tried either of those so far. The results seem to be about 50/50 with those two. If you are interested in those bars and order them, then I would suggest also ordering one of the bars that has a more consistent result. Nettle, Chamomile & Citrus, and Summer Sunshine are listed as cleansing and tend to be considered cleansing by most who try them. I just think I had a reaction to the coconut milk in the SS bar since I'm also having problems with another bar that has the coconut milk in it. The Extra Honey bars seems to get better results, but that one might be too moisturizing for your oily scalp.

I have very oily scalp and have only had good results with the Nettle, Chamomile & Citrus, and Cafe Moreno. The last I have to be careful about because it is not as cleansing. I hope this helps you!

[Dolly]

Desdemona - I'm having the same problem with build-up. It used to be that I could get away with clarifying once every two weeks, but now I'm finding that I need to do it every week. My comb is also impossible to keep clean the past two weeks. I'm thinking that the baking soda is no longer cleaning my scalp as well as it used to. It is strange since I can't feel any soap residue on my hair when I touch it. It must be there somewhere since my comb is picking it up, though!

I have very oily scalp and have only had good results with the Nettle, Chamomile & Citrus, and Cafe Moreno. The last I have to be careful about because it is not as cleansing. I hope this helps you!


You know, I get build-up, but ONLY if I don't use a pretty stout vinegar rinse after every use. If I skip it or make it too weak, I get a build-up issue.

I am trying my cafe moreno sample this week.....my hair is still air-drying, but it seems very soft.....we shall see!! I also love the clove scent of the Cafe Moreno bar!


ETA: My hair is now pretty much finished drying, and thus far I think the Cafe Moreno is one that my hair likes. YAY!! It has lots of body and bounce, and is very clean-looking and fresh-feeling. My ends are a little bit drier than they should be, but I think that is because I need a good clarifying (I used quite a bit of mousse last week when I found the new Aussie....LOL). For the next wash, I think I'll clarify and THEN try the Moreno......

[Desdemona]

healingsolitude, I think the DW will definitely clean the buildup off your hair, it was very stripping on mine. I hope you don't have to resort to the Burt's Bees, I'll bet you will be like me and wonder how you ever used to use detergent shampoos!

Dolly, I wish I could use a stronger vinegar rinse but when I do, my scalp protests by getting oily right away. It's a tough balancing act.

I've mentioned it earlier in the thread but I think the buildup happens as the soaps get older, they get milder and less cleansing. I've been looking into liquid shampoos that are made with potassium hydroxide as the lye component instead of sodium hydroxide. So these liquid shampoos would be different from just melting a hard bar into water. My thinking is that the soaps that are made to be liquid might have less of a tendency to "harden" onto my hair as well. Also, I'm hoping to find something with a lower glycerin content.

I ordered a sample 2 oz. size of this shampoo in almond by Encoura (http://www.encoura.com/haircare/naruralshampoo.html). I was tempted by their claim "With 10% Jojoba being used in the shampoo you avoid the coated, heavy feel you get with most soap based shampoos. " They don't use any castor oil and there is no added glycerin (although there may be too much retained glycerin that naturally occurs when making soap). Its a really simple formula with no added protein, panthenol, or extra conditioning oils.

Ingredients:
Deionized water, Potassium Heliantus Annuusate (Sunflower Oil), Potassium
Cocoate (Coconut Oil), Potassium Simmondsia Chinensisate (Jojoba), Citric Acid,
Almond Fragrance Oil.

Wish me luck!

[Dolly]

Good luck! And keep us posted on how it works......looks very interesting!

[CopperHead]

I have the Mistletoe and Eggnog Spice on the way. I also ordered a Nettle and Mud and Clay poo bar. I ordered some Serpentine and Bunnytoes poo bars too. I am swimming in poo bars!;) I just love the way I can comb through my hair so easily after using them.

[truepeacenik]

I ordered a sample 2 oz. size of this shampoo in almond by Encoura (http://www.encoura.com/haircare/naruralshampoo.html). I was tempted by their claim "With 10% Jojoba being used in the shampoo you avoid the coated, heavy feel you get with most soap based shampoos. " They don't use any castor oil and there is no added glycerin (although there may be too much retained glycerin that naturally occurs when making soap). Its a really simple formula with no added protein, panthenol, or extra conditioning oils.

Ingredients:
Deionized water, Potassium Heliantus Annuusate (Sunflower Oil), Potassium
Cocoate (Coconut Oil), Potassium Simmondsia Chinensisate (Jojoba), Citric Acid,
Almond Fragrance Oil.

Wish me luck!

isn't some sls created by cracking the coconut oil molecules?

[Desdemona]

isn't some sls created by cracking the coconut oil molecules?

SLS and SLES are detergents that are derived from the lauric acid in coconut or palm oils but the process goes way beyond the saponification used to produce soap. Here is a good description (the heating with sodium hydroxide (lye) is the saponification part):


The production begins with heating coconut oil in water in the presence of sodium hydroxide. This converts the coconut oil into fatty acids (lauric acid and glycerin). The fatty acids are next converted into fatty alcohols by a process called hydrogenation. Lauryl alcohol is not a surfactant. To make it function as a surfactant, we have to build on a hydrophilic, or watersoluble, structure...In an ethoxylated alcohol it is done through a chemical reaction with a highly toxic and carcinogenic compound called ethylene oxide, distilled from crude oil. During this process, called ethoxylation, carbon atoms from ethylene oxide are progressively added to one end of the coconut-based structure until a hydrophilic chain of the desired length is reached. At this point the surfactant can be though of as part vegetable, part petroleum...a hybrid. The ratio varies, but often near 50/50.
Green Alternatives magazine May/June 1992

[kwaniesiam]

healingsolitude, I got the honey butter and Scarborough fair soaps and the three butter lotion and the hemp mango mint :)

[healingsolitude]

Dolly - I can't seem to use much vinegar without my hair going flat and getting oily fairly quickly. The lemon juice rinse also flattened out my hair. Perhaps I'll try a smaller dose of that to see if it helps at all. I didn't notice any build-up in my brush since my strong lemon rinse, but I didn't like how flat it made my fine hair. I'd rather just be stuck cleaning my comb all of the time. ;)

I'm glad the Cafe Moreno bar worked for you! I love the softness it gives my hair and the scent of the cloves. That bar is on my list to get as a full size bar in my next order. It almost pained me today to reach for another bar instead of the CM, but I felt like I needed something very cleansing like the C&C. It is a hard bar to walk away from!


Desdemona - I am going to try very hard to resist the regular shampoos! I bought a big box of baking soda and washed a container to put it all in. Figured I can go back to a week of no pooing every day with that if I don't get the DW soon. I'll figure it out!

Good luck with the shampoo you ordered! It sounds lovely if it is as natural as it says and works well!


I have the Mistletoe and Eggnog Spice on the way. I also ordered a Nettle and Mud and Clay poo bar. I ordered some Serpentine and Bunnytoes poo bars too. I am swimming in poo bars!;) I just love the way I can comb through my hair so easily after using them.

I love the Nettle bar! Hopefully it will give you just as much softness and body as it does me. The smell is also quite nice. Enjoy your shampoo bars! You can never have too many. I bought five full size bars from a local company earlier this month and now I'm picking out more from CV. ;)


healingsolitude, I got the honey butter and Scarborough fair soaps and the three butter lotion and the hemp mango mint :)

Those are nice soaps. I've heard the Honey Butter is good as a conditioner on the ends of your hair and the Scarborough Fair is good for acne, though I haven't tried that one for that purpose yet. The hemp lotion bar is now my favorite lip balm. :)

[Dolly]

I'm glad the Cafe Moreno bar worked for you! I love the softness it gives my hair and the scent of the cloves. That bar is on my list to get as a full size bar in my next order. It almost pained me today to reach for another bar instead of the CM, but I felt like I needed something very cleansing like the C&C. It is a hard bar to walk away from!




Yeah, I am going to have to buy a full sized bar of this one now for sure! My ends felt a little dry yesterday, so I clarified and did a deep overnight oiling, and then washed with the sample again this morning.....my hair is so sooooo soft and silky.....probably partly due to the clarifying/oiling and partly due to the bar......at any rate, I am loving my hair today!!

[granitbaby]

SLS and SLES are detergents that are derived from the lauric acid in coconut or palm oils but the process goes way beyond the saponification used to produce soap. Here is a good description (the heating with sodium hydroxide (lye) is the saponification part):


Green Alternatives magazine May/June 1992

Thank you so much for posting about how SLS and SLES are produced Desdemona! I have been curious about that for some time.

I keep on trying my CV bars, but sadly bleached parts of my hair tangles hysterical.

[Desdemona]

You're welcome, granitbaby. It shows you how sneaky some beauty product companies can be by telling your their detergents are all natural, derived from coconut. They conveniently forget to mention that the rest of the molecule is from petroleum!

I'm sorry about those tangles, that is probably a sign that the bars are coating your hair. Some people can just never get them to work. :(

[CopperHead]

I got my box from Ida today and it smells so nice. I think I will try the Nettle poo bar tonight. I haven't even opened the box yet but I can smell all of the wonderful soaps in there. :cheese:

[granitbaby]

Tomorrow I'm going to give my CV bars one more try, maybe the full henna application I did last Sunday has miraculously cured my problem with tangled, coated ends? :magic:

If it's still the same I'm going to let the bars rest until after my one or two inch trim in December. My ends are just too fragile now to be traumatized with new experiments :cool:

[chantiny]

Hello everybody, I have only gotten to page 134 of this tread :agape: but I just got my CV sample bars today! I'm new to LHC and before I joined I was using very very sulphate-y and cone-y shampoo/condish. Just had to let you all know my experience! The first surprise I noticed was that my entire house now smells like shampoo bars, which is great, even though the scent isn't my fave, we have a new puppy in the house who has not yet learned to potty outside, so it covers that scent wonderfully!

I used a cheap clarifying shampoo/condish my last wash (a couple days ago) and I probably could have waited longer between washes, but I was impatient! I don't have any ACV/citric acid/lemon juice in the house so I did without (and I know I have hard water and will probably need it usually). My hair is still drying now. It feels like it is very dry already, not as in dried out, but as in it is only damp whilst my hair usually takes hours and hours to even get to that stage. My hair feels clean, strong, and silky/body but not slippy like the cones I am used to.

The CV website says my water is very very hard. My water dept. says my water is sort of kind of hard. My bathtub has turned pink from my water. But I got great lather (I used carrot milk & honey).

Is CM&H typically drying or moisturising? My hair feels great, but very very unusual! Does anyone else get the super-quick to dry after shower?

I think that it will take some time to get things right, but this is a very cool experiment and I am OK with having weird hair for a while since at least it is a change from my normal blah.

I also hope this somehow cures my sudden tangles/breakage! :D

[Dolly]

I used a cheap clarifying shampoo/condish my last wash (a couple days ago) and I probably could have waited longer between washes, but I was impatient! I don't have any ACV/citric acid/lemon juice in the house so I did without (and I know I have hard water and will probably need it usually). My hair is still drying now. It feels like it is very dry already, not as in dried out, but as in it is only damp whilst my hair usually takes hours and hours to even get to that stage. My hair feels clean, strong, and silky/body but not slippy like the cones I am used to.

The CV website says my water is very very hard. My water dept. says my water is sort of kind of hard. My bathtub has turned pink from my water. But I got great lather (I used carrot milk & honey).

Is CM&H typically drying or moisturising? My hair feels great, but very very unusual! Does anyone else get the super-quick to dry after shower?

I think that it will take some time to get things right, but this is a very cool experiment and I am OK with having weird hair for a while since at least it is a change from my normal blah.

I also hope this somehow cures my sudden tangles/breakage! :D

I notice that my hair usually dries rather quickly after using the bars, also......IF I don't use my Aussie leave-in (which has cones)......even when I used a coney condish, my hair took longer to dry.

Definitely try the ACV rinse.....I generally use white vinegar (it doesn't smell quite as strong, but seems to work just as well). I mix up my vinegar and water and put a little dab (maybe 1/2 tsp) of Suave condish in it......it makes all the difference!

My hair didn't like the Carrot Milk And Honey, but I think that it is probably "medium" on the moisturizing scale. The Olive Babassu and Babassu Marshmallow are generally considered the most moisturizing.

Enjoy your bars!!

[CopperHead]

I ended up using the CV Mud and Clay tonight and so far my hair feels great. It is still drying and the scent is wonderful! I will use the Nettle next time. I only had to lather twice with this bar and it lathered like crazy! :)

[healingsolitude]

Dolly - I was actually a little wary about ordering the Cafe Moreno sample because I honestly didn't think I would like it. Everyone says it smells very strongly and then there is the fact that it is made with brewed coffee, even though it smells nothing like coffee. It just seemed like a huge stretch that I would like that bar. I'm so glad I gave in and gave it a chance! Hopefully others who are a little wary about this bar will give the sample a chance since it is a lovely shampoo bar! It even has the babassu that most seem to love listed as the second ingredient.


I got my box from Ida today and it smells so nice. I think I will try the Nettle poo bar tonight. I haven't even opened the box yet but I can smell all of the wonderful soaps in there. :cheese:

That was how my first box was. I had a few earthy soaps in there and the Juniper Comfrey Mint soap bar really came through strongly. I could smell what smelled like a minty christmas tree as soon as I pulled the box out of the mailbox. It made me very excited to open up the box and see all of the goodies inside.

How do you still like the Mud & Clay? Did your hair dry and feel just as nice as it did when wet?

granitbaby - I hope the CV bars work better for you this time around! If not, it might be worth it to give them a rest and try later after your trim. I've heard that some of the bars even work better with your hair after you've had them for a few months. Hopefully they work out for you! Dolly gave chantiny a wonderful suggestion involving adding conditioner to the ACV rinse. Have you tried doing that? Messing around with your rinse can work wonders. Some also seem to respond better to citric rinses instead of the vinegar ones.


Hello everybody, I have only gotten to page 134 of this tread :agape: but I just got my CV sample bars today!
Is CM&H typically drying or moisturising? My hair feels great, but very very unusual! Does anyone else get the super-quick to dry after shower?

Welcome to the world of shampoo bars, chantiny! Reading all of this thread is a rather daunting task. It took me about four days to read it all almost two months ago. I think it was in the 120's around then. Congrats on making it so far! :D

I haven't tried the CM&H but reading about the reviews makes me agree with Dolly that it is neither too cleansing or too moisturizing, which is probably the reason it isn't talked about too much. It seems to have a healthy balance for most who use it. I got the impression from what you were saying that you were writing your post while your hair was still wet, is that right? I've noticed the weird feeling while my hair was wet before, only to find that it felt normal and silky once it was dry. It can just be how your hair feels when wet when you use that bar, it can be due to your first time using that bar, or it can be because you didn't use an acidic rinse after you used the bar. I'm hoping it is one of the first two, but your possibly hard water makes me worried it might be due to the last one. How is your hair feeling once it is completely dry and combed out? Is it any better or does it still have a weird, coated, or stiff feeling?

I've noticed that my hair dries more quickly with the shampoo bars, as well. Parts of my fine hair seem to dry immediately. I have to be quick about parting my hair or else it will be dry before I get around to it. That just seems to be how it is when you use the shampoo bars. It might not be quite as fast for you if you have normal or thick hair.

[ljkforu]

Tomorrow I'm going to give my CV bars one more try, maybe the full henna application I did last Sunday has miraculously cured my problem with tangled, coated ends? :magic:

If it's still the same I'm going to let the bars rest until after my one or two inch trim in December. My ends are just too fragile now to be traumatized with new experiments :cool:
I think I have seen someone else from Sweden on the site before. You should do a search and see what you can find, what is in your water in the way of minerals can cause a need for tweaking.

The bars seem to work for all of us with some tweaking. If you have fried/permed/bleached grow out (which I don't know if you do or not), you may need a gentle acid rinse to close the cuticle and some oiling on the ends to lock in moisture.

Please keep us posted, and I know that someone here will have had the exact conditions you've had and be able to give advice on how to get the results you want. Don't hesitate to pm me if you need help.

[chantiny]

Welcome to the world of shampoo bars, chantiny! Reading all of this thread is a rather daunting task. It took me about four days to read it all almost two months ago. I think it was in the 120's around then. Congrats on making it so far! :D

I haven't tried the CM&H but reading about the reviews makes me agree with Dolly that it is neither too cleansing or too moisturizing, which is probably the reason it isn't talked about too much. It seems to have a healthy balance for most who use it. I got the impression from what you were saying that you were writing your post while your hair was still wet, is that right? I've noticed the weird feeling while my hair was wet before, only to find that it felt normal and silky once it was dry. It can just be how your hair feels when wet when you use that bar, it can be due to your first time using that bar, or it can be because you didn't use an acidic rinse after you used the bar. I'm hoping it is one of the first two, but your possibly hard water makes me worried it might be due to the last one. How is your hair feeling once it is completely dry and combed out? Is it any better or does it still have a weird, coated, or stiff feeling?

I've noticed that my hair dries more quickly with the shampoo bars, as well. Parts of my fine hair seem to dry immediately. I have to be quick about parting my hair or else it will be dry before I get around to it. That just seems to be how it is when you use the shampoo bars. It might not be quite as fast for you if you have normal or thick hair.

This morning my hair is lovely and dry. It feels a little bit coated, but it's such a different kind of coat as compared to the cones. My hair is full and loose and it is not stick straight, but it feels so nice I don't mind (I have issues with my hair not laying perfectly flat, I'm odd, but this I don't mind the little flyaways because it feels so soft!)

It took 3 hours to dry instead of my usual 6-7. I wonder if it will dry as fast when I put it up, normally that takes 2 and a half DAYS to dry. Definately a wonderful perk that I wasn't expecting.

Also glad I picked a good medium bar to start out with. My hair feels super clean but not stripped, and not coated with cones, but still soft and manageable. I think that once I get a vinegar rinse, I will be in love! :p

[avraea]

The eggnog one just smells like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves?

healingsolitude, yes, it smells strongly spicy just like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I do like that mix of spicy scent too, but I love the scent of eggnog and I can't smell that at all. :confused: Ah well, hopefully the soap will be nice and moisturizing once I try it out.

By the way, I was wondering if many of you find the need to use conditioner? I've never had to use conditioner after using my cv bars, but lately (and I'm positive it's due to the sudden lack of humidity and cold weather) my ends have been horribly dry even with special care and oiling. When I first started using cv bars earlier this year, it wasn't really cold anymore so I didn't have the dryness associated with winter weather.

Well, I went and got some Aubrey Organics Island Naturals conditioner (which smells fabulous btw, nice and spicy) and smoothed some on my length before my final acidic rinse and it's made a world of difference. My hair is so soft and moisturized and now my length is just as happy as my scalp!:cheer:

[Dolly]

Dolly - I was actually a little wary about ordering the Cafe Moreno sample because I honestly didn't think I would like it. Everyone says it smells very strongly and then there is the fact that it is made with brewed coffee, even though it smells nothing like coffee. It just seemed like a huge stretch that I would like that bar. I'm so glad I gave in and gave it a chance! Hopefully others who are a little wary about this bar will give the sample a chance since it is a lovely shampoo bar! It even has the babassu that most seem to love listed as the second ingredient.



Well, the Cafe Moreno bars are available now!!:cheese:

I just placed an order and picked up a couple of those bad boys......

[CopperHead]

How do you still like the Mud & Clay? Did your hair dry and feel just as nice as it did when wet?

My hair dried nice and soft and very clean. It really lathered like crazy which suprised me. I am going to definately keep using it. I swich off poo bars all the time and have many from different vendors. I think it keeps the gunkies from building up. :) My BunnyToes came today too and they smell heavenly! Thank you, Euphony! I will be trying yours next. :cheese:

[Suldrun]

Do you have any bars with Rosemary in them? Those seem to be recommended for those with curly hair. I don't think you bought the Nettle bar since it is rather cleansing. That one is also supposed to be good for curly hair.


I have the Rosemary Lavender and I used it earlier today for the first time thanks to you:)

Results: I was shocked at the sudsyness ( is that a word?) of this bar. It really lathered more then any of my others. It did not dry my hair out. my hair feels so soft and actually looks redder ( I henna) I wonder if my hair was getting a coating because sometimes i felt a waxyness. Athough my hair felt soft it was a weird feeling but right now my hair feels almost like I used a mild conditioner on it. The only drawback is that it looks a little flatter and has less body. My waves are a little more noticable but its still straighter then usual.

My hair also went right up comfortabley in an updo. I have been leaving it down beacsue I cant get it to stay up lately without feeling pulling? Even if I redo it 5 times so I gave up, I wonder if it was from the bars.

I plan on using this bar again for my next wash and then throwing it into the rotation:D as needed...

Thanks

[MandaMom2Three]

Has anyone tried the shampoo bars from Mehandi.com? I'm thinking of ordering one when I order my henna.

[Desdemona]

There are several reviews of the Mehandi bars on this thread, I don't think many of them were favorable. If you search this thread for "Mehandi shampoo" you will find them.

I contacted the maker of the Mehandi bars, http://www.mystiqueproducts.com/, and bought some samples from her. I didn't like them at all, they left my hair very waxy and greasy. I felt they might be good for people who like to oil their hair after shampooing.

[Dolly]

Also, they are like double the price of the CV bars......that's crazy!

[MandaMom2Three]

oh poo (pun intended :D) They looked so pretty too :(

[MandaMom2Three]

Ok, I think I'm going to go with the patchouli one from Prairieland Herbs. I LOVE patchouli! I used to make my own soap, lovely stuff!! I think I might just have to get back into that! I used to make all kinds of natural bath and beauty products too, but it kinda fell to the wayside after my second was born. I think it might be time to pick it up again!

[healingsolitude]

So I think I found somewhat of a solution so far for the build-up issue in my comb. I've been doing lemon rinses this week after using the shampoo bars and haven't noticed a single spot of build-up on my comb so far (watch there be some in the next few days now that I've said this :rolleyes:). That led to another problem since I thought the lemon juice was weighing my hair down like ACV does. I did a light lemon rinse earlier after using the Chamomile & Citrus bar, which I then had to follow with the Cafe Moreno bar because I'm weak. At least I still managed to use a clarifying bar before the CM like I promised myself I'd do this week to see if I can keep the build-up away. Anyway, my hair is completely normal after the lemon rinse. There is no weighted down look this time. I don't know if that is due to the smaller amount of lemon juice or if it is because the Lavender & Spice bar was the reason for the flat hair due to the coconut milk that my hair doesn't seem to like. I'm pleased no matter what the reason is. I also got my dairy whip in the mail to see if that can help as a clarifying treatment in between the bars.


This morning my hair is lovely and dry. It feels a little bit coated, but it's such a different kind of coat as compared to the cones. My hair is full and loose and it is not stick straight, but it feels so nice I don't mind (I have issues with my hair not laying perfectly flat, I'm odd, but this I don't mind the little flyaways because it feels so soft!)

It took 3 hours to dry instead of my usual 6-7. I wonder if it will dry as fast when I put it up, normally that takes 2 and a half DAYS to dry. Definately a wonderful perk that I wasn't expecting.

Also glad I picked a good medium bar to start out with. My hair feels super clean but not stripped, and not coated with cones, but still soft and manageable. I think that once I get a vinegar rinse, I will be in love! :p

Softness is one of the wonderful benefits of these bars. You will probably notice that your hair will actually get even more soft after about a month or two. Mine certainly did and my hair strands even nearly doubled in size. Somewhat unnerving since I didn't realize just how unhealthy my hair was before I switched over to these bars.

Wow, it takes that long to dry your hair? Do you have super thick hair?

It sounds like you are doing good so far without a vinegar rinse. Perhaps you don't need one or you could just need a very small amount to reduce the need to clarify often. There is a ton of experimenting involved when using these bars. :)


healingsolitude, yes, it smells strongly spicy just like cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. I do like that mix of spicy scent too, but I love the scent of eggnog and I can't smell that at all. :confused: Ah well, hopefully the soap will be nice and moisturizing once I try it out.

By the way, I was wondering if many of you find the need to use conditioner? I've never had to use conditioner after using my cv bars, but lately (and I'm positive it's due to the sudden lack of humidity and cold weather) my ends have been horribly dry even with special care and oiling. When I first started using cv bars earlier this year, it wasn't really cold anymore so I didn't have the dryness associated with winter weather.

Well, I went and got some Aubrey Organics Island Naturals conditioner (which smells fabulous btw, nice and spicy) and smoothed some on my length before my final acidic rinse and it's made a world of difference. My hair is so soft and moisturized and now my length is just as happy as my scalp!:cheer:

I noticed that with the Apples & Spice bar. It was all spice and very little apple when I got it. I've heard the same goes for the pumpkin bar, so perhaps the spice scents are just very overpowering with most or all of the bars. The apple scent in my A&S bar has come out much more with use. Perhaps the eggnog scent will come out once you use that bar a few times.

I haven't even attempted to use a conditioner since my ends haven't gotten dry yet. Conditioners also make my fine hair look super flat. I think I'll try the honey rinse on Ida's site if I find that my hair gets a little dry this winter. I've heard that some of the bar users will rinse the shampoo out of their hair and then hold their dry ends in the vinegar rinse for a minute or two before pouring it over their entire scalp. Congrats on finding a conditioner that works for you and works with the bars!

Dolly - I found myself staring at the Cafe Moreno bar picture on the site the other night, while sometimes glancing at the November 1st date. I'm trying to resist for now since I want to test out a soap for a week to see if I want to include a full size of that in my next order. It is hard to resist though!


I have the Rosemary Lavender and I used it earlier today for the first time thanks to you:)

Results: I was shocked at the sudsyness ( is that a word?) of this bar. It really lathered more then any of my others. It did not dry my hair out. my hair feels so soft and actually looks redder ( I henna) I wonder if my hair was getting a coating because sometimes i felt a waxyness. Athough my hair felt soft it was a weird feeling but right now my hair feels almost like I used a mild conditioner on it. The only drawback is that it looks a little flatter and has less body. My waves are a little more noticable but its still straighter then usual.

You worried me slightly when I read that, but then I noticed the smile and figured it must have gone well. :D I'm glad it worked for you, for the most part! I wonder if it would help to mix the bars a bit? Maybe use one that gives you body as the first wash, rinse, and then use the Rosemary one as the second wash? Also, did you use a vinegar rinse afterward? Or did that not help at all? Most seem to get body from the vinegar rinses.

You might find you have more curl coming back after a second wash with the Rosemary. It can be a pain to have flat hair though.

MandaMom2Three - I also agree that the Mehandi bars have mixed to awful reviews, at least based on the ones I've seen posted near the middle of this thread. It seems like a big price to pay for a bar that is not known to be absolutely wonderful on the hair, but perhaps you will find one of the bars or some samples posted on the swap board soon. I don't hear too much about those bars anymore. I'm sure some here are still experimenting with them though.

I've heard good things about the Patchouli bar you picked out! Just one warning in case you have dry hair? Most of the posts about the Prairieland Herbs bars have been about how cleansing they are on the hair. Perhaps have some conditioner on hand in case you feel like you might need it. :)

Do you think you might get back into making soap again? That would be a lovely thing to do! Did you ever try to make shampoo bars?

[ljkforu]

Ok, I think I'm going to go with the patchouli one from Prairieland Herbs. I LOVE patchouli! I used to make my own soap, lovely stuff!! I think I might just have to get back into that! I used to make all kinds of natural bath and beauty products too, but it kinda fell to the wayside after my second was born. I think it might be time to pick it up again!
Hi, I'm a soap maker too. I live in too small of an apartment for it to be safe. My alternative is to buy natural soaps, glycerin soap, herbs and moisturizing oils and reformulating. Much safer and can be done in the microwave.

Let me know what you think.

[Dolly]

So I think I found somewhat of a solution so far for the build-up issue in my comb. I've been doing lemon rinses this week after using the shampoo bars and haven't noticed a single spot of build-up on my comb so far (watch there be some in the next few days now that I've said this :rolleyes:). That led to another problem since I thought the lemon juice was weighing my hair down like ACV does. I did a light lemon rinse earlier after using the Chamomile & Citrus bar, which I then had to follow with the Cafe Moreno bar because I'm weak. At least I still managed to use a clarifying bar before the CM like I promised myself I'd do this week to see if I can keep the build-up away. Anyway, my hair is completely normal after the lemon rinse. There is no weighted down look this time. I don't know if that is due to the smaller amount of lemon juice or if it is because the Lavender & Spice bar was the reason for the flat hair due to the coconut milk that my hair doesn't seem to like. I'm pleased no matter what the reason is. I also got my dairy whip in the mail to see if that can help as a clarifying treatment in between the bars.



Dolly - I found myself staring at the Cafe Moreno bar picture on the site the other night, while sometimes glancing at the November 1st date. I'm trying to resist for now since I want to test out a soap for a week to see if I want to include a full size of that in my next order. It is hard to resist though!




So glad that you may have solved your buildup issue! It must be the coconut milk!

Yeah, I won't be ordering again until the Olive Babassu is back in stock, which is going to be about 3 more weeks.....I know that sometimes Ida's bars fly out of there, so I didn't want to take a chance at possibly missing out on the Cafe Moreno bars!!

I am happy that now I will have 3 bars to rotate on "normal" days.....Olive Babassu, Babassu & Marshmallow, and Cafe Moreno.....then on oilier days, I'll grab my Summer Sunshine.....

I am an addict!

[freznow]

I tried the serpentine bars! My hair is SO soft and shiny and tangle free! I love it. The only downside is that the length kinda stringy, but often the stringiness is 'absorbed' a few days after I wash and the braid waves break it up a bit. So we'll see how it goes, it may show itself to be perfect in a few days or so. And I adore the scents, so it's definitely going to be in my routine somewhere from now on.

:D