Squiggyflop, I can't say why you're getting these tangles, but I'd try to add ablob of conditioner to your vinegar rinse next time.
There are some of us that still use conditioner with our poo bars.
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Squiggyflop, I can't say why you're getting these tangles, but I'd try to add ablob of conditioner to your vinegar rinse next time.
There are some of us that still use conditioner with our poo bars.
Looks like it's bye bye poo bars for me very soon... :(
I've been trying them now for over two weeks, washing approximately every other day, and I have tried a serpentine hair bar and three from CV (chamomile & citrus, olive babassu, and rosemary & lavendar).
My hair has been slightly stringy and waxy at its best and unbearable to touch at its worst (that's when I tried to condition the lengths with CV cucumber, lime & yoghurt soap).
I've played with different vinegar rinses, condish etc, clarified with baking soda, and it's just not working out. The vinegar definitely does something as I feel instant slip when it goes on the hair, but apparently that's not enough. Tried it up to 1:10 dilution.
In addition to my hair not looking great I also worry about the excess water I am using in the shower with those repeat latherings and extra rinses (just doesn't seem very environmentally friendly to me), the damage that all this extra wet handling may be doing to my hair, and whether hair that feels crap like this can actually be damaged by the poo bars.
I haven't used cones in years, so I don't think build-up is my problem. I threw in a conditioner only wash last week and my hair was instantly lovely. Plus, my skin does not seem to like the CV soaps either, they make my hands feel really dry :(
So, is it time to call it quits and just accept that the poo bars and CV soaps just don't work for me? Probably because my water is rock hard and possibly because I just don't like alkaline products?
Or is there anything else I could/should still try?
And if I give up on them, what to do I do with all the bars? I don't know if putting them up for swap is worth the hassle of packaging and posting them given that they are quite cheap originally and postage is likely expensive. Any tips?
Thanks,
Kaz x
Kazazi, I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I think that with every other routine, your hair is unique and it will react in a unique way.
To me it sounds like you tried pretty much everything. Maybe one of the longer users has an idea, though.
You could do two things with your bars, the way I see it:
-) Put them away, stop thinking about them and give them another try in a while. I think it was Neoma whose second time around was a charm.
-) Put them up on the swap board after all. There are lots of Europeans here, and postage from the UK is still cheaper than from the USA, where you bought the bars. Also, some people are more comfortable buying from the board than on the internet. I don't think it can hurt to put them up.
another thing you can do with them if you decide not to use them on your hair anymore is to use them on your body/face. that's what i'm doing with my CV Rosemary Lavender Aloe which gave me so much shedding that i will refuse to let it touch my hair anymore. they work like any other soap after all (maybe a bit less moisturizing for the skin but i don't mind that personally as i have quite an oily skin).
Kazazi,
I'm sorry to hear the shampoo bars didn't work out for you!
I guess they're not for everybody.
You could also bring them to an LHC meet the next time there is one in your area; they would be great for swapping, or you could sell them there and save everybody the hassle & costs of shipping. :)
Thanks for your words of encouragement everybody :)
I rewashed my hair with conditioner only yesterday because I just couldn't stand the waxies anymore and I will give the bars a break now whilst I decide how to progress with my hair routine. I won't get rid of them just yet because I still think they may be good on my scalp compared to regular shampoo, but we'll see.
In the meanwhile, I will keep following this thread. I'm still very interested to hear more about how those with hard water or those who couldn't get the bars to work in the beginning made their breakthroughs.
Thanks,
Kaz x
Kazazi, I had trouble with the Olive Babassu and anything citrus hates my hair. I am having good luck with Lush products right now (Squeaky Green and Veganese conditioner).
The Cafe Moreno CV bar has been demoted to a shaving soap for my legs. It was too masculine scented for me and left me dry.
But they can't work for us all. At least you tried.
Kazazi-- I might try one more time, if I were you, and up the vinegar rinse more. Just to see, before you swap them all. If your water is that hard, it might need a bit of an extra boost-- I've certainly used stronger vinegar rinses than that, and my hair felt fine. I have pretty hard water, too.
Of course, like everyone else has said, shampoo bars don't work for everybody. I'm sorry if that's the case for you! But it's great that CO works for you, I get horrible scalp itchies and gunkies on CO.
ok so i washed my hair again today with the shampoo bar and i got massive shedding... i was losing 10 hairs at a time by just touching my hair... im afraid to try it again.. i havent had shedding like this in years... i tryed putting a little conditioner in my rinse but i still have tangles.. not to mention hair that looks so nasty i cant leave it down like i usually do after a wash... i think im going to have to go back to diluted shampoo... its such a hassle to use the bar anyway... im going to give the other bar to my friend thats having a baby..
I was using my own plain homemade soap for a while (just lye, soft water, lard and coconut oil) with a ACV rinse. It worked fine. I recently bought a shampoo bar on Ebay and love it. I've ordered some oils and some lavender essential oil and am planning to make a batch soon if I can find a reliable recipe. I really love how the shampoo bar does not dry out my hair and I don't need any conditioner! :joy: