The Shampoo Bar Thread

[n3m3sis42]

Oh, so far I've tried rosemary nettle, aloe fresh, ginger beer, hempachouli and coco-free and they all worked very well. My scalp and hair get very clean, which is exactly what I like. My hair doesn't like anything moisturizing. I think you'll like them unless you have dry hair.

My hair is sort of normal-to-dry, I guess. As in, sometimes it will get VERY dry, but mostly it's just sort of "on the dry side". In the summer, it gets oily faster because it's really hot and humid here. The only CV bar I've found too moisturizing so far has been Olive Babassu. It did get my hair clean, but by the end of Day 2, but roots looked oily and my hair was sort of flat (although it was REALLY shiny). I feel like it MIGHT work for me in the winter or as an occasional treatment if my hair feels dry.

The others I've tried (Mud and Clay, Cafe Moreno, Honey Beer and Egg, Lavender and Spice, Babassu and Marshmallow, and Nettle) have gotten my hair really clean. I found Nettle to be more cleansing and drying than the others (but not too cleansing), and Babassu and Marshmallow and HB&E have probably been the most moisturizing of the bunch.

I'll probably try the PLH bars during the summer when it's hotter and my hair tends to get yucky faster. If I don't like them for my hair, I may just be getting in touch with you to see if you want any half-bars.

[ruthietoothie]

HI, I'm new to this thread, and haven't had time to read all the pages yet.

Backround on me: In January of 2007, I started using CV bars (my favorite was Extra Honey Beer). I did not condition afterwards with anything. For the first few weeks, my hair was divine! Lovely, really. Then it started looking terrible! Coated, ,and gross! I don't remember if I did any ACV rinses, but I am pretty sure I did. Anyhow, not long after that, I started Water Only on my hair. I had pretty good results at first (w/ only ACV rinses once a week), but then I fell into the habit of doing ACV rinses more frequently...that's when my hair took a turn for the worst. In Oct/Nov of 07, I started thinking about trying out No Water/ Sebum Only. So I weaned myself off of the frequent ACV rinses first, then started stretching out my WO rinses. On December 28th, I began NW. My agreement was to try NW for 5 months to give my scalp ample time to adjust. I am now more than 4 months into the experiment, and my hair is still greasy looking from root to tip. I am trying to decide what to try next. I am thinking first of trying WO, but I was not happy w/ my hair on that after a while either, so I am also thinking of trying out CV bars again. Should I think about using a regular soap bar as conditioner? The one I want (Lime and Basil Yogurt) is out of stock and not ready to order yet. I ordered a different one in a sample size (but I can't remember the name of it now..something w/ olive oil in it though!)

Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated! And thanks, if you actually read my whole backround story!

[n3m3sis42]

HI, I'm new to this thread, and haven't had time to read all the pages yet.

Backround on me: In January of 2007, I started using CV bars (my favorite was Extra Honey Beer). I did not condition afterwards with anything. For the first few weeks, my hair was divine! Lovely, really. Then it started looking terrible! Coated, ,and gross! I don't remember if I did any ACV rinses, but I am pretty sure I did.

Hi! A couple of things. I've only been using the CV bars since March, so note that I'm not an expert or anything (yet?). However, so far, I love them, and I have read this whole thread and 150+ pages of the CV bar thread from the archived forum, because I am a sad, sad person.

First, if you *weren't* using an ACV rinse (I know you said you weren't sure), I think that could cause the "coated" feeling. Secondly, do you have hard water? Some people with hard water have trouble with these bars, and a water filter or a rinse with distilled water may help. Third, some people need to clarify every now and then using a baking soda rinse (or something else clarifying like that). You might be able to try the BS rinse if you do start using the CV bars again and end up getting that icky coated feeling.

You could also try switching up the bars more often. Maybe some specific ones builld up on your hair if you use them too many times in a row?

[loves2spin]

I agree with n3m3sis42. I know from long experience that soft water makes a HUGE difference in washing hair - and not only with poo bars. And, if your hair loved the bar for a while and then seemed to be coated, all it would take to remove that would be a quick wash with something cheap like Sauve shampoo, rinse, then wash with your bar again - at least that is what I would probably try if it were me, which it's not. Good luck. I hope you can find a routine that is perfect for YOUR hair!

[ruthietoothie]

Thanks for the suggestions! I still have some time before I need to try them out, but at least now I have a place to start!

Oh, we have ALMOST soft water (on the water hardness chart, there are 4 "levels" of hardness., 1 being the lowest. Where I live was considered a "2".) I'm pretty sure that I tried a AC rinse when the bars starting leaving my hair icky. It didn't make a difference. My hair is always like that, though...it will like a product for a while, and then it hates it. My hair just can't make up it's mind!

[Mishka_84]

After reading only the first 3 pages of this thread I found myself buying some sample bars from CV; I'm now impatiently waiting to get my Honey beer and egg and Babassu and Marshmallow. I've used poo bars before, from Heart of Iowa, but ran out and never reordered. I've looked through their inventory as well, but decided to give CV a try. I'll post results once I get them!

[Calista]

Ruth, maybe you´re one of those people that need to clarify every once in a while, even with shampoo bars. When I started with them I had to clarify about every eight weeks. I haven´t clarified in ages now, maybe because I stopped using soap as conditioner.

[ruthietoothie]

So is it a good thing to use the soaps as conditioner? I haven't tried that, but may.

Oh, and I officially quit NW/SO today...I rinsed.

Can I clarify w/ BS? Is that too drying? I had tried it instead of shampoo a year and a half ago, and found it not to be good for my hair all the time, but maybe just for clarifying every once in a while?

[n3m3sis42]

So is it a good thing to use the soaps as conditioner? I haven't tried that, but may.

Oh, and I officially quit NW/SO today...I rinsed.

Can I clarify w/ BS? Is that too drying? I had tried it instead of shampoo a year and a half ago, and found it not to be good for my hair all the time, but maybe just for clarifying every once in a while?

ruthietoothie, I used to wash my hair with a BS/water solution (for about a year, before I switched to shampoo bars). I used a tablespoon of baking soda in about 1.5 cups of water. I found that it wasn't too drying as long as I didn't let it sit on my hair for very long before rinsing it out, and as long as I used a fairly strong ACV rinse (I think I described it to you in an earlier post, but I'm not sure--it's 2 tbsp ACV in about 1.5 cups water).

I know I've seen other people on here that use a BS/water solution to clarify every so often in order to remove shampoo bar buildup.

As far as the soaps-as-conditioners question, I haven't actually tried doing this because I am pretty sure my hair would hate it. Some people swear by this, but others get buildup, so my suggestion would be to try some shampoo bars (again) first and see how it works for you.

[Shannon4J]

My husband & I were at Whole Foods tonight and we got some soaps that smell sooooo YUMMY!!! They are by Wyndmere Naturals, Inc. I got them for handwashing, but the way it lathered up I instantly thought of using it on my hair! LOL

Think this would be ok for hair? Here's the ingredients:
Palm, coconut and olive oils; sodium hydroxide in water (alkaline solution for saponification); shea butter, pure therapeutic grade essential oils of lemon, orange, juniper, clove bud, lemongrass and patchouli; Siberian ginseng leaves and orrisroot powder.

It says "Soaps handmade in small batches with all natural plant materials."

Thanks much!!!