The Shampoo Bar Thread

[n3m3sis42]

I tried yet another new CV bar today!

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

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

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

Wow, that was long.

[Miss Murphy]

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

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

[Kazazi]

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

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

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

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

[Calista]

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

[n3m3sis42]

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Kazazi]

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

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

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

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

[Miss Murphy]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Shannon4J]

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

There is a lot of GREAT info here!

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

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

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

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

[n3m3sis42]

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

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

[young&reckless]

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

:Happy dance: