will shampoo bars destroy my hair?

[Fethenwen]

I just bought a poo bar for my husband who likes to use them, he has short hair so he isn't concerned with damage. Now I'm really tempted to start using this, it is so cheap and also more enviro-friendly compared to conventional shampoo with all the chemicals and bottles. And this 'poo-bar smells great too!


But my concern is that it might damage my hair because shampoo bars ph levels are too high for hair, ph 10 or something. High ph might, to quote from a source: "weaken the hair by breaking the disulfide bonds in hair keratin", that sounds quite alarming to me, as the instruction that one should use an acidic rinse in order to close to hair cuticle.
I would hate it if my hair got damaged from continuous washing with something that would open the hair cuticle and then I would continuously close it again, and this circle would eventually give me permanent damage. Or would it? Perhaps because of the short duration of shampoo getting in contact with the hair + all the conditioning ingredients might just minimize or eliminate the danger of getting hair damage?


Any thoughts or user experiences are very much appreciated! :flower:


oh btw, it would be useful for you who have had great or bad experiences with shampoo bars to state your hair type and what kind of water you have. Thank you!

[patienceneeded]

Using an acid rinse (either ACV or White Vinegar) will take the Ph of your hair back to normal levels. There are many long-hairs here who use poo-bars exclusively and have for years. I have used one off and on and liked them in general, but had issues with waxy build-up. There is a massive thread for poo-bar users around here somewhere. I highly recommend you read through it before giving the bars a try, there are lots of tricks to making the transition successfully. I may try again someday, after more damage is gone from my hair.

[Chromis]

I also recommend the shampoo bar thread! I have lots of posts there.

Short answer: They don't work for everyone. I'm pretty sure there is no washing method that everyone's hair will always like. Mine does very well with shampoo bars and I have used them for several years now. I've used them in medium-soft, hard, and practically liquid calcium water. I have always used an acid rinse, but I do have to adjust this a bit to my water hardness. It's pretty easy to tell once you try it and I had no adjustment period at all. I tried going back to shampoo and conditioner for a while since shipping is expensive here and lost hair like crazy. Back to the bars for me!

[spidermom]

I have the same thoughts as you: why would I want to expose my hair and scalp to something alkaline when they clearly prefer acidic? I don't care if vinegar corrects the pH; I'd rather not disturb my pH in the first place.

This may be irrational, but I also hate the slimey feeling of a soap bar; even the thought of touching one totally icks me out.

[Neecola]

I've only been using shampoo bars for the last month or so but so far I am happy with the results. I had my own reservations as well, having read a few threads here about damaged hair and also the reference to disulfide bonds. After looking into the disulfide bonds a little further, I found out that curly hair has many more than straight hair. If these bonds were in fact breaking, then my own hair would start becoming straighter over time. Also, there are a few curlies who have used shampoo bars long term (Manderly comes to mind) and their hair is no less curly years down the road.

Spidermom brings up a good point about pH. It is something to keep in mind. What I can say is that my hair looks and feels great. Better than it did when I was using pH balanced shampoo. :shrug: I can't say why that is but I am keeping an eye on the condition of my hair. So far, so good.

[firefly42]

I use shampoo bars whenever I can afford to purchase them; off and on throughout the last several years. I have noticed my hair is much softer and happier when i use shampoo bars rather than when I use any other shampoo. I definitely recommend them!

I have fine, thin hair and i'm not sure what kind of water, hard, I think?

[akurah]

If shampoo bars destroyed or significantly damaged hair, I'm not so sure they'd be as popular as they are. If you're curious about it, give your husband's shampoo bar a shot for a few washes, and either use a conditioner after or an acidic rinse.

Personally, I hate the poo bars. Made my hair feel uber waxy and it sort of stuck to itself (not in the greasy way, but in a waxy manner) and it pissed me off enough I never bothered to troubleshoot it to see if it was something resolvable or not for my hair.

[aspartame gram]

I love them! It's what I've been using consistently so far. I have pretty sensitive skin, as well, as the bars with the acidic rinse do not irritate me in any manner. I mean, I've even had these rashes appear on my torso from using regular products! Very upsetting...

I live in Colorado, so we have pretty hard water. My hair is mostly virgin (the very tips have a bit of remnant bleach from when I dyed it purple), straight with a bit of a wave. It's also fine, but I have plenty of it. I didn't really have a bad transition period because I had already been cone and sulfate free (oh, allergies). Definitely give it a shot! You can look up to see if you have particularly hard water or not, then adjust the acidic rinse accordingly. Best of luck to you! Let us know how you fare!

[aspartame gram]

I love them! It's what I've been using consistently so far. I have pretty sensitive skin, as well, and the bars with the acidic rinse do not irritate me in any manner. I mean, I've even had these rashes appear on my torso from using regular products! Very upsetting...

I live in Colorado, so we have pretty hard water. My hair is mostly virgin (the very tips have a bit of remnant bleach from when I dyed it purple), straight with a bit of a wave. It's also fine, but I have plenty of it. I didn't really have a bad transition period because I had already been cone and sulfate free (oh, allergies). Definitely give it a shot! You can look up to see if you have particularly hard water or not, then adjust the acidic rinse accordingly. Best of luck to you! Let us know how you fare!

[gonzobird]

I cant stand them. I need suds. (natural suds, that is.) I also don't like the whole higher ph, fix with vinegar... I prefer shampoo with a low ph so does my scalp. ditto on what spidermom said.

[Fethenwen]

Using an acid rinse (either ACV or White Vinegar) will take the Ph of your hair back to normal levels. There are many long-hairs here who use poo-bars exclusively and have for years. I have used one off and on and liked them in general, but had issues with waxy build-up. There is a massive thread for poo-bar users around here somewhere. I highly recommend you read through it before giving the bars a try, there are lots of tricks to making the transition successfully. I may try again someday, after more damage is gone from my hair.

Hmm, I browsed through that thread, but it did not have that many posts about this particular concern. That's why I thought it would be better that I make a new thread that would focus on this.


People really seem to have mixed feelings about poo-bars, good to see that there are some of you who get great results even though you have hard water.

[chrissy-b]

I love them. I have fine, thin hair that has a slight wave. I have been using them on and off for a few years and I never noticed any damage when my hair was longer.

Shampoo bars give me body and shine like nothing else. They also make my hair so soft I don't need conditioner. Using a leave-in or a little oil on the ends was enough. I don't always follow with a acidic rinse because I don't always need it (not sure how hard my water is). The only time I had issues with waxiness was when I wasn't rinsing completely.

I found two bars from Fresh as a Daisy Soaps (on etsy) that I love so much I don't think I'll ever use regular shampoo again (except for clarifying when I need it).

[starlamelissa]

Well I don't think washing hair with soap will destroy the hair, or really damage it much. I use plain white bar soap on my skin.... And my skin is super duper sensitive.

However I don't see the point of buying a special bar. Just use body soap that is cheap and locally available.

[PrincessIdril]

I've used them exclusively for years (quite possibly approaching a decade now, I have no idea!) and haven't had any issues with them. I find it much easier to control how much shampoo I actually use with them, and if my psoriasis ridden scalp is happy with them I don't see why I should change to anything else!
I have never bothered with any form of acid rinse either, I actually only found out about those last year and well my hair has been pretty happy without them so yeah...

But I do use the Lush ones which I know are different to the kind people here buy off Etsy and over places.

ETA: I have pretty hard water and MBL 2c-3a hair (probably more like just 3a now, my curls are really thriving at the moment)

[Cheele]

I started using shampoo bars last June. My experience has been fairly positive. When I first started using them... I was in love. My hair was shiny and soft and... just great (I no longer have straw hair according my boyfriend - which I completely resented him for saying btw. My hair is not and has never been "straw" :argue: Anyways..). After about 3-4 months, my hair felt a little... dingy/dull. So, I switched backed to sulfates and began washing regularly with them again. My hair felt even softer and shiner than before... until it started getting dry. I then went back to bars, and it was the same cycle over again. I discovered I just needed a sulfate intermittently to clarify. So every week/couple weeks I do that now and I like it. It's certainly the best routine I've ever had.

Notes: Not sure about my water. Always followed by ACV rinse.. which is followed by conditioner. I no longer have cystic scalp acne shudder:. I use CV bars. My hair found some wave! And my individual strands are wayyyy thicker (but much more wily) as opposed to my fine-ish ends which got to experience sulfate washing every day.

If you're curious about how it will effect your hair, you should just give it a go and see for yourselfs.

To each his/her own, though.

[chen bao jun]

I bought several shampoo bars but have been afraid to try them. I bought when I was figuring out a routine, but then CO worked so well that I am afraid to mess with what's working. they are Dr. Ligetts. I have 3c hair and it very rapidly dries out --its very hard to keep it moisturized and soft.

[audreyk94]

I've only had bad experiences with them.

One day I decided to buy a shampoo bar off Etsy. I fully researched the topic, and understood that hair must go through that whole "adjustment period..."

So from July 31 - September 5 I shampoo'd my hair with the bar every other day. Results? Really really residue-y hair, dry hair (and later damaged hair because it was so dry), but surprisingly less dandruff. But all in all, I can't believe I forced myself to go through that month period... I normally kept 'it' in a high top knot because the residue gave it a weird pliable texture ...... :shrug: I know shampoo bars work for some people, but I guess not for me..

Also, I read an article on a chemistry based beauty blog that said the pH levels of the soap can be too basic for our hair and scalp, which also includes the baking soda hair washing method... But that you could could counteract the pH level thing with a ACV wash... (I'm actually not sure what the article said, sorry...)

[UltraBella]

My hair hates shampoo bars. Ugh. I've got hard water and that could contribute to the bad experience. My hair doesn't like ACV rinses either, so I couldn't immediately fix how awful my hair felt. Dry and dull and terrible. If I used it often, yes, I think it would ruin my hair. Other people love them and their hair looks wonderful, so you just have to try it and decide for yourself. A lot of people say that their hair doesn't like protein, my hair *LOVES* protein. Everyone's different.

[Lady Mary]

I love shampoo bars. My hair has never before been so soft and require this little upkeep. I used to wash daily with CO but I can go a week and my hair still looks amazing. My hair is straight, fine and my water is soft water (city water.)

[QMacrocarpa]

I got a CV sample bar as a gift and tried it once before demoting it to a career as hand-soap. I just didn't like it well enough to stick with it for washing my hair. I felt like I needed another wash quite soon after my shampoo-bar wash, which was disappointing. Dilute liquid shampoo and conditioner works great for my hair and the stretched washing schedule I prefer.

If I were you, since you have a shampoo bar handy and wouldn't have to buy one just for the experiment, I would probably try it once and see how you like it.