Ordering Chagrin Valley shampoo bars from UK - recommendations please

[Jenny.Wren]

I'm thinking of trying their shampoo bars. I have emailed them and they have informed me of shipping costs and have suggested I try their sample bars.

Does anyone know how many washes you get from a sample bar? They said for the shipping price to the UK I could order 7 regular bars or 14 samples.

Does anyone have any recommendations? I have naturally curly hair (dark brown with henna) and like things that are moisturising but would also like to try something for an itchy scalp?

I assume they remove coconut oil and styling products from your hair?

Thank you.

[manderly]

Have you checked out the poo bar thread?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74&highlight=shampoo+thread

I would recommend you get samples.

Start with light ones while you transition (if at all).

Summer Sunshine
Herb Garden
Beer & Honey
Lavendar & Aloe

Then as you get on with them, you may want to switch with the more moisturizing ones.

Lavendar & Aloe
Olive & Babassu (my favorite)
Extra Honey & Beer
Olive & Marshmallow

The sample bars will get you maybe 5-10 washes or so? It's been a while :) But they do last a long time. Once you cycle through all your samples, do yourself a favor and order them AGAIN. Chances are you will like a bar you didn't like the first time around because your hair was transitioning. Then narrow yourself down to 2-3 bars to rotate. As time progresses, you may not need to do this any longer (I rarely, if ever rotate any more). I used to use the Extra Honey & Beer, then I moved on to the Lavender & Aloe (this was my favorite), then I moved onto the Olive & Babassu (one of the most moisturizing, if not THE most moisturizing bar.....too moisturizing for "beginners" usually). I rotated all 3 of these for a while, now I only use the O&B. I occasionally use the Extra Honey & Beer just because I need to use it up :)

[Calista]

I would get a sample of each. A sample lasts long enough for you to find out whether your hair likes it or not. All her shampoos are nice.

[Moonstruck]

My sample bars, if I let them dry out between uses (aka, take it out of the shower) lasted me well over a month, closer to two. Somewhere closer to 20 washes, for me. I lather less than Manderly though, I think. I also have fewer hairs to wash, haha, silly thin-ish diameter.

I never realized this, but I use all bars that Manderly doesn't, haha. I'd suggest Nettle for dark hair and itchy scalp, and it's fairly balancing. Grab a few normal soap bars too, if you see any that interest you. I've had good results with a few.

[Jenny.Wren]

Have you checked out the poo bar thread?

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=74&highlight=shampoo+thread

I would recommend you get samples.

Start with light ones while you transition (if at all).

Summer Sunshine
Herb Garden
Beer & Honey
Lavendar & Aloe

Then as you get on with them, you may want to switch with the more moisturizing ones.

Lavendar & Aloe
Olive & Babassu (my favorite)
Extra Honey & Beer
Olive & Marshmallow



wow, thanks for your comments :D

What do you mean by transition? :confused:

Do I need to use a particular bar for a couple of weeks say, then try the next for a couple of weeks etc or can I use a different one each time I wash my hair?

Oh and thanks for the link, must've missed that one :o

[Calista]

And be sure to check out her dog shampoos, I use them as well (on my hair), they are also very nice.

[manderly]

Transitioning is your hair getting used to soap. You may experience funky hair, kind of waxy and weird.

You can rotate different bars everytime you wash, no need to stick with one for a week. But you'll want to stay with the lighter bars early on, as you'll be a waxy lank mess if you start off with the O&B (I was, and most people can't handle it in the beginning, or at all).

Once you get around the funky hair (it's old buildup coming off, you can clarify to help get past this stage) then you might want to use one bar a few times so you can decide whether you like it enough to order a fullsize. No sense in rotating constantly if you're trying to decide which you like.

I would read some of the thread I linked, it's long and you won't get through it, read the first few pages, then skip to the middle, then skip to the end. You should get a bunch of info that way, then you have a little background to jump in with questions :) You'll find pretty much everything answered within that thread (you can also use the search function within the thread :D)

[Jenny.Wren]

I would read some of the thread I linked, it's long and you won't get through it, read the first few pages, then skip to the middle, then skip to the end. You should get a bunch of info that way, then you have a little background to jump in with questions :) You'll find pretty much everything answered within that thread (you can also use the search function within the thread :D)

thank you, yes I started off reading the thread and got to page 5 and realised how big the thread was :agape:

do they remove styling products/coconut oil?

[manderly]

do they remove styling products/coconut oil?

Yes. They can have difficulty with silicone and very strong hold (wax and styling paste type) products. An occasional SLS clarify wash will fix that.

[Nini]

I have the bars for ages, if I just dry them out between uses:)

I read through her descriptions and got the ones I thought I'd like. I've got both shampoo and soap bars. I gave up on using them for my hair because I've got a shampoo that's faster for me.

Remember to rinse after poo'ing, or you'll most likely experience some stickiness/coating.

Nini

[Calista]

...I started off reading the thread and got to page 5 and realised how big the thread was...
You can also use the thread search function ("Search this thread" at the upper right) to find specific posts that answer your questions.

[Evilynn]

Sort of on the same topic: Just how bad does the neem and tea tree oil bar smell? I have some neem shampoo and it doesn't smell bad at all, but I suspect the neem content isn't anywhere near as high as in the CV bars.

[GlassEyes]

Transitioning is your hair getting used to soap. You may experience funky hair, kind of waxy and weird.

O_O I think you may have convinced me to order again. I had crazy funky hair and build up, but I started with the Olive and Marshmallow bar. xD Also, I didn't use them long enough.

They made my hair so shiny, but feel so weird...

[Moonstruck]

Do it, GlassEyes! I'm so madly in love with 'poo bars.
Evilynn - I don't have any experience with neem nor how strong it smells, but I do remember reading on the shampoo bar thread that one person couldn't even handle the smell (I thinks he threw it out), yet another person actually LIKED the smell. So it runs the whole gamut. You might be able to email her and ask exactly how pungent it is to her (aka, if the bar is wet, how far away do you have to be to NOT smell it?)

THIS (http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/enjoyshamp.htm) might be a good starting point for learning more about some basics of shampoo bars and troubleshooting, haha.

[BunnyBee]

I ordered 7 sample bars just last night ^_^ What are the chances I will have to pay customs charges? :rolleyes: Almost everything i've ever bought from the US got held in customs!

[manderly]

The neem made me gag. I used it exactly once. Never again!