The squeak factor

[whiteisle]

It's my understanding that shampoos with sulfates strip the hair of it's natural oils and may sometimes cause the hair to "squeak" indicating that absence of oils.

I personally have never experienced that affect when using shampoos however I get it all the time when using shampoo bars which I thought were supposed to be more gentle and not strip the hair of it's oils.

Why might that be?

[Sarahmoon]

My hair even squeaks a little bit in the shower when it's still oily. I wouldn't worry so much about the sounds. If your hair looks and feels good once it's dry and you don't have any problems such as increased breakage, shedding, less growth etc. then it should be fine.

[kwaniesiam]

My hair is weird but I notice the opposite about my hair in the shower vs being dry. If it feels icky when wet, it feels nice and soft dry but if its nice in the shower it either dries slimy or dry and crunchy. I have yet to figure it out :rolleyes:

[Tresses]

The squeak could also be an indication of hard water, which would be more noticeable with a soap-based shampoo bar. I get squeak all the time, even when I CO. :ponder:

[Merewen]

Yeah, my hair squeaks when I CO and I seem to remember some squeaking when I used shampoo bars. I don't think all squeaking is bad.

[joiekimochi]

My hair doesn't really squeak...it's more like when sandpaper rubs against itself. It's happened with shampoo bars and organic shampoos, but not with cone and protein shampoos. But no matter what shampoos I used, it's always tangled at the unconditioned roots when I get out of the shower. So I switched to CO.

[CaraLynn]

Really? I always thought squeaking hair meant it was clean. When I was little my mom always told me to wash my hair until it squeaked and then I would know that it was clean enough.

[Cinnamon Hair]

I am convinced the squeak means nothing. My hair often squeaks when I rinse out a CO wash, and there is no shampoo of any kind involved in that.

[Juliannaissance]

My hair tends to squeak during the first few minutes in the shower. I guess it's the oils rubbing off my head. It makes me feel as if my hair is going to pull off my scalp. It's a very uncomfortable feeling.

[prettydark]

Mine only squeaks when I overwash.

[Niftytiffs]

I use a sulphate free shampoo and conditioner. I only use the shampoo close to the scalp and condition all over the rest and I get squeak! It only happens when I have completely rinsed though!

Tiffers

[curlylocks85]

The only thing I know about squeaky hair is when you are rinsing if your hair does not squeak then the shampoo or conditioner is not out of your hair fully. I have no idea if this is true. :shrug:

[PseudoScot]

I am sulfate free* and I get squeaks often when I wash.

*I do use a sulfate 'poo once every month or two. But I still get the squeaks with non sulfate poo.

[bumblebums]

I am convinced the squeak means nothing. My hair often squeaks when I rinse out a CO wash, and there is no shampoo of any kind involved in that.

There are mild surfactants in the conditioner, though, so there could be something there to cause the squeak.

[beez1717]

I've learned that for me, if my hair squeaks, then I know i've over cleaned it and that my hair is going to be all dull and feel stripped for the rest of the day. I don't get it why Mom doesn't get it that I like my hair SLIGHTLY oily, since that makes it so that it's healtheir in the long run??

[kittensoupnrice]

Well, when I use shampoo, (sulfate or not) my hair almost never squeaks. The shampoo bars pretty much always make my hair squeak until I use an acid rinse. The acid rinse, I think, makes the cuticles lie better so that the squeaking goes away.

[Marjolein]

Hmm, another poster said that it might have something to do with hard water, and I think that could be the case. Anyway, I live in a hard water area and my hair squeeks in the shower no matter what I've put on it.

[Gothic Lolita]

My hair always squeaks, not matter if I use SLS-free poo, SLS poo, CO, whatever.
My boyfriend's hair never squeaks, although his hair is as cone-free as mine, and he washes daily, so there are even less oils on his head.