Dr Bronners soap. Well ths didnt work the way I thought it would!

[MOOBUG]

So reading the ingredients of my bottle of Dr Bronners castile soap, i decided it would be an awesome shampoo alternative. Wrong!!!

Im thinking the oils in it may have been too heavy as i have ended up with very thick grubby kind of hair. Its weird, I know its not dirty but it feels.... just grubby and dull and thick.

Is this an oil overload or is this how hair is supposed to feel when its not being stripped all the time?

As soon as I figure out how to put pictures in, I will!

[XJawbreaker]

I did the same thing when I first bought it.
I like it better when used for my skin.
Makes it all nice and soft.

[cmnt831]

That's exactly how my hair felt when I experimented with liquid castille soap. I didn't like it at all.

[abbatabba1137]

I also suffered this fate with the Liquid Bronners. I have been a longtime user of the Dr. Bronner's and Sundogs Tattoo Balm, so I was of course open to trying this 'amazing all in one soap".

Boy was I disappointed! It left my hair heavy and feeling as though it was suncreen coated straw. My hair was very soft and supple before and was sadly left brittle after. I had so much breakage, I had to cut inches off my hair.

I caution all to be wary of this soap! I've obviously had a bad experience, but I know people who've had no issues at all. I suggest testing it on a small out of the way portion of your hair first.

[Madame J]

Did you use an acid rinse after washing with soap? Even though it's liquid, Dr. Bronner's soap is most similar to a shampoo bar, so you can check the shampoo bar thread or article for pointers and troubleshooting. I don't have heavy or coated hair anymore when I wash with Dr. B's, but I use a dilute vinegar rinse after washing.

[pennyroyal]

did you dilute it? i love dr bronners bar soap for my body (that's almost all i use) but i don't like their liquid soap at all. when i washed my hair with it the same thing happened. it was awful so i've never tried again.

[mintyhot]

i had similar experience when i used the liquid soap, it made my hair dry and kinda sticky and hard to run my hands through. i really wanted to like it! but i felt it just kinda coated my hair. the peppermint one smells sooooooo good! so i use it as a body wash instead.

[spidermom]

I took it camping once, and my hair was better with lake water dried in it than with Dr. Bronners. Bleh~!

[moominhapa]

The same thing happened to me when I tried to use it to wash my bangs. It was disappointing, because I really like Dr. Bronner's for other things and I like multipurposing products. Oh well! My boyfriend can use it to wash his short hair with no problem though.

[TiaKitty]

Me, three! It was horrible on my hair. I use it for everything else, though.

[Pagancat]

I love Dr. Bronner's soap to wash with. The peppermint is very tingly, and the orange one smells great! I even use it for the laundry sometimes and for general cleaning. I occasionally use it on my hair to clarify if I've been using the same shampoo for a while but it seems to be too harsh to use all the time. I find that it does give a boost to my regular shampoos if I use just a little mixed in with my regular shampoo (about 4 to one, regular shampoo to Dr. Bronners. I just mix it up in my hand). So, If my hair feels really dirty from a workout or from working in the garden, I sometimes add Dr. Bronner's to my regular stuff.

[skarab]

My hair suffered the same fate with Dr. Bronners as most of you above. I love it on my body, it definitely did not work for hair. My scalp also felt gunky after. It was really weird.

[Carolyn]

The same thing happened with my hair when I tried it. Nasty gunky, dull, coated hair. I used a vinegar rinse too. Next I tried it as a laundry detergent, adding borax to it. :nono: again awful results. Nothing got clean. My laundry was dingy. No thanks. I'm not a fan.

[Fractalsofhair]

You need to first off, be cone free generally to use shampoo bars. Then you also need to use an acid rinse. Doc Bronners is one of the harsher soap/shampoo bars out there, but it's nice, if your hair likes soap based cleansers. I'd suggest alaffia for a more gentle soap based cleanser.

[little_cherry]

Did you use an acid rinse after washing with soap? Even though it's liquid, Dr. Bronner's soap is most similar to a shampoo bar, so you can check the shampoo bar thread or article for pointers and troubleshooting. I don't have heavy or coated hair anymore when I wash with Dr. B's, but I use a dilute vinegar rinse after washing.
I was about to ask the same thing, too. With shampoo bars/castile soaps, it is always best to do a vinegar rinse afterwards to remove the waxy residue. I use the "kiss my face" pure olive oil soap on my hair sometimes, and always follow it with an ACV rinse; if I don't, my hair will feel awful and tacky.

[Animae]

I had the same experience with the dr. bronner's baby soap that I tried on my hair. But it worked wonders on my winter dry hands as a hand soap. So at least it didn't go to waste.

[centurytoolate]

It dried the absolute heck out of my hair. Love it for washing and the occasional load of laundry. And its great for washing the dogs!

[Gingevere]

Though I've never tried Dr. Bronner's on my own hair, I'd just like to remind everyone that you generally need an acid rinse after washing your hair with real soap. It's just like shampoo bars- most people have success with them only if they use ACV afterward. Dr. Bronner's actually makes a clarfying citrus rinse specifically for use after washing with soap.

[Anje]

Been there, did that while camping. Couldn't comb my hair for about 3 days, until I found someone who had conditioner labeled "biodegradable".

As others have said, a diluted vinegar rinse is all you need to get back to normal. Wish I'd known that back in 7th grade!

[Gem]

The first time, I used it straight and had the same experience as most people on this thread. Several years later (that is, a few months ago), I tried it again. I used one tablespoon of soap to about a cup and a half of water, and then followed with a strong vinegar rinse. It worked great :D I used that as my only shampoo for two or three months.

[MOOBUG]

I did actually dilute it, and i did a diluted ACV rinse after. sticky :(

[Fractalsofhair]

Did you rinse it out fully? That could be part of the problem.

[StephanieB]

I'm very firmly in the LOVE-BRONNERS-LIQUID-SOAP-FOR-BODY-HATE-IT-FOR-MY-HAIR camp.

Every summer, for the last week of July and the first week of August (16 days), I go to Pennsic War (http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn39/) - it's a primitive camping/medieval living history event - an there is nothing better than cleaning one's body off from sweat and grime from extreme summertime weather that Dr Bronner's liquid soap. Showering with the peppermint soap in the hat of the day not only cools your body temp off a good deal (tingly and cooling-feeling), it also keeps mosquitos away. The lavender soap in the cool evenings keeps your skin feelig really fresh and it also keeps away mosquitos.

But I still have to bring/use shampoo and conditioner, as Bronner's doesn't work for my hair - nor anyone else I know at this camping event.
(There are approx 10,000-11,000 of us at this event... a large proportion of us know the 'secret' of using Bronner's peppermint and lavender soaps - but no one can use it on their hair successfully. What does that say about it not being good for most hair types?)

[MOOBUG]

very good point Stephanie! And i wont be trying it again.

I spent all day with my hair in a bun at work because it looked wet and greasy. had a bit of a freak out when I got home and washed and washed and washed!

Love it as a body wash though. I have the rose one which is just gorgeous

[Grey]

Sorry to be one of the few who disagrees but I use Dr. Bronner's tea tree for my hair and it is absolutely amazing stuff. It's very strong and so I dilute it to about 18 drops in a gallon of water. It's amazing stuff if diluted properly. But it is very, very hard to get out of your hair depending on what type of water that you have. I also use the Dr. Bronner's peppermint for mouthwash, tooth paste, body wash and face wash. Sometimes I even use it to clean or do laundry. I love Dr. Bronner's magic soaps! =)

[MOOBUG]

@ Grey
I definitly think i used too much. I pored about a 10c peice into my hand added a bit of water and frothed it up. i'll keep experimenting with it and see how it goes.
Our water here is pretty hard, would that have affected it?

Might try it my laundry, id love for my clothes to have that delicate rose smell. How much do you add to laundry?

[Madame J]

Yeah, MOOBUG, that doesn't sound like you diluted it. Diluting the soap/shampoo means putting a small amount in a bottle and then putting in water, mixing it, and pouring that over your head to create lather. So you probably had some problems rinsing it all out. Also, how strong was your ACV rinse? Acid rinses aren't some binary thing where you do one or you don't; there's a range of dilutions and different hair/water types require different dilutions. For example, if I make my vinegar rinse too strong, it leaves my hair greasy-looking. If it's too weak, my hair is waxy. I understand that you may not want to do the experimentation, but it doesn't sound like you've tried all the options on this one.

I have hair that gets oily after a day or two post-wash, and have tons of problems with things leaving my hair gunky -- shampoo bars start to build up after a couple weeks. But when I had a bad allergic reaction and wanted to use something really mild, I used unscented Dr. Bronner's soap to wash everything, with a dilute ACV rinse after, and never had buildup problems for over a month. Since it was winter, my ends felt a little dry, but it was easily fixed with a bit of oil.

[Grey]

lol, that's definitely your problem. Just didn't dilute it enough. I always use the less is better method. Use a tiny amount and if that doesn't work then just use more the next time around until you finally get the desired results, lol. The hard water does affect it pretty bad. I actually started using Dr. Bronner's because it leaves very little to no residues in hair. But the hard water really messes up it's usefulness as a shampoo because it makes it super hard to rinse out. Being a nature freak, I actually use rain water to wash my hair with Dr. Bronners, lol. It rinses out much better with rain water than it would with our hard tap water and you can easily see the difference. As far as laundry goes just use good judgment. I'm not one to measure things, lol. To be honest, I've only used it on clothes once or twice. I prefer using it for body wash and face wash. Using the peppermint as face wash is amazing though. =D

[Gemma]

Here's a recipe I've seen doing the rounds on some eco-friendly blogs, and most seem to swear by it: http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/08/homemade-natural-hair-care-shampoo-recipe.html

Maybe it will work for you. :)

[joiekimochi]

I used the bar form on my hair and it was just as awful as well, even with an ACV rinse and conditioner. I find Dr Bronner's to be too drying for me in general. It was the first real soap I used and thought all soap would give me that stripped, dry feeling, until I used African black soap. Now I only use the liquid soap for washing my delicates and cleaning the bathroom.

[OhMyCurlz]

Dr. Bronners really is not designed to be a shampoo. They say that you can use it for that purpose but because of the ph it really causes more harm than good....even if you do do an acid rinse afterwards.

Just dillute the heck out of it, maybe 1 tbsp to 8 oz of water. Then follow up with an ACV rinse to clarify. You most likely have hard water which is a no-no if you intend to use natural soaps without detergents.

[Grey]

Dr. Bronners really is not designed to be a shampoo. They say that you can use it for that purpose but because of the ph it really causes more harm than good....even if you do do an acid rinse afterwards.

Just dillute the heck out of it, maybe 1 tbsp to 8 oz of water. Then follow up with an ACV rinse to clarify. You most likely have hard water which is a no-no if you intend to use natural soaps without detergents.

This is pretty true. It's not meant for people who want to have perfect, shiny and fabulous hair. It's more meant for the nature types, lol, which I am a nature type and that's why I like it.

[VanillaTresses]

I don't think I could use Dr. Bronner's as a shampoo unless I was going for dreadlocks-- because it makes my hair knot up in the worst (or best, if you were going for that!) way possible. Even when I did an acidic rinse, results were still the same. (Granted, since we moved into a hard water area I have stayed more away from true soaps than I used to.) The more I use quantity-wise, the worse it gets. If I had to use it to get rid of oily hair I would only use a couple of drops diluted in a cup of water-- kind of like a rinse. Then things aren't so bad. But if I try to use it like a "normal" shampoo-- glop in the palm-- then watch out! :p

As a soap it is the same-- I can only use a teensy bit diluted in water (well, it does say "dilute, dilute, dilute" on the bottle, after all) or else it dries the heck out of my skin.

So I guess that the key (at least for me), if I am going to use it... is to DILUTE! :cool:

[Grey]

I don't think I could use Dr. Bronner's as a shampoo unless I was going for dreadlocks-- because it makes my hair knot up in the worst (or best, if you were going for that!) way possible. Even when I did an acidic rinse, results were still the same. (Granted, since we moved into a hard water area I have stayed more away from true soaps than I used to.) The more I use quantity-wise, the worse it gets. If I had to use it to get rid of oily hair I would only use a couple of drops diluted in a cup of water-- kind of like a rinse. Then things aren't so bad. But if I try to use it like a "normal" shampoo-- glop in the palm-- then watch out! :p

As a soap it is the same-- I can only use a teensy bit diluted in water (well, it does say "dilute, dilute, dilute" on the bottle, after all) or else it dries the heck out of my skin.

So I guess that the key (at least for me), if I am going to use it... is to DILUTE! :cool:

Exactly! I bought it for my dreads. :D
It even reads on the bottle that it makes hair knotty.
Most natural soaps are good for dreads, the brand name stuff isn't.

[aada]

Exactly! I bought it for my dreads. :D
It even reads on the bottle that it makes hair knotty.
Most natural soaps are good for dreads, the brand name stuff isn't.

I used it when I had dreadlocks as well! ;)

[IndigoAsh]

I just finished my first ever hair wash with it. I filled a soup bowl with water and put about 5-10 drops of the dr bonners tea tree soap in it. I slathered coconut oil on my ends let it sit for a bit and than (upside down) poured the diluted soap solution from the nape of the neck and let it run down to my forehead while holding the ends of my hair up. I then used about a dime size of the california baby tea tree and lavender shampoo at the middle of my hair and rinsed. My hair is still air drying, but it's not showing any sign of being dry OR dingy. I'll try and take a photo of it. Also a side note, I wash my hair about every 5-7 days or else it dries out and turns into what resembles a frizzy looking wig.

[GRU]

I tried Bronner's once and NEVER AGAIN!!!!

It made my hair feel like the nastiest thing ever! BLECH!

CO-wash works for me, thankyouverymuch!

[jane53]

This thread scared me! I've used Dr. Bronner's for hands and body before, but I'll stick with my Suave Coconut shampoo and conditioner.

[Fractalsofhair]

I definitely don't think it knots up hair. It's what I used as a kid, with no acid rinse after, and I certainly did not have dreadlocks. The only disadvantage I see to it is how drying it is, compared to other soap based products. The bars are a bit easier to lather and fully clean your hair with than the liquid, I think. With the liquid, a lot of us are used to using a teeny bit of a very harsh product and having it remove dirt without even touching your hair fully.

[Olivia23]

I don't have any problem with Dr. Bronner's liquid soap because your not supposed to use it straight from the bottle. You need to dilute it!!! I dilute it with distilled water. I buy the peppermint Dr. Bronner's liquid soap & add some tea tree oil to it, distilled water, jojoba oil, and whatever else I decide to add. My hair comes out feeling great.

[ratgirldjh]

LOL
Oh Dr. Bronner's.
Long ago I used the peppermint one exclusively (liquid) to do dishes and also to make a spray cleanser for counters and to scare away (and kill) roaches.

I've tried the liquid one (lavender) on my hair several times at MANY dilutions and it NEVER worked for me at all. Stringy dry and limp and oily hair all in one. I ALWAYS used a vinegar rinse being very familiar with soap use for hair - I use J. R. Liggett's and other soaps on my hair all the time and never have a problem.

So what is up with the liquid???

The bar I have used on my hair with some success - but it is way more expensive than my other soaps that work better and seem to last longer - even the J. R. Liggett's seems to last longer for me and it comes in a much smaller bar!!!

Finally, I used up my bar of Dr. Bronner's doing dishes - but have never bought it again. I prefer to use Zote to do dishes and it can be found everywhere here - even at convenience stores!!!

Plus the last time I tried Dr. Bronner's liquid for my hair (1 teaspoon in a cup of water) my scalp itched like crazy!!! This was the lavender one and I am not allergic to lavender. go figure...

I also tried making an oil shampoo with the Dr. Bronner's Liquid Lavender and coconut oil. My hair really hated this mixture.

Guess I'm giving up for good now... about time.... after YEARS of trying over and over... ;)

[GRU]

I prefer to use Zote to do dishes and it can be found everywhere here - even at convenience stores!!!


Just goes to show how regional differences can affect you... I've never even heard of Zote and had to google it!!!!

[ratgirldjh]

Just goes to show how regional differences can affect you... I've never even heard of Zote and had to google it!!!!

Zote did not work on my hair though LOL

[GRU]

Zote did not work on my hair though LOL

Well, then, I don't want it! ;)