PDA

View Full Version : Shampoo bars and conditioners.



Savvyhorsez
January 2nd, 2012, 08:26 AM
Hiya all, a couple of quick question for the experts. I've been on here for quite a while and have heard many talk about shampoo bars. What the heck are they? Bars of soap shampoo? How do you use them, lather it in your hands? How would you get enough in your hair using the shortest amount of time as that really seems like a task when you're hurried on time?

And as for conditioners. I've heard my whole life from various people that conditioners are bad, nobody needs them, yet everyone advertises for them. I occasionally use a coconut/jojoba oil mix or an Ion leave in conditioner on the ends as it says it helps prevent split ends. And when I say occasionally, I mean I go for months at a time. I'd love to know how often I should do conditioners, what kind of conditioners, (My hair is really dry, especially on the ends, but after a couple of days, I get really oily on my scalp. I also have major dandruff issues, but I'm working to find stuff that would help.) how long I'd leave it in my hair before washing, what are the benefits of putting in conditioner after you wash, and leave it as that sounds really nasty because then your hair won't look washed.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :cheese: Thanks for reading my rambling on!:)

Nae
January 2nd, 2012, 09:14 AM
Shampoo bars come in a couple of varieties. Some of them are made from SLS products and are really more like the regular shampoo you can buy in the store but in bar form. The ones that seem especially popular here are old fashioned type soaps that are made with saponified fat/oil of some kind. Many are made from things like coconut/olive oil and are quite hair friendly. In fact, I was thinking about you and shampoo bars when I was just reading your other post. Chagrin Valley has a lovely Neem and Tea Tree shampoo bar that might be just the thing for your scalp. You can get samples quite affordably. http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm

Many times shampoo bars require a vinegar/acid rinse after use, especially if you have hard water. I have hard water and they work beautifully for me. Who knows, they might help.

Conditioners keep my hair from drying out. I don't really think I could go without them. I usually use them after the shampoo bar but before the ACV rinse. If I were you I would go down to the local store and grab a big container of the inexpensive Suave conditioner. Just use it from your ears down and see if it helps with the condition of your hair. Rinse it out.

Sometimes I put a tiny bit of the Suave (like less than a quarter-sized dollop) on my hands and work it through my length. It dries just fine and makes my hair look less fly away.

Mearwynna
January 2nd, 2012, 09:40 AM
Shampoo bars are really more for the skin of your scalp than your hair. The main problem is that the soap suds can bond with the minerals in the water and create a scum on the hair itself. This need to be removed by using an acid like white vinegar diluted, or lemon juice, diluted. Some people really like them and they do well, but others have different water or hair and they end up not working so well.<br>It's a fun experiment to try anyway. <br><br>I've always used conditioner on my hair, mine is soft and porous and will quickly look terrible if not conditioned. I've used condition- wash- condition successfully but am now experimenting with just conditioner daily and maybe a sulfate shampoo once a week. My hair is strangely not greasy. I'm using white rain hydrating conditioner.<br>When applying conditioner we usually do it from the ears down, not on the scalp unless you think you need to condition the scalp. Some people do and it works for them, but requires careful rinsing to keep your scalp hairs from looking greasy.<br>I your hair is super dry then try a smt with a little honey and conditioner and a oil for a treatment. This can really help dry ends become reconditioned and protect them from splits and damage. My hair soaks up honey treatments and becomes very silky and soft. Oiling can also help dry ends.When my hair was long I used to used coconut oil before I went to bed and then washed it out in the morning and that always seemed to help me a lot. <br>

Savvyhorsez
January 2nd, 2012, 07:32 PM
Thank you both for your replies! I just really, how do you put it? Doused my hair in Mane "n" Tail conditioner. It dried really quickly, and now my hair is almost frizz like! Yikes! What does that mean? I thought it was supposed to make it smooth and shiny!

Loviatar
January 2nd, 2012, 09:34 PM
I find Mane & Tail leaves my hair feeling dried out. Big, but dry. The best conditioners I've used are all UK cheapo brands, apart from Biolage conditioning balm (or the cheap GVP knockoff from Sally's which I ADORE) and Vo5 which I used to be able to get over here. People in the US tend to rave about VO5, Suave or White Rain. I wish I could try that :)

I wouldn't say conditioners are bad and nobody needs them - but then I'd rather have conditioner than liquid shampoo if I had to choose! Everyone's hair is different. My sister can get away without conditioner. I currently can't. But I could when I was younger. I leave conditioner on in the shower for about 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off. I use conditioner between my shampoo bar and my acid rinse, like Nae.

Shampoo bars are my new great love :crush: I just rub them on wet hair and they lather up, but my hair is short. As it gets longer I will probably lather in my hands. Honestly, I find it takes less time to shampoo with shampoo bars than it does with liquid shampoo. I don't know why. The whole thing is just easier, and it doesn't leave my hands feeling shredded and dry like regular shampoo always does.

After a shampoo bar I condition as explained above, then rinse the conditioner out and follow with an 'acid rinse'. Either apple cider vinegar or lime juice in water. I use half a shot glass of acid in 500ml water but I have very hard water, you may need less.

A good moisture treatment is the 'SMT' (super moisturing treatment or Snowy's moisturising treatment) - conditioner, honey and aloe vera mixed. Some people warm this up. I tend to use Biolage conditioner for this, or Aussie 3 MInute Miracle, before they put 'cones in it.

If I were you, what I would do is clarify - wash your hair using a shampoo that contains ammonium lauryl or ammonium laureth sulphate. I have fine hair and I find these detergents are better at cleaning my hair than sodium laureth or lauryl sulphates are. I like Lush Cynthia Sylvia Stout shampoo or Tresemme deep cleansing. I would then let your hair dry and do not touch it. If you suffer from tangles, feel free to wide-tooth-comb them out when it's damp, working from the bottom up.

You can then see how your hair feels in its natural state, without any conditioners or oils. If you have always used leave ins and oils, you may have just washed away some build-up. However, you might not. There is a link somewhere about 'does your hair need protein or does it need moisture' which I will try to find for you. I would then apply a SMT mixture of conditioner, honey and aloe gel to your dry hair. I always do treatments on dry hair rather than wet. Others may do differently.

My SMT mix was always 3 parts conditioner to 2 parts honey and 1 part aloe. I sometimes warmed it up but not all the time. I then wrapped my hair up in saran wrap and put a knitted hat over the top t keep it warm. I would normally rinse out after about an hour.

Sometimes then I would use oil or cocoa butter/shea butter on my damp hair just to protect the ends. I wouldn't use much though.

Let us know how you get on.

gogirlanime
January 2nd, 2012, 09:51 PM
It contains SLS in it, but I use Lush's shampoo bars to clarify, the good thing, no cones. So I wouldn't recommend Lush's shampoo bar on a daily basis (unless you are like me currently who drenches her hair in oil every night and you need to get it out) because it could get drying because of the SLS. It gets my hair squeaky clean so I can do a honey treatment. Their conditioner bar is totally LHC approvable, nothing gross we don't like in it. Like you said though it does take time to apply because you need to be careful not to pull on your hair too much. I wash/rinse my hair with cold water everyday but I turn on hot water to melt the conditioner bar for easy application

With the shampoo bars I carefully glide it about 6-7 times across my scalp until it feels like enough then I start to scrub and lather.

conditioner bars, glide it down your hair carefully and I suggest like I said the hot water to melt it.

Savvyhorsez
January 3rd, 2012, 09:19 AM
Yes, I only use shampoos with ammonium lauryl or ammonium laureth sulphate. I'll have to try some of these methods, I'll let you know when if I find anything that really works! Thanks all!:cheese::)