Shampoo Bar Challenge - Six Month Update

I was thinking yesterday that it's been six months since I began on the Fourteen Day Shampoo Bar Challenge. I have to say that in the beginning I was very skeptical as to how my hair would respond to a "shampoo bar." I had doubts that I would be happy with it. I had the same questions that I think most people have 1) would it lather enough to be satisfying 2) would I be able to get a brush/comb through it if I don't use silicone laden product on my hair 3) would it be too harsh. Well, six month later I am happy to say that my hair loves it. My hair is soft and manageable-every bit like my hair prior to the switch and maybe even better. I use strictly shampoo bar with a vinegar/water rinse. I never ever deviate I am very consistent,and my hair is totally adjusted and loving it.;-))

For those of you who have been brave/curious enough to try it-what has your experience been like? 

Solid Shampoo-The Saga Continues

As many of you know, I have been using solid shampoo since April. Though it took me a bit to find the right combination of oils and super fat I have to say that my hair has finally settled in nicely to the very latest formula. My hair is very thick and tends to be very heavy-I have to say that with the new regimen my hair seems to have much more volume, and just seems clean and happy in general. Yay!

I would also like to add that my 19 year old son recently acquired one of my shampoo rounds to try and his hair has never looked better - a noticeable difference. He was over the other day and I could instantly see that it was far less oily and in fact shiny. He told me he was rather impressed, and was totally sold on solid shampoo. So there you have it.

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Fourteen

Day Fourteen - Wow! the time just flew by. I was thinking I needed to post an update on how the shampoo bar was coming along, but I didn't realize that today was actually the 14th day. (Thanks Rose Marie-for the reminder.)
I am happy to report that today, I am loooving shampoo bars for my hair. My hair is shiny, manageable, and soft. I desperately need a  hair cut and I will be able to tell more about how it handles then - right now it is a challenge because it is sort of at an in between length and cumbersome to manage. I will be getting it cut this week so we'll see. The long and short of it is, that I am glad I made the switch and looking back to a few years ago when I tried it(and didn't stay with it) I wish I had known the weird gumminess, funkiness would pass.

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Eight (a PSA)

Day Eight - Ummmm, don't get vinegar in or near your eyes. It burns! Just sayin :>))

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Seven

Day Seven - Yes, I am still using my shampoo bar and I think that every day is better than the last one. I have discovered a neat little tip for applying the vinegar rinse.I had some extra squeeze bottles around that I have used for soap colorants(of course this one was an unused one.)You can pick them up from the dollar store for next to nothing-they are clear plastic with the tip you can cut to open it up or just leave as is. I put some vinegar in there and now it is sooo easy to get the vinegar rinse to my scalp and hair and not all over the shower, or running through my hand as I try to make a mad dash to my scalp with whatever is left in my hand. I once thought that I might get a spray bottle, but then I thought it might still land everywhere, but my head.

Also, I made a soap that is a more specific shampoo bar yesterday. I cut the sf down and used jojoba so I have high hopes for it. It's still too soft to get out of the mold as of yet (I have read that this is normal for soaps with jojoba.)but as soon as I can I will get some photos and report how the results of how it performs(after a bit of a cure.)

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Five

Day Five - Another great shampoo experience today.After drying I have noticed that this is the first day in this experiment that my hair seems to have some volume - and the tacky limp feel has diminished significantly.The shine is as always. The hypothesis that you need to try a shampoo bar over several days seems to hold water in my experience.(Oh, and I do recommend the vinegar rinse to go along with your daily regimen - I think that I am doing to put my cider vinegar in a plastic squeeze bottle in order to make it easier in the shower.) I have decided that instead of the now redundant reports on how stellar a shampoo bar performs each day - I will only be reporting every few days throughout the remainder of the fourteen day period. Soon, I will post pictures of the shampoo bar I made to sample a lower sf - and when it is ready I will report as to any difference in performance with the lower sf.

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Four

Day Four - I am loving the feasibility of a shampoo bar - the more I think about it. Shampoo bars save me lots of money compared to commercial shampoos and conditioners, my hair will be clean and conditioned in one step, shampoo bars are so portable - great for travel - no leaking shampoo and conditioner bottles. I am loving them.

Today it seems like my hair and I are into a routine. Washing is easy with plenty of lather to go around - I am rinsing with vinegar  - I feel like I get a good clean rinse and love the shine.Combing out my hair and styling has become easier - although I notice my hair to be a bit to the oily with the current sf percentage(an easy fix.)

Today, I will make the trial batch I mentioned previously and we'll see how that goes in 4 wks or so.

Shampoo Bar Challenge - Day Three

Day Three - Hmmmm, it seems as if my hair is not quite as tacky to the touch during washing - could it be the silicones and other gunk are beginning to dissolve? Again, I used a vinegar rinse, I do think it makes a difference in terms of shine and manageability. Today my hair was much easier to brush through, and once I got it dried(and while drying I believe I caught a waft of the beautiful essence of lemon-yum) I noticed it was very shiny and much more manageable. The mister says he has noticed a difference in shine and feel.

I do think that today I will make a 1lb. batch adjusting out my sf to perhaps 5% and adding a bit of jojoba.

Shampoo Bar Challenge -Day Two

Day Two - Reading up a bit more on shampoo bars it seems that many shy away from shampoo bars because they feel as if they won't or don't get enough lather with a handmade shampoo bar. Think about this; Sodium Lauryl / laureth sulfates is a detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products used primarily as a foaming agent (notice in the previous post that it is the first ingredient after water)- maybe we are too dependent on abundant lather in our commercial products. SLS is added to almost anything manufacturers want to give ample foam to - such as toothpaste, shampoo, and body washes. I have found the lather from my shampoo bar to be very satisfying and easy to rinse out as well.

Today went well, I knew exactly what to expect - nice lather, clean rinsing product. Today I added a cider vinegar rinse and noticed my hair felt immediately more supple and clean.

I would like to add as a side note for Day One - I did notice that shine was not sacrificed in any way - it seems as if I had the same amount of shine factor as usual the only real issue was my hair seemed a bit  heavy and a little more challenge to manage - I'm inclined to think this is simply the adjustment from commercial to handmade shampoo bar.

Styling was a bit funky as my hair is a little more difficult to get a brush through without the aid of a coating of silicone. I would guess that eventually that will change or my other choice is to tweak my formula a bit to a lesser sf (this may help.)

The Fourteen Day Shampoo Bar Challenge

So, I have been doing some shampoo bar research. Researching formulations etc. It seems, from what I have read most any handmade soap formulation can be labeled a "shampoo bar" as well. With that in mind, I decided to give it a whirl to see how my hair would perform after the switch to "shampoo bar" from a popular name brand (begins with P) shampoo and conditioner for hair that tends towards being a little dry. Over the next 14 days I will report my experience with making the switch.

Shampoo Ingredients: water, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, cocamdopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, glycol distearate,dimethicone, stearic acid, cocomide mea, sodium citrate, fragrance, sodium xylenesulfonate, sodium benzoate, tetrasodium edta, polyquaternnum-6, panthenol, panthenyl,  ethyl ether,methylchloriosothiazoline,methylisothiazolinone

Conditioner Ingredients: water, stearyl alcohol, behentrimonium methosulfate,cetyl alcohol, bis-amnopropyl dimethicone, fragrance, benzyl alcohol, dicetyldimonium chloride, isopropyl alcohol,disodium edta, panthenol, panthenyl ethyl ether, methychloriosothiazoline, methylisothiazolinone.

Whew! That was an ordeal and that is what you put in your hair folks.Ugh! Pretty eye opening.

According to "Soap Naturally" by Patrizia Garzena and Marina Tadiello; "After many years of commercial shampoos, scalp and hair might require a few weeks before "adjusting" to the natural formulation of handmade shampoo bars. For instance is is normal that the hair might appear "greasier" and feel heavier after the first few uses: this is an indication that the shampoo bar is slowly dissolving the buildup left by commercial products and will gradually disappear."

"Soap Naturally" also suggests "Adding a small amount (one to two tablespoons) of apple cider vinegar to the last rinse is of great benefit in all cases. Vinegar is slightly acidic and will quickly restore the ideal pH of your scalp; it also has tonic; restorative and detangling qualities, which will quickly contribute to shinier, stronger and healthier hair."

Day One

Hair type-Very thick,heavy hair (needs to be thinned quite regularly) with many cow licks (not curls but uncooperative waves) I have to tame each day.I'm in my mid 40's sooo of course there is some ahem- wild gray"highlights" as well. My hair is not colored nor treated in any way. Chin length - tending to need a little moisture due to daily washing, blow drying and styling with a flat iron-I'm sure. 

Styling Method - I wash, blow dry and straighten daily. I use a commercial product that contains silk to help with the heat and tame fly aways -  for the duration of this experiment I will be foregoing this product as well.

The wash - I used a wonky cut bar of "Fresh Lemon" that I had on my shelf earmarked for personal use. The formulation consists of a common "trinity of oils" (the olive was infused with calendula) castor, tussah silk, a lemony eo blend. I noticed immediately that my hair did not have that slick "healthy" feel that we associate with commercial shampoos and conditioners. (The reality of this is that these commercial products are coating our hair to cause this feel.) My hair felt a bit sticky after the rinse - less slick. I worried right off about getting a vent brush through after my shower. Surprisingly, I was able to gently brush through.

The blow dry - I did notice my hair felt a bit dense and maybe a bit "tacky" for lack of a better term;not as smooth and light. I was able to brush through with just a bit more difficulty than usual.

Flat Iron and Style - Oh my! The fly aways are highly annoying. I did notice my hair being heavy,limp and difficult to style(it doesn't look that great today - imo) but I am going to try to hold out for the 14 days to see what the progression is.

I did not use the vinegar rinse, but will be adding it as part of the experiment tomorrow(after I pick some apple cider vinegar up at the store today.)

Have you tried shampoo bars? What was your experience like?