Now that I have several inches of hair, shampoo is on my mind. Whee!
RECOMMENDED READING:
*Bill Bunn explains What’s Really In Your Shampoo. Startling stuff.
*Allison Aubrey presents shampoo’s history in tells us When It Comes to Shampoo, Less Is More from npr.com. Be sure to study the final paragraph.
EXPERIMENTATION:
Over the past six months, I’ve been weaning my scalp off its shampoo habit:
1) I diluted my [eco-heinous] shampoo and put it in a foam pump bottle. Mr. Jaunty and I have been sharing that big ol’ bottle of Tresseme since 9/3/2009; I wrote the date on the bottle to monitor how long it’d last. It’s standard, environmentally icky stuff, but we’re using less daily and adjusting our scalps to less detergent. Baby steps, yo.
2) I tried J. R. Liggett’s Herbal Shampoo Bar
GOOD NEWS: It has lovely ingredients, smells nice, and lathers beautifully (which, we now know, means nothing). It left my hair feeling squeaky clean —which was initially unsettling— but it always looks normal once it’s dried.
BAD NEWS: It’s about $7 a bar, and there’s no WAY it’ll last as long as Liggett claims; as recommended, I’ve left mine on a wooden soap dish to dry between uses…and it still shrank down considerably after a mere dozen washes.
NOTE: livecurlylivefree.com says that shampoo bars should always be followed with a vinegar-based rinse to balance their high alkalinity. I put two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in an old Dr. Bronner’s bottle, filled it with water, and keep it in my shower for days I use the Liggett shampoo bar. Easy as pie, and the vinegar smell disappears once my hair’s dry.
3) Most days, I “wash” my hair with a no-silicone conditioner; I pour a quarter-sized dollop in my hand, rub my palms together, and massage the conditioner into my scalp with my fingertips. Works fine! I’m currently using el cheapo White Rain conditioner from the Dollar Tree, but will upgrade to something less chemically once the bottle’s empty.
So! That’s my scalp.
DISCUSSION:
Have you tried any “no ‘poo” routines? Fancy hippie shampoos? Something else entirely?
Yep.
No poo at all, no chemically stuff.
I wash my hair in the shower with a spoonful of baking soda in a squeeze bottle of warm water.
I rinse it with a glug of vinegar in a mug full of warm water.
I’ve been doing this since last summer, and my hair looks better than it ever has in my life.
I’m chemical-sensitive,and the lack of artificial smells in my steamy shower water is a bonus that my breathing really appreciates.
Works for me,
and is uber cheap, too.
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I should probably add that I’m not a stylish person…I don’t use any type of “product” on my hair no gel, mousse, spray, etc., so there’s not really anything I need to dissolve and wash out of my hair. Just day to day dust…
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gosh, no. Suave. the end. just because it’s light and doesn’t add gunk. But I do wait longer between shampoos which is better for the hair. also not a stylish person – a little frizz serum is about all I’m brave enough for. As I get more and more hair, I only really shampoo the scalp. but no, I’m still an environmental sinner when it comes to shampoo.
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I used to use Suave, like Jean-worked fine for me. I’ve tried lots of different brands and to me the diffeence between a $1 shampoo and a $20 shampoo is $19.
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While I myself cannot lend an expert hand in this topic, there is an excellent blog that I frequent that talks about this very topic. It is: itsallaboutthehat.blogspot.com If you scroll down on the left-hand side there is a section entitled “what’s on my mind” and you can click on the topic “no poo” there. Very entertaining and enlightening
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Yea, I’ve tried Liggetts before. However, I seem to have no luck with it. I have naturally wavy and oily hair. When I used it, I would have to wash twice in order for it to “degrease” (hehe) my hair. down side was it would leave my waves looking like I stuck my hand in an electrical socket. I’ve tried several things. I have noticed, however, that in my case, I need to alternate washes with different shampoos. Keep in mind I have an allergy to most potassium ingredients so that limits my shampoos. If they are allergy safe for me, most of the time, they either clean too good (like Garnier which i can only use once every 3 days), or not clean my hair enough.
When you had your long hair, did you have problems with shampoos like I do? I guess the real question is, were you aware of how the chemicals reacted to your scalp/hair?
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mum – We’ve talked about this, and a lot of people online seem to have success with it. I’m still in the “research and development” stage, I suppose. Or the “using up what I have” stage.
jean – I’m a scalp-washer, too. It’s always worked just fine. I’m lousy at waiting between shampoos, though— I know it’s better, but my short hair looks sooo filthy every morning. If we were allowed to wear bandanas to school…
mum – I recommend “Don’t Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me” by Paula Begoun. It explains why shampoos work or don’t work (sort of like Bill Bunn did), then reviews and rates hundreds upon hundreds of hair care products. And you’re exactly right; some of the pricer stuff is identical to the cheap stuff, and some brands pour the same shampoo or conditioner into different bottles and claim one is for “damaged hair” and another for “straight hair”. Fascinating stuff.
Lindsey Garcia – Will inspect! Thank you, ma’am.
celia – Honestly, I didn’t even know potassium allergies existed. Geez, that must be rough.
No, I’ve never been aware of any chemical reactions on my scalp or hair, and all the shampoos/conditioners I’ve EVER tried have left me with nearly-identical results. My SKIN is finicky, but my head doesn’t much care.
However, I hate taking care of hair. Which is why I so frequently whack it off. By keeping my haircare routine minimal, I MAY be able to stand the next year or two of awkward grow-out stages. Maybe.
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I gave up the “poo” in January and haven’t looked back since yet. I wash with a silicone-free conditioner, use the same conditioner as my leave-in styling treatment, and find that the best way to clean my hair is to sweat through an hour of spinning or Zumba twice a week.
The two biggest changes I’ve noticed are: (1) my hair no longer gets greasy, even after 3+ days of not getting it wet and (2) my curls have deflated into waves. I suspect the second discovery is due more to the fact that since I don’t use shampoo that causes my hair to frizz anymore, I’m also not using curl-encouraging products to combat said frizz. The big plus? My hair doesn’t frizz anymore, even in the rain!
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Katie – Go you! How did you transition out of daily washing? Could you recommend a good conditioner/leave-in? Would you use a silicone-free curl-encouraging product if you could find one you liked, or is there another reason you’ve given them up?
Because my hair’s been so short for the past year or two, it’s gotten greasy VERY quickly. Now that it’s almost chin-length, I can wash it every other day. Hoping to transition to every third day soon, unless you have a better plan.
Judging by pictures, my hair is thinner and straighter than yours… but I move from New Mexico to Pennsylvania tomorrow, so I could have a whole new ‘do to work with in a few days.
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