Like many woman I went through the whole, the more hair products the better phase. Growing up with cheap shampoo that would be watered down repeatedly to get all the kids hairs done, one of the first things I did as an adult is buy the expensive stuff. Then I graduated to expensive conditioners, hot oil treatments, colorants, hair spray, hair gel, hair cement.
Status can be measured in a variety of superficial ways, the number of hair products being just one.
Three years ago, when a series of events converged; I retired from nursing (less money) I started making my own soap (more available oils) I grew older (and lazier) I began to experiment with shampoo bars.
Basically just a body soap, hand crafted of course, that you use on your hair, there are mixed reviews on its effectiveness. I have completely given up all shampoos and other hair products using only one specially formulated bar I call my WHAMPOO Bar. In my delusional head I imagine my all natural hair looks like this:
It's easy for me to preach about its wonderful results because as my mind has grown more simple over the last three years so has my hair coif. I have no boss to please, no budget meetings to attend, no professional look to obtain. I generally just wash it, air dry it and then pile it on top of my head except for very important events such as a Selfie.
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| Natural colors of grey, some brunette, more grey, some white and a big splash of grey |
In the summer my WHAMPOO washed hair is a strange concoction of colors. The shades depend on the amount of sun I get. Using the bar is different from liquid commercial shampoo in that it feels quite coarse after washing and comb out can be a little slower. But it dries very full and easy to manage without any additional products.
In the winter my hair darkens and I can easily go three days without washing meaning one bar of WHAMPOO will last me all season. Shaggy is as shaggy does.
I stopped coloring my hair 8 years ago and have it trimmed only every 6 months. Therefore a simple shampoo bar works just grand for me. I make mine from Coconut, Olive. Avocado, Castor and Red Palm oils plus Shea butter. I scent it with orange, grapefruit, lemongrass essential oils with smaller amounts of peppermint EO for improved scalp circulation and Rosemary EO for dandruff control. If I really feel like it's getting too dry I'll warm up some plain Avocado, Olive or Sunflower oil, rub it in all over my scalp. Cover with a towel for 30 mins and wash out with my WHAMPOO bar of course.
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| My sunflower. Sunflower oil from Rosenquist Farm, Dwight. |
It works well for me because as I said, my public appearance are limited. I don't need any deep swoops, banana curls or straight up spikes to keep me in business. I have asked my family though to please be kind enough to let me know when the long gray hair look is not working for me. I've given them this photo as a reference point
So tell me. Do you make/use shampoo bars?
Care to share your recipe, thoughts and opinions?
Many thanks.
I'm even older and lazier than you, Donna. I don't even use soap anymore and just 'wash' my hair with baking soda and vinegar. Like your soap, it rinses a little course, but dries fuller and will go for days without getting lank, even under my many hats.
ReplyDeleteThat may very well be my next phase Kris. In addition to time wasted on hair I'm thinking about other time wasters I might eliminate like dressing and bathing. Life is indeed short you know!
DeleteI've tried several bars of shampoo, but the combing / brushing out phase just yielded too much pulled out hair. After popping out Kiddo, I've lost a lot of hair so I'm reluctant to use anything that will facilitate my baldness (although I do kind'a like the idea of getting a bunch of wigs & being a blonde one day & a red-head the next!). I can go three days without washing my hair, although two is the norm. I have to change up my shampoo / conditioner regime every month though as they all seem to leave a build up that make my hair "limp and lifeless".....sorta like my muffintop. But I might just take this opportunity to take another shot at the shampoo bars if you have one left to sell. I'll email you with my mailing address.
ReplyDeleteJust send you an email Carolyn. THANKS!
DeleteYour hair looks beautiful, Donna! I've tried a few shampoo bars and haven't had good luck, but yours sounds wonderful. Judging by your photos, it looks like you've got a great Whampoo bar!
ReplyDeleteJenny, you may have seen Amy Wardens shampoo bar comparisons on her blog awhile back. She did just a great job comparing different kinds of bars. I learned to use the bar for a couple weeks in order for your hair to adjust, this time frame isn't easy but I found after the trail period my hair really changed for the better. But in the scheme of life...it's just hair :)
DeleteI haven't used any other commerical shampoo in over two year. I use a vinegar rinse once a week. I have very dark hair with strands of gray and it is very shiny and healthy. When I go for a trim the hairdresser is always trying to put "product' in my hair. Yeah for Whampoo!
ReplyDeleteCathy
I haven't used any other commerical shampoo in over two year. I use a vinegar rinse once a week. I have very dark hair with strands of gray and it is very shiny and healthy. When I go for a trim the hairdresser is always trying to put "product' in my hair. Yeah for Whampoo!
ReplyDeleteCathy
I am not old, but I am lazy. I actually use the same soap I use for my body for my hair. I have actually found that my hair is more manageable than it was with commercial shampoo. Now mind you I don't color my hair right now. I do sometimes need some extra moisturization on my ends, so I use coconut oil on the ends and let it sit for a while before washing my hair as usual. I am considering making a shampoo bar with some botanical additions.
ReplyDeleteHi Lois, sometimes I will add rosemary powder and peppermint leaves for my own shampoo bars. It makes them a bit gritty but rinses out very well. But my customers generally like smooth soaps. And coconut oil? Love it. Use it for tons of things here.
DeleteI was never impressed by hair products, and my scalp let me know it hated them, so i pretty much stopped at shampoo. Occasionally, i'd go into the world of conditioners.
ReplyDeleteI started going grey at 14, and by the time i was in my 50's, i had the Jay Leno thing happening, where the last vestiges of dark clung around my face, but the rest had given way to some silver and mostly white. At 52, i caved and got my hair professionally colored. It was also at that time that i caved and bought shampoo and conditioner, specifically for dyed hair. In the last year, i caved and bought salon shampoo and conditioner.
If i didn't have a half bottle left of shampoo and conditioner (i wash my hair once or twice a week, and my hair's short, so a bottle lasts a long time), i'd be tempted to try your Whampoo bar. I must say, i do like the salon shampoo and conditioner i'm using. The smell's not bad, it's easy to use, and i like it. I have wavy/curly hair so my hair does what it wants. Which is good, because i spend about 30 seconds a day on my hair.
Hey Megan, bottom line is really...what makes you feel good. Stay with that which makes you happy by all means and thanks as always for following my blog.
DeleteI'm not close to recipes right now, but I plunged into shampoo bars over a year ago. Mine has olive oil verses lard and shea for body. It rinses clean but I still use a light conditioner after to make comb out easier. No one using my soap would put a bar on their head so I have a life time supply for me and my husband. I made my first liquid soap a few months ago and I love it even more as shampoo. On soap calc the cleansing number is 14. If you want more specific recipes let me know. BTW, shampoo bars are naturally sulphate free, yes I still dye my hair.
ReplyDeleteHi Anne, you are right about how some can't get past the idea of a bar of soap rubbed into their hair and I have certainly noticed that when my shampoo bars are shaped like my other bars they don't sell as well but when I make them into large circles they go very fast. Folks are sure funny
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ReplyDeleteI haveny used shampoo since July :) I have gone no poo..I use baking soda & I use kombucha(fermented tea) as my rinse..some use apple cider vinegar. I couldn't be happier with my hair...I wash every 5-7 days. between washings, I will rinse my hair with water.
ReplyDelete