If you had asked me a year ago what a shampoo bar was I would have looked at you like you were crazy! I mean, really, a shampoo BAR? Why would anyone want their shampoo in BAR form? I LOVED my creamy, oh-you-smell-so-good, can't-wait-to-get-you-on-my-head, shampoo! Then I thought, who even makes bar shampoo? And why? And then, of course, I wanted to make one!
Fast forward one year, hundreds of hours of research, ALOT of product testing, tears, failures, laughter and then success! We are loving our shampoo bar! It's apparent you guys are too since we have sold over 128 of them since we debuted them last July! Are we saying ours is the best? Oh heck no! I am sure there are many other shampoo bars out there that folks love. What I am saying is that they are good for you and good for the environment and it really is as simple as that! You are welcome to shop for our shampoo bar here.
Here is the NOT so simple part! DETOX! You buy your shampoo bar and hop in the shower thinking you are going to come out all "earthy" and glam and you are left with a nearly uncombable pile of gunky mess! Hair detox is a real thing and here are some tips you can do to make sure you love your natural shampoo bar as much as I do! As a great mentor once told me, "honey, you spent your whole life doing the damage, don't expect miracles overnight". Those are the truest words ever spoken!
P.S. My detox took two weeks! My above mentioned super creamy and super good smelling shampoo had really loaded my hair up with a real nice coating of silicones, thickeners and gums! Ugh.
Ready...here we go!
- You don't need to wash daily! Shocker, I know! You are doing yourself and your hair a disservice with the daily shampooing. The detergent in your current shampoo is really great, and I mean REALLY GREAT, at stripping away all of your natural scalp oils! This in turn causes your scalp to produce MORE oils! Then this leads to you having to wash again because your hair appears oily! Ugh. Stop the vicious cycle. We DO NOT use detergents in our shampoo bar. Your scalp will be left clean, not stripped of moisture. As you detox you can transition away from the daily shampoo. I am currently going on 3-4 days! Wow! Even I am shocked!
- Don't expect it to work in one wash! It may take a few weeks to a month of washes for your hair to adjust to the ingredients in our natural shampoo bar! Most traditional shampoos contain thickeners, gums and silicones which DO NOT WASH OFF easily. It may take time to gently remove these from your natural hair. Luckily, some folks never experience this. I wasn't that lucky! Go figure...
- Dip your bar! Sometimes all it takes is a little baking soda! Dip your moistened shampoo bar into a tiny container of baking soda (I keep mine in the shower) then lather the bar on your head. This can help counter-act possible hard water or excess mineral build up. A water softener is always a good investment for hair health. If you don't want to dip you could also mix 1 tablespoon baking soda to 8 ounces of water, shake well and coat your hair before shampooing!
- Do the lather on your melon. Rub the bar onto your wet hair to get the most lather right into your hair! You can always lather twice if you want!
- Rinse, Rinse, and then Rinse again! Suds from a shampoo bar may not rinse away as quickly as a detergent based shampoo. Rinse thoroughly and then do it again! A cool water rinse at the end is also nice to help gently close the hair shaft.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: The best thing on earth in my opinion! Did you know that ACV diluted to 1 tablespoon to 8 ounces of water is actually the perfect pH for your hair and scalp? This makes a great after shampoo rinse! This rinse will soften the hair shaft and smooth the hair WITHOUT the buildup! The vinegar you choose to use can be filtered or have the mother inside. All of our shampoo bars are made with organic apple cider vinegar with the mother inside! Side note: Google this if the word mother may have lost you here. Rinse this "conditioner" fully at the end of your shower to remove any vinegar smell. This little tip right here is what helped me make the leap to a natural shampoo bar!
- Keep your bar dry for goodness sake! Your bar will only last as long as how well you treat it! Keep it high and dry! DO NOT allow it to sit in a pool of water in your shower...first gross...second it will disappear fast! Keep it on one of our wooden soap decks, soap dishes or even one of our soap savers to keep it high and dry! You can click this link to view our soap savers and soap dishes!
OK..you made it this far! YAY YOU! Do you have it in you to read more? Should we talk about color treated hair? Yes, I think we should.
- Color treated hair is different! We DO NOT use silicones in our shampoo bar so the damaged hair shaft will NOT be covered up! We are going to reveal your naked,natural, beautiful hair. If your hair is damaged from chemical colorings or bleach treatments our bar won't necessarily fix that damage. Even though our bar is gentle it is not guaranteed to flatter heavily bleached or processed hair. That being said, I will let you in on my own secret. I do color my hair! GASP! I am a natural blonde, but I also like a "lighter look" once in a while! I have not experienced any color stripping using my shampoo bar. That has been my personal experience and I cannot guarantee what may happen with your color treated hair. It depends on the level of damage. If, for some reason, you do not like your shampoo bar as shampoo you can always use it as a body wash bar! It is gentle enough for daily body use!
As always...lets reduce and recycle. Instead of plastic bottles we use simple paper soap boxes for our shampoo bars! Please recycle the paper box our shampoo bar comes in. I truly hope you have a successful transition to natural hair care! Please reach out to me if you need help along the way!
Let's chat soon.....
~ Sonya
Disclaimer: I hope you have found my blog useful and helpful. I am a professional registered nurse of 23 years and my blog posts are intended for informational and educational purposes only. They should not be seen as health, nutritional or medical advice. I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I recommend checking with your doctor before beginning any new treatment as I am unaware of your entire medical history.
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When you rinse your hair with the conditioner bar; stand directly under the shower head so that the conditioner runs down your skin from your head to toes. You will have soft skin too! sometimes I use the conditioner bar at the end and use the bar all over my body quickly and then rinse it off.
Does anyone have long hair??? I have short hair but was wondering how it works with hair down to your waist as my daughter has. I love the shampoo bar and the conditioner bar.
Suzanne, you can easily purchase shampoo and conditioner bars right here off the website! Another option is to attend one of our sip and shop sales and purchase directly from our boutique! Thanks for inquiring! I hope you are able to try one soon! Please feel free to call or email me if you have trouble navigating our website! They should be easy to locate! Head to the Hair Care Products Collection!
I have been wanting to buy a shampoo bar-what is the best way to do that? Do you make a conditioner bar also?
Your shampoo bars are my favorite!! I never washed my hair more than once a week unless it was obviously necessary. Now it’s hard to wait more than a few days to use the bar again! Keep up the great work!