Shampoo Bar Question

[mgilleran@earth-co]

In my quest to find an affordable shampoo that won't harm my family I have purchased a JR Liggett shampoo bar for the first time. Since the dioxane research came out I am afraid of almost everything. We are using Avalon Organics which scored well on the testing, but it is expensive here. And DD has such long, thick hair, she has to use a ton since it doesn't lather very well (we do add a bit of BS to it to make a bigger lather for her). I have a few questions about the shampoo bar. Do you have trouble with the soap build-up on your hair? Should we follow up with a vinegar rinse or should we use our avalon organics conditioner. My daughter doesn't do well with the ACV rinse. I think she is too young to do it correctly & ends up making her hair look greasy. I though the ACV might help with the build-up though. She is 10 & I want her to stay self-sufficient in the shower! But I don't want her looking unkept either. We just want beautiful, healthy, flowing hair at a discount price. It that too much to ask?

[loriedna]

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[His Own]

Most ladies find that they need to follow a shampoo-bar wash with an acidic solution, either vinegar diluted in water, or (the one I like better), about 1/2 teaspoon citric acid powder dissolved in 40 ounces of icy cold water. (Those measurements are what I use. I'm sure you can use more or less.) This works well, leaving your hair easier to comb and nice and shiny.

My water is quite hard, so I must use the acid rinse or my hair turns out weird and hard to detangle.

There are lots of shampoo bars you can try. I did not like the Liggett's bar myself, but many others like it just fine. I recently was looking at sites selling unrefined, shea nut butter, and found a WONDERFUL soap that I LOVE for hair washing. The soap is called 'Honey Oatmeal Soap', and it is handmade in Africa by local women. The site I bought it from is as follows:

www.nasabb.com

They don't tout it as shampoo, but there are many notes by people who use it that way and love it. I have joined their ranks! I lather up just once by rubbing the bar over my head, then lathering like you would any shampoo. It lathers up beautifully. I rinse well in warm shower water, then as a final rinse I pour the citric acid solution over my hair, let it drip a little, and that's it. I don't even rinse it out. My below-the-waist-length hair turns out soft and shiny and really nice. I have used other shampoo bars (most from Chagrin Valley), but I like this better than any of those.

So, there's the really long answer to your question. Basically, yes you need an acidic rinse after using shampoo bars. (The rest is just my ramblings about a new product that I am really enjoying - feel free to ignore that bit.) :

[mgilleran@earth-co]

UPDATE:
I used the Liggett's shampoo bar last night for the first time. I just rubbed it on my wet hair a few times & got a huge lather. I scrubbed my scalp like normal & rinsed. Then I sprayed it with my bottle of diluted ACV, rinsed & put Avalon Organics conditioner on it from my ears down (just like usual). I let it dry naturally & it feels fine. It is really curly though. My hair goes from wavy to curly depending on what I use. This made it really curly. I am about to wet it & blow dry before I go to work today. I'll let you know how it looks after that.

[mrsbrunette]

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[zinemama]

I use Burts Bees Rosemary Mint shampoo bar. I love it. No problem with build-up and it lathers up nicely right until it gets tiny, and then the lathering action is not so good. Only $6, too. I never use ACV after.

[mgilleran@earth-co]

My hair is starting to feel dry, & it is pretty fly-away. I'm going to give it another week or so. But I don't think it will work well for me.

[Individuation]

Have you tried Chagrin Valley shampoo bars?