RE: My first soapy wingnut now shampoo bars - long

[Guest guest]

Hi Candy, Cindy and C-M

 

I've combined your posts to make answering more streamlined...

 

> I know I'm not Nessy, but I have been reading that using a homemade soap

> to

> wash your hair can leave behind a 'scum' of sorts, and doesn't rinse as

> clean. Someone recommended to rinse hair thoroughly with a small amount

> of

> vinegar to cut the scum, then rinse well with clean water. It's supposed

> to

> help at least.

 

The scum is caused by minerals in your water reacting with the shampoo bar

on your hair but it depends on the water you use. We have rainwater so it's

less of a problem for me, but if your water is heavily treated it could be a

cause.

 

The theory behind using a vinegar rinse is that soap is alkaline, and using

the vinegar rinse will help to normalise the pH of your hair.

 

I've read extensive reports that criticise the use of alkaline shampoos but

I wonder whether it's marketing by shampoo manufacturers that's perpetuated

this belief. If you read any of these reports you would think that a CP

shampoo bar (ie soap) is going to wreck your hair. Mine has never been in

better condition.

 

The information I've read mostly concerns the fact that the high pH of a

shampoo bar will open the cuticle and the vinegar (or slightly acidic rinse)

will close the cuticle rendering it less likely to be damaged.

 

There is a little bit of information about pH and hair at

<http://www.pg.com/science/haircare/hair_twh_83.htm>

 

*Anecdotally* I've been using our shampoo bar for over five years now and I

don't get the flaky scalp problems like I did when I used commercial

shampoos. Sometimes I still have this problem when I'm going through

periods of stress but it's nowhere near as significant as when I used the

commercial counterparts.

 

> My hair is baby fine (I've heard Chris, list-mom saying her hair is

> similar).

 

I also have very fine hair and used to find that using conditioner weighed

my hair down so much that I had to wash it every second day just to get some

" volume " into it. My hair now has more body since I stopped using

conditioner.

 

> I also don't want to smell like a pickle. lol

> Too bad there isn't a vinegar that has no smell!

 

They won't make your hair smell like vinegar, I promise. You'll get a

slightly vinegar smell when you pour it over your hair, but by the time it's

dry the smell is completely gone.

 

> What do you think will show up more important. The shampoo or the rinse?

> I am curious. For years I have used a homemade liquid shampoo ( not made

> by me) and I do have big problems with dry skin and scalp.

> But my problems is even bigger with commercial shampoos.

> I changed my diet to use more antioxidants, especially Omega 3 fish oil.

> Still not a big difference.

> I suspect it's the medication I take..

 

C-M, it could also be stress which I know is a factor with my scalp. Diet

can often be a cause but I don't think that that's the case with my own

scalp.

 

I'd like to add the following points which may help:

 

* Vinegar rinses - about a tablespoon in one litre of water is enough. Use

as a final rinse and don't rinse out. I usually don't use a vinegar rinse

because my hair seems ok without it despite what the hair experts tell us.

I'll use it only occasionally. You can also infuse herbs in the water you

add to the vinegar if you want eg rosemary.

 

* If you switch to using a bar shampoo from a commercial detergent based one

it takes about four or five washes for your hair to get used to how it

feels. Although experts say there is no reason for this, it's my belief

that it takes around this long to remove the buildup from conditioners and

hair products you've previously used. If you don't use conditioner, you'll

probably find you don't have to go through this " adjustment " phase at all,

so it seems to back up my theory (although that doesn't mean I'm absolutely

correct!). If you use a gentle shampoo that doesn't completely strip all

the natural oils from your scalp and hair, you won't need to use a

conditioner - isnt' that why conditioners are used - to replace some of the

moisture that has been stripped from the hair?

 

* Choose oils that will help with lathering - some people don't like to use

" soaps " because they don't lather as well as commercial shampoos containing

surfactants. Castor oil is a good inclusion for a shampoo bar.

 

* Don't overly superfat - about 2-3% is enough or your hair will feel

unmanageable (one list member I know describes it as " carpet hair " ).

 

* Ensure you rinse your hair after washing EXTREMELY WELL before using the

vinegar rinse. Insufficient rinsing can often be a culprit for flaky scalp.

 

* Not all shampoo bars suit all people. Some people swear by different

combinations of oils so it might take a bit of experimenting to find out

what's the best for your hair. Some soapmakers swear by using shea butter

in a shampoo bar and others find that it's too heavy. One soapmaker I know

used to detest olive oil in a shampoo bar because she said it gave her

carpet hair. She dropped the superfatting level and withdrew all her

previous comments about olive oil making her hair feel terrible:-))

 

Hope this helps

 

Vicki

[Guest guest]

Hi Vickie, I am a big believer in using a vinegar rinse. I even made my

own with walnut hulls for years to tone down my gray hair and added

nettles and rosemary to it.

I think my problem has more to do with medication. I've used several

different shampoo bars, none have made a difference, really and they are

hard to get completely unscented. I also hate that they so easily 'swim'

away....made myself little net bags for it to hang up after using, that

helped.

Guess I just have to keep on figuring out more...

C-M

[Guest guest]

Oops! I just sent a question regarding shampoo bars/hard water and THEN found

the post by Vicki addressing that and other matters. Sorry for the redundancy!

 

For the people who were worried about vinegar--it's true that the odor is gone

by the time your hair dries, but if you're still reluctant, you can try what I

do: before I wash my hair I prepare in a large cup a rinse of spring water,

vinegar, and three drops each of essential oils of rosemary, lavender, and bay.

It smells REALLY good and my hair, which is silky-fine, comes out manageable and

very shiny. The shampoo I'm currently using is Clary Sage & Lemongrass by

Nature's Gate, which gives me quite good volume, but now that I'm learning about

shampoo bars, I'm interested in trying one of those.

 

I never use conditioner, BTW, so hopefully I won't have to go through the icky

phase in the first week if I go with the bar )

 

jaime

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Vicki!

Yes, it does help.

Cindy

 

-

 

* Vinegar rinses - about a tablespoon in one litre of water is enough. Use

as a final rinse and don't rinse out. I usually don't use a vinegar rinse

because my hair seems ok without it despite what the hair experts tell us.

I'll use it only occasionally. You can also infuse herbs in the water you

add to the vinegar if you want eg rosemary.

 

* If you switch to using a bar shampoo from a commercial detergent based one

it takes about four or five washes for your hair to get used to how it

feels. Although experts say there is no reason for this, it's my belief

that it takes around this long to remove the buildup from conditioners and

hair products you've previously used. If you don't use conditioner, you'll

probably find you don't have to go through this " adjustment " phase at all,

so it seems to back up my theory (although that doesn't mean I'm absolutely

correct!). If you use a gentle shampoo that doesn't completely strip all

the natural oils from your scalp and hair, you won't need to use a

conditioner - isnt' that why conditioners are used - to replace some of the

moisture that has been stripped from the hair?

 

* Choose oils that will help with lathering - some people don't like to use

" soaps " because they don't lather as well as commercial shampoos containing

surfactants. Castor oil is a good inclusion for a shampoo bar.

 

* Don't overly superfat - about 2-3% is enough or your hair will feel

unmanageable (one list member I know describes it as " carpet hair " ).

 

* Ensure you rinse your hair after washing EXTREMELY WELL before using the

vinegar rinse. Insufficient rinsing can often be a culprit for flaky scalp.

 

* Not all shampoo bars suit all people. Some people swear by different

combinations of oils so it might take a bit of experimenting to find out

what's the best for your hair. Some soapmakers swear by using shea butter

in a shampoo bar and others find that it's too heavy. One soapmaker I know

used to detest olive oil in a shampoo bar because she said it gave her

carpet hair. She dropped the superfatting level and withdrew all her

previous comments about olive oil making her hair feel terrible:-))

 

Hope this helps

 

Vicki