Sunday, November 8, 2009

Shampoo Review

In August, I became obsessed with Shampoo Bars. I want to reduce plastic consumption and this seemed like a good way to start. (A teeny amount. I'm not a huge shampoo consumer, but it was an easily identifiable place to reduce. It still counts.) Additionally, this shampoo gets rid of most of the chemicals (SLS, for example) that are in commercial shampoos. Sadly, they still have palm oil, so I'm doing the orangatans no favors.

You can read my original post here

So my review, after 3 months of use. Two thumbs up! I love them.
I haven't had a chance to use the Aloe Vera one yet (these last a long time) but I've tried slivers of both Peppermint/Tea Tree and the Rosemary one.

The other thing to note is that I kept using my regular conditioner. Now that my hair is short, maybe I don't need it. When it was long, I think I definetly did.

So first, I started with the Peppermint. I cut off a sliver about 1/3 to 1/4 of the bar, and it lasted about 2 months. So a full bar is going to last a LONG time. I love the smell of it, and I love the way it feels on my scalp/hair. First off- I don't know how to describe my hair. I would say it used to be dry and frizzy, and my scalp would itch a lot, so I wouldn't wash it more than every 5 days or so to give it some time to get oily again before washing. That is not the case anymore. The itching is COMPLETELY gone, so while I don't believe SLS will kill you NOW! (see google for more information about instant death through shampoo- j/k) I think it was definetly why my head was itchy. After using this shampoo for awhile my hair felt very different. It didn't feel OILY- my hair wasn't sticky, but it almost felt glossy. So I washed it more often in case it was dirty, but I don't think it was. With this shampoo, when my hair was longer, I was washing it every 2-3 days, instead of every 5-7. The peppermint also lathered nicely. I would swipe it down my hair 4 times and then lather quickly in my hands, and that was a good amount of lather.

Then I switched to the Rosemary Nettle. My first impression was that there wasn't as much lather. I haven't noticed any difference from it and the Peppermint other than that and the scent (I smell like italian cooking). I really like this too. However, my initial impression has changed after I cut my hair. The lather is HUGE. I think before maybe I just didn't use enough for the amount of hair I have? But now I feel like my head is full of bubbles. With the short hair I wash it everyday, just because I need it wet to style, but I still think I could do every other day and be fine.


My big warning is this: keep these dry! Kevin is going to build me a draining soap dish, but right now I just set them on a dry wash cloth near the back of my shower away from the shower spray. I also step out of the shower spray to put it on my hair. They will melt away otherwise. Since i started using the felted soap, the washcloth has been more wet and I noticed that my shampoo was a little soggy. OOPS, that will cut into the lifespan a bit...

Head over to Praire Land Herbs and get some for yourself! I feel good about supporting an indepedent business, a soap crafter, reducing my plastic waste, and my head doesn't itch anymore. Win-win-win-win, I think. And hey- they are on sale right now.

(Newest obsession: melt and pour soap. The supplies are on the way. Posts to be coming soon.)

2 comments:

SuzyQ01 said...

ok, so I'm a total flake and still haven't looked at the soap website. Work is getting the best of me and have no time to myself. I think I really need another play day...you can show me your new soap! (and maybe help me with some pedicure socks?!)

Kristen said...

I got shampoo soap from Prarieland Herbs for Christmas. I can NOT get a lather going. I don't know if its the soap or our water. I bet I spent about 15 minutes massaging the bar onto sectioned pieces of hair and scalp and still got minimal bubbles. And post-shower my hair felt gross, even after doing the smelly vinegar rinses. It was dissapointing. :[