Homemade Shampoo

[Nate5700]

You folks with hair...life is so much simpler without it.

Actually, I've been wondering about this myself. I have very short and thinning hair so it's very easy for me to just rub a bar of soap on my head. On one hand, if it damages my hair, I probably don't have enough for anyone to notice and it won't last long before I trim it off. On the other hand, do I really want to destroy what little hair I have left? Hmm...

 

[shunt2011]

You folks with hair...life is so much simpler without it.

Actually, I've been wondering about this myself. I have very short and thinning hair so it's very easy for me to just rub a bar of soap on my head. On one hand, if it damages my hair, I probably don't have enough for anyone to notice and it won't last long before I trim it off. On the other hand, do I really want to destroy what little hair I have left? Hmm...

My husband has very short thinning hair and has been using bar soap for years now. He likes it as he said it give his hair some body and fullness. He likes one and done. Ha ha.

 

[DeeAnna]

Ditto for my DH. He is a chrome dome with fringe.

He will use my syndet shampoo bar occasionally, but more often than not he uses regular soap. I'd prefer it if he didn't, because I can tell his hair is drier and rougher looking. Maybe others can't tell, but I can. But I don't say anything -- he's a big boy and can make his own choices.

 

[Gaisy59]

My thoughts Earlene are we itch now so if we can get it to stop all the better.

 

[Sunnymi]

Hi everyone! I am looking for feedback on homemade shampoo. My hairdresser is not a fan as she has styled hair for women who have made their own. She tells me that their hair feels “coated” and not easy to work with.

Any comments? Thanks

For a while I was using my basic Olive oil and Coconut oil bar soap as a shampoo also and my hair stylist, who is also a good friend, loved how healthy my hair was. The only reason I quit using it was because I was going through my soap too quickly and at the time I was working full time and also had gone back to school so I didn't have as much time to make soap as frequently. Now that I have more time to play with my soap recipes again I am considering going back to it.

 

[WeaversPort]

If you want a very easy, basic shampoo bar to experiment with, WSP has a recipe I've been using.

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/handmade101/how-to-make-recipes/conditioning-shampoo-bars.aspx

 

[Gaisy59]

It seems like a very good response for the syndet bars, but now here is a question i just realized as i was getting my hair colored yesterday...how are the bars with colored hair?

 

[amd]

I tweaked both the Conditioning recipe and the Moisturizing recipe from WSP and use on my colored hair. They don't strip out the color, if that's what you're worried about.

 

[WeaversPort]

It seems like a very good response for the syndet bars, but now here is a question i just realized as i was getting my hair colored yesterday...how are the bars with colored hair?

I use the WSP bar as it is and have no problem with my colored hair.

 

[Gaisy59]

Thank for your answers. Now i just have to buy all the ingredients. Kaching! Lol

 

[Gaisy59]

For a while I was using my basic Olive oil and Coconut oil bar soap as a shampoo also and my hair stylist, who is also a good friend, loved how healthy my hair was. The only reason I quit using it was because I was going through my soap too quickly and at the time I was working full time and also had gone back to school so I didn't have as much time to make soap as frequently. Now that I have more time to play with my soap recipes again I am considering going back to it.

I tried using one of my soaps but my hair felt heavy and not nice at all. So i think i will try the syndet bar and see hiw that goes.

 

[Nate5700]

So I bought a syndet bar on Amazon. Not homemade but no SLS and per the ingredients it looks like it has mostly the same stuff you folks are using. I washed what little hair I have with it last night. When I use soap on my head my hair gets kind of a waxiness to it, in what seems like almost a healthy way, if that makes sense? It made it feel fuller. This stuff didn't leave any sort of coating, not limp (not that you could really tell if I had limp hair) but just clean. I could go either way but if soap is so bad for your hair I might as well use the syndet (I already bought it after all).

I rubbed some in my goatee as well, which brings me to another question: Seems like the consensus is that soap is bad for your scalp. Is it OK for one's beard?

 

[Gaisy59]

I rubbed some in my goatee as well, which brings me to another question: Seems like the consensus is that soap is bad for your scalp. Is it OK for one's beard?

Lol sorry cant answer that one myself. Although age has given me a few extra chin hair its not enough to even try using soap there. Good luck maybe someone else can help you

 

[amd]

Seems like the consensus is that soap is bad for your scalp. Is it OK for one's beard?

It's not just bad for your scalp, the high pH is damaging to your hair. Hair is dead so once it gets damaged it won't "heal" itself - despite what all those conditioner ads tell you. That said, my hubby uses either regular soap on his beard, or if he remembers he'll use one of my shampoo bars. He regularly trims his beard, so I suspect if regular soap is causing damage, it's getting cut off regularly so it's probably not noticeable.

 

[earlene]

I have known men who got dry flaky skin under their beards (the skin within the bearded area) when they used lye soap. So you should watch out for that, Nate.

 

[Nate5700]

He regularly trims his beard, so I suspect if regular soap is causing damage, it's getting cut off regularly so it's probably not noticeable.

True. I've been lazy about trimming mine, but since I'm attempting to make shaving soap I've got some motivation to keep it under control.

I have known men who got dry flaky skin under their beards (the skin within the bearded area) when they used lye soap.

I've noticed some flakiness on my nose after washing my face with my soap. Doesn't seem to be a problem in the beard area yet. I hope it doesn't become a problem, particularly where I'm shaving. I've used Taylor of Old Bond St. shaving soap and didn't have any issues back then, but I'd be disappointed if I couldn't use my own shaving soap. I'd probably just go back to a full beard rather than shave with conventional shaving cream.

 

[cmzaha]

It's not just bad for your scalp, the high pH is damaging to your hair. Hair is dead so once it gets damaged it won't "heal" itself - despite what all those conditioner ads tell you. That said, my hubby uses either regular soap on his beard, or if he remembers he'll use one of my shampoo bars. He regularly trims his beard, so I suspect if regular soap is causing damage, it's getting cut off regularly so it's probably not noticeable.

Yup, you cannot fix dead... If you have short hair cut regularly you will be cutting off any damage it does.

 

[Trisher]

If you want a very easy, basic shampoo bar to experiment with, WSP has a recipe I've been using.

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/handmade101/how-to-make-recipes/conditioning-shampoo-bars.aspx

I would like to try this... but a kit is over $33 US and the shipping is about $40 US. That means 3 bars of shampoo cost about $100 Canadian. ( It would be even more costly to buy individual supplies and then not end up using them if you didn't like the bars or whatever!)

 

[JuliaNegusuk]

I always wondered what people did before synthetic detergents existed. Did everyone just have one lifelong bad hair day!

 

[Gaisy59]

I have wondered the same thing Julia! Women have to wash their eith be it short or long.