Dear
@Zany_in_CO ,
I do have the greatest affection and respect for you. You also know that I'm in the minority camp of people, like you, who can use soap as shampoo with no ill effects (
and that's without any need to follow your cool water rinsing protocol - diluted ACV with rosemary and lavender EO works great for me). I say all that as a preface to my main point, in the hope that you can receive what I say as one friend to another.
When you make statements like the one I quoted above, what others hear is that you think they aren't as smart as you are, and that they too would have success with hair soap if they only followed the protocol that works so well for you. When you minimize or outright dismiss the extremely traumatic experience for people who practically had to shave their heads due to damage from hair soap, they (rightfully) become hurt and upset, and their responses reflect that. Reading back through the threads, this seems to be the root of the arguments over this issue which have spanned many threads in this forum.
It's kind of like someone who can drink coffee right up to bedtime, telling others who cannot do so, that they must be drinking coffee the wrong way. Or that because they can eat gluten, someone else who can't eat gluten must be imagining it all -- or eating the wrong kind of wheat product, or not taking the right supplements, etc. No, we are all different. We don't have the same body chemistry, hair type, diet, water quality - so many variables.
My husband followed the exact same protocol as I did for washing our hair with soap. He was fine for years, and then suddenly, he was not fine. His scalp began flaking severely, and his short, thick, healthy hair began breaking off and thinning. We tried all the things - different recipes, different rinses, different EOs/additives, etc. etc. - and none of them worked. He had to go back to syndets. Once he did, everything cleared up almost immediately. He does have some very significant health issues, for which he must take medications, and no doubt that also plays into things for him. But I can assure you, his inability to use soap on his hair has nothing to do with improper rinsing technique, or using the wrong recipes. Because we do like to keep things "natural" when we can, we tried everything before giving up (same with medications for his health issues - those are always last resort for us). Sadly, hair soap just doesn't work for him anymore. Fortunately, he can still use my handcrafted soap on his body, as long as it doesn't contain certain EOs and FOs which make his eczema and psoriasis flare up.
I know you have such a kind heart and don't intend to dismiss the experience of others. Maybe you feel like they have dismissed yours as well, for which I'm sorry. Perhaps when we talk about soap as shampoo, we should start each post with something like,
"People have very disparate experiences with hair soap. I'd like to share mine. In addition, I'd encourage you to research the topic thoroughly so you are aware of the possible risks and benefits, and can make the best decision for your own hair."
Fondly,
AliOop
