Shampoo Bar tips for THICK HAIR

[cg_lem]

My daughter has incredibly thick hair. Our hairdresser recommended a special kind of shampoo for "scalp treatment", just to make sure it cleans deep down to her scalp.

Any tips on what I can add to my next shampoo bar batch to help with this?

The soaps I make are all natural/organic-- I don't want to use anything artificial in what I make.

Thanks in advance!

- Cathy

 

[melstan775]

Cathy I am a hairdresser and I find the biggest challenge with thick hair is even reaching the scalp through the million strands of hair. Even scalp treatments don't work if you don't get it on the scalp. With thick hair the best thing to do is separate it into sections and wash the scalp through each section. With tons of hair you're never going to be able to wash the head all over at once - it just takes more effort to reach all skin on the scalp under thick hair.

The next thing would be whether she has oily hair. If she does, is it because it's naturally oily or just buildup from not being able to get it clean all the time. I don't know what to advise for shampoo bar ingredients because I don't use them, but I can say the scalp produces oil naturally and if you strip it it will make the hair oilier because the scalp will start producing more oil to replace what is constantly lost.

Good luck with your formula!

 

[cg_lem]

Thanks, Melissa. Her hair is oily-- but I think it's probably a couple of things. One, that she's 14, and the other, that her hair is as thick as it is, so it doesn't get completely cleaned. She says she has fairly good results with this one shampoo she's been using (don't know if I should name it here. . . . .). I'd just like to be able to make a shampoo bar that will clean it as thoroughly as she needs it done.

- Cathy

 

[shabaity]

Having long, thick hair through the majority of my life my biggest issue was/is always getting the shampoo and conditioner out when rinsing and the only solution I ever found for that was to have a hand held shower head and flip my hair upside down in the shower. As for scalp treatments, I've always gotten someone else to apply them I can't see back there to know where its needed.:angel: Hope that helps some.

 

[melstan775]

Cathy I'm going to go with her problem is she is equally oily and not getting it clean enough . Show her how to part out her hair into 4 or 6 sections so she can scrub her scalp all the way around. Also she doesn't ned to condition near the scalp, obviously she has enough natural oil, so show her how to just condition up the shaft to near the scap - generally what you can grab onto without reaching for the scalp.

Sound slike shabaity has some experience with tons of hair too, so maybe the shower head is the answer. Also, if you really want her to use a natural shampoo, I will suggest a liquid shampoo if you can formulate one; it's easier to suds from a bottle then it is to get a bar to lather over and over when you have lots of hair to clean.

 

[christinak]

I'm not trying to be a bummer...but I have super DUPER thick hair and I am still waiting for a recipe for a good shampoo bar for thick hair

 

[Desert Karen]

thick hair....

Cathy I am a hairdresser and I find the biggest challenge with thick hair is even reaching the scalp through the million strands of hair. Even scalp treatments don't work if you don't get it on the scalp. With thick hair the best thing to do is separate it into sections and wash the scalp through each section. With tons of hair you're never going to be able to wash the head all over at once - it just takes more effort to reach all skin on the scalp under thick hair.

The next thing would be whether she has oily hair. If she does, is it because it's naturally oily or just buildup from not being able to get it clean all the time. I don't know what to advise for shampoo bar ingredients because I don't use them, but I can say the scalp produces oil naturally and if you strip it it will make the hair oilier because the scalp will start producing more oil to replace what is constantly lost.

Good luck with your formula![/QUOTE

She can always cut some of that thick hair, and send some to me.

Just a suggestion when ever you find the right formula.....I cut my shampoo bars into easily handleable blocks rather the bars. This way I can grip the top of the bar into my palm and rub. My formula is mainly made for me. I don't see a big market in solid hair soap. People have just gotten used to the squirt stuff and find the idea of a solid shampoo difficult to fathom. Too bad...they are missing a lot. IMHO.

 

[shabaity]

Not having oily hair (even at 14 I could go 3 days before it needed to be washed again) I can't say much for a recipe specifically for that not having looked, but these are a few links for that type I've seen on line
http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/12/shampoo-bar-soap-recipe/
http://www.skincarenaturals.com/recipes/crockpot-shampoo-bar-recipe.shtml
http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=285451

 

[cg_lem]

I'll have to look for one of those hand-held shower heads. And tell her about what you recommend, Melissa, as far as shampooing her hair.

Does anyone have a good liquid shampoo recipe that might work for thick hair like this too, then? I've not yet made a liquid shampoo. Are there key ingredients that are in the scalp treatments?

(Thanks, Shabaity-- I'll look at the links you've shared! And Desert Karen -- I'm sure my daughter would LOVE to share some of her hair with you! ;-) What is the shape you like to make your shampoo bars into, just smaller bars?)

I appreciate all the help so far!!

- Cathy

 

[grayceworks]

I have super-thick hair, curly too, ever since I was a teenager, and I found that when I stopped using shampoo, my hair and scalp didn't get oily and itchy anymore. No more dandruff. It took about 2 weeks for my scalp to stop producing so much oil. (in the meantime, it felt icky, so I kept it clipped up or in ponytails lol)

The scalp needs massaged well with fingertips to loosen dirt and oils, with plenty of water. I use just conditioner to wash with (something with coco-betaine works really well) a couple times a week, and it helps loosen the dirt and oils, get rid of tangles, and doesn't irritate and dry the scalp. I use a soap bar a couple times a week, and then the remaining days, just rinse really well. During the summer, I wash it every day, but not during the winter.

Like someone else mentioned, a hand-held showerhead with an adjustable sprayer is a MUST for thick hair. So you can turn it on the high-pressure setting to wet hair all the way to the scalp, and also to rinse thoroughly. My hair is so thick that I can't even wet my hair all the way without good water pressure, let alone rinse well.

As far as the soap I use... I alternate between a few, but the one that works the best so far is one I made that's over 50% lard, with some avocado oil and jojoba. My hairdresser used it last time she did my hair also, and she didn't even need to use conditioner afterwards, just combed right through it with hardly any tangles.

 

[Dennis]

I have super-thick hair, curly too, ever since I was a teenager, and I found that when I stopped using shampoo, my hair and scalp didn't get oily and itchy anymore. No more dandruff. It took about 2 weeks for my scalp to stop producing so much oil. (in the meantime, it felt icky, so I kept it clipped up or in ponytails lol)

The scalp needs massaged well with fingertips to loosen dirt and oils, with plenty of water. I use just conditioner to wash with (something with coco-betaine works really well) a couple times a week, and it helps loosen the dirt and oils, get rid of tangles, and doesn't irritate and dry the scalp. I use a soap bar a couple times a week, and then the remaining days, just rinse really well. During the summer, I wash it every day, but not during the winter.

Like someone else mentioned, a hand-held showerhead with an adjustable sprayer is a MUST for thick hair. So you can turn it on the high-pressure setting to wet hair all the way to the scalp, and also to rinse thoroughly. My hair is so thick that I can't even wet my hair all the way without good water pressure, let alone rinse well.

As far as the soap I use... I alternate between a few, but the one that works the best so far is one I made that's over 50% lard, with some avocado oil and jojoba. My hairdresser used it last time she did my hair also, and she didn't even need to use conditioner afterwards, just combed right through it with hardly any tangles.

You get my vote for helpful post of the day! Of course, it's very early yet. :yawn:
I'm going to show this thread to the former hand model in training, lovely daughter, as she has long thick hair and will only use certain shampoo.
As for the water pressure, those with really thick hair should be careful about the new water saving shower heads. Yuck. Pressure and volume are both down since remodelling bathrooms.

 

[paillo]

The last batches of shampoo bars I made, I included beer infused with marshmallow root, soap nuts, rosemary and chamomile, olive oil with infused marshmallow root, rosemary and chamomile. Olive/RBO, avocado, apricot, babassu, castor, shea and a few exotic oils and additives.

I too have long, thick unruly hair and hadn't been really happy with my previous shampoo bars. But WOW, I can't believe these. Incredible lather, like way more than commercial shampoo, and my scalp feels really deep clean without any feeling of stripping. One good rubbing in and massaging was all it too, no need to rinse, lather, repeat, while my earlier bars required two latherings. No need for conditioner - the marshmallow root is a natural de-tangler, and the soap nuts gave it extra lather. I am soooo impressed with what's possible.

 

[Lin]

I have thick naturally wavy and curly hair. I also mostly do Conditioner washes, I very rarely use a shampoo. When I do its a very mild one, I cut it with the Conditioner I usually wash with, I apply straight Conditioner to the length of my hair first to protect it, and then only wash my scalp. I part my hair in half and with a thin slick layer on the palm side of my fingers reach through the hair to rub my scalp. It helps to sort of 'fluff' your hair loose around your scalp before starting, otherwise it's very difficult to get your fingers through down to the scalp if your wet hair has formed a shell on your head. The friction alone does a lot of the work, and conditioners have gentle cleansers in them as well. Like grayce said, with washing less and not stripping your hair it produces less oil and stays cleaner longer. I also use lotion for a leave in Conditioner that has all the good stuff and nothing I don't want in it.

My hair is so much healthier than it used to be. And I used to hate it, always having it pulled back tightly in a ponytail with a loop or bun. The waves and curls were very inconsistent. Some sections were nearly straight, some very curly, and waves that didn't line up together so it basically looked like I had bad bed head if my hair was down and natural. Now I wear it down most of the time, and will just pull small sections away from my face and Bobby pin them when dressed up. Oh, another big one for me due to hair type was stopping brushing my hair. You just can't brush naturally curly hair, you get the triangle head of giant frizz. I only brush my hair dry before a shower, or comb it wet with lots of Conditioner in it. The most I do usually is a bit of finger combing it. If it's real bad I can brush it and then soak it with a spray bottle, add a little lotion and let it dry. It's also so much easier to deal with and quicker than it used to be! The washing less is perfect because of my health problems and some difficulty showering. If I'm home and don't go anywhere, I can honestly go a week without a shower just freshening up with a washcloth. It takes over a week to start looking oily, and if I just pull my hair back into a braid I could probably go 2 weeks lol.