Washing your hair with bar soap

I would say the easiest way to go no-poo is to use bar soap or a "shampoo bar" to wash your hair. You don't have to make your own anything, bar soap doesn't have a short shelf life, there's not much experimenting--you just buy it and use it.

I've tried 3 bar soaps on my hair so far. UPDATE: I learned that you need to scrub the bar on your head, not just lather it in your hands and try to apply the lather. Here's a good way to do it:

1. Wet your hair. Once the water has saturated to the roots, scrub it with your finger pads (not fingernails) so that you're really massaging and cleansing your scalp with the water.

2. Put the whole bar of soap on your head, starting with your crown. Make little circles with the bar soap, all around your crown.

3. Then take the bar soap and make small circles with it all around your hairline--front and back.

4. Massage it in, vigorously, roots to tips.

It definitely takes getting used to, because bar soap doesn't lather AS much and doesn't feel like it spreads as easily to your whole head. But if you can get used to it, bar soap definitely cleans well and because it lacks the detergents and damaging agents in shampoo, it makes for healthier, thicker hair.

Dr. Bronner's All-One Pure Castile Bar Soap

If you use the method I describe above, you can get a good cleanse, but don't expect silky hair afterwards. It's best if you follow up the cleanse with Dr. Bronner's citrus hair rinse--that stuff is amazing and you kinda need it to complete the process.

I also appreciate the integrity of the company--that the family is staying true to their father's legacy. I read up on Dr. Bronner because if you read the writing on all his labels, it's legit crazy. He did have a mental breakdown at one point, escaped from an asylum, started holding all these meetings to preach his "All-One" message, but nobody was interested. They were only interested in buying his soap, which was his family's business passed down for generations. So instead of trying to get people to listen to him preach, he decided to write it all on the product labels. That was his way of getting his message out! Such an interesting story and character. His family keeps the labels that way to honor him. It's not cultish or anything, it's just the stream-of-consciousness rantings of a guy with a lot to say and noone who will listen.

Kirk's Castile Pure Botanical Coconut Oil Soap

I got this because I was reading 1-star reviews (one of my pastimes) on some other product and the reviewer said they are going back to their Kirk soap--what their mom always used on them when they were kids. It would lather up so good, and get all the castor oil out of their hair. I thought, "I have castor oil in my hair right now! And I want to get it out!" So I looked it up and sure enough, thousands of rave reviews about this soap that people have used their whole life.

I must say I love the simple ingredients, the time tested recipe, and how it LATHERS. It does get your hair squeaky clean. Smells fresh like regular soap, nothing added. I got the aloe one as well as the original coco one. I like the aloe because it's moisturizing. I come back to this soap at least once a week.

Homemade Shampoo Bar from Simple Life Mom on Etsy

The description is what got me: "NETTLE HERBAL SHAMPOO bar- for oily or dry hair. Great for hair growth, Eucalyptus and Rosemary, vegan, 100% natural, handmade cold process." Hook, line and sinker.

Sometimes my hair is oily, sometimes it's dry. Most times it's BOTH in different parts of my head! "Normal" hair is my dream.

I had been researching how to make my own shampoo bar with healing ingredients like nettle and rosemary, when I found out how difficult and time consuming it is to make your own soap!!

So I took the lazy alternate route and looked on etsy for people who might already be doing it--I want homemade soap but I don't want it made in MY home.

Turns out this Simple Life Mom makes everything I would want to make if I had the time and resources. Check out her amazing INGREDIENT LIST for this shampoo bar: olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, castor oil, organic and naturally harvested nettle tea, lye, eucalyptus and rosemary essential oil.

My review: It smells heavenly. Love the natural scents. It doesn't lather well at all. Doesn't feel like it's getting my whole head clean. BUT my hair feels great after. It has volume, texture, feels healthy and clean.

My current M.O. is to alternate between these 3 soaps (whatever is handy) about every 3 days, followed by my leave-in conditioner spray. In between I'm scrubbing my scalp and hair with water only.

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*UPDATE 2/3/21:

I have tried the Trader Joe's Shampoo Bar--I loved the lather, the smell and the tingly sensation. It's a good clean. However you must follow it with conditioner or your hair will feel waxy. After a couple weeks of using it, my hair started feeling weighed down and greasy. I think because of my low porosity hair and the tea tree oil and peppermint in the soap, I can't use it regularly. It smells delicious though!