Seriously, my family and I have been using them for several months now and we love them. They have far exceeded my expectations.
I would not, however, say that they are ideal for everyone. I think that if you had oily, flat hair you would probably need a different recipe. So I am calling these "Moisturizing Shampoo Bars". And, I will work on developing a more deep cleaning formula for those with oily hair.
I'll give you a breakdown of how these have worked for each of us and our hair types.
My Husband- before the shampoo bars his hair was like normal, guy hair, drier in the winter less dry in the summer, but so short you couldn't really tell the difference. Since he is a construction worker and and all around dirty boy, he shampoos daily. His first reaction to the shampoo bar was "wow, this is really great." He went on and on several times in the first month or so about how soft his hair was and how shiny it seemed. But as the summer got hotter and his hair got nastier (think cement dust and rust mixed with gallons of sweat and baked under a hard hat for 10 hours), he found that the shampoo bar was not harsh enough for his sweaty head. So, he alternates the shampoo bar with a deep cleansing shampoo, as he feels necessary, to maintain his lovely "do".
4 Year Old Son- thick golden, little kid hair with a dirty scalp thanks to sand boxes and mud pies. His hair is still as glisteny as ever (maybe even a little more), but his scalp seems to come cleaner with the shampoo bar than with the baby and kid shampoos.
10 Year Old Daughter- medium thickness straight hair between chin and shoulder length. Before the shampoo bar she always, always, always woke up with horrible rat's nests bed-head, tangles. Her older sister has made an art of describing what it looked like had happened to her hair in her sleep. And while some of the stories were admittedly funny (especially those involving huge, 8ft tall bed bugs and aliens), 10YO usually ended up in tears either because of the story or the detangling process. I had tried for years to put an end to the tangles with no luck, and my husband would not let me shave her head. Thankfully, the shampoo bar and vinegar rinse combo (see my next post for more info on vinegar rinse) have made her mornings go much smoother. And as far as the texture and appearance of her hair goes, it looks and feels like spun silk. Light and smooth and golden. I have actually made other people (who know me and my soaping ways) feel it.
12 Year Old Daughter and Myself (I'm clumping us together because she is my Mini Me (a clone really) and just about anything said about one of our hair can be said about the other's.- we both have extremely thick, coarse, dry hair with oily scalps. And it takes forever to dry. If you've ever seen the commercial for "pyramid hair", you have some idea what it looked liked. Since using the shampoo bar both of our hair is smoother and more manageable and easier to get a brush through (that is a big deal in itself). I no longer have to use heavy duty conditioners, or any conditioners for that matter, just the vinegar rinse. For the first time in nearly 4 decades my hair has movement and is touchable and we both have more natural wave showing instead of just fuzziness. As far as the oily scalps go, even that seems to be more under control now. My guess is that the commercial shampoos stripped the skin of natural oils, resulting in an over-production of oils (kind of like treating acne with alcohol).In summary, I don't think most of our hair has ever been this healthy feeling and looking. But, as I said this recipe is not for all hair types- which means I must go back to the drawing board for another formula.
These are currently available on my website.
