My hair hasn't felt really clean for the last two or three decades. So many of the shampoos coat my hair and keep it from feeling clean.
Neutrogena used to make an anti-residue shampoo which I used once in awhile. It was pretty good, but they changed their formula, and I didn't like it anymore. I'm so tired or cluttering my life up with bottles of shampoo, because I can't find a good one.
Any suggestions?
Claycat, I had the same problem, too. The only time it felt clean was when I visited my stylist. She uses Paul Mitchell Clarifying. I bought a bottle for home, and I LOVE it! It's worth the price to me.
Honestly, I feel like the best thing is to learn more about the ingredients in the hair care products you use ('poo, 'dish, and whatever else you might use). For me, my biggest culprits that caused the kind of thing you're talking about, are "silicones." Except these days, there are sneaky ingredients that are just as non-water soluble and weigh your hair down like slicones but end in "-xane" instead of just "-cone." Biggest culprits: dimethicone, amidethicone, etc. Silicones are essentially plasticine (or plastic like) and while not harmful per se, are non-water soluble and really cling to your hair because of that. They're fantastic to offer slip (so hair can be readily detangled or smooth) and are a cheap way for companies to make products that give the initial impression of shine and softness and defrizzing. The problem is that when used everyday, or more frequently, they lead to lots of buildup on hair. I personally have opted to go silicone-free in all of my hair care. Some folks choose to use a combination, but I feel that that is pretty pointless because once you use a cone-based product, you already have that plasticine coating/ layer on your hair shaft and will require a much harsher detergent to wash it out of your hair.
Burt's Bees: Pomegranate and Soy volumizing shampoo.
I just use Baking soda and Apple cider vinegar, I gave up on shampoo and long time ago.
I hate to think of the money I have wasted on shampoo and conditioner. I now use Suave for color treated hair. It is really cheap and I love the way my hair feels. I stood in a store and compared shampoo ingredients one day and the main ingredients aren't very different. Advertisers do a number on us. If you listen to them, you would think women are stinky, ugly, wrinkled, etc. We don't need all their expensive crap. It is such a racket! Simple is usually the way to go.
Just my opinion :)
(And, yes, having worked as a chemist for a soap company for several years, most of the ingredients are the same. The company would make a big batch of a soap or cleaner, bottle half of it under label A, and then put the rest of the batch into bottles labeled B, and sell B for twice as much as A. I use Burt's Bees because it is sulfate-free and smells nice.)
My hair is very fine and thin, but I haven't used shampoo for years - I use a mild dish soap (usually Palmolive or Costco Kirkland Environmentally Friendly), along with a vinegar and water rinse.
I get NO build up, and my hair is very shiny and healthy (it doesn't dry it out at all.) When I told my hair stylist what I used on it, she said that I've got the healthiest head of hair she's seen in a long time, and that she sees so much build up on customer's hair, she wishes more of them would use dish soap, at least once in a while.
I had been wondering the same thing: I have so much trouble finding shampoos that make my hair feel really clean! The one thing I noticed, which I don't think was mentioned yet in this thread, is the type of water you have at home. I have hard water where I live so the minerals tend to build up and it causes that "unclean" feeling in my hair. When I go away on vacation and shower I notice oftentimes that my hair looks and feels better/softer. Think about getting a water softener if you have hard water at home!
But I also would love to know of some "natural" shampoos if anyone has any suggestions! I might try that Burt's Bees one!
Great ideas! I'm going to try some of them. Thanks!
Devilot, I'm already checking the labels. I do it for food, so I should do it for my shampoo, too!
I have found the no-poo method (baking soda/water shampoo, ac vinegar rinse) has really helped my hair. I wash with real shampoo (Nuetrogena T-Gel + deep conditioner) only once a week.
Before, when I skipped a wash, I'd find my hair too oily and "dirty-looking." With the no-poo method, my hair always has that nice "day-after-washing-fullness" that I remember from being a teen. :) Someone asked me the other day why my hair was so shiny, but I didn't have enough time to explain the no-poo method or the name. :D
(Caveat: I have longish, uncolored hair. I don't know how the baking soda/vinegar might interact with color.)
angelicous, I would love to try out the no-poo concoction you are using. Mind sharing the recipe?
^I was wondering about the recipe as well! I would love to try it if you would be willing to share it!
No problem!
I do 1 T baking soda to 1 c water in an old pump shampoo bottle, but I've heard the spray bottle method works well, too. Thing is, the baking soda settles, so before you put it on your hair, shake it up really well. I take hot-hot showers, so I hold the bottle under the shower for a few seconds, then do the shake.
Lather up (it doesn't really lather, so you just work it in). I usually do the hair, then clean my body, rinse my hair, put on the ac rinse, wash my face and then rinse my hair.
The ACV rinse is apple cider vinegar from Trader Joe's, & the formula is basically the same: 1 T ACV to 1 c water. I *only* use it on my ends. If you find your hair is feeling a bit oily or dirty, use less ACV rinse. (Too dry, use less BSS.)
Keep in mind that most of the oil in your hair comes from the scalp, so just use the BSS on your scalp and upper parts of your hair, and ACV on the ends.
Oh & no, there is no lingering ACV smell, I promise! I sleep with wet hair and have never noticed an odor.
Thank you so much! I will have to try that out!
sometimes it takes a while to find the right mixture that works for your hair, I tend to use more AVC because my air is curly and frizzy and I love the way it makes it easy to comb my hair, its like nature detangler.
For years I used cream rinse or conditioner to de-tangle my hair after I washed it, but I was amazed at how well ACV works for this - MUCH better than anything else! (And it's way cheaper, too.)
Börlind Rosmarin Shampoo works good for me:
http://www.boerlind.com/en/Produkte/Haarpflege/Haarpflege_Details.KraeuterShampooRosmarin.html
I tried the dish detergent thing, and I added a little bit of baking soda and it works great to get the gunk off my scalp. I had some left from the last time I put some hair products in my hair and it was taking forever for the baking soda alone to get rid of it. After that I used the apple cider vinegar as a rinse and I was pretty generous with it because taking all the oil leaves my hair pretty dry.
It worked great, my hair is really clean and soft. The only down side is when my hair is this clean and doesn't have any oil its really staticy and when I try and comb it, it sticks straight up. So I used my flat iron and then put a tiny bit of jojoba oil in my hands and rubbed them together and smoothed it over my hair to weigh it down a but. its still got a little static but not much and doesn't stick up unless I use my stainless steel comb. I've got naturally curly and wavy hair so I want to be able to wear it down I have to use a flat iron or a whole bunch of product and I would rather use the flat iron.
Next time I feel like I need to get rid of any buildup on my scalp, I'll just use a little bit of dishsoap and baking soda.
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