My Hair Story – Part I

Using Natural Soap in place of shampoo – My Journey

Natural Hair Journey – First published June 22, 2018.

There has been increased interest in shampoo bars recently, particularly because they require no plastic packaging. And so I have finally decided to publish my ‘hair story’ because it’s just too good to hide anymore!

My hair for 32 years using commercial shampoo: fine, oily, limp hair, no body. Split ends required regular trims. Washed daily from sheer necessity.

My hair now, 2 years into my natural hair journey: fine, bouncy, soft, strong hair, with no split ends. Only cut when I feel like it. Can skip washes now with no problems (*see note below).

Commercial shampoos are synthetic detergents with added silicones which create a buildup on the hairshaft, preventing moisture from penetrating, leading to split ends and breakage.

Natural soap creates no buildup. There are no residual films, allowing moisture to penetrate and keep your hair healthy and strong.

Many people think soap is too alkaline for your hair. They think you have to use a vinegar rinse after washing, to restore the hairs natural pH, and that this constant drastic ph change leads to breakage.

There are people who don’t want to use natural shampoo bars, because they are afraid of the detox – all that buildup from commercial shampoo has to come off before the natural soap can work it’s magic. This can leave your hair feeling gummy, heavy and difficult to manage. There are ways to help speed up this process, however.

I never really had a detox period with my hair. The first time I used a soap bar on my hair, I looked in the mirror and went WOW! My hair was actually standing up away from my scalp, something it had never done in 32 years! The body was incredible, and I was hooked.

I have naturally wavy hair, and the next thing I noticed was that the ends now wanted to curl all on their own, instead of looking like limp straw.

I did try the vinegar rinse, but because it acts like a conditioner, and I have very oily hair, it left my hair greasy, so I stopped using it. (It is useful to keep the vinegar rinse in a spray bottle, which you can then just spray on the ends, and rinse out. That way there is no smell left on the hair)

To keep my ends well nourished, I had already for a few years been applying a little argan oil after every wash, so I continued to do so with natural soap.

Of course, not everyone enjoys shampoo bars. It could just be that you have not found a recipe that’s right for your hair. Also, hair dyes can interfere with the results when using natural soap.

The good news? If you find that a particular shampoo bar is not working for you, they make great body bars too. So there’s no wastage ☺️

An added benefit is that natural soap (shampoo bars) has cleared up many scalp conditions for clients, like flaking and itching (for one client, natural soap provided complete relief after 8 years of struggling with prescription products).

* My first shampoo bar was the Coconut Oil Shampoo Bar. That worked great for the first 8 months or so, but the thing with natural soap is, that it doesn’t strip the hair and scalp like regular shampoo, so it doesn’t stimulate oil production in the same way. Net result: My hair was staying clean for too long (I like washing it every day). So I switched to the Pure Castile. That was great for a while too, until the same thing started happening. Next I used the Raw Honey Shampoo Bar. And yes, you guessed it, that’s why there is a 4th shampoo bar on its way now 😂

** The last word…
An additional benefit of natural shampoo bars became apparent when I went to the beach earlier this year. Normally a visit to the beach means stiff, tacky, stringy hair that needs a good wash ASAP. We decided to go to a restaurant on the way home (cringe – my hair!). By that time my hair was almost dry, and I just ran my fingers through it and hoped for the best. Normally its impossible to get fingers through beach hair, so I was glad that ‘brushing’ of sorts was possible.

It was only when I got home I suddenly realised something was drastically different…. And looked in the mirror. The results were so exciting I had to take a photo. My hair was super curly, super soft, and not matted or tacky at all. And then I had to run to my mom’s house and see how her hair had fared (she also came on our jaunt, also uses natural soap bars on her hair, and had swum in the sea). Low and behold, it was not just me! My mom has naturally curly hair, but it was so soft and more curly than usual, with no need for a wash.

The attached photos are from that day, dried salty hair 🙂

There are currently 3 varieties of shampoo bars available from Au Naturel – 100% Natural Handmade Soap, with a 4th on the way. If you haven’t signed up for our newsletters, what are you waiting for?

– Melissa Greyvenstein