***I am posting this in conjunction with the weekly Spin Cycle at Sprite’s Keeper. Click here to see what other people can’t live without (or could, but would rather not have to).***
A Long-Overdue No ‘Poo Update:
I have not updated the No ‘Poo experiment since August. I’ve been getting lots of questions lately about what’s going on with that, and whether or not I’m still doing it. Here’s the truth:
I aborted the No ‘Poo movement after four months—I started on June 15th 2009 and quit on October 20th, 2009.
The reason I quit updating from August to October was simply because there was nothing to update. No real changes. And a whole lot of nothing makes for boring blog posts.
The reason I quit the experiment altogether was because I started getting mild dandruff. I truly believe that the cause of the dandruff was induced by the cold weather and not my lack of shampooed hair, since I had not had a problem with it for three summertime months of being ‘pooless. Seriously, though, dandruff? Gross. I can live with all the side effects of going No ‘Poo…all of them but dandruff. My shamlessness ends with dandruff.
Also, after four months, I wasn’t amazed with the results of forgoing shampoo. My hair wasn’t as miraculously wonderful as the internet claimed it would be—it was certainly manageable, and workable (which might be the miracle in itself, after four months of not using shampoo), but the internet claimed I would be happier with my ‘pooless hair than I ever was before…and that SIMPLY WAS NOT TRUE. I missed it smelling like flowers, for one. And the internet promised me I would never need to use hairspray to hold curls, but I totally still needed it.
Will I ever go back to No ‘Poo? Yes, I believe I will. I can fully see myself skipping the ‘poo every week for the entire summer. It made me feel like a hippie, it made me feel liberated, and it made travel a breeze (less stuff to pack). I liked that a lot. If I try it again next summer and I don’t get dandruff again? I’ll stick with it.
But for now I’m using shampoo again.
HOWEVER…
…even though I decided to use shampoo again, I was still concerned about buying plastic bottles every month just for my hair—that was, after all, the main reason I started the experiment in the first place.
So I did a bit of research and discovered Solid Shampoo—shampoo in bar form, like a bar of soap—from Lush™, my most coveted handmade soap company (I’ve had a secret crush on Lush™ ever since I discovered it in London during the summer of 2004).
Intrigued by the thought of a bar of shampoo with absolutely no wasteful packaging, I ordered two bars. I used one two times and liked it but ended up giving it away to a dear friend; the other one I’ve been using two to three times a week since October, AND IT STILL LOOKS PRACTICALLY BRAND NEW.
Don’t believe me? Below, the blue bar is the one I’ve been using for five months; the white bar is brand new:
In the side-view photo below, you can see that it has shrunk a little bit, but seriously, for five months’ usage? That’s amazing. I have every reason to believe it will last me another five months:
I am so delighted with how long this bar has lasted.
On their website, Lush claims that one “bar lasts between 60 – 80 washes, contains no preservatives or packaging and is full of fantastic essential oils for the hair and scalp”—a fact I can vouch for myself—and that “using just one of these fresh green bars will last long enough to save the environment from producing, shipping and recycling three plastic bottles of liquid shampoo.”
That solves my problem.
When I started using the shampoo bar, I didn’t want to get back into the habit of overwashing every other day; I only use it two or three times a week, and I still don’t use conditioner (if my hair feels overly dry, I use a tiny bit of BioSilk or coconut oil to tame it down after showering).
The bars range between $8-$10, which seems really high, but if it were to last even six months (and I expect mine will last eight or nine), that’s like paying $1.60/month for shampoo—just a little more than you would pay for a bottle of shampoo at a dollar store, and WAY better quality for your money.
They lather well, they smell fantastic, they leave my hair feeling much cleaner than it ever did during my No ‘Poo days, and best of all, they are plastic-less and preservative-free!
I’m a huge fan of these shampoo bars.
I’ve tried three different types total (I just bought a new one for kicks the other day), and have been delighted with each one.
The other day I was at a new mall and found, to my great delight, a Lush™ store. I dragged my mother-in-law inside and spent ten minutes hemming and hawing over which new shampoo bars to buy (she didn’t believe me that they were amazing; she never believes anything I preach about). I finally settled on these three:
1. Godiva
The Lush™ website says this of the Godiva bar:
“Godiva is famous for riding through the streets naked on a horse, her long locks flowing behind her. We imagine her hair smelled of sensual jasmine, and made this bar as homage to those beautiful tresses. We pack it with nutritious cocoa and Shea butters to soften, condition and loads of shine, making it a two-in-one (but really the jasmine perfumes your hair too, making it more of a three-in-one). We don’t necessarily endorse riding naked through the streets to celebrate your new shampoo; but if you do, be sure to tell them it’s Godiva.”
2. The Ultimate Shine
I have used this kind before, and I can vouch for its shine-factor. My hair looked like it came from a Pantene Pro-V commercial after I used this bar. The shine was ridiculous. In a good way. The Lush™ website says this of The Ultimate Shine bar:
“If you’ve got a sparkly personality, and you wish your hair reflected that, wash with The Ultimate Shine. Subtle gold glitter and ylang ylang oils keep your hair looking extra shiny and violet leaf oil decongests your scalp and alleviates anger, so you can radiate on the inside and on the outside. Three swipes across the scalp for a shiny white lather, a rub and a rinse and you’re ready to gleam!”
3. Karma Komba
(The saleslady at Lush™ said this bar is best for almost all normal hair types.) The Lush™ website says this of the Karma Komba bar:
“If you can’t get enough of our signature Karma fragrance, wash with this solid shampoo bar to perfume your locks so you can smell it all day long. Along with scalp-pleasing patchouli and elemi, we add orange and lemon oils to cleanse hair and increase shine. This one is great for detangling messy hair, so use it if you are the type that gets your hair all caught up in knots (use Jungle afterwards for extra detangling and conditioning action).”
4. Free sample of Jungle solid conditioner.
As a bonus (I’ve never bought anything at Lush™ when I didn’t get a free bonus at the checkout counter), I got a large sample of the solid conditioner, which I had never used before today. The Lush™ website says this of their Jungle solid conditioner:
“One sniff of our tropical solid conditioner (invented by our Helen Ambrosen) and you’ll think you’re in a fruity jungle, flying on a vine from tree to tree. Made without packaging (so there’s no litter in the jungle) or preservatives (it dissolves into the earth without harm), and a base of cocoa butter that melts into hair leaving it glossy and smooth. Fresh organic avocado extract nourishes and bananas moisturize and soften. Make sure your hair and the bar are wet, slide along from root to tip and rinse.”
I broke off a little chunk of the conditioner and used it in the shower today, just to see how it worked. It smells delicious (eight hours later and my hair STILL smells like heaven), but I’m not totally sold on it—for one, my hair has been fine without conditioner for the past eight months; and moreover, the conditioner bar is not as easy to use as the shampoo bars. It kind of crumbles, and it doesn’t feel like it’s getting worked through all of my hair. I will admit, though, that it did work well as a detangler—my hair combed out much nicer after my shower than it normally does—but I just didn’t like its weirdness during application.
So.
Today, because I really like this product and I want to spread the gospel of it to the world so that Lush™ doesn’t go out of business like all my favourite places seem to, I am giving to one lucky reader:
-one shampoo bar
-one travel tin, and
-the chunk of the conditioner sample {which should last for at least five uses})
[A $15.00 value total (hey, it’s not much, but I’m unemployed.)]
To enter, simply comment on this post, and answer either (or both) of the following questions:
1. Why do you want to win this Lush™ shampoo bar?
2. Which bar would you pick if you won?
The contest will be open until midnight on Saturday, February 20th, and winners will be announced Monday, February 22nd at whatever time I feel like it (I hate Mondays, so it will probably be late-ish).
***Disclaimer: I am giving away these products because I like these products. Lush™ did not sponsor me in any way (but Lush™, if you’re reading this, I totally take sponsorships). I paid for these products with Poor Kyle’s own money. I will pay for shipping with Poor Kyle’s own money. Why? Because Poor Kyle loves me, and I love you, and love and Lush™ are what make this world go ’round.***
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