When I was a little girl I remember our family using Herbal Essence Shampoo from Clairol. The Original. You know...this green botanical smelling stuff:
A bottle I remember very well. Countless times I held the bottle in my hand, looking at the label and admiring the image on it. I wanted to wash my hair in a fresh mountain stream with floating flowers and birds singing to me, too. Like the bathing fairy princess/fresh water Mermaid the image conjured in my 7 year old girl imagination.
Then there was this shampoo...the not so organic, organic shampoo you'd surely want to tell your friends about...
Because it was good enough for Farrah Fawcett's famous feathered locks.
Oops! Never mind, that was Wella Balsam.
Fast forward, I am 45 years old now and I have used many shampoos over the years. From Suave to Vidal Sassoon to Paul Mitchell to Biologe to Avalon Organics and Burts Bees. As an adult I have had somewhat dry hair made worse at times with highlighting and/or coloring and a few perms (never again!). So I was always looking for ultra moisturizing shampoos or specially formulated shampoos for color-treated hair, followed by a ridiculous amount of conditioner slathered on my head in hopes it might help my hair feel like fine silk. Then depending upon what decade it was I may have used a hair dryer, curling iron, rollers and various hair "thingies" to force my hair into a certain style. I also sometimes used suspicious chemical concoctions such as mousse, styling spritz, etc. to either help enhance the nature of my hair or the opposite...styling it into submission. My poor hair!
About a decade ago my fears of using chemicals on my hair and scalp began to sink in. So I stopped using any styling products on my hair other than the rare use of hairspray that I kept stored away under the sink "just in case". I also went longer inbetween coloring my hair, choosing to color it only when I could no longer handle my roots. And I did my best to buy shampoos, conditioners and even hair color made with as many natural ingredients as possible, usually from the health food store. Most of those products were a bit pricey and none of them became a favorite of mine. So when a friend of mine began making shampoo bars I decided it give it a try. It was a little odd at first, getting the hang of it and I did like it but the it was the Conditioner bar that really blew me away. It is easily the best conditioner I have ever used. Even though it is meant to be used with shampoo bars, the conditioner bar works great for me whether I use a regular liquid shampoo or a bar. My long'ish hair no longer has that buildup or heaviness caused by most of the conditioners that I have tried and it air dries very fast.
About a decade ago my fears of using chemicals on my hair and scalp began to sink in. So I stopped using any styling products on my hair other than the rare use of hairspray that I kept stored away under the sink "just in case". I also went longer inbetween coloring my hair, choosing to color it only when I could no longer handle my roots. And I did my best to buy shampoos, conditioners and even hair color made with as many natural ingredients as possible, usually from the health food store. Most of those products were a bit pricey and none of them became a favorite of mine. So when a friend of mine began making shampoo bars I decided it give it a try. It was a little odd at first, getting the hang of it and I did like it but the it was the Conditioner bar that really blew me away. It is easily the best conditioner I have ever used. Even though it is meant to be used with shampoo bars, the conditioner bar works great for me whether I use a regular liquid shampoo or a bar. My long'ish hair no longer has that buildup or heaviness caused by most of the conditioners that I have tried and it air dries very fast.
As a result of being kinder and gentler to my hair, using only natural products and kicking the coloring habit, my natural waves are more defined without the use of any styling products. And my hair feels more like the hair of my youth. I look forward to when my colored hair grows all the way out.
(Yep...this is me)
UPDATE!
I am 50 now (2019) and I still use the conditioner bar.
You can find it on here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/585842930/solid-conditioner-bar-hair-conditioner?ref=shop_home
I still haven't colored my hair and I won't go back to it. I have a lot more grey
now but I actually really like it. Sadly, I now prefer my old natural color over the colors in boxes that I tried for so many years. How does the saying go? Hindsight is 20/20.
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