Natural Shampoos

wash with a bit of baking soda, then rinse with some apple cider vinegar. don't wash nearly as often.

Good luck.
F. B.

Part of the problem with natural shampoos is they don't kick up a lot of lather like conventional shampoos. So a lot of people use way too much product, far more than they need to get clean, or they work the product in for much longer, which would cause hair loss. My hair is longer and healthier than ever - I had more breakage and hair loss from medications and side effects from things like thyroid disease. I think an awful lot of hair health (like skin health) comes from inside and not just what you apply to the surface. So as I changed my nutrition, I had far less hair loss and no breakage or split ends.

However, I think there is a lot of misinformation about shampoos. There used to be a lot of hoopla about sulfates in shampoos, but according to many sources, these weren't proven as carcinogenic. There may be other substances in the "natural" shampoos that are actually drying or harsh - but that would vary by manufacturer. You can check this link on Snopes.com (or go to Snopes yourself and search for "shampoo chemicals" or "sulfates in shampoo". http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/shampoo.asp

I am ALL about natural...but not everything natural is good for you or works. I give the example of the BIG As, Antrax, Arsenic and Anise, lol.

I use a tea tree oil based shampoo that I buy online and it is wonderful for my hair, my scalp and I get compliments on my hair all the time. I use a natural line of skin care and most people think I'm 15 years younger than I am. These things should heal! If you are mixing up your own natural stuff, then you probably can't get a good quality ingredient with the stores these day. If you do get a really good starting point, it will probably costs you a fortune. Shop for the right manufacturing company (not one owned by P&G, Johnson's or Colgate-Palmolive,etc)

If you want recommendations, I'll be glad to share...

God bless,
M.

Try a bar shampoo.

http://www.amazon.com/J-R-Liggetts-Old-Fashioned-Shampoo-...

if you want truly natural, you could try dr mercola.. he uses ingredients that are in fact truly natural and non-toxic.. However, because you don't have the harsh chemicals, is does feel thinner, although it's really not, it's just not as luxurious... However, as noted below, in part... you could shampoo with a truly natural shampoo and then for added shine, use the vinegar rinse..
I know people who have done that and liked how their hair turned out..

You don't need lather to clean hair. I use Wen, which is similar in concept to the conditioner only cleansing that Gamma does. Wen is not all natural, but it doesn't have the sulfate and other funky stuff that traditional shampoos have that dry out the hair. The reason you have to use conditioner is because shampoo strips the natural oils from hair, making it weak and dry. If you use a cleansing conditioner, you don't strip the hair and it comes out softer and shiny and clean.

I love the idea of using natural cosmetics and lotions but they simply do not work for me, I have spent more money on that stuff and always end up returning to my regular products. I have ordered the "so called" good ones and am embarrassed to say what I spent on them, they don't work for me. My hair becomes dry, lifeless, flat, breaks, and generally just feels dirty.

I also have mild seasonal allergies and have yet to find an organic body or facial lotion that doesn't irritate my skin, making me feel itchy and just generally uncomfortable. My skin also becomes dry and "old" looking so I always go back to Aveeno.

I'm a big fan of natural things, food, and some lotions. But not so much shampoo. I have a friend who makes really nice natural shampoo bars, and at first I thought my hair was nice with them...but after enough washings, yeah, lifeless, dull. Maybe not breaking more but seemed more brittle. This has been true for natural shampoos I've tried from health food stores and such in the past. Not worth the high $. There is something to be said for good old fashioned toxic chemicals to make your hair thick and shiny:)

I use natural ones sometimes as a departure, but when I color my hair I use normal color protecting shampoo. I've always had healthy hair no matter what kind of shampoo I use, but it seems much thinner and duller with natural ones.

I stopped using shampoo a long time ago. I only use normal every day conditioner. I rub it in my hair just like I would shampoo. Then I comb/brush it out to get the tangles out. Then I rinse it out and do it again.

My hair is clean and shiny and soft and pretty. I dry the roots a bit then let it finish air drying with just a tiny bit of mousse in it.

I won't ever go back to using shampoo again.

I'm chiming into this a little late, but I wanted to tell you about what I'm using. I've been using a shampoo from L'Occitane, which is a specialty store that carries soaps, perfumes, hand lotions, facial products and hair care products. All their items are French.

I started using a shampoo from them a month ago that I really like. It's called "revitalizing fresh shampoo" and I love it. They are all natural and everything smells grey. I really like what this shampoo does to my hair. It feels lighter and cleaner and when I run my hand through it, my hair feels smoother.

I've got two stores near me, but I'd do't know how widespread the stores are. I do know they are opine. You can google or bing them, just make rue you have the United States website, not the Canadian one.

Good luck.

I use tea tree oil shampoo from Trader Joe's and the Trader Joe's Spa Conditioner. I've been happy with both and haven't had any issues with thinning or breakage. I don't know if this is related or not, but I've been using dandruff shampoo for 25 years (and needed it) and since I've made the switch, haven't had any dandruff. I did this as part of a nutritional detox - which i haven't maintained anywhere near 100% - so the change in nutrition might have also cleared up the dandruff.

i've got a friend who quit shampooing her hair altogether. she washes it with water, then rinses with white vinegar. she has very thick curly long hair.
i myself have never tried such a thing, though.
khairete
S.