Friday, August 22, 2008

I'm International

Yesterday I washed my hair for the first time with the Shikakai bar soap made in India. The soap is made out of 100% vegetable oil and it is supposed to clean your hair really well. Before washing my hair I went through my usual pre poo process this time using extra virgin olive oil, grape seed oil and a little jojoba ( I know I may have overdosed on the oils..lol) and then I was ready to use the bar soap. I lathered the soap in my hands then rubbed it on my hair close to the roots, after washing it out my hair felt like oil had never touched my head. It felt super clean, too clean maybe so I was a little worried. I then used the aveda damage remedy treatment followed by a special conditioner ( didn't take a picture yet so I will post on it later). My hair looked great when it was all said and done but i think Shakakai may be a little too strong for me. The soap costs $1.95 in some Indian stores or your can find it for that price online. if you have very oily hair this may do the trick for you, personally I don't know if I will use it again because I have a suspicion that aveda and the conditioner restored my tresses.
Have you used any international products that you like?
Update I started product probation on Aug. 3rd and it will continue until the end of this month. I have a feeling I will be at my keyboard waiting for midnight to hit on Aug. 31st. lol. Also I did not buy the Shikakai bar soap, my sister made the purchase and I did not ask or encourage her to buy it..lol seriously I didn't.
Have a great weekend.

14 comments:

Fitness Goddess said...

It seems like you go through such a process. How long does it take you to wash your hair? Also, what made your sister think the bar soap would be good for your hair? Was it created for hair or do some people just use it that way?
Sorry I have alot of questions...but I'm interseted in what made u try it.

Product Junkie Diva said...

@FG no problem at all ask all the questions that you want. Yes, on the package it actually says hair soap so it is for the hair although it can also be used to wash your face etc.lol I certainly don't plan on using on my face but I didn't mind giving it a try on my hair. Many people have raved about some Indian based products and this was one of them so my sis wanted to give it a try. Also it is made out of 100% vegetable oil so anything that doesn't contain by products or chemicals I am willing to try, natural is always the preferred choice for me. There are actually may bar soaps created just for hair, this is just one type. Many of the bar soaps claim to not have sulfates (usually found in shampoos) which will strip the hair or they just claim to be a healthier product for hair so I was willing to try. I think this one may not have worked for me since I don't have oily hair. However i will try it once more to see what results I get. My hair process actually doesnt take long at all, I don't have to pre poo all the time but honestly I love it...lol that is probably the longest part i will just let the mixture sit on my head for about 30-40 minutes then the rest is really quick i will use a sulfate free shampoo (sometimes I don't even use shampoo I skip right to the conditioner phase...just depends)then i can't leave out my aveda daamge remedy treatment cause that stuff WORKS it is recommended you leave that on for about 3 -5 minutes (I usually go longer) and then wash it out. Technically you can leave the shower at that point but i always do a little conditioner after ( just habit I guess) total time takes about 25 minutes (excluding the pre poo time) I could do it in less time but I don't mind taking the time out for my hair. Also i air dry my hair so when i wash my ahir I am planning to be around the house so I usually do it at night. How long does your process take? And how oftend o you wash your hair?

beautylogicblog said...

j/k I wouldn't use a bar of soap on my head though. this lady at Lush tried to tell me that a bar of soap would be good for my hair, she tried to say it was natural but when I looked at the ingredients, the crap had sulfates in it. I couldn't believe it!

antithesis said...

your sister is an enabler! but yea, i havent gone international yet. there is still alot of US stuff i want to try.

Product Junkie Diva said...

@DE Sulfates are such a no no, hate them.
@Antithesis she sure is, she is a pj herself. I am with you, so many products to test...I'm excited just thinking about it.

MMF said...

wow interesting...a bar soap for hair...i'll probably skip too cuz i NEED moisture for my chemically processed hair!

B said...

I haven't heard of this but for $1.95, it may be worth a try!

Anonymous said...

good to know, thank you.

Anonymous said...

LOL @ your sister being an enabler. I'm not surprised that you were underwhelmed by the bar soap. Just doesn't seem right to wash your hair with bar soap. I'm cryptic like that.

Fitness Goddess said...

Well, when I do the full process (wash, condition, straighten,) it takes 1.5 to 2 hours. I only do that once a week. It takes so long because I condition it twice and let the conditioners sit on their for 15-20 min/piece. I find that over the summer my hair gets because I run outside so all that conditioning helps (i hope).
I've started cowashing my hair which I do in the middle of the week add some leave in conditioner and then let it air dry in a ponytail.
I'm not sure if I'm co-washing right I've read several ways to do it.

So how do you were your hair after it air dries? I wish I could find a good style that didn't require my blow drier and flat iron...my only choice right now is a bun or ponytail.

brownee said...

"I'm International", lol I swear diva is too cute.

Off topic: I been searching for that Dr Bonner's soap to no avail. I'm only finding it online.

Phyllis Bourne said...

My girlfriend makes homemade bar soap and uses it on her hair all the time.

justme said...

bar soap for hair seems so convenient but i hardly stray from the stuff that i use that is tried and true. i pretty much use my aveda or whatever i got free with coupons. hahaha. have you tried henna? i have a block of noir henna from lush that i have not even tried yet. i want to dye my hair jet black but i am scared that the color will bleed when i wash.

Product Junkie Diva said...

@Madd I think I will give it one more try, not any time soon though..lol
@B yes the price is right. Nice pic.
@Andrea I'm here to help :-)
@Frugalista i completely understand..
@FG Opps i forgot to calculate the drying time.. When i air dry I always dry with my hair in the magnetic rollers. I don't blow dry or flat iron at all. My roller set comes out beautifully even after I air dry.
@Brownee thanks..lol Have you checked Target for the soap? They sell it there now or you may want to check health food stores, they usually have it also.
@PBW I just may give that a try myself. I will probably do a conditioner first though.
@Justme I have never tried henna. Let me know how it goes if you use it. My stylist scared me a bit because she said henna can cause hair damage (over time) because it bonds to the hair and can weigh the strands down...etc.