Dear Shampoo Bar (and Conditioner Bar),
Our relationship hasn't been the easiest. I admit - I fell head over heels with you when I first discovered that shampoo and conditioner could exist without packaging. That quickly turned to the realization that I had fallen in love with the idea of you. You see, it wasn't you. It was me. I came on too strong. It seemed so natural just to rub you all over my hair and then try to lather it up. To make it feel softer, the obvious thing was to slather on a little extra conditioner. But that autumn day... the mop that I saw staring back at me after drying my hair... it had to end. I needed more. More softness, more shine, more moisture. It just didn't seem to be working out.
I'm sure you felt abandoned. Maybe a little jealous of that bottle of shampoo on the shelf, as you saw me choose that over you and your thick suds. They were luxurious suds alright, but relegated to shaving lather instead of shampoo.
But I'm here to say I've changed my ways. I have, I swear. I've learned a lot in the last few months... wanna hear what I learned?
Step 1: Thoroughly saturate hair with warm water.
Step 2: Build a rich lather in my hands and apply to hair.
Step 3: Work from root to tip.
Step 4: Rinse, rinse, rinse! Once hair is rinsed, rinse it again. A good rinse removes any soap left in hair. After rinsing, hair will have more texture as alkaline levels have been raised causing a negative charge as the hair shaft swells. An acidic rinse, or a solid conditioner will close the hair cuticle and prevent tangling.
Step 5: For extra conditioning, leave the conditioner on for a few minutes before rinsing.
Step 6: During the transition period, brush hair frequently from root to tip. This redistributes the oils from the scalp down the shaft of the hair and can help your scalp regulate the production while avoiding that overly greasy look.
It's clear now that together, we can make this work. My hair is soft and shiny again! Thanks for sticking around while I figured things out.
Love,
Laura