If you are ready to make the switch to natural shampoo but are worried about the detox period and how to transition, then relax! It’s not as scary as many people make out. Just follow these few simple rules on your journey and soon enough your scalp and hair will thank you for using natural ingredients.
Switching to Natural Shampoo Guide: How to Survive the Transition Period
Did you know a natural shampoo can make your hair healthier? According to research, changing from conventional shampoo and conditioner brands to natural ones is associated with improved scalp and hair health.
Everything You Need to Know About Shampoo Bars
What are the benefits?
Moving to all-natural shampoos can make your scalp healthier according to research! This is because changing to natural shampoos helps to remove the harsh chemicals that are found in conventional brands. Not only does changing help your scalp, but it also has a great impact on the environment!
How do I switch to Natural Hair Bars?
If detoxing to a natural shampoo and conditioner bars has you worried, don’t worry. You have the option of moving gradually by mixing your conventional hair products with some natural products and eventually swapping them out altogether.
Isn’t there a detox period for using a natural shampoo?
Yes, there is. Firstly you need to strip your hair of the toxins and chemicals found in conventional shampoo, this is known as the detox period. You can help prepare for this period by using a clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up prior to starting with your new bar.
A cider vinegar rinse on your wet hair to restore PH to the scalp and if you have hard water, you might want to think about adding a water filter to your shower head.
You must not wash your hair daily. The point of using solid shampoo is to get your hair into its natural state and to use your own natural oils for the condition. Washing daily can cause oily hair or dry hair and healthy hair does not need to be washed daily.
You will have a product built up from silicones and waxes that are added to modern shampoos to give the illusion of shine, all of this builds up on your hair shaft and isn’t healthy for you. The apple cider vinegar rinse will help to cleanse that away, a DIY shampoo of sorts!
When you first begin, your hair or scalp may become oily or dry or even switch between the two extremes. You may have increased tangles, or frizz and your hair may feel waxy.
How long does it take to adjust to natural shampoo?
The transition process usually takes a month or two depending on the individual. For some, it may take longer to feel like your hair is back to its normal self. Don’t stress! It’s worth it because changing has such great benefits!
It will go away and you will end up with naturally shiny clean healthy hair, you won’t look back or want to use a modern liquid shampoo again.
For many people, the thoughts of synthetic chemicals penetrating and lingering in their body’s systems indefinitely are motivation enough to do the research and commit to the transition period necessary for swapping to a hair care routine involving natural shampoo bars.
Reviews across the board show that the majority of natural shampoo converts never look back. We’ve compiled a few top tips to simplify and streamline the process of attaining healthier, more naturally nourished hair for you:
Is changing shampoo good for your hair?
Using natural shampoo is great for your hair! That’s because the switch to natural shampoo helps you remove the harsh chemicals that are commonly found in conventional brand shampoos.
Not only does switching help make your scalp healthier, but it also has a big impact on the environment! Plastic bottles be gone!
Transitioning takes time and can sometimes be uncomfortable during what feels like an adjustment period. But transitioning is worth it because of all the benefits it can provide!
How do I make my hair look shiny with natural shampoo bars?
If you are looking for shiny hair, then we recommend looking for shampoos containing D Panthenol which helps make hair appear shiny and reduces breaking. This Shampoo bar for shiny hair is great!
What are the benefits of switching to natural shampoo?
When moving from conventional shampoos and conditioner products, you’re moving away from harsh chemicals that can be bad for your scalp. Transitioning also helps make the environment cleaner! The best part is that moving will provide you with better hair health by removing those nasty dry chemicals found in conventional hair products.
Additional Tips:
– Switching over time, you have the option of switching gradually by mixing your current shampoo and conditioner with some natural ones until switching them out altogether. You might want to do a baking soda wash to help strip the toxins out. This helps with coloured hair as its softer than an acv rinse.
– it will take about one month or two for most people before they start to notice a difference
– Switching has great benefits like better hair and scalp health, as well as a cleaner environment! If you also use a natural conditioner your hair will be super healthy in no time, just a few washes.
– When switching over your shampoo to a natural product make sure you use some shine serum or oil before blow-drying and brush it right down to the hair cuticle.
– Try switching gradually by using chemical shampoo and conditioner products mixed with some natural ones until switching them out entirely if you don’t want to go cold turkey. Remember synthetic styling products may also be causing build up along with liquid conditioners so move to conditioner bars at the same time to make the transition easier.
– switching to a natural shampoo will have great benefits like better hair and scalp health.
– when switching over your shampoo make sure you use some shine serum before blow-drying! Shine helps get all those health benefits from switching products working its magic on your tresses
– Shampoos and conditioners now come in bars that are zero waste and plastic-free. When you have made the switch your bathroom shelf will thank you.
Is natural shampoo bad for your hair?
Using natural shampoo is not bad for your hair at all! In fact, for curly hair it can be much better. People find after making the switch their hair growth is a lot more vigorous compared to using their old shampoo. Give your hair a chance to shine!
How do you know if a natural shampoo is right for you?
Look at it! If its looking lovely, healthy and shiny you’ve made the right choice! That said, synthetic shampoos often coat your hair with silicone which may may it look shiny on the outside, but underneath the fake coating your hair is in bad condition.
1) Check your hair type: Some people might have dry or brittle hair, and a natural shampoo will be more beneficial than someone who has oily hair. The pH level of the product is important, and using a shampoo with an acidic pH level will help balance out any issues with oiliness in your current conditioner.
You don’t need to use a ton of the switching shampoo, but you should lather it up for about two minutes.
If switching conditioner your hair might respond differently than switching shampoo: by switching over to natural shampoos and not using any conventional conditioners, some people will notice their scalp feeling irritated at first.
– switching conditioners might take a while before noticing what it is doing but if switching to natural shampoo as well you can expect some irritation on the scalp for about two weeks.
You will likely need to choose both shampoo and conditioner bars in the beginning, though some hair types can eventually transition away from the need for conditioner.
This part of the process is much easier once you have an idea of your hair type, i.e. oily types will benefit from lighter base oils such as jojoba and from zestier, sebum-balancing ingredients like lemon, lemongrass, and basil.
Whilst drier, more damaged hair can handle heavier oils like coconut and almond and may require a growth stimulator, such as cedarwood, or a strengthening agent like geranium.
Check out the range available from Three Hills Soap which is produced in Ireland, contains zero parabens or SLS and caters directly to various hair types with their diverse selection of ingredients. Their shampoo bars also come in a nifty reusable aluminium tin!
New users may also wish to consider factors such as shelf-life and lather-ability, since certain shampoo bars on the market are free of SLS and parabens.
If you used conventional shampoo full of chemicals before, your hair will need to transition to using natural products and now being toxin-free. It may take a while for your natural oils to start producing as nature intended.
If your first shampoo bar produces little-to-no lather, you may have difficulty with distributing it through your hair and so may not get the most from your early experiences. Lamazuna’s Vanilla and Coconut Shampoo Bar for dry hair is lauded by users as an excellent latherer and so perfect for beginners.
Set a new hair care routine (Don’t panic, it’s only for the first few weeks!)
The transition period from synthetic liquid shampoo and conditioner needn’t be a hassle, it just means doing things a little differently for a while. There are two potential stages to ridding your hair of the chemical residues, namely silicone, which have been giving your hair that outward synthetic shine (and causing it to scream constantly on the inside).
Stage one – the baking soda stage. It involves massaging baking soda vigorously on the pores of your scalp before washing in order to clear silicones and synthetic waxes and open the hair follicles up once more to natural sebum production – the beginnings of your hair’s healthier, more naturally nourished state.
Wash as normal afterwards with your yummy new solid shampoo and conditioning bars.
Lather, rinse, repeat for the next few weeks. Please note that you will likely go through your shampoo bars more quickly in the initial stages – this is totally normal and necessary for helping your hair adapt to its newly natural state.
If you are having trouble getting your bar to lather, just keep adding water and rubbing the bar between your hands, using either the shampoo bar or your hands to massage it thoroughly throughout the scalp, lengths and ends of hair.
Stage two – the apple cider vinegar stage. If after 4-6 weeks of using baking soda as a pre-wash, your hair’s natural oil production has not balanced itself out, stop using baking soda and get yourself a bottle of apple cider vinegar, or a similar, naturally-formulated vinegar wash by one of your favourite natural hair care brands.
This need only be used once every 2 weeks since it is a powerful method of balancing hair’s natural oil production. Simply add 2-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a cup of cool water, massage through hair lengths and scalp after washing with your natural shampoo bar, and rinse out after a few minutes of letting it soak in.
You can also tailor your apple cider vinegar wash routine to your hair’s particular needs (and make it smell gorgeous too!) by adding natural additives, herbs or essential oils of your own choosing which will promote the particular kind of nourishment your hair requires, e.g. lavender to moisturise and balance, tea tree or ylang-ylang to help with flaky or itchy scalp or chamomile to nourish and make light hair shine!
Conditioning Hair Naturally
Learn how to care for your bar
Providing optimum storage conditions will lengthen the shelf-life of your solid hair-care bars and help you get more bang for your buck. Buying a soap dish that drains thoroughly, such as a wooden slitted wooden soap dish is a great investment when starting out and will save you from losing a portion of your hair-care stash to the dreaded ‘gunk pool’ over the course of its lifetime.
Finally, have fun!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different bars and different combinations. Online forums, blogs, Facebook groups and reviews are a great way of checking out other people’s experiences if you’re still having trouble narrowing it down.
The important thing is, you’ve taken the first steps towards healthier, more naturally nourished hair and a reduction in your carbon footprint too. Well done!
Natural shampoo bars are totally worth it. They are good for your hair and the environment.
Take Aways
•According to research, switching from conventional shampoo and conditioner brands to natural ones is associated with improved scalp and hair health.
• The benefits of making the switch to natural shampoo include better hair and scalp health, as well as a cleaner environment.
• You can gradually transition to using natural shampoo by mixing it with your current products until you are ready to switch entirely.
• There may be a detox period when first switching shampoos, but this is normal and your hair will adjust in time.
