...lather burns my eyes; this liquid soap surprise!

August 13, 2007 4:09 PM

Can you recommend a shampoo that will make my scalp tingle?

I have tried (and loved!) Herbal Essences "Degunkify!" shampoo. It's slightly minty, and makes my head tingle. The tingling sensation is awesome, and it fools me into believing the shampoo gets my scalp even cleaner.

Any other types of shampoo I can try that might have the same result? I don't want it to burn, though. Anything too strong will make me tear up.

Bonus points for:
- shampoos that work well on long, wavy, frizzy, thick hair
- shampoos that smell nice
- shampoos that cost less than $15/bottle

Many thanks!

posted by gursky to shopping (28 comments total)

Denorex. It's just menthol though - throw some peppermint oil or menthol in any shampoo and I think it will have the same effect.
posted by GuyZero at 4:24 PM on August 13, 2007

Yeah, I get that feeling from any shampoo I've tried that has mint in it. Here are two, tried and tingly, in your requested price range: Origins and (not in a bottle but still tingly) Burt's.
posted by PY at 4:27 PM on August 13, 2007

One cannot dismiss the wonders of Dr. Bronner's! It will definately leave you tingly AND super minty fresh. As for its efficacy as a supreme shampoo vs more complex blends, I cannot say. It works though, no doubt. And you can use it to clean pretty much anything. Heck, I think you can probably eat it (although I wouldnt recommend that).

If you're just looking for a scalp-tingly experience, go buy a generic dandruff shampoo for $4, one with zinc pyrithione. Does the same thing.
posted by elendil71 at 4:29 PM on August 13, 2007 [2 favorites]

Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo & conditioner. Works great on thick, frizzy hair (my hair, in other words) but tends to strip color out of color-treated hair. $9/8.5 oz

Origin's Clear Head Mint Shampoo. Very minty (spearmint) and tingly. Not as hard on color as Aveda's mint shampoo but the one-note in the scent seems to get boring and flat after several washes. $12/8.5 oz

Trader Joe's Essential Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner. ~$2/16 oz. Not as minty as the previous two, nice complex scent and so inexpensive.

(The best shampoo I've found for my otherwise unruly curly frizzy dyed brunette mop has been Aveda Clove. You want to avoid too much of the strong mint/heavy duty cleaning shampoos because they strip too much oil out of your hair, which contributes to frizz.)
posted by jamaro at 4:31 PM on August 13, 2007

I use tea tree oil shampoo (Jason makes a decent one) and it makes my scalp feel tingly and cool.
posted by louche mustachio at 4:32 PM on August 13, 2007

There used to be a variety of Head and Shoulders that did this. I think it was their "Refresh" variety. (A Google confirms this.) It's like $4 a bottle or so.

Only downside is that they test on animals. :(
posted by Kadin2048 at 4:34 PM on August 13, 2007

2nding the tea tree oil shampoo, that shit is b-a-n-a-n-a-s. Paul Mitchell was the brand I had
posted by Large Marge at 4:48 PM on August 13, 2007

Nthing the Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Oil shampoo suggestion. It's what I use and swear by. Leaves your scalp feeling quite invigorated.

An added bonus being that they DON'T test on animals. :)
posted by arishaun at 4:54 PM on August 13, 2007

Definitely try Dr. Bronners. It's seriously the best tingly soap out there and cheap as hell. From the website: "Organic Peppermint & Mentha Arvensis Oils Creates an exhilirating tingly-cool body space and increases vitality and clarity.
Ingredients: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut & Olive oils (w/ retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil, Organic Mentha Arvensis, Citric Acid, Vitamin E"

I imagine you need to condition your hair anyway, so you'll want to find a nice conditioner to go with the shampoo.

elendil71: The label expressly says not to eat the soap. :-)
posted by parilous at 4:55 PM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

We use the Tea Tree Special Shampoo from Paul Mitchell--sounds like a blast from the past circa 1989 but this stuff tingles the heck out of your scalp! And it works great on my thick hair that has a tendency to frizz.
posted by dearest at 5:13 PM on August 13, 2007

Chaz Dean's "Wen" will do it. I love it.
posted by Carsey at 5:17 PM on August 13, 2007

Dr. Bronner's. Definitely. It's a good shampoo (but you will need a conditioner - it's so good at cleaning your hair that it doesn't leave any of your natural oils behind) and it's an awesome body wash. One note of caution: DO NOT GET ANY OF THIS SOAP IN YOUR TENDER PARTS! Especially female tender parts. Oooooh weeeeeeeee! It'll light you right up! I made the mistake once (a long, long time ago) in showering with a friend and some Dr. B's... lordy! All thoughts of getting closer in that wet environment went out the window until I got all the soap rinsed off my very tingly girl parts. Just sayin'...
posted by Corky at 5:48 PM on August 13, 2007

Nioxin Scalp Therapy... I LOVE this stuff.
posted by nimsey lou at 6:00 PM on August 13, 2007

elendil71: The label expressly says not to eat the soap. :-)

I was kidding ;-)

DO NOT GET ANY OF THIS SOAP IN YOUR TENDER PARTS!

Hehe. I could tell a long anecdote about that, but that would be a derail. Suffice it to say that a bunch of very dirty field people were using Dr. Bronners in a river wash at the end of the day and every female member of the crew was making funny noises, squirming and doing a lot of rinsing off. Damn funny to watch but probably good advice.

We were however, the minty-est crew ever!
posted by elendil71 at 6:03 PM on August 13, 2007

dr. bronner's is great. and, if you get tired of mint, the almond scent smells AMAZING.

it might strip your hair a bit--i would follow up with a good, rich conditioner. if your scalp tends to be oily, concentrate it on the ends, stopping about an inch before your scalp.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:15 PM on August 13, 2007

i see the asker is female, but for the sake of any fellas out there, be aware tea tree oil in your shampoo could possibly make you grow boobies.
posted by sergeant sandwich at 6:31 PM on August 13, 2007

omg tea tree oil. so worth it.

The booby thing, from above, looks like it only applies to prepubescent boys.

(seriously. teaaa treeee oooooil)
posted by Pants! at 7:22 PM on August 13, 2007

gursky, sorry for asking here, but you have no e-mail listed in your profile...

Are you any relation to Bridgette Gursky? Of Naples, Italy and Florida, USA? My e-mail is in my profile. Again please forgive me for asking here.
posted by snsranch at 8:00 PM on August 13, 2007

Seconding the Aveda Rosemary & Mint shampoo. It's very tingly and refreshing, and it smells awesome.
posted by vytae at 8:02 PM on August 13, 2007

Missy, what you need is to get yourself down to Whole Foods or another health-food store and pick up some Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo. It's way cheaper than $15, and they even have sample bottles in the $2 range. My hair is similar to yours and it responds well to this stuff. It even gets rid of flakes (um, not that I have that problem). There is a corresponding conditioner but I find I need something stronger to beat my hair into submission (I like Nexxus Humectress, plus about three different leave-ins that I will name upon request.).
posted by granted at 9:15 PM on August 13, 2007

if you have frizzy hair, go easy on the shampoo. frizzy hair is better if you only shampoo once a week, and maybe consider diluting the shampoo to cut its stripping effect. you can also put a bit of conditioner into the length and ends of your wet hair before you shampoo just the scalp. the conditioner makes a barrier to keep the shampoo from stripping your hair (hair that's stripped of its natural oils frizzes).

you can also try making a pre-shampoo treatment by mixing a teaspoon or two of oil (olive, almond, whatever) with a few drops of peppermint essential oil in a little bowl. dip the tips of your fingers into it and rub it into your scalp, where it will tingle pleasantly. wait a while. when it's time to wash it out, wet your hair. put a conditioner barrier on the length and ends, then shampoo the oil out of your scalp. rinse, and re-condition the length of your hair. ta da!

for deep conditioning, use a half-cup of olive oil and a half-teaspoon of peppermint oil. comb the oil into the length your hair and ends, then put on a plastic bag or shower cap, then a hot wet towel (or just a regular towel), turban style. leave it on for a bit before you shampoo, and condition... it's like a tingly deep treatment and it's good for a dry flaky scalp.
posted by twistofrhyme at 9:16 PM on August 13, 2007 [1 favorite]

I should add that I love Dr. Bronner's in theory, but when I used it as a shampoo it made my hair look like this.

You can also buy tea tree oil separately at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods (or wherever) and just add a few drops to a regular shampoo.
posted by granted at 9:21 PM on August 13, 2007

another vote from an old hippie - doctor bronners. minty fresh & tingly. i also use dr. b's for body soap & to shave with instead of shave creme.
posted by troubleon14thst at 11:16 PM on August 13, 2007

Corky: that is one of the benefits of tea tree/menthol shampoo or shower gel.
posted by ninebelow at 2:43 AM on August 14, 2007

Original Source do tingly tea tree and mint shampoos, and shower gels (for the benefits ninebelow is referring to). Free samples available on the site to UK customers. Supermarket prices.
posted by tiny crocodile at 3:56 AM on August 14, 2007

one of the "CREW" brand bottles does this... but its expensive and I don't recall which one...
posted by crewshell at 5:07 AM on August 14, 2007

^ it's american crew citrus mint... smells and feels great but I don't find it does much for my hair.
posted by ninefour at 7:47 AM on August 14, 2007

if you're still watching this thread - try this it is awesome.
posted by mad_little_monkey at 11:26 AM on August 26, 2007