Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with shampoo

Why are shampoo labels more often than not in English & French?

zeoslap — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:24:54 -0800

Now my guess is that it's so they can sell the same thing in both the U.S and Canada but why does this seem to be unique to shampoo and not other products commonly found in the supermarket like detergent?

Pantene or Ponds?

asockpuppet — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 07:53:44 -0800

Beardsmen, do you wash your beard with shampoo or facial wash?

Why does my scalp go crazy if I stop shampooing for a few days?

El Curioso — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 22:22:50 -0800

Why does my scalp go crazy if I stop shampooing for a few days? Normally I'm on the dry-scalp side, with some mild (bearable) flakiness. I usually shampoo every day, but I've noticed for a long time that if I stop for more than a day - like on a camping trip, say - my scalp just goes crazy: itchy, super-flaky, blotchy red that I can see along my hairline. It seems to be the lack of shampoo, not hot water. What's going on? Is that normal?

How do I not shampoo every day?

John Cohen — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:22:37 -0800

My hair stylist told me I should shampoo just 2 times a week, and use conditioner at least that often. I usually shampoo every morning and only occasionally use conditioner. I have two questions about this. 1. Is this good advice? A quick Google search suggests that this is controversial — many people do recommend shampooing less than once a day, but others say you should shampoo every day to avoid dandruff. I don't have a major problem with dandruff, but I do occasionally have some, and I wouldn't want to do anything that would lead to more of it.

2. How is this supposed to work considering that I use product (pomade) every day? My stylist said even when I don't shampoo, I should still wash my hair thoroughly with water. I would expect this to remove some, but not all, of the product. So it would seem like I should apply new product every day to still have enough. But having 3 or 4 days worth of product in my hair sounds like it would get overly gunky/dirty.

(The answer is not "Don't use product." I've tried that before and the results are not good.)

I'm a man with medium-short, wavy hair that's very coarse and thick.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Help me be a mad scientist with my shampoo!

UniversityNomad — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:56:40 -0800

Calling all chemists and haircare junkies: is it possible to add salicylic acid and/or ketoconazole into a shampoo, rather than buying off-the-shelf shampoos with these ingredients in them? If so, how do I do this? If not how do I prevent over-washed and dried out hair? I have dandruff and other scalp issues, and through a long process of trial and error, I have discovered that all of this is best managed through washing my hair first with a shampoo containing 1% or 2% ketoconazole (Nizoral), and then with a 3% salicylic acid shampoo (the CVS generic version of Neutrogena T-Sal, to which I have added tea tree essential oil and lavender essential oil). I do this probably three times a week

So far, so good, right? Unfortunately, while all of this keeps my scalp issues totally under control, it's really drying out the length of my hair (a bit past shoulder length at the moment). My hair is fine in texture (each strand is), but reasonably thick (as in, I have a fairly large amount of it), and wavy/curly. After each shower, the length of my hair is dry, frizzy, poufy, and generally unmanageable for at least a day, until it gets some of its natural oil back. But by that point, my scalp needs to be washed again. I've tried just concentrating the shampooing on my scalp (and putting conditioner on the length), which has been somewhat successful, but some shampoo still gets on my length and dries it out. Conditioning after the two shampoos helps a bit, as does a leave-in protein conditioner (Terax life drops), but it's still dry and fluffy. (Too much conditioner makes my hair limp and stringy because of its fineness, so I'm loath to add too much more.)

What I would like to do is to move to shampooing only once rather than twice. Is it possible to use either the Nizoral as a base and add in salicylic acid, or to use the T-Sal generic as a base and add in ketoconazole? Can the non-chemist layperson buy these ingredients in powders (?) anywhere? If so, how would I know how much to add to a six ounce bottle of shampoo to get the right concentrations? And would they dissolve in the shampoo at room temperature if I just add it to the bottle? The ideal for me would be to buy a much gentler shampoo and add both salicylic acid and ketoconazole to it, but I would be happy to use one of the existing ones as a base if that won't work. Help?

Dry shampoo recommendations

Bebo — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:21:47 -0800

Recommend to me the best dry shampoo! I am hoping to begin using dry shampoo on an every-other-day basis (the other days will be full regular shampoo days). Please tell me about the dry shampoos you have used and loved! Also, I am aware that there are various DIY options for dry shampoo (plain baking soda, other mixtures of household items?), so if you have a recipe that works well then I'd love to hear about that!

In case it matters, I have shoulder-length hair that can tend to be puffy/frizzy, but is more or less straight. It's dark brown (colored, but my natural color is also brown). My regular "wet" shampoo is purchased from my hairdresser and is specially formulated for colored hair. I blow dry my hair after washing it.

Fragrant and glycerine-free hair care tips needed!

reverend cuttle — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:08:18 -0800

What are some fragrant, glycerin-free options for shampoo and conditioner? I am asking on behalf of Mrs. Cuttle, who has recently discovered her perpetually itchy scalp may be due to a definite glycerin allergy. Almost every shampoo and conditioner has glycerine in it, so she will not use those.

So far, her best option has been a solution of baking soda and water applied in the shower every night for cleaning, with an occasional rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar to remove residue buildup on the hair. The only problem with this technique is that her hair doesn't exactly smell pretty--neutral at best--and on nights when she uses the vinegar, she can smell downright like a marinade.

Are there other options to either add pleasant scent to her existing routine, or try something else entirely.

Possibly pertinent data:
Her hair is thick straight and coarse.
She is a brunette with some silvered tinsel.
She is an excellent dancer.

Cue makeover montage

peachfuzz — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:01:23 -0800

I am just terrible at being a lady. All the usual Beauty Stuff, stuff that it seems like everyone else was either born knowing or learned as teenagers, is a giant mystery to me. I need, like, a checklist or something for being a presentable-looking grownup. Here is the degree of attractiveness incompetence we're dealing with:

1) I haven't owned a hairbrush for years, because the one I'd had since I was a teenager broke and I was completely overwhelmed by all the different kinds of hairbrushes out there. I combed my hair with a rubber comb that used to be my dad's and called it good. I have your typical very straight, very thick Asian hair, and it's not very exciting, but I would like it to be!

2) My feet and hands are sandpapery disasters. I get manicures once in a while when my hands have to be decent-looking for work but don't have the budget or the time to go more frequently. So what should I do regularly to keep them at a general level of non-grossness?

3) I still use baby shampoo and Ivory soap, because I have no idea if I need lactic acid scrubs or fish protein shine or whatever. How do you choose the right "product" for you?

4) Don't even get me started on makeup. I have a mineral powder I wear sometimes when I'm blotchy, and have some eyeshadows I experiment with, and lip balm. But I don't know where to go from there to develop a look or system I like and can do easily, and to experiment with new things. Usually I think I look silly with makeup on, but I think it's just because I don't know what I'm doing.

5) Generally I do okay with clothes and shoes, and am trying to get better about fixing/getting rid of stuff that's broken or ripped rather than continuing to wear it. But I still have trouble with remembering to look at myself before I leave the house—not to preen, but to check that all my tags are in (all my tags are always sticking out!) and I'm not lopsided or untucked somewhere. I recently discovered how awesome full silk slips are under dresses, how they smooth you out and make things not clingy—are there other clothing tips I should try?

Basically, there's nothing I'm trying to solve, exactly—I'm lucky enough to have generally clear skin and I try not to stress too much about he shape and size and strength of my body. I just want to be polished and presentable all the time, and to know how to feel really confident and cute when I want to.

Executive summary: Can you tell me your beauty/maintenance routine, both for everyday and special use? What are the things you do from day to day, or week to week, that keep you looking good? And who/where do I turn to to find more of this stuff out for myself?

How to test pH of skin?

HotToddy — Fri, 11 May 2012 17:21:47 -0800

How would one test the pH of skin? And other questions related to the pH of skin, shampoo, and conditioner. One of my dogs is having skin issues that I think are related to shampoo/conditioner. I've repeatedly read that skin pH varies by breed, so my thought is to try to learn what his natural pH level is and then find a very simple, unscented shampoo & conditioner and adjust its pH to match his. But first I want to test the pH of his skin. I know someone with a pH meter at the university so will have no trouble testing the shampoo/conditioner; it's the skin part I don't understand. Also, I'm just plain interested in tinkering around with this. I'd love to test various commercial dog shampoos and see if they're really any different from human shampoo.

On a related note, can anyone explain to me why the pH level of shampoo should matter if you are thoroughly rinsing afterward? Conditioner is designed to leave residue so I can see why it would matter there . . . although I have read that only water-based substances have a pH, and not oils, and wouldn't it only be the oils/other nonaqueous crap left once the hair dries?

Obviously I have no science background, but I'm very interested in learning about this, so feel free to tell me just as much as you can. Thanks!

please help me fix my hair!

randomnity — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:18:42 -0800

Hair care or product suggestions for very fine, long, straight, very oily hair? My hair looks very similar to the picture posted in an earlier question, although my hair is usually much more frizzy. Lots of volume, mostly straight with a natural wave toward the ends. It's long (about bra-strap-length), cut in long layers, and I don't want to change the style at all.

Main problem is that it gets oily very fast - noticeable within 24 hours and quickly intolerable after that. I usually wash it every other day, which is not enough (second day it's too greasy to be out of a ponytail), but it's a giant pain to wash my hair. It takes forever to work shampoo and conditioner into my hair and wash it out cleanly, and also takes forever to air dry so I'm sitting around for an hour or more with wet hair (I shower at night)....so washing it daily is a daunting idea. I've also heard that washing it daily is damaging etc.

Is there anything I can do to make my hair ok with non-daily washing? I'm not interested in no-poo, SLS-free is super expensive with unconvincing results, and I have trouble finding dry shampoos in my local (Canadian, if it matters) drugstores, especially reasonably priced ones. Secondary problem is frizz - whenever it's not oily, it's frizzy.

I would like to make it more sleek and less oily, if possible. It's fairly easy to achieve either of these (to some degree) but never both at once. Every anti-frizz serum/cream/spray I've tried either does nothing or makes even freshly washed hair look extremely greasy. Blowdrying it straight helps but it's still very frizzy. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Relevant background info:

-Try to avoid damage: blowdry rarely, always with cool air. Pat dry with towel, then air dry. Untangle with a wide-tooth comb when completely dry, and brush with boar-bristle every few days on average. The ponytails are probably bad, but I don't have much of an alternative for greasy hair days (or sports, several times a week), and I use the metal-free bands to avoid tangles. It doesn't tangle much if I comb it every day, which I do.

-wash every other day with any random shampoo (concentrating on scalp, but spreading throughout hair) and usually garnier fructis conditioner (neck and lower) if I can find it on sale. The fructis sleek n shine line helps more than any other conditioner I've tried, but there's a lot of room for improvement. I'm ok with spending a bit more on shampoo and conditioner, but only if there's actually a difference!

-rarely use anti-frizz products (maybe every few weeks) and never use any other styling products - I'm clueless about them and also don't want to invest much time or money especially without guaranteed success. So, product buildup isn't a big issue.

-have never dyed my hair - really more of a wash, brush and leave it alone kind of person. Low maintenance solutions strongly preferred!

In short: I'm looking for reasonably priced (under 10$, or under 20$ if exceptional), reasonably fool-proof hair products or simple hair care tips that will make my fine, frizzy, oily hair look better. Thanks!

The next stage of hair care?

DisreputableDog — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:55:21 -0800

Can you recommend me some -AWESOME- hair products? Background:
- I'm growing out my hair;
- dirty blonde though some claim to see "reddish / red tint";
- I don't use heat on my hair (no hair dryers, flat iron, etc) partially because I know it's bad for my hair, partially because I have to put my hair up in the morning every morning and I have absolutely no time;
- I massage my scalp every morning while shampooing and lightly skim with the conditioner;
- I've come to prefer wide and fine-toothed wooden combs.
(Just giving some info so people don't ask if I'm taking care of my hair "correctly". I really am looking for higher end products.)

Now, after reading this question with the recommendation of Pureology shampoo/conditioner, I was curious as to whether there were other "it just works" high end hair products. I get what I know are decent results with my current products but...it's like I can sense there's a higher plane of hair existence out there for me.

Have you use Pureology shampoo/conditioner? Do you use something else that's on the same kind of salon level? What about a leave-in conditioner, or shine/straightening product? What hair product changed your life, to the point where you can never go back?

Basically, show off your non-Walmart / non-Target hair care regimen, pretty please!

Wash this outta my hair!

queens86 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:01:44 -0800

Why have I developed a sudden greasy patch on my scalp? Sorry for the grossness, but about five or six months ago I first started to notice that when I blow dried my hair right after washing it, it was all fluffy/soft/clean/normal except for this patch at the back crown of my head. This patch extends around to the right hand side of my hair, about midway towards the end of my hairline. The other half of my hair is completely normal.

What could be causing this? It seemingly appeared of out nowhere, and I've never had the problem before. No matter how much I wash my hair, it won't go away (I usually wash my hair every three days or so, and always have, but I tried unsuccessfully when I found this to scrub it out by washing three times in a row).

I asked my dermatologist, and he told me to use T Gel, which I started doing several months ago. I usually don't notice it because my hair is curly and I air dry it, but I just blow dried my hair and realized that this greasy patch is back and seems to be worse.

It doesn't itch, and no one has noticed it, but when you touch it it just feels heavy, gross, and weighed down, like I have way too much product in it.

Any suggestions?

Detangling Super Straight Fine Hair

twiggy32 — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:46:33 -0800

I'm looking for advice on a detangling product for super straight, fine, long hair. My hair is about two inches past my shoulders and every time I wash it, I have to spend ten minutes with a hairbrush (I use this one) clawing huge tangles out of my hair. Literally all of my hair about halfway up my head from the ends is one huge tangle.

Right now, I'm using relatively cheap shampoo and conditioner from the drugstore, because I have a lot of hair and I go through a lot of shampoo and conditioner, so buying really expensive stuff would add up pretty quick. Washing my hair less is not an option, as I'm working out five days a week, and my hair gets gross and greasy really quick if I skip washing it for more than a day or two. Also, if I just get it wet and don't use any conditioner, the tangles are infinitely worse.

I'm looking for advice. All the previous questions I've found are about curly hair, and the solutions they have offered that are totally off the table include cutting it short and installing anything to change the water quality in my shower (I already have really tricky plumbing issues in the shower).

So, looking for advice. Is there a shampoo/conditioner combo that's worth the money that would help with the problem without sending me to the poorhouse? I've tried some of the detangler spray products, but I end up going through the bottles really quick because my tangles are so intractable, and they don't really help very much. Are those detangler brushes any good? Any other ideas?

But I like baby shampoo!

Omnomnom — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:47:37 -0800

Is baby shampoo really bad for adult hair? I have fairly fine hair. If I use normal shampoos they end up looking like a glossy but limp curtain. I hate that. Years ago a hairstylist told me to look for shampoos without panthenol (something about silicone?). I did and discovered baby shampoos.

I love them! They make my hair more tangly when wet, but also kind of fluffy and light.

But now other hairstylists told me that baby shampoo is bad for adults, either because it lacks necessary nutrients or because it makes hair greasier than necessary.

My questions:
- do I need to shop for a different shampoo,
- if so what should I look for on the ingredients list?

Questions for the crunchy.

xaire — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:51:01 -0800

Looking for good (i.e., valid, not just feel-good) natural/organic health and beauty resources - blogs, websites, or books. Asked another way, the facial oil cleansing method and its equivalents seem great! But do they actually work, and where can I learn more? In the last couple months, I've tried a few 'natural' personal and household cleaning remedies and methods (oil cleansing method and honey/baking soda for facial cleansing - seems pretty good! Vinegar for kitchen surfaces - ok, mom used to do it. No shampoo/baking soda on hair - ew. ew. ew). In part, they seemed like fun experiments, and also in part, make you feel good about yourself in a sort of "I go to yoga once in a blue moon" kind of way. However, dipping my toe in got me curious about the actual impact - what's hype and what's real.

The basic concept of using more natural products appeals to me, but only if they 1) actually seem to work; 2) are possibly improvements on their industrial chemically equivalents; 3) seem to have some sort of scientific basis for getting the job done; and 4) really are better for you/the world (if none of these assumptions are true I can just go back to Garnier, Dove and Windex!). In the few natural beauty product resources I've encountered, offering facts that support more one of these requirements seems to be a tall order (some blogs I've seen, for instance, seem to be more DIY guides), but I've admittedly not been at it long. At worst, some of them seem to be in the 'hey, put this goo on your face! it must be good, its from a plant!' scheme - without any real thinking about what it would do and why that's better to do than something else. Or, they put the natural label on with nothing to back it up.

What are your recommendations for resources (blogs, websites, forums, books, magazines) in this vein - info on natural/"better for you" health and beauty products and methods, cleaning products, etc.? Does not need to be only DIY, looking for resources with product recommendations and comparisons too.

I don't want my chair to smell like shampoo! I want it to smell like a chair!

Sloop John B — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:34:56 -0800

How do I get this shampoo smell out of a recently-cleaned chair? I bought an office chair from Craigslist and decided to clean it. The cushions are covered in black fabric.

I bought a can of carpet/upholstery cleaner at Walgreens (I know, probably a big mistake), the kind with the brush on top. I rubbed some of the shampoo into the cushions, scrubbed it, and then wiped it off with a damp towel.

It cleaned the cushions just fine. The only problem is that now the chair stinks of shampoo. It smells like dog shampoo. Yuck! Even worse, it makes my clothes smell like the shampoo. So sad!

I've tried washing the cushions with club soda. Had limited success with this. Someone else suggested leaving the chair in the sun, so I've been putting it in a sunny part of my living room and leaving the windows open. This may have made a difference.

Is there any way I can get this smell out of the chair? Will it go away on its own? Or is the situation hopeless?

Evidence-based haircare?

BrashTech — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:26:01 -0800

Chemists: I'm using baking soda and vinegar to wash my hair. What exactly are they doing? I've been doing the shampoo-free thing for a couple of months, and like it, but dislike the fact that the no-poo movement is a cavalcade of woo ("OMG toxins absorbed thru ur scalp!" "SLS causes brain damage!") and contradictory advice ("Apply vinegar only to the ends!" "Use honey instead!" "You must make a stiff baking soda paste!" "You must make a weak baking soda solution!" "Leave it on several minutes." "Rinse immediately.") As I troubleshoot my formula, I thought it would be useful to know exactly what the stuff I'm putting on my head is doing!

I scrub my scalp and roots and the middle part of my (long, very thick, straight hair) with 1 tablespoon of baking soda dissolved in 1 cup of water. I know I've got enough baking soda in when my hair stops feeling plain-wet-hair-sticky and feels slippery.

When I've thoroughly rinsed out the baking soda, my hair feels very sticky. (Some no-pooers stop at this point, but while I have not tried to comb my hair in this state, it feels like a very bad idea.)

I then rinse my hair from root to tip with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar diluted in 1 cup of water, and rinse thoroughly in plain water, after which my hair feels slick and comb-able again.

What are these two substances actually do? Is their function in any way analogous to shampoo and conditioner? Is there any benefit to leaving either one, or both, on my hair for a few minutes in the shower, or can I save time by rinsing immediately?

(Snowflakey Details: My hair gets clean, and it stays cleaner longer than it used to, so I'm happy overall, though I'd like to work toward less greasiness. My ends are fine, but my hair is just a bit oilier than I would like near my scalp and in the middle regions. I do have a boars-bristle brush that I try to use to distribute the oil. The advice I'm reading says to avoid greasiness, you should use less vinegar, but then it seems my hair stays "stickier" and I get more tangling and breakage when I comb it out. I'm not so much interested personal experience or what works for your hair; I can find plenty of anecdotes and helpful suggestions on the web. I'd really like to know about the chemistry!)

Tasteful personal care items for a guy.

althanis — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:18:57 -0800

What personal care items do you recommend for a guy looking to treat himself? Suppose I decided to start taking a little better care of myself and just splurge a little, what items would you recommend?

By splurge I mean about $50-$100 a month recurring cost, and the items I'm thinking of are, e.g.:

Shampoo, face cream, face wash, soap, toothpaste, anything for my beard (I keep a pretty short beard), anything else anyone would recommend? I use unscented skin lotion because everything I find in the stores just smells too strong and I don't want it all over my skin.

I'm not looking for an excuse to spend money (well maybe not JUST that haha), but I just feel I don't always take as good care of myself as I should.

I live in Toronto, so there are plenty options, I just want to know what you guys would recommend. Bonus points for anything with less chemicals that's more natural.

Sulphate vs. Selenium Sulfide

moody cow — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 03:08:24 -0800

Silly question, I must wash my hair with a sulphate-free shampoo because I have my hair straightened (this was my question about that) can I still use Selsun Yellow whose active ingredient is Selenium Sulfide?

My new name: Fabio.

sully75 — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:06:48 -0800

Should I wear axe bodywash? The other day, when staying in a vacation house with some friends, in the shower, lacking soap, I washed my pits with a travel bottle of Axe bodywash that happened to be sitting there. I was a bit horrified because their advertising was so overwhelmingly lame that I was worried I might smell pretty well...overwhelming.

Anyway, a few hours later, my friend was standing next to me and said "what's that smell" and leaned in to smell it. Friend is a younger female. I said "Axe, is it awful?" And she said "no I kind of like it".

Mind you we are all folk musicians.

We discussed briefly how I'm pretty much neutral smelling, which I prefer over having a BO problem but not really something to write home about.

So I've been considering the idea: should I use this Axe bodywash or something of that sort? I would hope that the smell would be subtle rather than overwhelming.

I would say that I'm ethically against people screwing with their smells, except that I usually love the smell of women's hair which is most likely because of shampoo.

Shampoo me!

Dojie — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 12:43:52 -0800

Help me find a better shampoo. I've traditionally bought shampoo and conditioner based on what I can get for cheapest (often free) with sales and coupons, and that worked well up until the last few years. Now my hair feels gross and looks dull no matter what shampoo/conditioner I use. When I get my hair cut, they always ask what I'm using, and point out that my hair feels gummy or waxy (which is true) and recommend whatever product they sell. I've tried both moisturizing products and clarifying products, and everything in between, but I haven't found anything that helps.

I have mostly straight (slightly wavy underneath) hair. It's very fine, but there's a whole lot of it, so I don't need to build body. It's slightly dry and the ends tend to get a little frizzy, but it gets greasy near the scalp pretty quickly. I don't shower daily - usually 3-4 times a week. It's not color-treated and I don't use a whole lot of heat-styling. I'm not interested in going no-poo. I recognize that I may have to spend more money than I'm used to, and I may need to go somewhere other than the grocery store to get it, but I'm pretty broke and not a pamperer by nature, so I'm not looking for something terribly expensive (I can't bring myself to spend $30 on a month's worth of shampoo).

Somebody, please make my hair pretty again!

Help me become a natural beauty

mrfuga0 — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:31:17 -0800

Help me become a natural beauty! I have recently begun switching over to more natural beauty and health regimens, for obvious and less-obvious reasons. I currently do the following:

1. A modified no-poo hair care regimen. No sulfates, no silicons, no product (or very little).
2. The Oil Cleansing Method .
3. Use Dr. Bronner's soaps on my body and homemade shaving lotion/bath bombs/salt scrubs, etc.
4. Eat mostly Paleo, modified to include LOTS of greens and green tea.
5. No sugar, no wheat, no dairy, no grains.

I want more suggestions on how to become even more natural. Toothpaste? Lady-parts products? Lotions? Cosmetics? Sunscreens? Deodorant (I have tried the Lush natural deodorant and it was a big FAIL, but I'm open to trying other things. And I don't work in the summer, so I can experiment)?

help flushing eye

scarylarry — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:33:02 -0800

My girlfriend doused her eye in shampoo, and now she's in agony. How can I help? Minutes ago, my girlfriend inadvertently squeezed a huge amount of shampoo out of the bottle, and most of it got into her eye. Now she's in agony. Her eye is very red, and she can't see well out of it. There are two patches of her vision that are white.

I don't know what to do. We are in a Foreign country on the day of our travel home. I don't have any experience with doctors overseas. Does she need a doctor? What can we do to help flush the eye? What steps should I take next?

Thank you all so much.

Alternatives to Artec/L'Oreal Colorist?

Viola — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:05:05 -0800

My favorite color depositing shampoo has been discontinued. What alternatives do I have other than dying my hair every month? I give my gingery auburn hair a boost of red by using Artec's color depositing shampoo in red clover. Artec discontinued the line and transferred the product over to L'oreal, and the same shampoo was marketed under the L'oreal colorist series. Now it seems like both products are discontinued, and while they're not impossible to find on the internet, they're reeeeally expensive. My searches on google for alternatives to either Artec and L'Oreal are coming up dry. What do you ladies recommend for colored hair?

Note that I'm not interested in drugstore brands that claim to "boost shine" for certain hair colors, like the John Freida lines, as they're just a marketing scam.

Clean start

pulled_levers — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:21:42 -0800

What are your favorite not-so-expensive facial soaps, shampoos, conditioners and/or body washes? (If you can order them from Amazon that is a big, big plus!) I have been using the same old boring Head & Shoulders since I was a child. I also use Clean & Clear facial soap and some random bar soap.

I did try out some random soaps from places like the Body Shop but it was fairly expensive and even though they all smelled really good, I didn't feel very clean/the smell didn't last very long....so I went back to the products I was brought up on.

Now some of my friends order products from Lush and though I'm sure they're fantastic, I have limited funds. SO I was wondering what askmefi recommends for a girl who likes not-overpowering fruity and/or clean, fresh scents.

Some background: I do have dry skin/scalp so moisturizing versions are also preferred. I also have slightly wavy but generally well-behaving hair, IOW no frizz but sometimes it gets kind of flat. Oh, and being able to order it from Amazon (I have that 2-day free shipping student thing) would be amazing too.

I consider paying over $20 for something that isn't jumbo size expensive. But if you say it's really worth it I'll look into it. :)

Thanks!

P.S. Recommendations for lotions are great too :)