Shampoo bars...how long for your hair to adjust?

[Schoeny]

I started using a shampoo bar for the first time this week. I'm also spraying my hair with diluted apple cider vinegar at the end, and then rinsing that out too.

Whilst my hair looks kind of OK, it feels like it still has a coating of soap all over it.

Even when it's newly washed & dried, it feels a bit icky to the touch.And my hair holds its position, if you know what I mean - usually when freshly washed it would be very smooth & silky, but it just isn't like that at all.

The best way I can think to describe it is that it feels like its not been washed for a few days, even though I've literally just washed & dried it.

Is this normal for shampoo bars - is it something you just have to accept? Or will my hair feel "normal" again after a while?

Do I maybe need to try a different shampoo bar, or a stronger ACV rinse? Help!

I’ve only lived in soft water areas - that explains why my hair is rubbish when I go to London, not just the travel size shampoo I’m using!

@Schoeny I use the friendly shampoo bars. I have thick fine hair. My hair has been fine with them, though I do do two washes instead of the one I alway did with bottled shampoo. I've been using them for quite a few months now and I am now finding that I need to wash my hair less frequently now. I used to have to do it every other day and now depending on weather/ what I'm doing can go up to 4 days.

I tried the lush one at a friends and it left my hair heavy and greasy - I actually used shower gel the next day which was better. If any shop buyers are reading this - can we have refillable liquid shampoo please? I want to save plastic, as do many and am willing to bring my bottles for refills monthly or whatever. Surely this could be a good money spinner supermarkets - be the great option. Let us but other things loose too please

@anniehm you can get refillable shampoo, and hand wash, and washing up liquid, etc etc. They’re not hugely common yet but zero waste stores are around and growing. Have a google and see what might be near you.

We use Splosh for refillable and concentrated cleaning products, very happy with them. They do hand wash but I haven't tried that.

I had my hair cut today and my stylist who has done my hair for a looong time made no comment on the condition or feel etc. She would have done had she thought something was different. I have been happier with my hair this week

I’ve moved to Lush Honey shampoo bar. I find it surprisingly good. The bar conditioner is hopeless though. I can’t get it to make enough to use in the same way I can the shampoo. I’ve one more to try - the avocado one but that felt quite gloopy.

I've used both the shampoo and conditioner bars from lush twice now. Can't say my hair looks or feels much different from normal... Possibly a bit lighter but that may be due to usually slapping loads of normal conditioner on it. I did wonder if it had striped my colour a little but I'm not sure.

As long as it continues like this in quite happy as I switched due to trying to use less plastic, also I get the occasional whiff of it when I walk into the bathroom which is nice!

It was the palm oil advertisement (despite being a tad disingenuous) that made me change but less packaging is good too.

UpToonGirl which ones are you using from Lush? I’ve looked at them a couple of times but never been brave enough to part with my money incase they are rubbish!

I've been using the purple shampoo (Jason and the argan oil), can't remember which conditioner I went for, it's a cream colour though. I was worried as my hair is quite frizzy and tangles easily but so far so good.

The shampoo lathers really easily but the conditioner doesn't you have to rub it directly through your hair. So far when I've used it I haven't been in a hurry but if I was it might be a bit more of a pain, possibly just takes a bit more practice!

I have thick but flyaway hair and find that the round Lush bars are wonderful, but the semi-transparent soap-like ones that don't lather well leave my hair with residue, despite repeated rinsing. I find both types much better without conditioner.

I have fine-ish wavy hair. I use a good quality soap - no crap - just oils and sodium hydroxide. It give body and hold to my hair - and it looks brilliant - it feels more flyaway and limp with conditioner and or shampoo - I've tried every variation, you should do the same .

In the short term, I've given up with the shampoo bar I was using, and have given back to regular shampoo - my hair was just dreadful.

But I've not totally given up - I'm looking at all the recommendations here and will definitely try loads more bars until I find one that works.

I have a lush one arriving today called “Soak & Float”. Hopefully it’s good!!

I use the ones from here - www.rockways-online.co.uk.

I have long, dry, tangly hair and tried the Coconut and Lime - I found it fabulous from the first wash!

I ALWAYS need conditioner if I use normal shampoo, but have not needed it at all since I started using this bar.

I use Lush Seanik shampoo bar and Big Daddy conditioner bar and from the first use my hair was absolutely transformed. Much lighter, bouncier and it honestly looks better than when I’ve been at the hairdresser. You certainly have to work the product into your hair more that liquid products but I can honestly say that my hair is so much better than before. Their dry shampoo is great too. And no I don’t work for Lush, I just wanted to cut down on single use plastics.

I use the friendly soap company ones (so much better value than lush!) And also one that is actually for dogs as it's all that Ocado stocked! (But the ingredients look the same as human ones and I should now repel fleas, bonus!)

It did take over a month for my fine flyaway hair to adjust. I also live in a hardwater area. I decided that the cider vinegar was doing nothing and instead added bicarbonate of soda to a jug of warm water for rinsing, that seemed to help. Now my hair has adjusted I don't need to bother with that though.

Every now and again there does seem to be a build up in my hair and it seems greasy so.i do one wash with liquid shampoo. This is perhaps once a month or every other month.

I found it really helped to wash once with a shampoo like tresemme deep cleansing because it removes mineral build up in hair from hard water. Then go back to using shampoo bars. It made it a lot better for me.

I live in a very hard water area. I have to leave the apple cider vinegar in after washing with the soap bar. Makes a huge difference.

I have used the solid shampoo bars for about a year now. To start with I used the lush blue bar which was great, no drawbacks, but i found that when the price went up the quality went down so I went shopping around.
I don't like the friendly ones - coats my (fine) hair and went through it at twice the speed. Have tried a few small business versions with varying success and have some new ones stacked up to try next.
Basically, what I am trying to say is that trying one and not liking it so never trying another is like trying head & shoulders and never trying another shampoo company!
I am sure i will find my favourite soon

An update: I went into Lush yesterday to look at their shampoo bars.

I bought their "soak & float" bar and used it this morning.

I did still use regular conditioner afterwards just in case, but I will try without conditioner another day.

My hair feels BEAUTIFUL! Clean and soft and shiny