An improper wash results in “soap residue” and the feelings are similar to a detox. Soap residue is damaging if left on your hair. Soap residue is due to not washing correctly: APPLY MORE and LATHER MORE in the affected areas according to the directions.

Adjustment symptoms should last no longer than 10 WASHES, if at all. A proper cleanse helps clean up all the gunk that has been caked on from years of the chemical shampoos, plus it prevents the dreaded damaging soap residue.

Remember that you should be getting a perfect cleanse by the 10th wash: DO NOT let your hair suffer longer with soap residue as this could lead to breakage, dryness, loss, and other hair damage – reach out to us for help by calling or texting (812) 414-9735 if you are still having issues. Please share how much lather you are getting – does it look like the picture below?

DO NOT use another shampoo cleanser, or you will completely defeat the purpose of using our shampoo soap bars AND prolong the detox period indefinitely. Correct your technique and the issues with soap residue will go away within 1-2 washes… Remember that convenient foaming agents actually damage your hair and scalp in the long run, stripping it of vital nutrients and structure. (You are looking at alternative methods to the store-bought poos for a reason!)

A. A good hair wash with a shampoo soap will feel very different than with chemical shampoos. Hint: The end results are better!

After a good wash, your wet hair will feel “squeaky clean” and almost unmanageable: not smooth to run your hand over and it tangles easily.

BUT when dry, your hair turns out very silky soft, smooth, lightweight, and manageable!

Washing your hair correctly for a few washes, or twice per day for a few days, will fix most “detox” symptoms…

DO NOT draw out your detox period by skipping washes or only washing once a week… that will be several weeks of frustration you can avoid by biting the bullet and washing 1-2 times per day until the detox symptoms disappear. If you’re not getting great results after the 10th wash please, contact us or, simply re-read the directions to make sure you are following them closely!

BUT, if you just really want to take extra precautions before your first real shampoo soaps arrive, you can potentially mitigate or reduce the detox period BEFORE starting on shampoo soaps. Again, these are NOT necessary, but they may help the detox a little bit…

• A baking soda water pre-rinse: Grab a pinch of baking soda and throw it into a quart of warm water. Stir until dissolved, and then apply to your hair for a pre-wash rinse. This prepares the hair by softening the water, raising pH, and helps pull out chemicals.
• An apple cider vinegar water after-wash rinse: Mix 1/2 to 4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 8 oz of warm water. Rinse your hair with this solution after a shampoo wash. This will lower the hair’s pH, also assisting in smoothing the hair shafts. Be careful not to overapply, as it can easily weigh down hair or cause static. This may or may not help some people, it may actually not work well for some hair types at all, and for others it may work wonders, everyone has to experiment to see if it is for them. Check out our ACV herbal rinse here if you know that Apple Cider Vinegar jives with your hair type!
• Clay hair masks between washes: Similar to a clay facial mask, you can try a clay hair mask BEFORE washing by mixing water with clay into a paste (bentonite, kaolin, or rhassoul clay are good choices). Apply this paste to your hair and scalp, allow to dry a bit, and then rinse out. We also offer our own butter-milk clay masks. All of our shampoo soap bars contain kaolin clay, which also helps the detox process along with many other washing aspects such as dandruff and cleansing.
• Keep your hair as natural as possible: The products you use on your hair can definitely have an effect upon the detox period and the effectiveness of the shampoo soaps. Carefully research each ingredient of the products you use on your hair – you may contact us if you have any questions regarding this. We have a lot of natural haircare and styling products to choose from HERE.
• Still having issues? Try different shampoo soaps: Switching up shampoo soaps formulas may help to “shock” your hair into submission – this often actually works. We recommend finishing one soap bar completely before switching. Everyone tends to dislike their first shampoo bar due to the detox experience, but if they come back to their first bar after the detox, many times it will surprisingly treat their hair just fine!

This is the most difficult type to use real shampoo soap because the application and lathering must be distributed evenly, abundantly, and quickly. Take special care to not tangle your hair during the abundant application and vigorous lather. You will want to really pay attention to the directions to perfect your application and lathering techniques.

Long hair types will need to use more soap to achieve a good cleanse than other types.

One big tip is to gather all your long hair together on the top of your head directly after applying a sufficient amount of the soap bar evenly throughout. Then lather really, really well in all areas for a few minutes (remember our goals above). Rinse thoroughly immediately after you hit peak lather.

Conditioner is an absolute necessity for long hair types. Use our conditioner before and/or after your wash on the ends where your hair is most likely very dry. Check out our conditioner directions here. Our hair oil is also a great weekly pre-wash treatment for dryness and split ends.

Our biggest tip for beginners is to APPLY MORE soap directly to your hair and LATHER MORE soap than you think you need ALL OVER your hair: from roots to tips, from front to back, from side to side. Focus especially on hard-to-reach places like the back of your hair and the mid-lengths of your hair.

Find the right mix of water and soap to get a fantastically abundant lather.

APPLY AND WASH FAST – the longer you wait between steps will drastically reduce your chances of a successful wash. Never take longer than 5 minutes to wash your entire hair! You must be both thorough and quick with your technique, which takes practice!

Thoroughly wet your hair before applying the soap directly to your hair. Make sure to apply enough soap everywhere throughout the hair and lather very well in all areas.

You will probably need to part your hair in multiple places to apply the soap throughout all your hair. Be very thorough in the application and lathering.

Thick hair types will need to use more soap to get a good cleanse.

Our biggest tip for beginners is to APPLY MORE soap directly to your hair and LATHER MORE soap than you think you need ALL OVER your hair: from roots to tips, from front to back, from side to side. Focus especially on hard-to-reach places like the back of your hair and the mid-lengths of your hair.

Find the right mix of water and soap to get a fantastically abundant lather.

APPLY AND WASH FAST – the longer you wait between steps will drastically reduce your chances of a successful wash. Never take longer than 5 minutes to wash your entire hair! You must be both thorough and quick with your technique, which takes practice!

Curly hair types absolutely LOVE our shampoos and conditioners because their hair is usually very picky and prone to breakage! Our products are CGM (curly girl method) friendly and they do not weaken the proteins in the hair like chemical foaming agents.

Instead, our products nourish and strengthen the hair’s disulfide bonds (the protein bonds in your hair shaft that give a curly structure). This actually causes some “flat” hair types to show a bit of natural wave or curl never before seen due to chemical shampoo use! Our natural products also reduce frizz and dullness.

Use our conditioner bars after the wash where you want extra curl definition and where your hair is dry and prone to breakage. You may even use our conditioner bars as a partial leave-in product. Our hair oil is a great weekly pre-wash treatment to help keep your beautiful curls full of bounce and definition too!

More helpful curly hair styling products:

• Leave-In Conditioning Spray
• Hair Gel Pump
• Foaming Hair Mousse Spray

Our biggest tip for beginners is to APPLY MORE soap directly to your hair and LATHER MORE soap than you think you need ALL OVER your hair: from roots to tips, from front to back, from side to side. Focus especially on hard-to-reach places like the back of your hair and the mid-lengths of your hair.

Find the right mix of water and soap to get a fantastically abundant lather.

APPLY AND WASH FAST – the longer you wait between steps will drastically reduce your chances of a successful wash. Never take longer than 5 minutes to wash your entire hair! You must be both thorough and quick with your technique, which takes practice!

HAIR

Use our conditioner before and/or after your wash where your hair is dry and prone to breakage. You may even use our conditioner as a partial leave-in product in the very dry places.

Our hair oil is a great weekly pre-wash treatment for dry hair. Also consider our leave-in conditioning spray for very dry, frizzy, or unmanageable hair.

SCALP

Use our conditioner before and/or after your wash where your scalp is dry/itchy. You may want to rinse it out after letting it sit for a few minutes so your roots aren’t weighed down.

Our hair oil is also a great weekly pre-wash treatment for a dry and irritated scalp.

Our biggest tip for beginners is to APPLY MORE soap directly to your hair and LATHER MORE soap than you think you need ALL OVER your hair: from roots to tips, from front to back, from side to side. Focus especially on hard-to-reach places like the back of your hair and the mid-lengths of your hair.

Find the right mix of water and soap to get a fantastically abundant lather.

APPLY AND WASH FAST – the longer you wait between steps will drastically reduce your chances of a successful wash. Never take longer than 5 minutes to wash your entire hair! You must be both thorough and quick with your technique, which takes practice!

Oily hair types may need to wash their hair every day or every other day for best results. Adjust this number as-needed.

Using our dry shampoo between washes can really help extend the time between washes and reduce the oily look.

Our biggest tip for beginners is to APPLY MORE soap directly to your hair and LATHER MORE soap than you think you need ALL OVER your hair: from roots to tips, from front to back, from side to side. Focus especially on hard-to-reach places like the back of your hair and the mid-lengths of your hair.

Find the right mix of water and soap to get a fantastically abundant lather.

APPLY AND WASH FAST – the longer you wait between steps will drastically reduce your chances of a successful wash. Never take longer than 5 minutes to wash your entire hair! You must be both thorough and quick with your technique, which takes practice!

Wet your hair completely, then apply the shampoo soap by gliding the widest, flattest side of the bar on your hair in the direction of growth.

Don’t apply your soap bar while underwater or while active water is washing through your hair – this defeats the application and lathering process.

We recommend applying the bar directly to your hair for the quickest and most thorough application.

Drag the soap bar in the direction of hair growth from roots to tips: around face to tips, from the base of your neck to tips, and parting hair in back of head to apply between the thickest parts, as well as the mid-lengths for longer hair until you start to get a lathery feel all over your head. Focus especially on the hard-to-reach areas or where soap residue has built up before.

Sometimes those with especially thick or long hair will need to divide their hair into sections and work longer to achieve this, but you must try to work fast (Don’t take longer than 5 minutes from application to lather to rinse) so that the soap doesn’t go flat before you have a chance to lather up. Remember that natural soap is entirely different from detergents/surfactants.

Unless your hair is very short, do not rub the bar in circular motions across the hair in order to prevent tangles.

When to stop?

You will need to learn this from washing your hair. It is more of a feeling than a set number or other definition. The best way to describe it is if your hair feels like it is full of fluffy soap. When it starts to lather just by applying – that is a good sign! Don’t count swipes, go by the feel of lather building during the application. The number of swipes needed will vary with each wash depending on how “dirty” or moisturized your hair is.

Lather your hair immediately and thoroughly after you are done applying the soap bar sufficiently. GET AN EXCELLENT LATHER!

You’re halfway there and your arms may be getting tired at this point – time to build those muscles!

Timing is crucial so that the soap doesn’t go flat before you have a chance to lather well. When a good lather isn’t achieved you will get the dreaded and damaging soap residue (sticky, waxy, heavy, greasy, wet or linty soap residue) – let’s avoid that!

Massage the lather vigorously all over your scalp and hair – especially the mid-sections and back-sections. Gather the hair together on top of your head and lather like you mean business until a big fluffy lather is achieved all throughout your hair and scalp. Your goal should be to build up enough lather the size of a grapefruit – FLAT lather will NOT give good results!

If you are having trouble creating mounds of big fluffy lather like shown in the picture above – try adding a few dashes of water and/or applying more soap in those areas!

Good timing, an excellent fast lathering technique, and finding the right balance of water and soap application to get an amazing lather are the main lessons for beginners to learn.

There is no set number or definition of water/soap ratio – it is all about the feel. The more fluffy and thicker the lather, the better. You should have a mountain of lather on top of your hair that you can gather in your hands.

Rinse your hair immediately after you are finished lathering.

Timing is also crucial during this step – you do not want soap residue left in your hair!

Do not wait too long to rinse your hair after you have attained that glorious lather – rinse it out at its fluffiest peak!

This will assure that all of the soap residue has been fully lathered and therefore able to rinse out quickly and completely.

We recommend to wash twice per day only until you get good results which takes most users 10 washes on average (washing morning and night preferably, or just twice in a row). This is to quicken the adjustment period so you don’t deal with unhappy hair for longer than necessary, causing hair damage if soap residue is left in for too long.

The detox/adjustment period is a real occurrence for over half of first time users, but if you are not getting good results after your 10th wash, please make sure you have done everything in the instructions and contact us ASAP.

If you aren’t experiencing any of those symptoms and your hair is happy – wash your hair once per day or every other day! For some users their ideal results can be one wash per day, one wash every other day, or up to one wash a week for the bare minimum.

For some users their ideal results can be one wash per day, one wash every other day, or up to one wash a week for the bare minimum – find what fits your hair best as you go! Remember that in different seasons, locations, and environmental exposures the ideal number washes for your hair can change by the day.

Unlike industrial shampoos, washing technique and time between washes VARIES WIDELY between people who use natural products since they are closer to our natural biology. A method that works for some people may not work for others. Experiment based on results. Does your hair feel like it needs washed more/less often or in more/less places? Wash it accordingly…

Some like to wash once per day, others like to wash once per week. Some like to apply conditioner BEFORE the wash for a less heavy feel, some like to apply conditioner AFTER the wash for more conditioning, and some like to LEAVE-IN a bit of the conditioner after a wash instead of rinsing it out all the way for an even heavier conditioning and styling effect – you decide what’s best for YOUR hair in all its different stages! This is the beauty of natural hair care – you can tailor it to your needs.

Learn how to apply to get the best results for different hair types! Click here

If you still find you need conditioner after successfully washing, we recommend our conditioners only used as needed and where needed before and/or after washing.

Since any hair cleanse will raise the hair shafts in order for a thorough wash, we often recommend our conditioners as an after-treatment to help smooth the shafts back down for better styling and manageability.

Some users won’t need to apply nearly as much conditioner as they are used to because their hair is not getting stripped anymore with our shampoo soaps, and a few users may not need any conditioner at all after a while of using our shampoo soaps – yet another reason Why You Should Use Our Shampoo Soap Bars.

Dry Shampoos

Conditioning Leave-In Spray

Foaming Mousse

Hair Gel Pump

Styling Spray

Texturizing Salt Spray

Hair Growth Serum

Hair & Beard Oil

Herbal Hair Tea

Herbal ACV Hair Rinse

If your hair stylist insists on using their products on YOUR body before a cut, style, or treatment – we recommend to first explain the benefits of using our products and what they have done for you. Offer to wash your hair right before a cut or style. Even better, bring in the products for them to use and try on you – show ’em how it’s done! We offer wholesale opportunities too if they fall in love!

Remember that it is YOUR body, YOU have the power to decide what goes on it!

If you just can’t change your stylist’s routine, we recommend at least one month (30 days or longer) of using our products exclusively before attempting to use anything else again. A once-per-month chemical application might only result in a mini-detox or adjustment period again, where adjustment symptoms may only last for 1-2 washes afterward.

Our shampoo soaps are SAFE to use with hair treatments (colors, bleaches, perms, keratin treatments, etc.)

After using our shampoo soaps, your hair may develop a more natural body and texture, which detergent shampoos stifle. Your hair may also hold styles (such as curls) much easier for longer periods of time. This can take a few washes to start to see the difference, but it is a common report among new users! Some of the many reasons Why You Should Use Shampoo Soap Bars.

Our shampoo soaps have been shown to extend the color of permanent dyes when compared to detergent shampoos – also extending the life of other permanent hair treatments. Since our natural shampoo soaps do not strip and weaken the hair like detergents do – instead our shampoo soaps gently cleanse while nourishing and strengthening the hair! However, due to the faster rate of hair growth often reported when using our shampoo soaps, you may have to dye the roots more often! One of the many reasons Why You Should Use Shampoo Soap Bars

Semi-permanent hair dyes are a different story – due to the vigorous hair-washing needed to achieve sufficient lather with shampoo soap bars, this extra massaging will rub off the surface-based hair dyes faster than with detergent shampoos made with quick foaming agents. We ask those with semi-permanent colorings to weigh the benefits of healthier hair to their semi-permanent colors or consider high-quality permanent hair dyes.

So there is no confusion, we ask you to refrain from first-time use of our shampoo soaps immediately after any potentially damaging chemical treatments so you don’t associate the damage with our products. If you acknowledge and understand that our natural soap products cannot cause damage when used correctly, then proceed. For instance, if you bleached your hair for the first time, and then used our shampoo soaps for the first time afterward and your hair was damaged – was it the soap or the bleach? (It wasn’t the soap) It would be awful to think our natural and nourishing shampoos caused damage to your hair, when it was actually the chemical treatment. Something to keep in mind – remember that bleach and other chemical hair treatments can damage hair permanently. There is no going back… time to regrow that hair!

Elimination or reduction of the need to use styling products is common when our customers achieve a good washing technique. Your prior shampoos and conditioners may have caused more problems than they solved.

Check out our compatible hair styling products HERE, but most new users reduce or eliminate their need to use many styling products after adjusting to our shampoo soap and conditioner. Read Our Article Here which explains in more detail about how using our nourishing products that don’t strip your hair can make all the difference!

If you still want to use some styling products after achieving a good wash, you may use them. HOWEVER, the more product you add to your hair, the more your hair will need to be washed out. If your washing technique isn’t fully developed, this will make it more difficult on you. Until you have perfected your technique, it may be wise to skip the hair products until you get good washing results!

After you have achieved success in hair washing results with our products, you may not need to use the same styling products you did before or maybe not as much. If you still want to use styling products after the adjustment period, you may do so.

For the best results, we recommend only using our products during the adjustment/detox period. This will start you off with a clean slate and you will be better able to determine what/if any other products you want to add back into your haircare routine.

You may use a natural dry shampoo (usually in powder form) between washes – like our organic dry shampoos here. We have customers who use chemical dry shampoos between washes, but we don’t recommend them for health concerns and for the possibility of interacting poorly with our products.

Please be aware that any use of heat or strong chemical treatments can cause irreversible, long-term hair damage. Other factors include: diet, exercise, stress, environmental exposures, and lifestyle choices.

For the best results, we recommend only using our products during the adjustment/detox period. This will start you off with a clean slate and you will be better able to determine what/if any other products you need to add back into your haircare routine.

Most people have an adjustment or detox period because they don’t know how to wash their hair with real soap (not detergents or surfactants) OR are experiencing a true detox of all of the prior gunk build up (silicones, waxes, esters, detergents, etc.)

The adjustment or detox period is from a lifetime of chemical product use that has shaped your hair and scalp microbiome (the living environment on your skin and hair). The chemical cleansers have also weakened your hair and your expectations of what it is like to achieve a real soap cleanse. Let’s try not to return to the reason why you are looking for something different!

Most people have used chemical treatments/products before using our products and some still use them while using ours: this is why the adjustment period is so hard for them. Using chemical treatments/shampoos/conditioners right before or while using our natural shampoos and conditioners for the first time will prolong the adjustment period and possibly frustrate you with the yo-yo effects if you switch back and forth. This is a common issue since chemical treatments and products are what most are familiar with.

Learn about why you should try to only use our haircare products here.

A 3 oz bar is comparable to a 12 oz concentrated bottle of liquid shampoo – it can last anywhere between 8-30 shampoo washes depending on your washing technique, hair length, and hair thickness.

For instance in my case: I have thin, mid-shoulder length hair and only use my shampoo bars about once every other day (give or take) as to not to strip the hair’s natural oils. This lasts me about 12-15 hair washes, or 3-4 weeks.

I personally only use my shampoo bars about once every other day or less to not strip the hair’s natural oils too much. Sometimes I wash once a day but I rarely need to unless I am sweating or getting dirty every day. For others, more or less often may be best for them. Some customers need to wash every day, and others only wash their hair once a week – it’s totally up to what your individual hair needs are!

• When you first start using shampoo soaps you will go through them a lot faster than after you adjust – this is due to the detox/adjustment period for most beginners.

• Not properly washing (not applying and lathering enough) causes soap residue in certain places and feels much like the detox symptoms.

• We recommend washing 2 times per day in the beginning (first time users) until you have no detox symptoms. If you don’t have any detox symptoms, that’s great: wash only as-needed (once per day, once per week, or any pattern between)!

It can take 8-30 hair washes to go through 1 full size (3.0-3.5 ounce) shampoo soap, depending upon hair length and thickness. Once the new user has adjusted, they often start to go every 1-2 days without washing, and finally up to washing only once a week in some cases. Therefore, once a user has become experienced and comfortable with properly using shampoo soaps, 1 shampoo soap bar can last one user up to 1 week or 3 months of hair washes.

Hair length, thickness, texture, and level of oil/grease/dirt to cleanse will affect this number. The longer, thicker, dirtier, and more textured your hair is, the faster and more often you will need to use the shampoo soaps. You also need to store your soap properly in a dry area with good air flow.

An older soap that has cured for at least a year will be harder, lather easier, and last longer. Usually, the 2 year old mark from when a soap is made is the best time to use it for longest duration… However, the scent and other nutritional benefits fade significantly the more a soap ages. We start shipping out a soap once it has cured for 4 weeks minimum. Younger soaps are softer, more difficult to lather, and are used up faster, but the nutritional benefits are higher and the scent is stronger. You can either buy fresh soaps as they are made, or you can stock up on soaps well in advance to enjoy the aged process – this is up to each individual!

We have a best by date on every product listing and on the containers of the products themselves.

We recommend using our soaps within 1 year of purchase since the scent can fade over time, but our soaps often last longer than 2-3 years. Orange spots are the oils/fats going rancid and the soap should be discarded or composted when the dreaded orange spots develop – we have never actually seen them on our shampoo soaps but it can happen to really old soaps or soaps with a higher unsaturated oil ratio (unlike our recipes that are higher in saturated fats).

Store your bar in a dry, room-temperature spot that’s out of direct sunlight, water, and humidity until you are ready to use it again.

Try rotating our wooden soap dishes or purchase a stainless steel shower caddy.

This is called soap residue and it is fixed with a good washing technique. APPLY MORE & LATHER MORE quickly, thoroughly, and with the right water-to-soap ratios in the areas you are experiencing these symptoms!

Soap residue is due to not applying and lathering enough soap in a timely fashion, or not with the right water amount. So keep on washing frequently to get your technique right: read the directions above (yes, read it again) and remember that your lather absolutely must be fantastically abundant, fluffy, and stable everywhere on every single wash… or else you will get soap residue.

Look at the pictures of the lather above and adjust your washing technique by applying more and lathering more, take some time and effort to perfect your technique. Practice makes perfect!

PLEASE DO NOT let soap residue stay in your hair for very long, or else it could cause breakage, damage, and excess shedding. Wash up to 2 times per day until you get perfect results. It usually takes new users anywhere between 1-10 washes to get it right. Following the directions closely and carefully really does increase your chances of quick success. Contact us if all else fails after 7 washes!

Make sure you are washing correctly according to directions and rinsing well with no soap residue. It can take your hair and scalp’s microbiome a couple of weeks to adjust to real soap shampoo without the chemical foaming shampoos. This is part of the short detox period.

However, if you are still experiencing dryness issues after two weeks of getting a perfect wash (no soap residue, heaviness, waxiness, greasy, or straw-like feel), check out our benefits selection focused on moisturization and the scalp, and also our conditioners, hair oil, and herbal rinses as scalp treatments to rebalance your scalp and hair’s microbiome.

We have never seen true hair loss after using our shampoo soaps correctly, just the opposite in fact, as our shampoo soaps promote more hair growth compared to the chemical poos.

If you are not achieving a good wash and experiencing soap residue damage from long-term washing technique neglect, this is an issue with washing technique and not due to the shampoo soap’s potential performance capabilities.

Another consideration is the fact that a good washing technique with shampoo soaps requires a more vigorous massage-type lather, which actually stimulates hair growth and nutrient circulation to the scalp – much more than with regular chemical shampoos which contain quick and convenient but stripping foaming agents.

Along with a more vigorous lather comes more loosening of hair from the follicles that would drop soon anyway – most humans lose an average of up to 100 hairs per day.

The best way to test this theory is to take a clear close-up photo of a section of your scalp where you think hair loss may be occurring, then after using our shampoo soaps consistently and exclusively for a month, take another picture with the same lighting and angle to compare to the two photos. We think you will be pleasantly surprised! See our Testimonials