I found this soap a couple of weeks ago, a 100% natural soap containing nothing but olive and laurel oil, it's supposed to be an ancient recipe. I've been using it on my skin (no more acne and no more rashes from regular shower soap) and to brush my teeth (no more very sensitive teeth). The manufacturer claims it's a universal soap that can be used as a shampoo as well.
I figured, if it's this good for my skin, why wouldn't I try the shampoo thing? I've always had very oily hair, and I have been looking for a gentle, non-stripping shampoo, but I wouldn't ever even have dreamt of using a bar soap!

Anyway, I tried it yesterday morning as the W in my CWC routine. My hair turned out feeling overconditioned and incredibly oily (but not looking like it was oily), that much that my hands would feel greasy if I touched it :shock:
I tried again after my run yesterday evening: the soap to wash scalp, letting suds run down the length, double vinegar rinse, conditioning the ends lightly. Put it in a damp French braid for bed, and I'm still wearing it now. My hair feels soft, moisturized, not oily, no build up.

Now, my question is: if you've ever changed your washing routine from regular stripping shampoo to a very gentle washing method, did you have problems like these? Does the hair and the scalp have to get used to it? And if you use a very gentle washing method, is CWC a less useful method, only causing buildup?

Thanks in advance :-) Oh, and FYI, I like the wonderous soap that much that I will most probably be selling it in a couple of weeks ;) :D

Hmm... Is this soap bar green on the inside, but yellow/brown on the outside (and funny smelling?) I've got a wonder-soap like that and it seems like the same ingredients, and it's really great for my hands. I haven't been brave enough to try it on my face or my hair, but it's said to make a good face mask.

I'm interested in hearing about long-term use on hair and face, please post more about this :)

It's rather a light brown all over, outside and inside. It is a cube, because they make the soap, spread it out to let it dry, and then cut it in cubes. It smelled funny at first, but I got used to it. It doesn't foam very much on skin, but it does on hair.
I found myself very brave to try this, as I'm usually such a wuss when it comes to things like these. There was a time I'd rather let fluoride eat my teeth than brushing with bar soap :shock: Especially with funny smelling soap :D Same with SLS and stuff on hair. If this works on a long term, I'm going to be so happy.

Yet, I have another question: after washing every other day with SLS shampoo, would it be good to wash with the soap every day? I guess I'll be needing that the next couple of days. Hair doesn't feel oily yet, but I can feel it won't take long :D I wonder if I should persist with this.

Hmm... I still think it might be the same soap. After all, it's natural soap sold in Europe, and as far as I know, they let it dry outside in the sun before they cut it in quite large cubes and put a kind of mark/imprint on top of it. I'll have to scan a pic of it! Or find that paper where the name of the soap is...
My whole family loves the soap, and we all use it for our hands. If you have good results with it, then I'll try it on my hair as well. Please keep me updated!

BTW, I think Belgium sounds like such a fascinating country. I've read a little about it on the Internet, and I'd love to travel there some day.

The soap is called "Pain d'Alep" in French. The ancient recipe is originally from Aleppo in Syria. I'm almost positive it is the same, after what you said about the mark being on the cube. This is such a remarkable soap and I'm so glad I discovered it. Since natural soaps are so hard to find here, I'm going to sell it online, especially since it appears to be so beneficial and healing.

Try using it as a body and especially facial soap! The worst it can do is not change anything, since there's only olive and laurel oil.

Ahh Belgium. I like it. Most people only know it from the chocolate though. Didn't you take a peek at the little www button yet? ;) :D

BTW, it's hair washing day today, and I might be brave enough to try the soap. I have one concern, though. My hair doesn't like olive oil. After a few olive oil deep conditionings my hair turned limp and straw-like, ugh. I hope the soap doesn't do the same.

(Also, I think the soap I'm referring to is 88% olive oil or something like that)

Ahh Belgium. I like it. Most people only know it from the chocolate though. Didn't you take a peek at the little www button yet? ;) :D

I forgot our server is having maintenance so the images aren't showing up :rolleyes:

The soap is called "Pain d'Alep" in French. The ancient recipe is originally from Aleppo in Syria. I'm almost positive it is the same, after what you said about the mark being on the cube. This is such a remarkable soap and I'm so glad I discovered it. Since natural soaps are so hard to find here, I'm going to sell it online, especially since it appears to be so beneficial and healing.

Ahh Belgium. I like it. Most people only know it from the chocolate though. Didn't you take a peek at the little www button yet? ;) :D

Teehee... no I didn't ;) But I'll immediately go check it out

It's so great you'll be selling the soap online!

I forgot our server is having maintenance so the images aren't showing up :rolleyes:

Ah well, that's what I noticed. Tomorrow then :)

That's great, Feye, thank you :)

Well, now I've come out of the shower. :)

I started with massaging the soap into my hair, and at first it felt great. Then it felt very soapy (i.e. not very smooth), and I found it hard to rinse out. I was afraid I would accidentally rip hairs out. Since my hair was very greasy to begin with (I am trying to stretch the days between washings) I didn't feel that it cleaned my hair much either. So I chickened out and added regular shampoo to my hair instead. I'm just not used to soap-based stuff.

But, then I used the soap bar for my body, and that felt wonderful! My skin feels smooth and not at all dry, so I think I will keep doing this! But when it came to my hair I was just worried it would turn out like my glasses do when I wash them with soap bars - with a greasy film on them that gets thicker with every wash. As I said, I'm not used to soap-based products. But I'll keep trying to see if I can add the soap bar into my hair care routine some way. It definitely felt good on my scalp.

(BTW, the mark on my soap bar has little stars on one side of it. Does yours too? If it does it's definitely the same soap!)

LOL Feye we're both so chicken :D

I had a shower as well (too friggin hot weather) started out with the soap again, I remembered the oily, build up feeling the first time I washed, and grabbed my regular shampoo bottle as well :oops: :D :D

You must be right with the glasses comparison. Somehow it's not cleansing enough for your hair, but it does work wonders on skin.

Although I'm convinced that, if we'd keep using it, our hair would get used to it though, producing less sebum. Yet I don't feel like walking around with an oily head for six weeks :D

So I guess I'm back to my non-stripping shampoo quest. Mind if I ask which one you're using?

Ooh, forgot to add: I wasn't really able to read the mark, but as I was washing myself with the bar, I did see the green coming through. I hadn't noticed that before. So I'm pretty positive it's the same.

Hi Queenie!

If you use a soap in hard water (on your hair), you will probably need to use an ACV rinse afterwards to make sure that all of the residue rinses away. I have to do this with any soap-based shampoos that I use like Aubrey Organics, for example. Otherwise, my hair is coated, heavy, and greasy-looking. I find the decyl poly shampoos are very mild and rinse easily. So, those might be a good alternative for your hair. Here's one that I like:

Paul Penders "Walnut Oil Shampoo"

INGREDIENTS: LevensESSENTIE™ (Angelica, Arnica, Calendula,Chamomile, Comfrey, Elderflower, Ginger, Ginseng Root, Honeysuckle, Hops, Horsetail, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Nettle, Pegaga, Peppermint, Rosemary, Sage, St.Johns Wort, Tumeric, Witch Hazel, Yarrow), Glicerides from Olive Oil, Laureth Decyl Polyglucose, Vegetable Glycerine, Jojoba Oil, Walnut Oil, Soybean Oil, Alginate Sea Minerals, Panthenol, Vitamin C, Acetic Acid, Grapefruit Extract, Essential Oil of Bitter Almond, Vitamin E, Caramel.

Also, California Baby shampoo is nice. Sounds like the soap is great for your skin though. 8)

this is a little ot, sorry, but i didn't use a flouride toothpaste for about a year and i ended up with 9 cavities!!!!!

i didn't realize it would be soooo drastic when cutting out the flouride, that's why i feel compelled to at least mention it to you so you'll be warned (and maybe i just have terrible teeth anyways :( )

Thanks for your help Rosepetal! I will see if I can find that shampoo so that I can give it a try. I wonder why it's called 'Levensessentie', as that is Dutch. Is it produced in the Netherlands or something? If so, I should be able to find it here. Want to wait a bit with online orders, I have so many the last couple of weeks :rolleyes: On the other hand I'm sure I'm not the only one around here with that problem :D

this is a little ot, sorry, but i didn't use a flouride toothpaste for about a year and i ended up with 9 cavities!!!!!

i didn't realize it would be soooo drastic when cutting out the flouride, that's why i feel compelled to at least mention it to you so you'll be warned (and maybe i just have terrible teeth anyways :( )

That's weird, I've quit using fluoride for about two months now, and I haven't had any tooth aches since, and I can eat/drink hots and colds again without any worries. Did you have that too? I haven't got very strong teeth, that's why I wanted to give up fluoride for a while and see what the results were. Thanks for warning me, I'm looking into this.

Edited to add: And dentists scare the sh*t out of me :no

That's weird, I've quit using fluoride for about two months now, and I haven't had any tooth aches since, and I can eat/drink hots and colds again without any worries. Did you have that too? I haven't got very strong teeth, that's why I wanted to give up fluoride for a while and see what the results were. Thanks for warning me, I'm looking into this.

my teeth felt fine, it's just when i went in for my yearly dental checkup, i had 9 cavities instead of the usual one or none.

my dentist asked if i had changed anything, and the only thing we could think of was that i had been using "natural" toothpaste instead of my old regular flouride toothpaste. (then they prescribed this special extra strength flouride tp to me which scares me a little!!)

maybe it's just something to ask your dentist about. other people must be using these natural toothpastes ok, since they keep making them and people keep buying them.

good luck :)
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LOL Feye we're both so chicken :D

I had a shower as well (too friggin hot weather) started out with the soap again, I remembered the oily, build up feeling the first time I washed, and grabbed my regular shampoo bottle as well :oops: :D :D

You must be right with the glasses comparison. Somehow it's not cleansing enough for your hair, but it does work wonders on skin.

Although I'm convinced that, if we'd keep using it, our hair would get used to it though, producing less sebum. Yet I don't feel like walking around with an oily head for six weeks :D

So I guess I'm back to my non-stripping shampoo quest. Mind if I ask which one you're using?

LOL! There are those who use soap-based shampoos without any trouble, but I don't know yet if it's for me.

Today I shampooed with Fleur de Santé's Active Cream Shampoo with Vitamin B for normal hair. Other days it's Goldwell's Definition Colour Care Shampoo. These two are the only shampoos I've found that don't make my scalp itch after long-term use. I guess that means they are very mild. What products are you using? I guess similar products can be found in Sweden where I live, and I'm always on the look-out for new stuff :)

Oh, and in my hair journal, linked from my www-button below, I write about products and other stuff I use :)

I just found this article:
http://www.geocities.com/missionstmichael/Dental2.html

This isn't about hair or washing routines anymore, is it :oops:

Thanks for the link, Queenie!

I have been using Uncle Harry's tooth powder (calcium-based) for awhile and really like it:

http://www.uncleharrys.com/index.php

I had to stop using regular toothpastes, because they made my mouth and chin break out in a rash, and my teeth were not healthy. It may be the SLS, but I'm not sure.

The best tip that I ever heard from a dentist for cleaning the mouth is (after brushing and flossing) to make a paste out of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide (2%). Press it along the gumline (where the gums meet the teeth). Leave in place for a few minutes, if possible. Don't swallow it. Rinse well. This suffocates the bacteria in your mouth, and heals your gums. :)

I use Aleppo soap regularily on my skin and love it. :D I've washed my hair with it once but found it too stripping (my hair felt like after using a clarifying shampoo - very clean) - which is strange since it is very moisturising on my skin. I might give it another go though.