shampoo as body wash?

[uniwelder]

Cheap shampoo (Sauve, $1 for 16 oz bottle) is about half the cost of equivalent body wash.  I've always used shampoo for my hair and bar soap for my body.  My wife insists on body wash for her body, though I insisted its the same stuff.  We've recently moved into a new house that has hard well water and I find the bar soap just doesn't lather up and has been quite annoying to use, so I've been trying out shampoo and her body wash when I shower.  I haven't noticed any difference for me (edited to add--- no difference between shampoo and body wash, but huge improvement over bar soap for lathering), though this has only been for the past month.

I imagine this has been covered, but couldn't find it specifically in a search on the forums.  I did find conversations about not using soap at all, but not personally interested in going there.  Elsewhere, I've read that for the cheap brands, it seems they're pretty much the same, just higher concentration of detergent (sodium laureth sulfate) in shampoo to give it more oil stripping power.  So shampoo on the body might make your skin dry out a little more, and body wash on your head might not clean as well.

Anybody else just use shampoo for everything--- simplify your shower and cut costs in half?  Has anyone tried it and found their body doesn't react well?  Any other all purpose products that work well for hard water?

[Roadrunner53]

I have super hard water and use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It might seem expensive but you dilute it with water so you get about twice as much as what you buy. I bought some small pump foaming bottles and fill them up halfway with the soap and the other half with water. This soap can be used for many applications. I personally don't use it for my hair due to the fact that I normally have it dyed and require special shampoos to maintain the dye job. But this soap can be used for hair and body on top of household cleaning which I have never done either. Here is a link but keep in mind, there are a lot of different scents it comes in, not just the link I am attaching. I do like it a lot and it seems to do a really good job as a body wash.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Bronner-s-Lavender-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Soap-32-oz/16672126

[uniwelder]

I have super hard water and use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It might seem expensive but you dilute it with water so you get about twice as much as what you buy.

Thanks, I'll keep it in mind, but that is some pricey stuff.

[habanero]

I've used only shampoo, the cheapest no-brand available, for more than two decades and my skin hasn't fallen off yet and I have't gotten any complains on my personal hygiene. About half the time I use no soap at all.

While I don't recommend it for anyone socializing on a regular basis washing one's body serves pretty much no purpose whatsoever. It's a social construct, not anything that's neccessary and you could well argue its counterproductive for health reasons.

When I wasn't wfh like these days my daily routine involved showering at work after the bike ride or run to work in the morning. Now that I wfh I shower and wash a lot less, like maybe twice a week despite excersicing 1-2 times daily.

[Fishindude]

The only item needed in the shower is a single bar of ivory soap.   It's soap, shampoo, shaving cream and everything.
Can't stand the mad scientist kit of various products in some showers.

[Omy]

Shampoos are often more acidic than body washes. I prefer body wash for the more sensitive parts.

[InvincibleChutzpah]

The only item needed in the shower is a single bar of ivory soap.   It's soap, shampoo, shaving cream and everything.
Can't stand the mad scientist kit of various products in some showers.

It really depends on individual needs. Just a single bar of soap works for someone with short hair and no skin issues. I have long, very curly, very dry hair, and a life long battle with dandruff (I legit get it in my ears and on the side of my nose without daily treatment). If I just used ivory soap, my hair would dry up and fall out, leaving only a flaky scaley mess where my face once was.


Consider yourself lucky.

[Dicey]

I have super hard water and use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It might seem expensive but you dilute it with water so you get about twice as much as what you buy. I bought some small pump foaming bottles and fill them up halfway with the soap and the other half with water. This soap can be used for many applications. I personally don't use it for my hair due to the fact that I normally have it dyed and require special shampoos to maintain the dye job. But this soap can be used for hair and body on top of household cleaning which I have never done either. Here is a link but keep in mind, there are a lot of different scents it comes in, not just the link I am attaching. I do like it a lot and it seems to do a really good job as a body wash.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Bronner-s-Lavender-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Soap-32-oz/16672126

If you're using a foaming dispenser, you can use far less soap and more water. I have them at the sink for hand washing. One tablespoon of liquid soap, the rest water makes plenty of foam.  Try it and you'll never buy pre-made foaming soap again (except when you need a dispenser). If you really want to be fancy, you can add a drop or two of lemon, orange, almond, peppermint or tea tree oil. The sky's the limit, but look to pantry flavorings vs. "Essential Oils" to get even more bang for your buck.
 
For bar soap,  you can buy or make inexpensive drawstring mesh bags. Drop the bar of soap into the bag, get it wet, apply a little friction, and you get oodles of foamy soap bubbles. Bonus: these bags are perfect for using up soap scraps, and travel-size bars.

Both of these options generate far less plastic waste than using bottles of shampoo or body wash

[Metalcat]

Just FYI, lathering isn't necessarily a good thing. They add chemicals (SLS) to shampoo that do nothing beneficial, they just make it lather.

Shampoo is designed to strip oil more effectively than body wash, so it's not great for your skin, but if it doesn't bother you, then who cares. My skin would literally start peeling if I did this.

If the bar soap is overall cheaper, I would stick with that for your body. Shampoo is mostly water, so I can't imagine it's less expensive in the end.

Your soap will last a lot longer if you don't bother trying to lather it. Just swipe it over the area you want to clean, rub, and you're good. Trying to lather soap is a waste of soap.

If you really want to cut down on products, try washing your hair with just water. There's absolutely no need for most people to use any kind of harsh detergent on their hair.

Just bar soap for your body and water for your hair would be much better for all of your tissues overall rather than using a cheap, SLS filled shampoo that isn't good for hair, scalp, or body skin.

[GuitarStv]

I've been using regular bar soap as shampoo for more than a decade.  It works perfectly fine.  I don't see why regular shampoo wouldn't work as soap.  It's all the same stuff.  If you swipe it over your head, and then put the bar down you can work up a good lather just by rubbing your head with a wet hand in the shower.

[ToTheMoon]

I have super hard water and use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It might seem expensive but you dilute it with water so you get about twice as much as what you buy. I bought some small pump foaming bottles and fill them up halfway with the soap and the other half with water. This soap can be used for many applications. I personally don't use it for my hair due to the fact that I normally have it dyed and require special shampoos to maintain the dye job. But this soap can be used for hair and body on top of household cleaning which I have never done either. Here is a link but keep in mind, there are a lot of different scents it comes in, not just the link I am attaching. I do like it a lot and it seems to do a really good job as a body wash.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Bronner-s-Lavender-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Soap-32-oz/16672126

I also love Dr. Bronner's soaps (the Peppermint is my favourite.) A tiny bit goes a LONG way. I clean my body with it, my hair (before the latest dye job) put a drop in the toilet to clean it, a few drops in the mop bucket etc.

My only caution is that a fresh bottle of peppermint in the shower can cause some very awesome alarming tingling on the sensitive bits! :D

[Metalcat]

I've been using regular bar soap as shampoo for more than a decade.  It works perfectly fine.  I don't see why regular shampoo wouldn't work as soap.  It's all the same stuff.  If you swipe it over your head, and then put the bar down you can work up a good lather just by rubbing your head with a wet hand in the shower.

It will all remove oil and dirt, but it is not all the same stuff. The pH is different, the level of oil stripping is different, and for a lot of people stripping oil and messing with pH isn't pleasant.

I don't even use any detergent on my face, I wash my face with literal cooking oil.

[GuitarStv]

I've been using regular bar soap as shampoo for more than a decade.  It works perfectly fine.  I don't see why regular shampoo wouldn't work as soap.  It's all the same stuff.  If you swipe it over your head, and then put the bar down you can work up a good lather just by rubbing your head with a wet hand in the shower.

It will all remove oil and dirt, but it is not all the same stuff. The pH is different, the level of oil stripping is different, and for a lot of people stripping oil and messing with pH isn't pleasant.

If you use way too much soap that might be a problem.  You don't need to use a ton of soap in the shower at all.  Just swipe it over your head once, quickly.  Then the magic triangle (armpit - armpit - 'nads and ass) and you're done.  Should be soaping for only about 15 seconds total.

I don't even use any detergent on my face, I wash my face with literal cooking oil.

I'd suggest a few hours in a sauna at about 350 degrees after doing that - brings out a healthy golden colour and should be nicely crispy.

[Luke Warm]

for camping i usually bring some baby wipes for hands, face and the 'magic triangle'. i wonder how long i could go just doing that? it might be necessary soon if you live out west during the drought.

[Morning Glory]

Just FYI, lathering isn't necessarily a good thing. They add chemicals (SLS) to shampoo that do nothing beneficial, they just make it lather.

Shampoo is designed to strip oil more effectively than body wash, so it's not great for your skin, but if it doesn't bother you, then who cares. My skin would literally start peeling if I did this.

If the bar soap is overall cheaper, I would stick with that for your body. Shampoo is mostly water, so I can't imagine it's less expensive in the end.

Your soap will last a lot longer if you don't bother trying to lather it. Just swipe it over the area you want to clean, rub, and you're good. Trying to lather soap is a waste of soap.

If you really want to cut down on products, try washing your hair with just water. There's absolutely no need for most people to use any kind of harsh detergent on their hair.

Just bar soap for your body and water for your hair would be much better for all of your tissues overall rather than using a cheap, SLS filled shampoo that isn't good for hair, scalp, or body skin.

+1
My hair looks so much better since I stopped using shampoo with sulfates. The sulfate free shampoo doesn't lather but it seems to get my hair pretty clean.

[shelivesthedream]

I noticed that shower gel and bath foam from a brand we often buy were the same price - but the bath foam container was twice the size. I compared the ingredients, and there was only ONE different one. The shower gel is thicker, so I assume it's a thickening agent in the shower gel and a thinning agent in the bath foam. Of course the other ingredients may be present in different quantities, which would not be indicated on the label, but honestly they were all in the same order. I was shocked! So now we buy the bath foam but use it as shower gel, and get twice as much for the same price.

[Metalcat]

I've been using regular bar soap as shampoo for more than a decade.  It works perfectly fine.  I don't see why regular shampoo wouldn't work as soap.  It's all the same stuff.  If you swipe it over your head, and then put the bar down you can work up a good lather just by rubbing your head with a wet hand in the shower.

It will all remove oil and dirt, but it is not all the same stuff. The pH is different, the level of oil stripping is different, and for a lot of people stripping oil and messing with pH isn't pleasant.

If you use way too much soap that might be a problem.  You don't need to use a ton of soap in the shower at all.  Just swipe it over your head once, quickly.  Then the magic triangle (armpit - armpit - 'nads and ass) and you're done.  Should be soaping for only about 15 seconds total.

I don't even use any detergent on my face, I wash my face with literal cooking oil.

I'd suggest a few hours in a sauna at about 350 degrees after doing that - brings out a healthy golden colour and should be nicely crispy.

Lol, no, for some of us it's not just a matter of using less soap. If I used any shampoo on my skin it would be bad. A lot of people have sensitive skin or are prone to infections when the skin pellicle is damaged. It sounds like you have hardy skin.

I didn't say that for everyone it's bad, I said for a lot of people it can be.

[uniwelder]

Thanks all for the lively discussion so far.  I suppose my personal issue is more about hard water.  I've always used bar soap up until we moved.  This is the first house I've lived in that has hard well water and its really fouling up the new appliances and my shower style.  Ultimately, when we put in a water softener, I'll be back to bar soap again.

Regarding everyone's comments----
1) I really like the disposable foaming soap dispensers.  I've been using the same Dial brand dispenser for about 7 years now.  About 1/3 liquid soap to 2/3 water is my mix.
2) When the hair (on my head) is very short, bar soap works fine.  After it grows a few inches, bar soap makes it stiff and dry feeling.
3) Rubbing bar soap directly on my hairy male body results in the most disgusting looking thing you'll ever set your eyes if you had to share the same shower.  I usually rub the soap on a shredded bamboo loofah pad, and then use that to scrub my body.  Up until recently, that worked fine, but with this hard water, I need to do that 3x, otherwise the pad feels ike it has nothing on it.  The bodywash/shampoo really helped in that regard because it felt like it didn't wear off, so I can just squirt some on and be good to go.

[TrMama]

The solution to hard water is to get a softener. All those minerals are probably causing corrosive deposits on your plumbing fixtures, glassware, inside the dishwasher, staining the glass shower door and making your laundry that nice uniform gray color. Forget about not getting enough lather on your personal tingly bits, the real issue is the damage it's causing to your RE investment and all the extra household cleaning that requires strong acid to reverse.

To save time when showering for years I've washed hair and body with 2 in 1 shampoo. I start by lathering my hair and then just swipe the suds down over the other parts. Rinse and you're done. Saves water, time and product. Although now I use a bar shampoo/conditioner so I'm also not generating a bunch of wasted plastic bottles every year.

[uniwelder]

@TrMama --- what brand shampoo bar do you use?

Yes for the water softener.  We bought one, but just need to spend some time hooking it up.  We were alarmed at how quickly mineral deposits have been accumulating.

[CodingHare]

The solution to hard water is to get a softener. All those minerals are probably causing corrosive deposits on your plumbing fixtures, glassware, inside the dishwasher, staining the glass shower door and making your laundry that nice uniform gray color. Forget about not getting enough lather on your personal tingly bits, the real issue is the damage it's causing to your RE investment and all the extra household cleaning that requires strong acid to reverse.

To save time when showering for years I've washed hair and body with 2 in 1 shampoo. I start by lathering my hair and then just swipe the suds down over the other parts. Rinse and you're done. Saves water, time and product. Although now I use a bar shampoo/conditioner so I'm also not generating a bunch of wasted plastic bottles every year.

My parents have a water softener and a water conditioner--their groundwater still smells like rotten eggs and stains the bathroom fixtures.  It is unfortunately not a guarantee (and my parents would probably not have bought their house if they'd known about the water issues.)

I use bar soap on my body.  I find most bar soaps strip my hair of too much oil, so I use shampoo bars as well.  Mostly a green thing, not a cost thing.  I also use Sweet Almond Oil on my hair when I take a bath--seems to keep my hair from developing as many split ends.

I will say, if your skin feels tight and dry out of the shower, you should probably be applying moisturizer right away after you get out.  A tub of Cerave lasts me a year, and my skin looks great!  I know folks who go in for those skincare regimes with 7+ products--Way too much hassle and expense for me.  Maybe worth it if you have really troublesome skin.

[ixtap]

I have super hard water and use Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap. It might seem expensive but you dilute it with water so you get about twice as much as what you buy. I bought some small pump foaming bottles and fill them up halfway with the soap and the other half with water. This soap can be used for many applications. I personally don't use it for my hair due to the fact that I normally have it dyed and require special shampoos to maintain the dye job. But this soap can be used for hair and body on top of household cleaning which I have never done either. Here is a link but keep in mind, there are a lot of different scents it comes in, not just the link I am attaching. I do like it a lot and it seems to do a really good job as a body wash.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Bronner-s-Lavender-Pure-Castile-Liquid-Soap-32-oz/16672126

I also love Dr. Bronner's soaps (the Peppermint is my favourite.) A tiny bit goes a LONG way. I clean my body with it, my hair (before the latest dye job) put a drop in the toilet to clean it, a few drops in the mop bucket etc.

My only caution is that a fresh bottle of peppermint in the shower can cause some very awesome alarming tingling on the sensitive bits! :D

I use the unscented. I don't even want peppermint on the less sensitive bits. That crap burns! I have had my first bottle far longer than DH has had the bottle of body wash and I happened to get it on clearance. I was doing no shampoo prior to Bonner's, but my hair doesn't care much between conditioner vs Bonner's, as long as I space out the Bonner's.

[shelivesthedream]

I recall trying Dr Bronners some time ago. I love the idea, but it left my hair feeling crackly and my skin feeling tight. I can normally use whatever product is cheapest or smells nicest without it feeling any different. (Though I am now very committed to Head & Shoulders shampoo.) I therefore assume it was a user error. Any ideas?

[K_in_the_kitchen]

To answer your question: We have hard water.  DH and DS#1 use shampoo for everything, and have for more than a decade.  DS#2 has long curly hair, so shampoo only doesn't work for him.  Clearly, there are plenty of opinions on this -- my advice would be if it works for you, be happy with it and don't worry about adding a water softener or whether or not you skin feels stripped of oils.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

I recall trying Dr Bronners some time ago. I love the idea, but it left my hair feeling crackly and my skin feeling tight. I can normally use whatever product is cheapest or smells nicest without it feeling any different. (Though I am now very committed to Head & Shoulders shampoo.) I therefore assume it was a user error. Any ideas?

I have hard water, and Dr. Bronner's was awful when I used it as shampoo (diluted).  Soap and hard water aren't a good combination -- this is where you get soap scum.  I went through a phase of using soaps instead of detergents (shampoo bars, laundry soap, homemade laundry soap, etc.).  My bathtub was full of soap scum after every bath, our clothes got dingy and stinky, and our drains clogged regularly.  There's a reason detergents became popular, and plenty of them are gentle.  As for the tight skin, when I was much younger I could use Dr. Bronner's to wash my body, but not anymore.  You do have to dilute it significantly. 

[ixtap]

I recall trying Dr Bronners some time ago. I love the idea, but it left my hair feeling crackly and my skin feeling tight. I can normally use whatever product is cheapest or smells nicest without it feeling any different. (Though I am now very committed to Head & Shoulders shampoo.) I therefore assume it was a user error. Any ideas?

My skin is much happier if I don't take daily showers (null and void in a heat wave). I splash my face with water when it feels funny and shower when other bits feel funny or I notice my own stink. If sweating profusely, I can also get away with jumping in the shower and just rinsing it all away before it has a chance to dry. I may use some friction (hands, wash cloth, etc., but not soap. I first explored less showering when my skin was cracking open in the winter and I have better results with this method than any lotion or oils that I have tried.

[GuitarStv]

I get a solid 60 minutes of exercise each day six days a week at an activity level that causes profuse sweating.  So I'd say that I average 1.5 showers a day.  Either I'm a very greasy motherfucker, or you guys have crazy dry skin.

[Metalcat]

I get a solid 60 minutes of exercise each day six days a week at an activity level that causes profuse sweating.  So I'd say that I average 1.5 showers a day.  Either I'm a very greasy motherfucker, or you guys have crazy dry skin.

Yeah, some people have crazy dry skin. Even if I work up a major sweat, just a quick splash of water is all I need because I'm not oily at all.

Some people have a nice, robust oil layer and some don't.

[kanga1622]

Yes and no. :) My youngest uses a baby/kids shampoo/body wash and it rocks for him. I certainly have used it for both purposes as well. I LOVE it as a shampoo for my fine hair but it isn't enough for my super dry but oily skin as a daily. So I use basic Ivory body wash - a little goes a long way.

[kite]

Used to use a liquid body-wash (or shampoo) on one of those plastic puff things.
Nice.  But not so frugal. Environmentally not so good either.
Switched to using a washcloth.  Better.
Eventually, for me, switching again to bar soap proved to be even more frugal.  The key with the bar soap was not to let it sit in a puddle. This is probably obvious to everyone. In my shower, the soap dish area will ensure a gloopy mess.  I've got to keep the bar soap on the counter by the sink to keep it dry-ish.
A re-usable washcloth doesn't wear down the bar of soap as fast as other tougher scrubber things.  And I'm not generating more tiny bits of plastic that will only wind up as landfill.
I'm not averse to shampoo, but I'm not using shampoo on my head every day.  And for me, the bar soap (provided it's kept mostly dry) is the most frugal.  YMMV.

[Sayyadina]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

[Sibley]

You do what works for you. Everyone's skin and lifestyle is different.

I use dove sensitive bar soap for skin. Not everything gets soap every shower. Currently am using Dove shampoo, with conditioner once in a while. I tried no shampoo for my hair and that was an utter failure.

In the winter I get dry skin, so I use lotion. In the summer I can get dry skin at times, so will lotion as needed.

[Metalcat]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

This works really well as long as your conditioner doesn't have silicone in it, otherwise the silicone builds up.

[Dicey]

Inspired by this thread, I dug out the probably ten year old bottle of Dr. Bronner's that came with DH. I emptied his pump bottle of soap into mine and refilled his using the DB. Normally I use Dawn, which makes into a lovely pale blue color. The tablespoon of DB in water foams up just fine, but it's a dirty brown color. If it works okay, maybe I'll add a drop of food coloring. TBD. Thanks!

[ixtap]

Inspired by this thread, I dug out the probably ten year old bottle of Dr. Bronner's that came with DH. I emptied his pump bottle of soap into mine and refilled his using the DB. Normally I use Dawn, which makes into a lovely pale blue color. The tablespoon of DB in water foams up just fine, but it's a dirty brown color. If it works okay, maybe I'll add a drop of food coloring. TBD. Thanks!

Our roommate moved in with a case of DB, but as far as I can tell, she doesn't use it at all. And she has been here nearly three years already. Unfortunately, it is all peppermint, so I won't be offering to buy it off of her.

[Dicey]

Inspired by this thread, I dug out the probably ten year old bottle of Dr. Bronner's that came with DH. I emptied his pump bottle of soap into mine and refilled his using the DB. Normally I use Dawn, which makes into a lovely pale blue color. The tablespoon of DB in water foams up just fine, but it's a dirty brown color. If it works okay, maybe I'll add a drop of food coloring. TBD. Thanks!

Our roommate moved in with a case of DB, but as far as I can tell, she doesn't use it at all. And she has been here nearly three years already. Unfortunately, it is all peppermint, so I won't be offering to buy it off of her.

Ours is Tea Tree Oil, which I prefer less than Peppermint, but it's so diluted in this application, i don't think it will smell much. Related: DH bought me a lot of Mrs. Meyer's All Purpose Concentrate and I hate the smell. It's Lemon Verbena, which I normally like, but it stinks. So it goes...

[GuitarStv]

I like the smell of tea tree oil . . . but it's very hard on skin.  The only time I've ever had dry skin was when using a soap with tea tree oil in it.

[Sayyadina]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

This works really well as long as your conditioner doesn't have silicone in it, otherwise the silicone builds up.

I had to pick the brand carefully, but I use a regular one I can find in my grocery store. I mostly included my perspective because I hadn't seen it earlier in the thread and it was hard for me to learn this. If any other fine, curly haired people are looking for solutions, definitely don't just take my word for it but know it's an option.

[Morning Glory]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

This works really well as long as your conditioner doesn't have silicone in it, otherwise the silicone builds up.

I had to pick the brand carefully, but I use a regular one I can find in my grocery store. I mostly included my perspective because I hadn't seen it earlier in the thread and it was hard for me to learn this. If any other fine, curly haired people are looking for solutions, definitely don't just take my word for it but know it's an option.

I have that fine curly hair too. It looks much nicer since I stopped using products with sulfates and silicone. There are a few websites that let you scan products to see if they have problem ingredients. I think curlspot is one? I can't remember now.

My mom didn't know about curly hair either and she would try to brush mine when it was dry. I never really liked it until recently because I didn't know what to do.

[Kris]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

Sounds like you and I have similar hair. Both my parents had very fine hair, but my mom’s was extremely curly and my dad’s was stick straight. The result on my head? A mess.

I also figured out that shampoo was a no-go for me, about ten years ago. Co-washing (conditioner washing for the uninitiated) has been key for me, too. The one thing that was hard to figure out was how to keep my scalp healthy, but I bought one of those head scrubber deals, and a vigorous scrub with that does the trick.

[Metalcat]

I have the worst mix of very fine, but very curly hair. I got the fine hair from my mother, but hers was stick straight, so I had to learn how to manage mine by myself. I didn't really figure it out until I was 25, before then it was basically fuzzy poofs of ponytails.

But the secret was to only condition. No shampoo. It makes my hair brittle and awful. And then I found that using conditioner as a body scrub as well made my skin stop drying out too, so I basically only use conditioner now. (Still use soap to wash my hands at a sink, but that's it)

It's made a huge world of difference.

I too have fine, curly hair, dad has fine, straight hair and mom had an afro when I was a kid.
When I have long hair, I alternate between conditioner washing and water only washing because I'm not oily, so even conditioner only dries out my hair and then I have to oil it.

However, I shaved my head awhile back, which is really the most mustachian option, but now it's grown out a bit.

Sounds like you and I have similar hair. Both my parents had very fine hair, but my mom’s was extremely curly and my dad’s was stick straight. The result on my head? A mess.

I also figured out that shampoo was a no-go for me, about ten years ago. Co-washing (conditioner washing for the uninitiated) has been key for me, too. The one thing that was hard to figure out was how to keep my scalp healthy, but I bought one of those head scrubber deals, and a vigorous scrub with that does the trick.

[uniwelder]

An update--- Thanks all for your various soap, shampoo, conditioner, hard water, dry skin, and dry hair stories.  I finally got the water softener hooked up and things are much nicer.  Apparently our water is quite hard, about 20 gpg and a ph of 9.  I'm back to my old routine of bar soap to wash my body, with soft water that won't crud up the newish appliances.

[brooklynmoney]

For anyone who might need an alternative to pricey moisturizers I want to recommend Crisco. One beauty blogger even did a test versus La Mer and said it worked better! I of course do not buy La Mer but I do find Crisco works well although I have dry skin.

[Metalcat]

For anyone who might need an alternative to pricey moisturizers I want to recommend Crisco. One beauty blogger even did a test versus La Mer and said it worked better! I of course do not buy La Mer but I do find Crisco works well although I have dry skin.

I don't use it as a moisturizer, but it's great for washing your face. I personally use coconut oil, but it's not great for everyone's skin type.

One tip though is to not use your fingers when taking it out of whatever container you are storing it in so that you don't contaminate it with finger bacteria.

As for comparing it to expensive moisturizers, that's apples vs oranges, because expensive moisturizers have ingredients that don't just moisturize, but also combat wrinkles, skin discolouration, etc. But yeah, if you just want moisture, fats will work on non-acne prone faces.

[dodojojo]

I want to be a Dr Bronner fan but I find it so drying.  I eventually gave up and now only use it as a produce/fruit wash.  A tiny drop in a foaming bottle dispenser and just a dab of it to wash.

[brooklynmoney]

For anyone who might need an alternative to pricey moisturizers I want to recommend Crisco. One beauty blogger even did a test versus La Mer and said it worked better! I of course do not buy La Mer but I do find Crisco works well although I have dry skin.

I don't use it as a moisturizer, but it's great for washing your face. I personally use coconut oil, but it's not great for everyone's skin type.

One tip though is to not use your fingers when taking it out of whatever container you are storing it in so that you don't contaminate it with finger bacteria.

As for comparing it to expensive moisturizers, that's apples vs oranges, because expensive moisturizers have ingredients that don't just moisturize, but also combat wrinkles, skin discolouration, etc. But yeah, if you just want moisture, fats will work on non-acne prone faces.

Thank you Malcat for that clarification and the tip!

[soccerluvof4]

An update--- Thanks all for your various soap, shampoo, conditioner, hard water, dry skin, and dry hair stories.  I finally got the water softener hooked up and things are much nicer.  Apparently our water is quite hard, about 20 gpg and a ph of 9.  I'm back to my old routine of bar soap to wash my body, with soft water that won't crud up the newish appliances.

This was the key to it all. I was going to say that before they install any equipment they should run a water test to know how to treat it properly. I have about as hard of water you will fine and there was a solution. Glad your back to your bar soap as like you and @GuitarStv thats the way to go!

[uniwelder]

An update--- Thanks all for your various soap, shampoo, conditioner, hard water, dry skin, and dry hair stories.  I finally got the water softener hooked up and things are much nicer.  Apparently our water is quite hard, about 20 gpg and a ph of 9.  I'm back to my old routine of bar soap to wash my body, with soft water that won't crud up the newish appliances.

This was the key to it all. I was going to say that before they install any equipment they should run a water test to know how to treat it properly. I have about as hard of water you will fine and there was a solution. Glad your back to your bar soap as like you and @GuitarStv thats the way to go!

The water softener was a DIY project.  It came with some test strips for determining hardness and ph, but I think I will get a sample professionally analyzed to fine tune the regeneration cycle and see what else in dissolved in there, such as iron.  I don't care about stripping everything out of the water, but I don't want it running through more salt than necessary.  Right now, it looks like its programmed to regenerate every 300 gallons of use I think.  Since installing 6 days ago, it hasn't cycled yet, so I'm curious what the waste water is going to be like and how much.

[Flat9MKE]

I have used shampoo as body wash if the body wash was empty.  Worked fine and is probably a fine substitute for traditional body wash.

In terms of frugality, a bottle of Suave body wash costs about $2.00 and lasts probably 2 months.  That's $12.00/year.  I'm willing to spend that as traditional soap always leaves me feeling sticky and a small amount of body wash with a loofah goes a long way.  I need to shower/wash body every day or I get swamp-ass or some skin breakouts on my upper back from time to time. 

Everyone is different though, so that's just what works for me.

[UshB37]

This topic is very debatable and I really don't think that there is a right answer because everybody is different. I, for example, can't wash my body with shampoo because I don't like it, plus the shampoo I use is more expensive than the body gel. However, I use a body gel special for my acne, as I have back acne so I can't replace it with my shampoo, due to the benefits it provides for my acne. Even so, everybody needs to find the best way for them and not listening to other's advice because as I said every organism is different.