Tag Archives: Shampoo Bar

Mar18

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Honey, Beer & Egg Shampoo Bar

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Lauren

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Honey, Beer & Egg Shampoo Bar

Ciao bellas! Have you entered my Blog-iversay Giveaway yet?! It ends soon!!!

Awhile back, I posted about my splurge on Chagrin Valley shampoo bars (well not really a splurge because they weren’t expensive at all!) and I am posting the final bar. In case you are new to La Coco Bella (heeeeyyyy!!), shampoo bars are the ONLY shampoos I use to wash. I don’t use liquid shampoos..just bars. They are so much fun to use lol and much better for your hair. Less drying/stripping and more beneficial. Plus there are SOOOOOO many kinds out there and they are way cheaper than liquids and last much longer! All around win! :o)

Ok anywho, this bar is actually the one I was most excited about trying from CV, which is why I saved it for last (weird, I know, most people would try it first huh lol). This shampoo bar is the Honey, Beer & Egg shampoo bar. I bought the sample 1.5 oz. size which retails for $2.70. You can also get the full 7 oz. bar for $7.85.

I think the beer is what attracted me most lol and I love anything with honey ***SIDEBAR — I actually started washing my face (yup! Google it!) with raw honey and can for the first time say in years that I have not had a breakout in like 2 weeks. I almost ALWAYS have at least 1-2 pimples on my face on any given day. The honey in conjunction with turmeric powder and this ayurvedic facial bar, I am fading my acne scars as well!! Oh, and in case you missed the other bars I reviews, you can check them out at the links below (I also reviewed a couple of their complexion soaps which are tacked on to the posts below):

Product Description
Beer and egg yolk create a mild, protein rich shampoo that adds shine, bounce and body to your hair. The proteins from the malt, hops condition hair and help repair damage. Vitamin rich eggs revitalize dull and dry hair and improve texture. Enriched with cocoa butter to provide deep nourishment for the hair shaft.

Ingredients
Saponified oils of rice bran, organic palm, coconut, castor bean, cocoa butter, jojoba, mango butter; beer; organic free range eggs; raw honey; aloe vera; rosemary oil extract

This bar has officially made it to my top favs! Look at the ingredient list! I could almost go without conditioner which is amazing to me. I always use conditioner though because I never pass up a chance to use conditioner lol but I was amazed at how my hair felt as I was rinsing it out of my hair. Normally shampoo bars give you that “dry” feeling (which goes away right when you apply conditioner) but not with this! Of course it cleaned my hair really well, and as with all the other CV shampoo bars, I only have to lather up one time and the soap rinses out clear.

Now this shampoo is definitely protein rich due to the eggs and the malt from the beer, so if you have protein sensitivities just beware of that. CV does have an Extra Honey Beer bar without the egg in case you still want the beer and honey benefits without the extra protein from the egg. Since my hair tends to respond well to protein in moderation, this worked extremely well. For those of you who may not know, BEER works wonders for hair lol It makes your hair extremely shiny because it closes the hair cuticle. So in turn, your hair becomes vibrant as protein helps fill in any weak parts of the hair shaft. I also found this bar to be very moisturizing as well since it contains the honey and aloe vera.

LOOOOOOVE Chagrin Valley shampoo bars!!! OH and GUESS what kind of bar they just came out with??? HENNA!!!! DEFINITELY on my “To Try” list hehehe. I am still not sure how I feel about using henna regularly but if I can get the conditioning benefits without the “side effects” lol I am all for it….when I buy the henna bars ya’ll will be the first to know! :o)

Feb16

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Mud & Clay Shampoo Bar

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Lauren

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Mud & Clay Shampoo Bar

Ok, I know, I know….ANOTHER shampoo bar!! I don’t care! I am passionate about these things lol #DontJudgeMe :o)

I’ma jump right to it, this bar is from my last buy (well, my only buy so far lol) from Chagrin Valley (check out this post and this post in case you missed them!). So far, I have been extremely impressed with all the bars I bought from CV. Their ingredients are top notch and their customer service makes it that much better! I love supporting family-owned businesses like this :o)

So I got the Mud & Clay Shampoo Bar in the 1.5 oz sample size for $2.50 (now $2.70). I selected this one because a) the name sounded like it would be fun! I love playing with clay hehe and rhassoul clay is wonderful for conditioning the hair, so I figured mud and clay would make a perfect combination! Ironically, I had been doing research on the Dead Sea and how it’s known for so many things (historically, spiritually, medicinally, etc.), It’s one of my dreams to visit there one day :o) So I saw this bar contained Dead Sea mud so I knew I had to try it out!

Ingredients
Saponified oils of olive, castor bean, coconut, sunflower, virgin shea butter, rice bran; Dead Sea mud; rhassoul clay; water; sea kelp; essential oils of lavender, lemongrass, lemon; rosemary oil extract

Product Description
A mineral rich spa treatment for your hair. Rhassoul clay and Dead Sea mineral mud stimulate and tone the scalp; help restore luster to over processed, overworked and dull hair; and clean by removing excess oils without removing natural protective oils. Absorbing unwanted residues and depositing natural beneficial minerals, restores volume and leaves hair soft, shiny and healthy.

This is my second fav bar so far from CV (my first is the Babassu and Marsh Mallow but I still have one more to try so we shall see if this is still in the #2 spot hehe) My hair and scalp of course felt super clean, only had to lather up once which helps reduce my shower time. My hair was soft and really shiny. This is a great soap to clarify and “detox” your hair and scalp. It kind of “re-sets” your hair/scalp back to normal for those of us with temperamental scalps that like to act up from time to time grrrrrr. I’ve even seen that Dead Sea mud helps with hair loss, I imagine its because it creates a healthy environment in the scalp which in turn produces growth. I will definitely use this in the summer months when my scalp tends to get oily and itchy since it helps balance the oils levels. I love how all of the CV bars I have do not have overbearing scents and are not too “earthy”. They are actually really pleasant!

Fortunately, I have always found that products that contain minerals always work well in my hair and the Dead Sea mud and rhassoul clay are packed with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. Rhassoul clay contains silica which actually helps grow your hair stronger which I am ALL for! The sea kelp and lemongrass were also selling points for me (I now LOVE lemongrass tea!). A friend of mine put me on to the benefits of sea kelp (sea weed) and told me it makes your hair healthy and strong. I still have to find the courage to start eating sea weed as a snack but for now, I at least have my shampoo bar lol

Since I am obsessed with bentonite clay, this has gotten me SO excited to try rhassoul clay in its pure form (surprisingly I never have!) …some say it’s even better than bentonite!!! ***GASP!!!*** We shall see…..

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****BONUS — I wanted to briefly review one of Chagrin Valley’s complexion soaps while you’re still here :o)

I’ve been on a kick to try and naturally resolve this acne-prone/oily face of mine and I was lucky enough to get a free sample of the Dead Sea Spa Soap along with my shampoo bar haul hehe I figured it would be fitting to review the Dead Sea complexion soap along with the Mud and Clay shampoo bar :o)

Don’t mind the dried bubbles on the bar in the pic below, I had already started to use it by the time I took the pic hehe

Product Description
Mineral Rich Dead Sea Mud stimulates blood circulation, rejuvenates skin, and deep cleans to remove impurities. The fine, natural grain of the mud softly, yet effectively, sloughs off dead skin cells and leaves the skin looking fresh and radiant. Experience a mini-spa treatment for dull, tired skin, with every bath or shower.

Ingredients
Saponified oils of sunflower, coconut, organic palm, olive, virgin shea butter, castor bean; water; Dead Sea mineral mud; Dead Sea Clay; sea kelp; essential oils of lime, litsea cubeba, lavender, rosemary, orange, eucalyptus; organic cornstarch; rosemary oil extract

I mentioned some of the benefits of Dead Sea mud above and the Dead Sea mud also has a ton of beneficial effects for skin as well. It helps with a ton of skin disorders like psoriasis, eczema and of course acne, which I unfortunately have to deal with. The minerals accelerates the speed that your skin naturally exfoliates itself and restores its pH balance. It also improves elasticity and minimizes pores, wrinkles and lines. I can see why people travel from around the world just to bathe in the Dead Sea and cover themselves with this amazing mud!

I’ve been using ayurvedic facial masks and treatments (Reshma multani mitti, Reshma ubtan, turmeric, lemon peel, rose, etc.) about 3 times a week lately and they sometimes don’t rinse off well by themselves so I have been using this to lather up and help get rid of any residue (ESPECIALLY turmeric!) and this soap has done a great job with that. I figure since I am doing a treatment already, the Dead Sea soap is like the icing on the cake. It also helps remove eye make-up as well.

My skin is really starting to clear up since I have been using these all natural soaps!

Feb5

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Babassu & Marsh Mallow Shampoo Bar

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Lauren

Cleanse : : Chagrin Valley Babassu & Marsh Mallow Shampoo Bar

Hello!!!!! :o) reading over some of my older posts, I realize how much I use exclamation points and lol’s!!!

I guess I type as if I am really talking to someone. I’m one of those “excitable” talkers lol I used my hands and all that (got that from my mom lol)

Anyway, I have another Chagrin Valley shampoo bar I have to put ya’ll on to (did you read about the Carrot Milk & Honey bar?). I’m going to just jump right into it because you don’t need to hear me rant and rave about my obsession with shampoo bars again (at least not right now hehe). ***Sidebar–if you are wondering if I ever use up all my stuff, I really do! I have a rotation system lol everything gets used! Trust me! :o)

So this is the Babassu & Marsh Mallow Shampoo Bar. I bought the 1.5 sample size bar for $2.50 during my lil shampoo bar splurge back in December hehe (now retails for $2.70). They have a HUGE 7 oz regular size bar for $7.80. Ok, maybe it’s just me but my brain always makes me feel like anything that has marsh mallow root in it is yummy, sweet and gooey lol it’s usually NEVER the case my I guess its just my brain conditioned to associate anything “marshmallow” with warm, melty smores lol I know I know, it’s my inner phat girl coming out lol

anyway….moving along lol

Product Description
Nourishing babassu oil, a great hair care oil for thick, coarse hair, moisturizes and restores hair strength and elasticity, for shiny, healthy-looking hair. Marsh mallow root softens, soothes and hydrates the hair and scalp, providing relief from scalp irritation. A natural moisturizer, marsh mallow helps detangle hair for increased manageability.

Ingredients
Saponified oils of babassu, grapeseed, coconut, avocado, castor bean, jojoba, mango butter, walnut, shea butter, rice bran; organic marsh mallow root tea; aloe; essential oils of ylang ylang, lemon, ginger; rosemary oil extract

I just can’t go wrong with shampoo bars. I have yet to find one I don’t like lol and this one may be in my top favs now :o) I selected this one from their huge selection because it’s good for thick, course hair plus I know how marsh mallow root is a natural softener (and slip!) so i figured I’d give it a shot. It lived up to my expectations!

My scalp had been rather itchy the week prior to first trying this and this definitely relieved the itch most likely due to my beloved essential oils. I love how the lather felt and I only had to lather once because it did a great job at cleaning. I was actually able to do quite a bit of detangling while in the washing process (normally I can’t really do that until AFTER I condition!) I would definitely credit that to the marsh mallow root :o) I read that some people say they dont even need conditioner after, but you know me, I don’t miss a chance to use a conditioner lol My hair was very smooth and soft. This didn’t lift my hair cuticle as much as some of my other shampoo bars which was a nice surprise. It didn’t give me that “waxy” feeling that some bars give so if that is a factor turning you off from trying shampoo bars, maybe give this one a shot :o) You can always do a rinse with ACV if your hair still has that feeling.

Now, I have never used anything with babassu oil but I did do a little research and found out that it’s pretty much a rival of……coconut oil!! I was like OMG how could this be?! (I LOVE me some coconut oil so I got kind of defensive lol) but I guess babassu is a good thing! It has restorative properties for the hair (just as coconut oil does) and it apparently doesn’t leave any greasy feeling once it’s applied. It nourishes, moisturizes and increases elasticity. I would love to get my hands on the oil to see what its like in that form. It’s even solid at room temp just like coconut oil. It’s an emollient so I imagine that’s why this shampoo bar made it easy to detangle my hair and didn’t open the hair cuticle as much.

I really like this bar!! I have 3 more to try from CV so stay tuned!

Aug27

Product : : Henna Sooq Soapnut Shampoo Bar

Posted on August 27, 2012 by Lauren

Product : : Henna Sooq Soapnut Shampoo Bar

Ahhh…..wash days got even better lol. We all know wash days can be a looooong, tedious process BUT incorporating shampoo bars into my weekly regimen has made wash days actually fun and something I look forward too lol ok maybe I’m just weird but I love washing my hair with shampoo bars! The process, the different kinds of soaps, the suds, I dunno, it’s just fun to me lol I wish I could wash my hair more often just so I can use the bars more haha

So my latest bar I went ahead and indulged in is from my beloved folks over at Henna Sooq. I bought the full sized (4.25 oz) Soapnut Shampoo Bar for $7 and it is by far my fav shampoo bar to date! Check this post and this post for other bars I have tried recently.

First of all, the bar looks like a giant cookies and cream bar lol and smells like yummy peppermint! In addition to my love of coconut, I reeeeeeallly love anything with peppermint. I don’t know why I don’t have more products with peppermint in it :o( The peppermint does wonders for the scalp and leaves that signature clean, tingly feeling. Nice and cool and soothing. That was actually the main reason why I bought this bar hehe

Product Description

Our Soapnut Shampoo bar is extra deep cleansing, and clarifies your hair. You’ll hair will feel refreshed, and ready for your ayurvedic hair treatments. You’ll love our shampoo bars because:

they’re extra rich, and moisturizing
100% pure essential oils are used
No artificial, or synthetic scents
100% natural
Handcrafted
These body bars will not strip the natural oils from your body
pH balanced
No SLS or foam booster
No preservatives
No detergents
No petroleum based oils
No residue
Ideal for all hair types

Ingredients

Organic high oleic sunflower oil, castor oil, unrefined shea butter, rice bran oil, sapindus murkorossi (aritha/soapnut), rosemary and peppermint essential oils

This particular shampoo bar cleanses REALLY well because of the soapnut which is also known as aritha or reetha, which is most often used in ayurvedic regimens. It’s a natural deep cleanser and helps balance the oil level in your hair. My thing is making sure my scalp is squeaky clean so the soapnut mixed with the peppermint EO works wonders on my scalp. My hair is soft, never dried out and my scalp is happy. It’s definitely a cleanser I could use weekly because it is not stripping and contains castor oil. So really, I am not losing any oils in my hair, rather replenishing and balancing it with clean oils. I also looooove that is contains rosemary EO because that is another phenomenal ingredient for a healthy scalp. It helps with hair growth (check out this post on Essential Oils for more info on my love for EO’s).

Another reason I really love this particular bar is because it is not the usual dark brown (due to the color of whatever ingredients are in the bar) so it rinses out clearer a lot faster than other bars. This means less time in the shower which is always good.

This bar is literally the PERFECT blend of ingredients. I am in LOVE!! Henna Sooq does it yet again! Oh and I also bought the Sweet Honey bar from Henna Sooq so I will review that one when I give it a whirl :o)

— Although I am forever a Henna Sooq and Bobeam fan, I want to start trying other shampoo bars so if you know of any other companies that have really good bars, leave a comment and let me know! I think I am going to try Chagrin Valley bars next! Which one should I try??

Jun8

Product : : Bobeam Cocoa & Rhassoul Clay Shampoo Bar

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Lauren

Product : : Bobeam Cocoa & Rhassoul Clay Shampoo Bar

Chocolate lovers….beware!

I came accross this lovely find from a vendor (Laquita of Bobeam) at National Natural Hair Meetup Day last month. It’s the Cocoa & Rhassoul Clay Shampoo Bar and I got it for $5 (it’s $7 on her Esty site) and I am loving it! You already know I love shampoo bars so I had to add this to my collection (still love my Henna Sooq bars!). Since I’ve been doing ayurvedic treatments each week, I haven’t had to wash with shampoo (the treatments cleanse my scalp and hair) but when I skip a week of treatments, I wash mostly with shampoo bars.

At the meetup (and on the Esty site), Bobeam had a huge variety of bars to choose from! I wish I had more wash days to be able to try them all lol Again, this was another instance where I stood at the table gazing for over 5 mins trying to decide which one to buy. It’s like a life or death decision lol….but really….it’s just a shampoo bar….. lol

Product Description

These mouth-watering ‘scented’ chocolate ( they are made with actual chocolate!) and Rhassoul clay bars are great treats for you hair and body. They will give your hair a fresh, clean start removing build-up and toxins while tantalizing your senses with the aroma of rich, deep chocolate.

This shampoo bar is literally like a giant chocolate bar….that you can’t eat unfortunately :o( but It smells sooooo yummy and has REAL cocoa in it! Who knew that cocoa powder was actually GOOD for your hair! This bar also contains rhassoul clay and cocoa butter. I have a serious love for bentonite clay and Bobeam had quite a few bars that contained bentonite but I had never tried rhassoul clay so I figured I’d give it a try! I hear that rhassoul clay treatments are phenomenal.

Ingredients

Essential Oils/Additives – Cocoa butter, cocoa powder, rhassoul clay, chocolate. Shampoo Bar Ingredients – Saponified vegetable oils mainly coconut oil, glycerine (kosher of vegetable origin), purified water, sorbitol (berries, moisturizer), sorbitan oleate (emulsifier), soybean protein (conditioner), titanium dioxide (mineral whitener), natural fragrance

I really love when the brand owners break down their ingredients and share what each one does. I appreciate integrity :o) Check out the goodness of the ingredients in this chocolate delight (as it appears on the Bobeam Esty site).

Ingredient and their benefits

Cocoa Butter – Processed from cocoa beans – high in Vitamin E, softens and hydrates.
Cocoa Powder – Processed from cocoa beans. Contains minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Antioxidant and humectant – retains moisture.
Rhassoul Clay – Contains a high percentage of silica, magnesium, potassium and calcium. It reduce dryness and flakiness, removes surface oil and dead skin, and is a great deep conditioner.

This bar lathers up somethin’ serious! It’s amazing how people think that sulfates are the only way to create a lather, there are so many ALL natural products that lather naturally! So when I washed, I sectioned my hair into quadrants and made sure I did a good scalp scrubbing. I washed twice since I had just done a Greenhouse Effect treatment with a lot of castor oil and wanted to make sure I got rid of any excessive oil on my strands and this shampoo doesn’t strip my hair. I made sure I rinsed really well. The water ran a little brown, even while I rinsed out the conditioner.

One thing though about shampoo bars, I get this waxy, residue-ey feeling over my hair (that squeaky feeling) but it is because shampoo bars have an interaction with hard water (read this). *Side bar* Some bars give you that feeling as well if they contain ayurvedic ingredients. That feeling is due to your hair cuticle being open. The Bobeam site does have a “disclaimer” section that addresses this and suggests rinsing your hair with Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). So I got my trusty spray bottle, filled it with some diluted ACV and I was good to go! If you are wondering about this shampoo bar vs. hard water love/hate relationship, check out this link and this link. it gets kinda scientific…

The hard water/residue thing is definitely NOT a reason for me to not LOVE shampoo bars! (they double as body bars too) My hair was so soft and moisturized after washing. A lot easier to detangle. Here’s the crazy thing, it made my conditioner work SO much better. I had used the conditioner many times before but there was something different after I used this shampoo bar. It was as if my hair received the conditioner better. It’s like it enhanced the “powers” of the conditioner lol. After the wash, I did my usual twist-out for the week and my hair felt like butter aaaall week. Extremely light, fluffy and soft. I even had several big chop “moments” where I found myself twirling and playing in my hair subconsciously…

I liiiiike :o)