I've done a bit of experimenting with shampoo bars off and on over the years. As a lover of handmade soaps, shampoo bars have always been rather appealing to me. They're all natural, long lasting, and travel friendly. However, they have not always worked for my hair. But I haven't given up on shampoo bars completely so I decided to give Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve Company a shot.
{my hair}
My review is based on my hair, and your hair may be very different than mine. So I'll tell you about my hair and let you make the comparisons.
I have long, dark brown hair. It is straight for the most part (curls a bit when it's short!). My hair is also very thick and gets a bit heavy at times. My hair is also quite finicky - if it's not happy with my hair washing method, it is prone to greasiness or becomes a rough and wild mess. It can be difficult to find a happy medium.
{washing up}
I ordered 4 sample size shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley. I used every bar at least twice for this review. I wash my hair every 3-4 days, so it took me awhile to work my way through testing out these bars. After every washing I usually use an apple cider vinegar rinse. I did not add any additional products to my hair afterwards.
{bar: cafe moreno}
"Brunettes have been pouring fresh brewed coffee on their hair for centuries to help transform flat brown tones to into shiny, rich color and maybe even do away with some of those pesky gray strands. Made with cloves, to enhance warm tones and fresh brewed coffee, which enriches brown hues and adds luster to dry hair."
The Cafe Moreno shampoo bar definitely has an interesting scent. It's not one you'd fall in love with, but it's not unpleasant enough to scare me away! Although some might find issue with it.
From reading other reviews, I thought this bar would work best for my hair so it is the first one I tried. However, it ended up being my least favorite of the four. After washing my hair, it makes my hair feel a bit weighed down and heavier than normal. On the first day though it makes my hair look great - it's all shiny and beautiful! But after that, it starts looking greasy fairly quickly.
I will still use up the sample bar I have, but the Cafe Moreno isn't right for my hair.
Ingredients include: saponified oils of clove infused olive, babassu, coconut, castor bean, virgin shea butter, rice bran, canola (non-GMO); brewed coffee; essential oils of clove, patchouli, ylang ylang, lavender; rosemary oil extract.
{bar: honey beer & egg}
"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."
I wasn't sure about trying out the Honey Beer & Egg shampoo bar because I thought the extra moisturizing properties of the beer and egg might make my hair look too greasy. But I ended up being pleasantly surprised with this bar. After washing, my hair feels super soft and looks shiny and healthy. And it holds the shine for a couple days without making my hair look greasy.
Out of the four bars, this one feels the most silky and moisturizing in the shower. It almost feels like I don't need an ACV rinse. So, I tried it that way once. My hair wasn't as soft afterwards, but still clean and shiny. And it gave my hair some great body for days. I was also able to go longer without washing my hair. I went for 5 days between washings and probably could have gone for a full week!
Overall, I really enjoyed this bar and am happy I gave it a shot! It also has a pleasant scent that is lightly sweet. And one more note, I used this bar to wash my face once and it was great!
Ingredients include: 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.
{bar: lavender spice}
"Lavender helps balance oil production, soothes an irritated scalp and stimulates the hair follicles. A double dose of rich moisturizing organic coconut milk, a deep conditioning treatment, imparts silkiness, softness and shine to your hair. Lavender essential oil, with a touch of cassia, provides warm spicy scent."
I am in love with the scent of the Lavender Spice shampoo bar! I don't normally go for lavender anything so I am surprised by how much I adore this scent. It's sweet and spicy and lightly floral - it's a perfect blend without anything overpowering the other. And the scent lingers for awhile after washing, making me happy!
Out of all of the other bars, I feel that this bar was the one that made my hair feel simply normal. It made my hair clean and soft, but not too soft. There was a bit of shine, but not as much as the others. It didn't weigh my hair down, but it didn't offer extra body or bounce. It's great for just a nice, simple clean hair feeling.
I loved the scent of this so much, I used it as an all over body wash as well. It felt sooo silky and creamy on my body! But, that also made the bar go very quickly. I think I might need to invest in the regular body soap in Lavender Spice!
Ingredients include: saponified oils of sweet almond, coconut, sunflower, rice bran, castor bean, organic palm, canola (non-GMO); organic coconut milk; water; essential oils of lavender and cassia; rosemary oil extract.
{bar: soapnuts}
"An organic shampoo made with Soapnuts, called aritha in Ayurvedic medicine. Known for their benefits for healthy hair and scalp, soapnuts have been used for centuries as an anti hair loss shampoo. Their natural antifungal and antibacterial properties may help with dandruff. Natural saponins in soapnuts clean hair, add body and sheen and make hair feel thick, silky, smooth and more manageable."
The Soapnuts shampoo bar is my favorite of the bunch! I ordered it in the Citrus Mint scent, which is very light that I have a hard time detecting it at times. But that doesn't bother me much.
This shampoo bar makes my hair look and feel amazing. My hair feels ultra clean and silky soft. And it gives my hair a beautiful healthy sheen. But best of all, it gives my hair great body and texture. My hair gets that great beach hair kind of look. It brings out that slight waviness my hair has that usually doesn't show up when my hair is this long and heavy. And my hair looks amazing for days!
So yeah, I am totally loving this bar. My hair hasn't looked this great in a long time!
Ingredients include: saponified oils of organic sunflower, organic babassu, organic coconut, organic extra virgin olive, organic cocoa butter, organic castor bean; organic soapnuts (aritha) water; rosemary oil extract; essential oils of lemon and peppermint.
{conclusion}
I am very pleased with the shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley. It has been fun experimenting with these bars and finding ones that actually work for my hair. I've been trying shampoo bars for awhile now from a lot of different shops and the ones from Chagrin Valley are the best. Even the one that wasn't quite for me! If you're thinking about trying some shampoo bars, I highly recommend checking out Chagrin Valley. I am definitely going back to order some full-size bars... and try out a few new ones of course! :)
