Product Review: J. R. Liggett's Shampoo

I have been a little dissatisfied with shampoos and conditioners lately. Not only do most shampoos and conditioners have chemicals in them I would prefer not to have on my body or in my water supply, neither have I felt ready to tackle the "no poo" approach. My understanding is that it takes some weeks before that works, and I don't think I could arrange more than a few no-customer days in a row. Shampoos and conditioners also generate a lot of plastic waste I could do without.

So I was in Natural Grocers looking over some of the shampoo and conditioner options, trying to convince myself to cough up the additional money and trying to decide among an array of options. But there, tucked inconspicuously at the end of a high row, there was a little bar of shampoo. It looked like a small bar of soap. It was only $3.68, so I thought, "What the heck? I'll give it a try."

At my husband's request, I have long hair that is also abused with color every 2 weeks (yes, I know that hair color is NOT green--we all do some things to please our spouse). That's what happens when your hair is pretty much white. It doesn't take long for the roots to be very noticeable. I also have oily hair and wash it almost every day. So I use a lot of shampoo and conditioner and my hair takes a lot of abuse.

When I read the ingredients on the back of the soap (see photo to the right), it appeared there was nothing there to be concerned with. 

The fragrance is nice. I am not a fan of overpowering rose scent, but the scent was light. The shampoo makes a nice lather. Although the label says "most" people need no conditioner, that is probably the one thing I am still not sure I like. I have used the shampoo twice now. I don't know that I need conditioner, but some sort of detangler would be nice. Long hair is a pain when combing it out afterward and without conditioner, it was more of a chore. My hair also took a lot longer to air dry and seems heavier. Although after shampooing, my hair felt harsh, when it was dry, it felt soft, enough, but still not as smooth and soft as it does after a good conditioner.

Overall, the shampoo appears to work well, although the jury is still out on whether it will be a good option after several shampoos. I am going to keep using it for a while and see what happens. In the meantime, I need some ideas for chemical-free detangler. If I can whip that, I will probably be a fan.  I found some recipes on the web and will have to try them out.