*facepalm*

[eruthros]

My usual shampoo/conditioner is out of stock and even if it were in stock the price has increased $3/bottle. And I already have to buy on the internet because nobody in town sells a shampoo that I know I'm not allergic to - there are some that might be okay, but I'm not paying $30 to find out. So now I'm doing the cosmeticsdatabase + amazon.com thing to find out if there's an alternative that doesn't cost a fortune and is in stock and isn't evil.

This is how I am now seriously contemplating buying a shampoo called "Yes to Carrots!"

(Yes I know you can make your own shampoo, yes I know some people can shampoo with castile soap, yes I know about shampoo-free living, please do not suggest I just immediately switch to one of those things. But if you have I-like-this-relatively-inexpensive-brand recs I would be glad to hear them!)

Comments

[anatsuno]

I have enjoyed using Yes to Carrots! shampoo in the past… I have no recs but I will be crossing my fingers that this one works out for you!

[eruthros]

Oh, really? That's very helpful, because I've never heard of it before, and the reviews are mixed between "yay!" and "natural shampoo doesn't work."

[grammarwoman]

If there's a TJ Maxx or Marshalls store near you, they will often have a wide selection of salon-style discounted shampoos and conditioners. I've picked up Korres, Rusk, and other brands for much cheaper than standard price. I think they even sometimes have the Carrots brand.

If you need to try a bunch, at least it might help if they're cheaper, right?

[eruthros]

Yes, that's totally my attitude! The problem is that there are some things I always react to, and they're pretty common, so even the first screening is tedious and tends to kick a million things out. Anyway, thanks for the rec, I will see whether I can get out there!

[meloukhia]

Also! Many hairstylists have little sample pouches you can get for free to test with, you know, no cost (including natural stuffs). I have so little hair right now that uh I've kind of been using sample packets as my regular shampoo/conditioner.

[eruthros]

Intriguing! I have a lot of hair and don't get it cut at a salon, so that had never even occurred to me.

[theleaveswant]

Do you know what ingredients you react to, specifically? Or would that be just too easy?

[eruthros]

I have a list of definitely-react-to, which is how I screen out stuff, but then I find new stuff all the time. And there are things that are variable - if I'm already stressed/have a cold/whatever, things like peppermint toothpaste sometimes turn my face red. It is no fun!

[theleaveswant]

:P Fun times. I don't know what all the agents or factors are that go into my skin reactions either (except nickel, the devil's metal), but mine are usually pretty mild.

[monanotlisa]

Nickel, hate it too -- or my body does.

Eruthros, do you have curly hair?

[eruthros]

Nope, straight(ish).

[monanotlisa]

Ah, okay. I've gone through a lot of products even in the US, but they were all geared towards tight curls.

Really is damn hard finding a shampoo if you have very specific needs regarding hair or scalp. Best of luck; sorry I can't be helpful.

[glass_icarus]

I would add Harmon's to the list of places where you could potentially get a variety of cheap products? (I'm pretty sure it's a chain, but don't know how widespread it is!)

[eruthros]

Cool, thanks!

[stewardess]

I bought yes to carrots! Liked it a lot.

[eruthros]

That is good to know, thanks!

[telesilla]

I'm not allergic but I am wary of using more chemicals than I have to. I've fallen in love with Oyin's shampoo bar. Their stuff is designed for PoC's hair needs, but the shampoo bar works fine on my straight white girl "normal to oily" hair too. If you have really dry hair, their conditioner is really nice too.

[eruthros]

Ooooh, wow, that is a really lovely set of products.

[blushingflower]

I don't know what you're allergic too, and I'm sure you've tried this, but I have a friend who's allergic/sensitive to a zillion different perfumes/dyes/other things and she finds that White Rain and Suave (you know, the cheap stuff) tends to give her fewer problems than more expensive shampoos. Also, Johnson's Baby Shampoo.

[lauredhel]

I'm mostly useless to you, I suspect - I use homemade for all sorts of things - soap, body butter, hair treatment, etc - but shampoo is the one thing I fork out $$$ for, having discovered over years (decades) of experimentation that this is what works for me.

I don't know brands - we're nowhere near each other, I don't think - but my only other suggestion is that if it's the fragrances you're allergic to, you could look up unfragranced shampoo base suppliers (often stocked at soapmaking suppliers here), and just use that without adding fragrance. I do this for hair conditioner.

Oh wait, I may have a useful last-minute suggestion? A way to stretch shampoo quite a lot is to dilute it by about one in three or one in four, and dispense it with a foamy bottle (might be called "foaming bottle" or "foamer bottle" where you are). It really spreads a lot further that way. Example supplier (I have no connection).

[eruthros]

Yeah, I buy most of my products from local earthy-crunch types (soap, skin cream, lip balm, calendula cream, etc), which means they're mostly coconut oil or olive oil and jojoba and essential oils, but the olive oil shampoo just doesn't work for me. People say "oh, you just have to use it long enough to get your skin oils balanced!" but I've tried it for months with no success, and the whole time it makes my hair sort of tacky and holds sweat in, and my own sweat is an irritant, so. Store-bought shampoo it is.

I've never seen a foaming bottle, but I will look around for one, because that seems like it would save money generally!

[lauredhel]

Is that particular olive oil shampoo actually liquid soap (just made with KOH rather than NaOH) rather than detergent, I wonder? The "olive oil" is giving me that impression. I'm the biggest realsoap evangelist there is for skin, but for hair it just doesn't work for me at all unless my hair is in the 4 cm or shorter range.

I {heart} foamy bottles! They're also the only way I've managed to get the Lad shampooing his own hair, because they're so fun, and because the foam seems easier to control for him than oozy shampoo straight from the bottle. Also, less waste: I can tell him to just take three pumps, instead of him pouring it everywhere.

I really should start using foamies for my own shampooing. Save cash and all that.

[eruthros]

Yup! It's liquid olive oil soap. The folks who make it and sell it at the farmer's market have long long hair, and they say they use it all the time, but it just does not work for me. Which is kind of sad, because I really do get almost all my body care and some household products there - I use their liquid soap as my laundry detergent and etc - but I need to get real detergent shampoo.