Is It Possible To Wash Your Hair With Soap?

Written by , BA Hons Indrani Karmakar BA Hons Experience: 2.5 years
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From our very childhood, the first hair care regime we took to religiously was shampooing. It was mostly saved for weekends, and at least through the first three days of the week, you enjoyed clean, breezy hair. But this is not something we can pull off now. With the climate changes, increasing pollution, and deviations in our lifestyle, some of us have to resort to shampooing almost every day. While conventionally, shampoo is something you connect to using on hair, it is not the only cleansing agent people can use for their hair. Have you ever thought of replacing your shampoo with soap? That would seem odd, especially because your body and hair needs don’t really match. Factors like scent, texture, and appearance of soap might contradict your hair care requirements and make your hair dull and lifeless. However, like every shampoo caters to the needs of a particular hair type, there are soaps crafted to meet the needs of both hair and skin. Let us read about how you can use soap instead of shampoo and the factors you must check before rubbing it on your head!

Is It Possible To Wash Your Hair With Soap?

Is-It-Possible-To-Wash-Your-Hair-With-Soap
Image: Which-Vinegar-Should-You-Use

It might feel odd and scary to rub the soap bar on your hair, but some people who use the same soap bar for their face and hair are overjoyed by the results. It is especially amazing for those with sensitive skin who can’t risk the ingredients in the shampoo falling on their shoulders.

Here are some factors you need to consider while using soap bars for your hair.

  •  The sensitivity of your scalp.
  •  The length of your hair.
  •  The quality of water.
  •  The technique of hair wash.

In hard water places, washing your hair with soap may not completely remove all of the soap, as it does with the body. In addition, the minerals in hard water react with the soap and create buildup on the hair, giving it an “unclean” or “waxy” sensation. After shampooing with soap, the trick is to rinse your hair with an acidic solution.

This is not an issue in soft water, so you should be able to use soap and have it rinse out of your hair easily. It all comes down to whether or not you’re using the right bar according to your hair needs.

You may have to go through an adjustment phase if you’ve been using a different product to wash your hair in the past. For example, when using a natural shampoo (bar soap), removing the coating left by synthetic shampoos and conditioners that include silicones and other polymers is necessary.

Because of their low foaming properties, you can choose to ‘hand lather’ and apply the foam to your scalp or press the bar straight into your scalp. Be sure to cover your whole head when you apply the soap.

Acidic Hair Rinse

Acidic-Hair-Rinse
Image: Which-Vinegar-Should-You-Use

The simple process can be done with 2 tablespoons of vinegar mixed with 1ltr water. Get the last rinse with the vinegar water once you have finished cleaning your hair with the soap bar. If your hair is long, it will take more than one wash to cover the whole length of the hair. The detangling effect will make you try this after each hair wash.

Once you are thorough with this process, you can adjust the amount of vinegar used to suit your hair needs. More vinegar, the more the conditioning effect. However, do not overdo it, as it might burn your hair if not properly diluted.

Do not worry about the faint smell of vinegar, as it will fade once it’s dry. But if you want it to go away, you can take a wash right after the vinegar rinse. This will, however, take a part of the luster and shine away.

Which Vinegar Should You Use?

Which-Vinegar-Should-You-Use
Image: IStock

The most popular choice for hair wash remains raw apple cider vinegar. However, people who have tested it find it too drying. You can try white wine vinegar if your hair is already dry in texture. If your scalp is itchy, adding honey and vinegar to your rinse water does the trick. Honey will also suppress the vinegar smell and keep your hair smelling amazing.

Vinegar is also the best remedy to fight buildup if your bath water is hard water. If you have hypersensitive skin and are not fond of vinegar, you can try lime water on your hair. This will also add a fresh summer smell to your hair.

So now that you know all about washing your hair with soap, are you ready to welcome this revolutionary hair wash technique? First, make sure you do a patch test to see if your hair and scalp are not reacting adversely to the ingredients in the soap bar. Once you have figured it out, having one cleaning product that suits you so well will be a blessing. So, what do you feel about replacing your shampoo with soap? Let us know in the comments below!

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