How To Wash Your Hair With A Badger Creek Shampoo

I grew up with shampoo in a bottle, and chances are you did too. But there has been an evolution toward shampoo bars, such as the Badger Creek shampoo bar. It is easy to use, and you just need to know the right technique for your hair. So we want to help you transition to using a shampoo bar, like our all-natural option. Here we will explore a couple of techniques, so you can choose the one that works best for you. 

Preparing Your Hair

Before washing your hair for the first time with a natural shampoo bar, you need to remove all product buildup from your hair. This is very important, especially for those that use a lot of products in their hair. If you skip this step, you will have problems adjusting to using a shampoo bar. 

Without the proper preparation of your hair, you will be left with residue from years of using your commercial products. These include shampoos, conditioners, gels and sprays made with synthetic materials, such as petroleum based ingredients, waxes and silicones, along with a host of other items. Over time, these things coat your hair and leave a residue behind. Your hair may also have some natural buildup. This is caused by residue from your environment, such as dead skin, sweat, scalp oils, and pollutants in the air. Shampoos made with synthetic detergents are better at removing residue, but they also strip your hair and scalp of their natural oils. We want to get rid of the residue, but we also want to keep the natural oils, as they moisturize the scalp and keep it healthy. Once you stop the use of detergent shampoos, your scalp will need some time to rebalance oil production. 

Since our shampoo bar will not remove your years of build-up you need to do a prewash using baking soda or vinegar. This will prepare both your hair and your scalp by removing buildup and also will help to make your hair shiny and looking less lifeless.  

The Importance of Shampooing Technique 

Our shampoo bar is like a concentrated liquid shampoo. Being superfatted, they contain extra oils to provide your hair with the utmost nourishment. You must build a nice lather, and then rinse this asway really well to prevent the coating of hair with soap oils. You can tell if your hair is coated with soap oils, if it looks or feels gummy. 

Ever notice how a second wash with a commercial shampoo produces more lather than the first? The second wash is working with cleaner hair. You will find the same is true with the use of shampoo bars. So don’t be afraid to lather up two or three times, as much as you need. Then rinse away your hair multiple times to get rid of all the oils. This is very important, especially for those with long hair. Pay attention to the middle of the back of your head to be sure you rinse all the soap and oil away. 

As we go through the techniques below, you will notice that we don’t recommend lathering up the full length of your hair. Instead, you want to use your fingers to work the lather down your hair strands as you rinse the lather through your hair. Here are the techniques you can use to ensure you wash your hair the right way when using a Badger Creek shampoo bar. 

Technique # 1 – Creating the Lather in Your Hands 

This is one of the best techniques if you are new to using shampoo bars or if you have long and thick hair. Create a foamy lather in your hands by rubbing the wet bar between them. Use only the lather produced to shampoo your hair. 

1. Start with wet hair – your hair should be entirely saturated all the way to its end. 
2. Create the lather in your hand
3. Transfer lather to hair at the scalp and work up the lather. You don’t want to leave any patches of soap behind, so be sure to work up a good lather, adding water if necessary. 
4. Rake through hair with your fingers, bringing the lather down the length of your hair while rinsing with running water. Work from the top down to prevent tangles. 
5. Rinse multiple times to get rid of all the lather before adding more. Don’t rush this step, lifting sections of hair and checking that you have removed all the lather. Then repeat from step two. 

Technique # 2 – Using the Bar on Your Hair 

1. Saturate your hair thoroughly with water. 
2. Rub the bar onto the scalp, but not along the length of your hair. 
3. Gently massage the scalp until you work up a nice lather, add more water if needed. 
4. Follow the steps in technique # 1 from step 4 onward.

Our Favorite Technique 

A shampoo bar is so easy on your hair, you can use it to wash your hair every day. It will clean your hair thoroughly, without drying out or coating your hair or scalp. Once done shampooing, you can proceed with drying and styling as you would normally.

Both men and women with short hair find they have no adjustment problems when they change to a shampoo bar. If you have longer hair, you may have to experiment with a shampoo bar before finding a technique that works well for you.

 It is important to note, for those with longer hair, that the most common place to find buildup is along the nape of the neck. This technique is ideal for anyone with longer hair:

1. Tie your hair into a loose ponytail.
2. Wet your hair thoroughly. 
3. Wet the shampoo bar and rub across the top of your head from front to back to cover the entire area of your scalp.  
4. Add water as you create a lather, and use this lather to cleanse your scalp and hair. 
5. Take out your ponytail and rinse, allowing the shampoo to run down the length of your hair. This will clean the length of your hair. 
6. Rinse by allowing the water to just run down your hair shaft for one minute.
7. Rub fingers through your hair, feeling for any residue that may be left behind. 
8. Squeeze hair gently to remove excess water, before covering with a towel. Do not rub your hair with the towel, as this will result in tangles. 
9. Comb hair from top to bottom with a wide-tooth comb.
10. Dry and style your hair as usual. 

It is easy to fall prey to habit, and so you may feel like you should just stick to your current routine. Change can be daunting and even scary, but changing to a Badger Creek shampoo bar could be so good for your hair and for the environment. Make the switch today and check out our other all-natural soaps, bath, and body products.