Yucca Vs. Soapwort Vs. Aritha/Soapnuts?

**sfgirl** · March 2nd, 2012, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by sakuraemily

ktani, are u a scientist? You seem to do really thorough research.

I've wondered the same thign whenever I read the honey lightening thread!

**GrowingGlory** · June 13th, 2012, 08:27 PM

Love my hair on its new routine!

**leilasahhar** · June 18th, 2012, 12:50 AM

Aritha powder is amazing..It cleans really well. Can almost hear the squeaky noise

**sakuraemily** · August 12th, 2012, 07:21 AM

For those of you were worried about soapnuts being toxic to fish, I don';t think you need to.
I'd left my soapnuts to soak overnight and then forgotten about them. I remembered after 3 days and then ran to check them and there was fungus growing on the liquid!
So it obviously degrades very easily.

**sakuraemily** · August 20th, 2012, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by HotRag

It's a shame I forgot to test pH after soaking soapnuts but before adding hibiscus.

I had the liquid in hair not more than five minutes, and then the pH 7 catnip for an hour.

The pH is between 3 & 4 when the liquid consists of soapnut and shikakai extract. I tested.

**jojo** · January 1st, 2013, 02:48 AM

Well im going to bump this thread up!
Shouts "MELLIE" !

Well i am back on the soapnut wagon. I actually found a bag which id had for 4 years and thought why not? I loved how they made my hair look and feel, not forgetting the wave and body it resustated, so i am going to go poo free with the help of soapnuts.
Ive ordered a big bag of them and some powdered herb washes from amazon.
Did my first one today, totally expecting it to go greasy it did, id forgotten to use Mellies way; the foam! My hair is also greasier than it was in 2008 when i last used them so i added a pinch of citric acid and a tad of coconut oil, that one is marinating at the moment and i shall be teying that batch tomorrow morning.
Anybody else still using these?

**Neecola** · January 1st, 2013, 10:07 AM

I've had to drop CO because it was the culprit behind my excessive shedding

So I'm looking for a new method for cleansing. I do actually have a bag of rather old soapnuts, perhaps I will give this a try again.

**jojo** · January 1st, 2013, 12:22 PM

I dont know why i ever stopped using them, after just one use my hair is shinier and fuller!
My siggi shows shine after just one use....im back on this band waggon!

**Neoma** · January 14th, 2016, 05:28 PM

I'm hoping to resurrect this thread. I'd love to hear whether anyone is still using Herbal Only (HO) washes, how long you've used the method, etc.

I'll start with today's post from my blog:

Last night, I applied coconut oil to my hair and scalp. This morning, I brewed a strong nettle/rosemary/lavender tea and diluted it so I can use it for several days. I did an herbal only (HO) wash with powdered aritha (soapnuts) and methi (fenugreek). I applied the mixture, rinsed, repeated, then applied the Western herbs to my hair, taking care to massage it into my scalp, since they're supposed to promote hair growth. After I completed my showerly duties, I rinsed the tea out.

I let my hair dry about halfway before detangling with a wide-tooth comb. Detangling was relatively easy. Not "I just slathered my hair with cones" easy, but I didn't feel as if it caused any damage.

Dry, my hair looks and feels amazing. It feels:

A little bit coated due to the nettles, as if I had applied henna or cassia
Thicker (see #1)
Soft
Smooth

It's extremely shiny, full of body and very manageable.

The only part of this morning's routine that concerned me was that the powdered herbs, which were mixed with enough water to make a liquid, felt a little gritty when I massaged them into my hair. I suspect that repeated applications could cause mechanical damage. I've expressed this concern before.

So, I ordered some soapnut pieces from Amazon this afternoon. The product had a lot of very positive reviews. I should receive them Saturday. I plan to soak them overnight, shake the strained liquid vigorously in a bottle and apply the resulting foam to my scalp. I have used this method before with very positive results. Then I'll follow with my Western herb rinse.

**Neecola** · January 15th, 2016, 11:44 AM

Thanks for bumping this thread Neoma!

I did use soapnuts and thought they did the best out of any non-poo methods I've tried for cleansing without stripping. I didn't do it long term so I'm not sure how it would have worked out in the end. I think I got lazy about making up the liquid. I started making my own shampoo bars and I've been pretty happy ever since. The one thing that does bother me somewhat is the high pH, though my hair looks better than it ever has and my scalp feels great and it has been a couple years of using only poo bars (scalp wash only). I look forward to the results of your experimenting!