Natural Shampoo Alternatives

[Nizhoni]

Can the honey in the egg shampoo do any lightening?

And how do I avoid smelling like a wet dog? Conditioner? Essential oils? Where do I buy them and how much should I use?

I did my first egg wash today and my hair is still a bit damp and smells like a wet dog, but it actually feels clean and not too dry. Though I think I might try with conditioner the next time, I do have really dry hair and right now it is very cold here which makes it even more dry. My scalp does look really nice so far and the egg shampoo did not itch at all while applied.

I did notice that my hair had even more waves (and a light curl or two) while damp than usual.

[HotRag]

Can the honey in the egg shampoo do any lightening?

And how do I avoid smelling like a wet dog? Conditioner? Essential oils? Where do I buy them and how much should I use?

I did my first egg wash today and my hair is still a bit damp and smells like a wet dog, but it actually feels clean and not to dry. Though I think I might try with conditioner the next time, I do have really dry hair and right now it is very cold here which makes it even more dry. My scalp does look really nice so far and the egg shampoo did not itch at all while applied.

I did notice that my hair had even more waves (and a light curl or two) while damp than usual.

I also had more waves in my hair after this. I have 1b/c but it looked 1c/2a before combing.

Maybe some oil, coconut oil, shea butter or camellia oil can be added to condition and make the wash less drying. Or dilute and use one half of the egg for washing, and cook the rest
Or just SMT, catnip tea treatment or condition in other way, after the wash.

Your descrition of the wash, sounds similar to my experiance.

[Nizhoni]

I also had more waves in my hair after this. I have 1b/c but it looked 1c/2a before combing.

Maybe some oil, coconut oil, shea butter or camellia oil can be added to condition and make the wash less drying. Or dilute and use one half of the egg for washing, and cook the rest
Or just SMT, catnip tea treatment or condition in other way, after the wash.

Your descrition of the wash, sounds similar to my experiance.

Now my hair is just slightly damp and I can feel that I will need some conditioning, no surprise there though.

Thanks for the advice! The conditioning part I think I can figure out, but the smelling like a wet dog thing I don't know how to handle.

[HotRag]

Now my hair is just slightly damp and I can feel that I will need some conditioning, no surprise there though.

Thanks for the advice! The conditioning part I think I can figure out, but the smelling like a wet dog thing I don't know how to handle.

I didn't feel any wet dog smell, but maybe you can try an EO.

[Finoriel]

My microscope is from my grandpa who was a veterinary even though it is about 60 years old, it should still be better than one for children use.

Honey is just lightening when left on for a looong time > several hours, even then it´s not lightening much. Leaving on egg with honey for hours is not recommended, growth of bacterias and such, egg goes off fast when it´s kept as warm as it is on your head. Honey is only producing peroxide when the enzymes in it can work > it has to be diluted enough and the pH-level should not be too acidic.
No, the mixture will not lighten your hair at all.

The wet dog smell seems to be a very individual thing. I do not notice any bad smell when washing with eggs, smells more like Christmas bakery with egg and honey . But it´s perfume free so to say, not adding any smell. My hair only smells like "me" and I´m not smelling like wet dog, just like wet human. Similar to using washing powder without scent for laundry... mine smells like "nothing", while other body chemistry seems to develop awful stinkiness sometimes. Not sure what causes this, but you mention itching... so possibly your skin is a little out of balance after using harsher cleansers for a long time and there are very active bacterias producing this smell. Normally any smell should disappear when your hair is dry. Be careful with EOs, patch test them before usage and do not overdose them. EOs are drying oils and can leave sticky residues on your hair.
When using conditioner afterwards your hair will smell like conditioner, that would avoid the unpleasant smell. If you have a sensitive skin you should check if it´s the conditioner which causes the itching, though. Conditioner usually is gentle to hair, but not necessarily good for the skin.

[Nizhoni]

Honey is just lightening when left on for a looong time > several hours, even then it´s not lightening much. Leaving on egg with honey for hours is not recommended, growth of bacterias and such, egg goes off fast when it´s kept as warm as it is on your head. Honey is only producing peroxide when the enzymes in it can work > it has to be diluted enough and the pH-level should not be too acidic.
No, the mixture will not lighten your hair at all.

The wet dog smell seems to be a very individual thing. I do not notice any bad smell when washing with eggs, smells more like Christmas bakery with egg and honey . But it´s perfume free so to say, not adding any smell. My hair only smells like "me" and I´m not smelling like wet dog, just like wet human. Similar to using washing powder without scent for laundry... mine smells like "nothing", while other body chemistry seems to develop awful stinkiness sometimes. Not sure what causes this, but you mention itching... so possibly your skin is a little out of balance after using harsher cleansers for a long time and there are very active bacterias producing this smell. Normally any smell should disappear when your hair is dry. Be careful with EOs, patch test them before usage and do not overdose them. EOs are drying oils and can leave sticky residues on your hair.
When using conditioner afterwards your hair will smell like conditioner, that would avoid the unpleasant smell. If you have a sensitive skin you should check if it´s the conditioner which causes the itching, though. Conditioner usually is gentle to hair, but not necessarily good for the skin.

So I can stop worrying about the lightening effects then, yay!

I have been COing for over a year now and do avoid any conditioner that my scalp says no to, which is most conditioners with perfume so right now I have only one option and it does not work prefectly. I don't feel like being dependant on conditioners that I have to order online.

I can't really tell if my scalp smells like wet dog but the lengths definitely do smell! So far my scalp seem kind of happy, which makes me really happy!

Maybe a very stupid question, but could adding a tiny amount of cocoa to the egg mixture help with the smell and also make the mixture less runny? I do love chocolate!

[HotRag]

My microscope is from my grandpa who was a veterinary even though it is about 60 years old, it should still be better than one for children use.

Yea, it sure doesn't has plastic lenses like my kid's has.

*gone googling for microscopes*

[GlassEyes]

Actually, the peroxide in honey only laster for an hour or two, usually, if I recall ktani's posts in the honey thread correctly.

I wouldn't worry about it lightening though. Certain kinds of enzymes and other things counteract adn destroy the peroxide, and I doubt that it would survive for long mixed with egg. Plus, you aren't leaving the shampoo on for an hour. XD'

[ktani]

When honey is diluted with any liquid that contains water, it slowly releases peroxide.

However, there are a number of factors that affect how much peroxide is released and what happens to it, when it is released.

For lightening, 1 hour is all that is needed and recommended on very wet hair, preferrably covered or continuously misted, with the right dilution and ingredients, distilled water and honey lightening boosters. (See the Honey thread for details). You also need a good peroxide producing honey. Not all honeys are equal in this respect.

Then there is the pH factor of the solution (honey produces optimum peroxide at pH 6). If a solution contains minerals or Vitamin C or heat is used, either the enzyme that generates the peroxide (affected by heat, is damaged) or the peroxide itself is depleted (the minerals or Vitamin C).

Using honey for a short time on wet hair mixed with egg or conditioner, should not affect hair colour. To be sure that no lightening can take place, microwave the honey first, for 30 seconds to under 1 minute, to destroy the enzyme in it that generates peroxide.

[Finoriel]

Cocoa sounds yummy smellwise and I think I read somewhere that cocoa powder has low anti-fungal properties. (Not sure here, so please double check that.) The fat in there will make the egg less cleansing, too. Which may be great for dry length. Your hair looks dark enough to not be in danger to get stained from it. Seems like it could work. Don´t forget to report if you decide to try it
You could also use sifted cassia to make it less runny or any food quality kitchen thickener which works with cold liquids (gelatin powder for example). I tried this without ill effects as long as I rinsed extra well.

The problems sensitive people have with conditioners may come from perfume, that´s true, but it can also be caused from the kind of surfactants used in them. Most surfactants used in conditioners are on the more skin-unfriendly side, that´s why conditioner-bottles in the 80s and early 90s recommended something like "use on length only" and "do not put on scalp", you may remember that. Most conditioners are simply not developed to be put on the skin, especially not for a longer time frame like CO requires. The surfactants in there are not for cleaning properties, they are supposed to act as emulsifiers to keep the oily and watery parts of it from already separating in the bottle and help rinsing out the excess oils and other "care"-ingredients. Sure you can use that effect to clean hair, like discovered for CO and dry hair indeed reacts well to that, but that does not make it good or gentle for skin. Most scalps tolerate CO, but some more sensitive people also react with excessive shedding, itching and flaking. Even when not using conditioner on the scalp directly, some people suddenly develop more pimples than usual on their shoulders and back when using conditioner. Strange, huh? I myself would rather use some diluted sodium laureth sulfate on my skalp for a minute, than having on conditioner for thirty minutes. Just saying, because with all the people raving about CO, this downside of the routine gets not mentioned that often.