How To Use Shampoo Hair Bars

J.R. Liggetts Old Fashioned Shampoo Bar – Image From Hairboutique.com – All Rights Reserved

A shampoo bar is simply a soap based solid bar used to cleanse hair.

Shampoo soaps should not be confused with body soaps which are not specifically designed and formulate to cleanse the scalp and tresses.

I personally learned how to use shampoo hair bars right around the time HairBoutique.com® was starting in the mid-1990s.

A long hair friend I met on our HairTalk™ forum kindly sent me a sample of a J.R. Liggett’s shampoo bar.

She had been using J.R. Liggetts shampoo bars on her knee length hair for over 10 years with great results.

Not All Shampoo Bars Work For Everyone

Although I don’t use shampoo hair bars as frequently as I have in the past, I still believe they offer many benefits. I have personally used a wide range of shampoo bars from different manufacturers and there are many which are truly wonderful.

Moroccan Mudd Shampoo Bar 100% Natural From Tasmania Australia with Leatherwood Honey and Bees Wax – Beauty and the Bees

To be fair it’s important to note that shampoo hair bars don’t work for everyone.

Many people with naturally fine hair swear by the texture benefits they receive from using shampoo bars.

There are several considerations including hair type, texture, condition, length and special needs.

Test Shampoo Bars With Affordable Samples

If you haven’t tried shampoo hair bars, many of the shampoo bar companies such as J.R. Liggett’s, Dr. Bronner, Chagrin Valley (CV), Prairieland Herbs (PLH) and C.O.P.A. Soaps offer small samples for purchase so you can learn how to use shampoo hair bars for a small investment.

It’s an easy way to test how your hair will respond and whether it is a good way for you to cleanse your hair.

Basic Steps – How To Use Shampoo Hair Bars

Shower – Wikipedia

Listed below are the basic steps to cleansing hair with a shampoo bar. Feel free to customize with your own desired cleansing routines:

1.  Detangle hair completely with a wide tooth comb and fingers.
2.  Apply any pre-cleansing oils and/or treatments.
3.  Wet hair completely with lukewarm water.

Note:  The wetter the hair before you shampoo, the better. Many people with limited water flow find it helpful to pre-fill clean plastic gallon jugs with lukewarm water to guarantee a solid stream of water to completely soak hair.

Sudsing Up Hair During Hair Cleansing In The Shower

4. Rotate shampoo bar over the top of the head in a gentle circular direction.  Allow suds to flow from the bar.
5.  Allow the suds to gently flow from the crown and top of the head down the length of the strands. If you require extra suds for target sections of your hair, apply the bar directly to those sections for extra sudsing benefits.

Note:  If you have thin, fine, fragile or damaged hair you may wish to rub the shampoo bar between your hands, work up some lather and then massage the lather into your scalp rather than using the bar directly against your hair.

One downside to using shampoo bars is a slight danger of accelerate any thinning tendencies by concentrating use of the bar in one area of the scalp.

When using a shampoo bar, always make sure to move the bar around the entire scalp area.

6.  As suds are formed, very gently massage into the scalp with the pads of the fingertips only. Do not use fingernails which can leave tiny potentially damaging cuts on the scalp.
7.  One you believe your hair has received enough sudsing from the shampoo bar, rinse well.
8. After you have completely rinse the shampoo from your hair, use fingers to gently squeeze excess water from tresses.

Super Absorbant Towel

9.  Apply any desired rinse-out conditioner or post-shampoo treatment.
10.  Use a wide-tooth comb or other hair-friendly tools to detangle small sections of the hair working slowly from the ends to the roots.
11.  Rinse well to remove any treatments.
12.  Finish with a cool/cold water rinse.
13.  Towel blot completely to remove excess water.
14. Apply leave-in conditioners or related styling products. Detangle to make sure all of the product is completely distributed through strands.
15.  When appropriate air-dry hair or utilize desired drying and styling tools.

Note:  In some cases it can take up to one month for hair to successfully transition from traditional shampoo products to shampoo hair bars.

Summary – How To Use Shampoo Hair Bars

Many people prefer shampoo hair bars to commercial liquid types of hair cleansers for a number of reasons ranging from the product ingredients, to the cost and the fact that shampoo bars often last much longer than traditional liquid shampoo products.

Shampoo hair bars, in the vast majority of cases are 100% all natural made with healthy ingredients  such as avocado, jojoba, palm and castor oils.

Hairstylist Blowing Out A Client’s Hair – Photo Courtesy of HairBoutique.com

Depending upon the shampoo hair bar you purchase they may contain an array of shea or cocoa butters and pure essential oils.

Although many people swear by shampoo hair bars, they aren’t for all people. If you want to give them a try, opt for smaller sample bars and be willing to experiment.

Terms of Use

Hairboutique.com including all of its contents and programs, is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor is it intended to create any physician-patient relationship. Please remember that this information should not substitute for a visit or a consultation with a health care provider.

Hairboutique.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Sexy Skinny Hairstyles

Gwen Stefani With Top Knot Ponytail -Sexy Skinny Hairstyles – The Voice – NBC – ©Pete Black

Nobody rocks sexy skinny hairstyles like the eternally lovely Gwen Stefani.

The picture perfect platinum blonde recently showcased a sassy tousled topknot which looked sexy, but also provided the benefit of making her face look slim and chiseled.

Selecting the proper sexy skinny hairstyles like Gwen’s array of  hair knots, twists and buns are instantly slimming.

Anyone can look as much as 10 pounds slimmer just by styling their hair to give the illusion of taking off pounds and inches.

Gwen Stefani With Lots of Hair Height & Volume At The Crown – ©PR Photos

Listed below are some of the hair styling tips Gwen employs:

1.  Pull hair up to the top of the head and position at or near the crown. A topknot hairstyle adds instant height for a super-slimming effect.

How To Do It

- Direct all of the hair up  into a ponytail positioned at the top of the hair.
- Secure ponytail with clear or color hair-friendly plastic.
- Coil the tail of the ponytail up and around the base. Pin into place.
- Use fingers to gently separate and shape the top knot into a sexy shape.

2. Boost body at the crown. Add lots of height right at the crown to instantly elongate the face for a leaner look.

How To Do It

- Back-comb or back-brush hair right under the crown.
- Use fingers to gently smooth a layer of hair over the teased hair.
- Spray with light holding hairspray.

Gwen Stefani – 2011 MOCA Gala – “An Artists Life Manifesto” with Artistic Direction from Marina Abramovic – Museum of Contemporary Art, Grand Avenue / Los Angeles, CA, USA – 11/12/2011 – Photographer: Andrew Evans /© PR Photos

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3. Frame your face with precision cut layers. Face-framing layers make a rounder face look like a slimmer oval.

How To Do It

-  Curl tresses around the face.
-  Gently finger pick hair around hairline near the temples, jawline and chin.
-  Apply a tiny bit of hair gloss or shine spray into palms of hands and lightly swipe over the top of the finished style.

Other Tricks To Maximize Sexy Skinny Hairstyles

Gwen Stefani – ©PR Photos

Once you style your hair to maximize a slimming effect, apply your makeup to work in harmony with your hairstyle.

Follow the steps below:

1. Start by slimming with concealer - Blend concealer appropriately to brighten your face along the center.

Focus concealer into three key areas in order to weave a subtle, face-slimming center down the middle of your face:

- Between your brows extending upwards towards your forehead
- Above your cupid’s bow along the top of your lip
- Under the center of your lower lip

2.  Amp up your natural bone structure - Use an illuminating powder to carefully trace the tops of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose and brow bones.

Showcasing your natural bone structure creates a more chiseled, angular look which is instantly slimming.

3. Instantly take inches off your face – Sweep a matte bronzer onto your temples, the sides of your forehead and under your chin and jawline to add slenderizing contour to the perimeter of your face.

Gwen Stefani – THE VOICE – “Live Show” Episode 619A — Pictured: (l-r) Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams – (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) 2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

After you have finished your face, lightly sweep the bronzer down both sides of your neck for an even more slender look.

4. Elongate eyes – By accentuating the outer corners of your eyes, it instantly balances the width of overly round or square face shape to create a more slender look.

Create elongated almond shaped eyes by sweeping a deep hued eye shadow shade into a sideways V shape at the outer corners of the eyes. Select from dark colors such as charcoal, rich chocolate, deep plum or gray.

5. Apply picture perfect mascara – Draw attention away from overall face shape by creating perfect eyelashes.

Position a business card at the crease of your eye lids. Gently lift the lid upwards. This will instantly expose the roots of your lashes.

Deposit the most mascara at the roots. Utilizing this method will also create a barrier between the mascara wand and your eye lid so you don’t get flecks of mascara on your brow bone.

6. Maximize your lips – Plump up the center of your lips by adding an attention getting highlight to the center of your lower lip.

It will attract attention to the center of your face, so the perimeter of your face looks smaller.

Gwen Stefani – THE VOICE – “Upfronts Season 7 VTR” – Pictured: (l-r) Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton – (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) Monday, May 5 at The Voice Stage – 2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

For subtle shine, dab a shimmery gloss at the center of your lower lip. If you prefer major sparkle, dab your ring finger into a nude shimmer eye shadow.  Tap over the center of your lower lip

Summary - Sexy Skinny Hairstyles

Sexy skinny hairstyles can easily be accomplished with carefully staged hair and makeup.

Gwen Stefani always provides great hair and make-up examples of how to look sassy, sexy and slender.

Regardless of your hair’s type, texture, condition, length or color, steal some of Gwen’s secrets for sexy skinny hairstyles and make them your own.

Eyebrow Restoration

Megan Fox – 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominations – The Beverly Hilton Hotel / Beverly Hills, CA, USA – 12/13/2012 – Andrew Evans / PR Photos

While certain thyroid related conditions can lead to hair thinning and loss, many people don’t realize the potential for loss of the eyebrow hair as well.

What to do when the eyebrow hair is lost? Consult with an expert about eyebrow restoration.

Although thyroid disease can definitely be a proven cause for eyebrow hair loss, other factors might include over plucking, excessive tweezing or damage from bleaching or coloring.

Thinning eyebrows may also occur due to hereditary conditions or from general aging. Some eyebrow hair loss can occur due to prescription drug therapies, chemotherapy or from serious medical conditions or disease.

Eyebrow Hair Loss May Accelerate Appearance Of Aging

Eyebrow hair loss can instantly accelerate the appearance of aging or create a generally unattractive look.

While eyebrows can be manually drawn on or added back through cosmetic procedures, many people prefer to visit an eyebrow restoration expert for a more permanent solution.

When a patient undergoes an eyebrow restoration it is imperative they work with the very best expert available. This is because eyebrow restoration can be a very complex process involving a variety of factors.

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE — Episode 11074 — Pictured: Rita Ora — (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo) Sunday, April 27 on Bravo (11-11:30 p.m. ET) 2014 Bravo Media, LLC

Eyebrow restoration procedures involve both art and science to achieve the most natural and attractive results.

Many beauty experts cite actress Megan Fox and Rita Orca for their  stunning eyebrows and use them as an example of the type of brows which are currently most desired.

The procedure of having the eyebrows restored, also known as transplanted, should only be performed by a top notch hair restoration or transplant expert.

Many traditional hair restoration surgeons offer eyebrow restorations as well.

Factors Considered In Eyebrow Restoration Procedures

The most sophisticated eyebrow restoration experts will evaluate the flat hair angle of the eyebrow, it’s natural curl pattern, its overall flare-to-fishbone design pattern and the natural contour of the eyebrow.

Eyebrow shapes should not only look as natural as possible, but they should fit the ethnicity, gender and facial shape of the patient.

Every person has very unique eyebrow profiles which combine all the factors listed above.

Eyebrow restoration has become recognized as an increasingly important aesthetic component to overall attractiveness, youth, vitality and beauty.

How Eyebrow Restoration Is Accomplished

WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE — Episode 11074 — Pictured: Rita Ora — (Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo) Sunday, April 27 on Bravo (11-11:30 p.m. ET) 2014 Bravo Media, LLC

The advantage of some types of eyebrow restoration is that they utilize donor hair from the back of the patient’s head. This is known as follicular unit transplantation.

Fine hair from the back of the head are used which only posses single hair.

For individuals with fine or thinning hair, two or more hair grafts may be required for the inner club portion of the eyebrow.

Cost of Eyebrow Restorations

Eyebrow restoration is a painstakingly detailed process, but the majority of patients who have it done consider it well worth the time and money spent.

The cost of the restoration will vary according to how much work is required and other factors.

Most plastic surgeons or hair transplant surgeons require an initial consultation before agreeing to provide the work.

At that time they will provide an estimate cost.

THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON — Episode 0042 – Pictured: Musical guest Rita Ora performs on April 22, 2014 – (Photo by: Nathaniel Chadwick/NBC). Tuesday, April 22 on NBC 2014 NBC Universal Media, LLC

Depending upon the cause of the thinning eyebrow hair, eyebrow restoration may or may not be covered by insurance.

Don’t forget, always do your research before making any designs regarding eyebrow restoration for you or your loved ones.

Summary – Eyebrow Restoration

Eyebrow restoration, originally developed for burn victims, is a surgical procedure designed to permanently restore the appearance of the eyebrows due to the thinning or loss of the eyebrow hair dues to illness, excessive plucking or other reasons.

Some patients will undergo eyebrow restoration for cosmetic reasons such as improving the overall look of the eyebrows.

Too Dark Brunette To Smokin Honey

THE VOICE — Season: 6 — Pictured: Tess Boyer — (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC) Monday, March 10, 2014 on NBC (8-10 pm ET)

One of the biggest challenges with some types of brunette tresses is loss of definition and dimension. This is even more true when hair is medium thick to very thick or highly textured.

When hair is too thick and/or too heavily textured some brunette hues can look like intense blobs of color. What to do? Take too dark brunette to smokin honey.

When dark brown hues get lost in long, thick or naturally textured tresses, hair can look too stark against the skin and eyes. The facial features including the eyebrows, eyes, cheeks and lips may get lost along with the inkiness of the dark brunette hue.

Subtle Is The Most Spectacular

Transforming all over too-dark brunette hues with just one or two lighter shades of brunette can be subtle, but make a huge difference.

One of the biggest mistakes made when trying to soften the appearance of inky blocks of hair color is to add highlights which are too light, bright or prominent. These can look unnatural, overly brassy and make skin tones look off-key.

Weaving precision placed ribbons of soft honey, cinnamon, caramel or milk chocolate will make a subtle, but spectacular difference.

Overly dark brunette strands will have the appearance of being dipped in honey.

Tess Boyer On Season 6 Of The Voice

THE VOICE — Season: 6 — Pictured: (l-r) Jake Barker, Tess Boyer — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) Tuesday, May 20, 2014 on NBC

A classic example of taking too-dark brunette and applying beautiful highlights is Tess Boyer from Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice.

From her first audition on The Voice until the finals, her very dark brunette hair was softened and lightened with beautiful highlights which transformed her hair.

Precision Placed Highlights

The carefully placed highlights should be added around the hairline, throughout the edges, along the ends and splashed into the interior of the strands. They will infuse tresses with a softer more natural dimension, shine and glow to the hair.

A key rule of thumb? Apply highlights where the sun would be most likely to highlight the hair naturally. When in doubt, less is always more.

Finish With Gloss To Seal In Highlights

Finishing the highlights with a clean or soft milk chocolate gloss will seal in the highlights, keep them from turning brassy and extend the look for 6 to 8 week.

When applied properly, the soft highlights and/or low lights, can look spectacular whether hair is worn bone straight or with natural texture.

How To Maintain The Smokin Honey Highlights

THE VOICE — “Live Finale” Episode 621B — Pictured: (l-r) Jake Barker, Christina Grimmie, Tess Boyer, Bria Kelly — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) Tuesday, May 20 on NBC (9-11pm ET) 2014 NBC Universal Media, LLC

While a clear or soft milk chocolate gloss can help seal in the highlights, consider doing the following to extend the life of your gorgeous new highlights as long as possible:

1. Avoid washing your hair 48 hours after having highlights applied.
2. Only cleanse hair in lukewarm water with a hydrating shampoo formula or a product designed for color treated hair.

Note: Using hot water and harsh shampoo products can accelerate the newly applied color highlights prematurely.

THE VOICE — “Battle Rounds” Episode 609– Pictured: Tess Boyer — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC) Monday, March 24, 2014 on NBC (8-10pm ET) 2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

3.  To utilize extra care for your hair consider using a diluted formula of 1/8th teaspoon of shampoo to 1 quart of lukewarm water.
4.  Always finish with a cool/cold water rinse to seal in moisture.
5.  Minimize use of heat. Air-dry whenever possible.  If heat is required, use a heat protective product before styling.
6.  Avoid use of styling products with contain drying alcohol.
7.  Cover hair to protect from the sun which can fade and damage delicate highlights and low lights.
8.  Always finish any styling wit a clear silicone product to help protect strands from frizz, humidity and color fading.

 Summary - Too Dark Brunette To Smokin Honey

Hair can be instantly transformed from too dark and lacking dimension to soft, shiny and full of shiny moment.

The key is to add an array of beautiful, yet subtle highlights, which are with one to two shades lighter than the natural base color.

Once the beautiful highlights have been perfectly applied, the key is to maintain them with care to extend their life and minimize the development of brassiness.

Bleach Bowl Haircut

Mackenzie Davis – “That Awkward Moment” Los Angeles Premiere – Regal Cinemas L.A. Live / Los Angeles, CA, USA 01/27/2014 – Photographer: Janice Ogata / RPhotos.com

Canadian actress Mackenzie Davis in her role as Cameron Howe in AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire showcases a classic Bleach Bowl Haircut.

In interviews about her AMC role, Mackenzie has likened her on-screen platinum blonde, fringe heavy hairstyle, to Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) in the 1980s period series, Some Kind Of Wonderful.

Since AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire is set in 1980s Texas, the chunky bleach bowl haircut is a perfect on-screen hairstyle for the tomboyish Cameron Howe.

As a naturalized Texan and long time member of the software engineering world who just happens to be obsessed with hair, I’m madly in love with the series.

Spectacular Bowl Hairstyle Bleached And Cut To Perfection

Whenever I watch an episode I’m riveted by Cameron’s spectacular bowl hairstyle which is bleached and cut to perfection.

AMC’s production team has done a spectacular job of styling Mackenzie as a highly intelligent female tech prodigy who outsmarts her eccentric boss Joe MacMillan (Lee Pace) at every turn.

Mackenzie Davis – “That Awkward Moment” Los Angeles Premiere – Regal Cinemas L.A. Live / Los Angeles, CA, USA 01/27/2014 – Photographer: Janice Ogata / RPhotos.com

Not only does Mackenzie’s aggressive character outsmart MacMillan in the work environment, she succeeds in manipulating him into an intimate off-work contentious relationship.

Antithesis of Southern Beauty

Mackenzie’s bleach bowl haircut on Halt and Catch Fire gives her a sassy hard edge which covers up her inner vulnerabilities.

Her thrift-store style wardrobe works in harmony with her anti-feminine haircut which is the complete antithesis of Southern beauty during the 80s.  

The haircut and clothing instantly establishes her anarchist attitude and elevates her into a prominent position in the male-dominated technology world.  

The actress told Vanity Fair when discussing her iconic hair cut “it’s supposed to look like she cut it in the bathroom sink and dyed it that dirty color herself.”

How To Recreate – Bleach Bowl Haircut

To copy Mackenzie’s hairstyle, start with a precision bowl haircut created by your favorite hairstylist.

Be sure and take large clear images  of Mackenzie’s short bowl haircut from all angles to use as an opening discussion point with your stylist about the cut your desire.

THE VOICE — “Upfronts Season 7 VTR” — Pictured: (l-r) Platinum Haired Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) Monday, May 5 at The Voice Stage – 2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Once you have the bowl or similar short hair cut, talk with your hair colorist and arrange to go platinum blonde.

Let your colorist guide you with the best way to take your hair to the white blonde you desire. Experts recommend you never bleach your hair at home, especially if you’ve never gone platinum blonde before.

Bleached Blonde Hair Looks Stunning On All Skin Tones

Bleached blonde hair like Mackenzie’s, as long as it’s kept properly conditioned, can look stunning with any skin tone.

Although there are exceptions to every rule, most hair experts believe stark platinum blonde looks best on short hair.

E! SPECIALS — Nene Leakes Special — Pictured: Nene Leakes — (Photo by: Chris McKay/E! Entertainment) Monday December 16 on E! (10-11 p.m. ET/PT) 2013 E! Entertainment Media, LLC

The longer the hair, the more risk there is of damage from the extreme processing which happens during a bleaching process.

The good news about bleached blonde hair, whether cut into a bowl, chop, crop or pixie, it can look great on all ages and sexes.

A good case in point? The Voice judge Adam Levine who went platinum a few months ago.

It’s a well-known fact bleached hair usually requires high maintenance, especially on hair which grows fast.

Although dark roots are considered more socially acceptable than ever before, many people still don’t like the highly visible regrowth common with white blonde hair.

Keeping Bleach Blonde Hair Looking Great

THE VOICE — Pictured: Gwen Stefani — (Photo by: Pete Black) Mondays on NBC (8-10 p.m. ET) and Tuesdays (8-9 p.m. ET) © Pete Black

The key to keeping bleach blonde hair hair looking great includes the following steps:

1. Cleanse bleached hair only when needed to avoid dehydration and/or acceleration of hair color fading.
2. Avoid washing hair with hot water which may cause hair to become even more dehydrated.
3.  Use a blue or violet-tinged shampoo product like Pantene Silver Expressions or similar once a week which  neutralizes brassy tones.

Note:  If your hair is exceptionally dry, consider diluting the shampoo instead of using it full strength. Optionally you can pre-treat dry tresses before cleansing with jojoba oil.

Taryn Manning at Logo TV’s “Trailblazers” Pride Event & Telecast at Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City June 23, 2014 – ©PRN / PRPhotos.com

4.  Avoid using any type of styling products with alcohol since they can dull the platinum blonde hue over time.
5.  Always finish with a silicone shine enhancing product like Paul Mitchell Smoothing Gloss Drops or similar. Use drops or a spray applied to the palms of the hands. Lightly swipe the gloss product over the top of dry hair to add instant softness and sheen.
6. Protect bleached hair from excessive sun exposure. Not only can sun exposure cause color fading, it can dehydrate strands.

 Summary - Bleach Bowl Haircut

AMC’s new Halt and Catch Fire showcases a classic Bleach Bowl Haircut on Cameron Howe who is brilliantly played by actress Mackenzie Davis.

Although Cameron’s bleached blonde short choppy bowl haircut is designed to represent the 80s, her white blonde tresses are timely considering many hair, beauty and fashion experts have indicated that 2014 is the year of the white hot blonde.

Terms of Use

Hairboutique.com including all of its contents and programs, is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice nor is it intended to create any physician-patient relationship. Please remember that this information should not substitute for a visit or a consultation with a health care provider.

Hairboutique.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.