Today, I shall review the Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve - Ayurvedic Herb Natural Shampoo Bar. This sample bar was in my first order at Chagrin Valley. I was truly excited as soon as I heard, or rather, read the word Ayurvedic! As previously mentioned, I used soapnuts, shikai, hibiscus flowers and other such natural products on my hair for years. And the idea of getting all the goodness of these natural products in one bar seemed like the best thing possible.
I ordered for this bar once I saw the website. This was the first bar I tried of Chagrin Valley's. Oh, before I jump to the end of this review, here is the description of this shampoo bar on the website:
A rich oil infusion of Ayurvedic hair care herbs creates a nourishing all natural shampoo. Shikakai, increases bounciness and silkiness. Bhringraj, considered the "king of herbs" for hair growth, helps strengthen the hair shaft. Amla promotes stronger, healthier new growth. Hibiscus flowers help in the treatment of dandruff and hair loss. Aritha cleans hair without drying and helps create a fabulous lather.
The list of ingredients is given as:
Organic Coconut Oil; Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Infused With Organic Herbs (Bhringraj, Shikakai, Hibiscus, Amla, Tulsi, Fenugreek, Jasmine, Yashtimadhu, Neem); Organic Avocado Oil; Organic Jojoba Oil; Organic Soapnuts (Aritha); Water; Organic Mango Butter; Organic Babassu Oil; Sodium Hydroxide*; Organic Castor Oil; Organic Neem Oil; Organic Canola Oil; Organic Coconut Milk; Organic Aloe Vera; Organic Essential Oils Of Tulsi, Cypress, Juniper Berry, Lavender, Lemon, Basil, Black Pepper; Organic Rosemary Oil Extract
First things first, the list of ingredients is ah-mazing! No doubt about that. The organic herbs, castor oil, neem oil, tulsi, olive oil, it is truly the list of tried and tested products for hair. So, why does it sound like the results were not as impressive? you may ask.
As mentioned previously, this was the first bar I tried. I was very very excited as soon as I received it. As with the other bars, this bar has no distinct smell. The first time I tried this bar, it was when I was still in the transition period (or so I think). It felt like this bar always caused some build up on my scalp. No matter how much ACV mixture I used. I tried this bar mixing it with other bars too. That is, if I found the build-up getting worse, I would some other bar to clear it up and then try this bar again - in the following washes over the week or so. I did this multiple times.
One thing to this bar's credit, it lasts long. It lasted at least 6 washes on my long hair. There were instances when I used more of this bar to scrub away the build-up too.
But nothing, NOTHING worked. The build-up only got worse. In between washes, I would find some build-up on my comb too. Yikes! I have not been able to isolate the cause of this build-up though. My scalp looked flaky, but I was still able to get the comb through my hair, unlike with the Extra Beer and Honey bar when I found it difficult to comb hair through.
Also with this bar, my hair did not look shiny after I washed it. It looked dull, not lifeless but the hair strands did not have any of the shine I usually notice after I wash my hair.
Long story short, I did not like this bar. I may order another sample of this after I am done with all my samples, only because I cannot believe that something Ayurvedic failed so miserably on me *sigh*! But for now, I think I have given this bar its fair share of attempts and it still failed to impress me.
