What kind of shampoo do you use in your - kids hair?? .....and a mommy brag

mckayleesmom wrote: I ask because the other day Leithan took Mckaylee to get her hair trimmed and she said that Mckaylee had the healthiest hair she has ever seen on a toddler.... Also...I had my hair trimmed a few weeks back and the lady told me that whatever shampoo and cond I was using was really good for my hair...

Anyways...this got me to thinking....I usually wash her hair with really good shampoo like I would use on myself.....I do buy the kiddie kind sometimes....but I make sure I wash her hair with adult shampoo at least 2 or 3 times a week. She only uses the kids kind when Im not planning to wash her hair that night and she does it herself. I do the same for Russell...but he doesn't have much hair to matter.

Right now I am using Infusium's Repairology and I LOVE it.

amynicole21 replied: I might have to check that out. I use the Infusium sometimes, but have been stuck on my TIGI Moisture Maniac and love it.

My kids have unusual hair so I have to use grownup products. I still haven't found anything that works great, but the Aussie miracle stuff is pretty good.

Calimama replied: I use ABBA products! They are natural and work soooo well.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: I use California Baby shampoo/body wash on the 3 girls (the boys use it for shampoo too), followed up with an all-natural detangler spray (LOL, just the girls). There's too many questionable ingredients in regular stuff for me to use them on my kids.

mckayleesmom replied:
My niece Desi has hair just like Nora and Sophia and they do a deep conditioner in her hair once a week and it calms the curls down a bit. I always notice a product they use alot on her called PINK...you can buy it at walmart I believe.

lisar replied: I use the Aveeno body wash and shampoo and conditioner on Lexi. She is allergic to so much of the other stuff that I use this on her. I have only been using it for about 2 months now I think. I didnt know they made it until then.

coasterqueen replied: I tried the California baby, but didn't like it so we use Burts Bees for the girls. Kylie has some blue Bed Head curling gel stuff so that her hair won't be frizzy but we don't use it often.

MyBabeMaddie replied: My poor kid doesn't have hair I use the Johnson & Johnson on her "hair" and I use Herbal Essences for myself...

SewingMaMa -What kind of "questionable ingredients" are you talking about?

mom21kid2dogs replied: We use Suave Coconut Shampoo and conditioner. Head lice don't like it! actually, O uses the conditioner. We use some special swimmer shampoo on her hair to strip out the chlorine in her hair.

holley79 replied: I use Huggies 2 in 1 on Annika's hair and the last time she got a trim the stylist couldn't believe her hair was washed with Huggies. Thank God she's blessed with good hair.

luvmykids replied:
I heard something about that, I think someone said you can douse a head in coconut oil to get rid of them.

I really love Pureology but since I can only afford one bottle a year I use whatever strikes me in between.

For Kylie and Macie I really love the Garnier leave in conditioner. It smells awesome and makes their hair sooooo soft and shiny.

coasterqueen replied:
I will have to remember this. Ever since Kylie started school, I fear lice. I remember getting it in school and it was SO embarassing. I think if Kylie or Megan ever get it, I'm going to hire a cleaning company to do the house. I remember what a PITA it was for my mom to clean the house.

Kaitlin'smom replied: Kaitlin uses what ever I do, kid stuff dont work on her hair. it did when she was really little but now what works for mine works for hers. I think right now I have Hurbal Essance, I have tried natrual and organic ones but so far none have worked on my hair.

luvbug00 replied: mya uses the swave for kids

we use the costco brand.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
This is not a debate, I am just trying to answer the poster's question.

Sorry, I feel the need to put a disclaimer on my posts lately .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a whole list of ingredients at the end of this article:
http://www.thenaturalhealer.ca/mag/03/01/hiddendangers.php

An excellent site to check what's in your stuff is Skin Deep:

"Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

Skin Deep pairs ingredients in more than 25,000 products against 50 definitive toxicity and regulatory databases, making it the largest integrated data resource of its kind. Why did a small nonprofit take on such a big project? Because the FDA doesn't require companies to test their own products for safety."

Calimama replied:
Before I had kids I never realized all the JUNK they put in shampoo. Half the stuff I couldn't even pronounce!

coasterqueen replied:
Mollie,

I agree there are lots of questionable ingredients in hair products, that is why we tried more organic ones, but ended up going with Burts Bees, which IMO is the next best thing.

It's not just hair products, there are questionable ingredients in LOTS of things, including toothpaste. Dh and I tried so hard to get the girls to use more natural/organic toothpaste, but they hate the taste of them That stinks, because I'd much rather prefer them not using commericial toothpastes. They have some really terrible ingredients in them, including cancer-causing ingredients that Dh researched.

What do you use for toothpaste, just curious?

grapfruit replied:
What do you use for you? I would love to use a more natural shampoo and conditioner. I have no doubt that the ingrediance that are 26 letters long are PROBABLY not the safest thing to be using, OR sending down the drain. :rollseyes:

Off subject, but we looked into a Rain Soft System a while back. The guy came out to our house and tested the water. OMG, you wouldn't believe how gross it is!!! He had a portible system w/him and the difference was AMAZING. BUT my point (I do have one) is that sometime the water you're using to wash with is darn near as nasty as what you're using to get clean (i.e. the soap). I would HIGHLY recommend having one of these guys come out to your house to do a test. It was fun (and free!) although when he's done you're going to be wanting one of these systems

We actually didn't buy it, but we're hoping to be able to sometime in the future. It's on our "list"

coasterqueen replied:
Yep, it's really best for your body to have a filtering system on your showerhead/bathtub faucet. We are thinking of looking into this as well. My SIL/BIL have these on all their showerheads in their home.

grapfruit replied:
Well the system he was trying to sell us (it was like $3K) filtered the entire house. And b/c of it you would actually have to use like 1/8th or less of the soap you normally would use for dishes and laundry. Because it takes out the contaminates it "suds" better. He polished my faucet in the kitchen w/a bar of soap and it wasn't slimy or anything. And when you wash your hands it actually repairs it and doesn't make them all dry and nasty. I washed (w/bar soap again) with one hand the pure water and one the "normal" water and it felt like I had lotion on. Very strange.

He said he had his system for over 25 years, the original system. It has a life time warrenty and everything. AND if you move, they'll come move it for you.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: For toothpaste, I use Tom's of Maine. for both the kids & I. DH doesn't like the taste, so he still uses regular stuff .

For my hair, I only wash it maybe once a week. I don't use any styling products or anything, I don't work, so I don't see the need to washit so often. I have some JASON organics right now, but I'm not very happy with it. Myhair feels kinda funky afterwards. I'll need to look for something else when I run out of this (I can't toss it, oh the guilt ).

I've heard of going "no-'poo", which is not using any shampoos/conditioners. Instead, you use baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and tea tree oil. I've tried it with great results, my hair is so shiny and soft. I've run out of the vinegar & keep forgetting to get more. I'll write that down right now .

And for deodorant, I use a deodorant crystal. I have the stick, and am VERY pleased with it. It's not an anti-perspirant, so you do sweat a little, but there's no stinky body odor. The package says it lasts for a year! I found it at my grocery store, of all places! I never make it to the health food store anymore.

luvmykids replied:
I don't know if we have the same system, but we have a whole house filtration system and I can really tell the difference when I'm at a house without one. It's absolutely worth the money imho.

mckayleesmom replied:
do you use anything in your hair inbetween washes...I ask because I have to wash my hair at least every other day or it gets super greasy looking.

mckayleesmom replied: I have used baking soda mixed in with my shampoo before...I liked the results.

kit_kats_mom replied:
yeah me too. My bangs get greasy by 10am. I can't go more than 24 hours between hair washings.

grapfruit replied:
Me too, I'm iffy if I wash if I shower before bed and don't shower in the morning. Actually, I notice if I don't shower EVERY morning I break out super bad on my face.


I'll try a different "shampoo". Mollie is the alternative washing stuff safe to use everyday? How do you "do" it?

This is a PERFECT time for me to "switch" b/c I'm out of hair washing stuff Where do you buy "tea oil?" I don't have a health food store anywhere near me at all. Best I have is a Wal-Mart and a Kroger.

Brias3 replied: I'm the same way as Brianne- I'll typically use whatever good shampoo I use on my own hair, especially for Aliyah. She favors my hair in thickness so I want to keep it healthy!

A great one for the kids thats tear free is Paul Mitchell's Baby Don't Cry. I don't believe they have a conditioner counterpart though so I use a separate one for Al.

HuskerMom replied: For Keith's hair I use Huggies. I love the way it smells! And for mine I use Redken. It makes my hair really soft and smooth. We have hard water so it was hard finding something that made my hair feel so soft. And it smells great. Wow I'm real big on smell apparantly.

AlexsPajamaMama replied:
Im going to try this!!
Thanks for the info!

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Nope, I don't use anything in between washings, but I'll give it a good rinse every couple days. You could use it everyday if you wanted to. What I do is this:

Get a big cup & put 1/2 cup of baking soda in it along with 4 drops of tea tree oil. Get another cup & put about1 cup of the vinegar in it. I put them in the shower, get my hair wet, and add water to the baking soda cup, stir it with my fingers, then pour it on my hair. I work it in really good, then rinse well. I then add water to the vinegar, and pour that on my hair & work it through. I leave it on til I"m done with my shower, then rinse it at the end. Then just towel dry & style as usual.

I've seen tea tree oil at Wal-Mart by the first aid section. There's lots of things you can do with TTO (tes tree oil).

HTH!!

My3LilMonkeys replied: We all use herbal essences. I have weird, tempremental hair and have a hard time finding shampoos that work well for me. And Brooke is a 'big girl' so she has to use the same stuff mommy does.

I have done vinegar rinses before in place of conditioner and they work really well. Maybe I'll have to look for some tea tree oil and give that a try!

Mollie, how long/thick is your hair? I'm thinking 1/2 a cup of baking soda sounds like a lot, but maybe you just need more since it's not the same as shampoo?

ETA: I just use regular baking soda to brush my teeth most of the time because I am forever forgetting to buy toothpaste - it works great! The taste is pretty yuck though but hey, it's only for a few minutes!

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
My hair is super thick, and almost all the way down my back. So the amounts could be cut in half for those people with shorter hair.

I haven't tried baking soda to brush my teeth with before; I might have to try that!

Calimama replied:
My mom made us do that in addition to toothpaste when I was little. Does JUST the baking soda fight cavities?

My3LilMonkeys replied:
I don't know - I have very strong teeth and have never had a cavity, so they aren't my main concern.

luvmykids replied:
My grandma used to do a scrub with baking soda and peroxide...you have to be careful b/c peroxide is so harsh but I tell you one thing....she still has the whitest teeth of anyone I know.

Calimama replied:
I'd be worried I'd use TOO much.

kit_kats_mom replied: Tea tree oil is magical stuff! anytime I start getting a blemish or a scrape from the cat, I put a dab of TTO on it before bed and it's almost always healed the next day. Good stuff.

I used to brush with baking soda and rinse with peroxide. I dont' mind it but I'm one of those people who love salt.

Mollie, I'll try your shampoo regimen. I am almost out of shampoo and I have a giant bag of baking soda from sams club.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Hope it works for you. And yeah, TTO is awesome stuff! You just have to be careful because it's super concentrated, and may cause irritation or burn-like reactions if you use too much. Here's a website that has lots of uses for it:
http://www.teatreeoiluses.com/

grapfruit replied:
OH! Does it help w/pimples for real?!? My stupid face has been SO broken out since stopping b/c. I NEVER had pimples before! Not even in HS. Make them go away!!!

Oh! Mollie, a few more questions (go ahead and smack me ) You're using white vinager right? And you said I could do like 1/4 of a cup, so should I use just 2 drops of TTO?

And you said, yeah, probably ok to use every day?? I just don't want to do something crazy and make my hair fall out No really, I'd cry

jcc64 replied: I'm a big TTO fan too. Tom's of Maine makes toothpaste for kids- silly strawberry, I think it's called. That's I make Corey use. She, like every other kid, is seduced by the licensed characters on the mainstream toothpaste brands, but I put my foot down on that one. The blue, the sparkles, the unpronouncable ingredients. I don't want to get a PhD in chemistry to understand what my kid's brushing her teeth with. She can use the Toms and think I'm a mean mommy.
For the shampoo- she uses what we use, which is any better quality shampoo that has not been tested on animals.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
You're funny!!

Actually, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is the brown kind, it's a bit more expensive than the white vinegar. You want to use the ACV on your hair. And the amounts you have 1/4 cup & 2 drops of TTO sound right if you have short or thin hair.

Yes, TTO helps with pimples! Apply a tiny amount to the pimple, and it should heal really fast.

If your hair is really oily, it's best to alternate with shampoo every other day for the first couple of weeks or so. You can gradually use the BS/ACV more frequently than the shampoo until your scalp adjusts to the difference.

If your hair is permed or colored, I have no idea how this would affect it, so don't hold me responsible .

My2Beauties replied: I switch up my shampoos because if I use the same kind for more than a couple of weeks my hair gets blah. Currently I am using ProVive or whatever it's called, glossing shampoo.

Hanna uses Loreal for Kids but I almost always put my own conditioner on her hair or else it tangles up really bad.

Aubrey uses that Huggies kind that Giggles and ??? something like that, the lavender scented, oh it smells delicous.

Quick question...I know when Hanna had lice from daycare that we used a vinegar mix in her hair to kill them (works good by the way) and her hair stunk soo sooo sooo bad for days to come. Mollie, does the baking soda counteract the smell of the vinegar? Or does the apple cider vinegar have a different smell to it? I've never used the apple cider vinegar. Thanks.

grapfruit replied:
I was thinking about this too...maybe I'll wait until the weekend to try it Just in case

ACV STILL smells like vingar, but w/a slight sweet smell I guess. LoL

Man, my hair's permed (it's at the end of it's life though). I guess if it strips it, it strips it! I'm done w/it anyway

My2Beauties replied:
I haven't had a perm in years but I remember when I had one (I mean it's been a while) that it took it 3 years before it's life ended then on top of that it was still on the ends of my hair so I had to just cut a bunch of inches off my hair to get it out of my head completely.One thing it did do good was it changed the texture of my hair completely, my hair used to be fine, thin, broke off easily, I had a spiral perm in it and after it was gone, my hair was thicker, fuller and easier to deal with for some reason. I also color it too and they say that coloring can have an effect (be it good or bad) on your hair's texture. Just thought I'd add that in there I'm talkative today! LOL!

My2Beauties replied:
Does TTO help with say like acne though? I know there is such a difference between a pimple here and there and then acne. Desiree's acne is clearing up but she still has breakouts sometimes, especially around AF, I'm wondering if this might help or if because it's more than just one small pimple if it might be overkill with the TTO, like you said overuse can burn.

A&A'smommy replied: wow well now i'm all excited about trying TTO and the baking soda... but I'm kinda scared about the smell of the vinegar.. I wouldn't mind trying it like tomorrow (i'm buying groceries tonight) but I have to meet a client Saturday for lunch and I don't need to have a "weird" smell

For now me and alyssa use Sauve shampoo and Garnier Fructis for conditioner.. I did use the shampoo but it did NOTHING for my hair but the conditioner helped my hair alot.. well now it seems the pregnancy has changed my hair and I need a new conditioner my hair is AWFUL right now.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: Your hair will not smell like vinegar. I can't stand the smell of the stuff, so if my hair smelled like that I'd barf, seriously! If you rinse it good enough, there should be no smell.

LeaAnn - did you use white vinegar on Hanna's hair? I bet that's why it stunk for so long.

AS for the acne,I've been trying to get Logan to try some different things for his acne (he's 14), but he doesn't want to. Another thing to try is, believe it or not, is honey! Raw, unprocessed honey! It can be hard to find, check your local health food store. Look for the "raw" on the label. I've used it on my face, and my skin is so soft & smooth! I've run out, and need to get more.

You can try mixing 3-4 drops of TTO with some aloe vera gel and apply at night to see if that helps.

My2Beauties replied:
Yes it was white vinegar, it was God awful! The smell was there for like 5 days (it did get rid of her lice though ). I washed, repeated, washed repeated...

Hmmm...I've never seen Raw Honey at least in the grocery store, I'll look elsewhere. I wonder if I try the TTO on a couple of her zits to see the outcome, that probably shouldn't hurt right? She's tried everything. The stuff she is using now is working better than Proactiv or anything else she has tried but it's not 100% gone.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Sure, give the TTO a try & see if it helps . Can't hurt!