Here's a money-saving exercise - stop buying shampoo until you have used up every drop in the house. I started out with all of the half-filled bottles in the showers and under sinks, then moved on to finishing off whatever I could find when I cleaned out the cupboards and closets... then finished up by using every single hotel/motel freebie I found stashed away in suitcases and toiletry kits. Would you believe that I went for well over a year before I had to buy a fresh bottle? And after that whole exercise, I agree with your dermatologist - all shampoos are equal :o)

Susan

I like your thinking but doesn't color-treated hair require special shampooss?

I'll be the voice of dissent here. I'll agree that you don't need to buy shampoo made from organic first-bloomed rose petals crushed underfoot naturally by free-ranged Tibetan yaks, but there are different formulations for dry hair, oily hair, etc. I also find that the really cheap stuff ("Shampoo" brand) tends to dry my scalp more than the higher-priced brands. By all means, don't spend any more on shampoo than you have to, but, IME, there are positive differences between, say, a 69-cent bottle of "Swave" and, "Panteen" or even something like Dr. Haushka's.

After using Prell, Pert, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Nexxus or whatever that high buck stuff from the hair salons sell, and a bunch of other big name brands, the stuff that works best for me is of all things, White Rain Extra Body. And I use less and get better results. A bonus size bottle costs $1 and lasts, well, a long, long time. I do carry Prell when I'm traveling, though. The soft tube is easy to transport and even the smallest tube lasts nearly forever.

BTW, when you get to the bottom of the bottle, store it upside down and you'll get more out of it. Once that's out, you can put a little water in the bottle, shake it up and you'll have one last use (or maybe more than that) from the residue in the bottle. Same goes for liquid laundry soap, liquid hand soap and similar items.

And what kind of world do we live in where we still need directions on a shampoo bottle anyway?

The gene pool needs a little chlorine! :)

I use Pureology, which is expensive, but necessary. I'm 56, I have long hair that is colored and gets a weave. I use a flat iron to straighten. Before pureology (sp) my hair was very dry and would lose the color quickly. Now my hair looks like my daughters. I think alot depends on your hair.

I can't use a lot of the shampoos. My dh hardley has any hair and he has the same problem. I think it all depends on your hair and skin type.

I got a large bottle of cheap stuff something like a couple of years ago, plus a companion bottle of conditioner.

Only use a dab at a time.

Shampoo, rinse and, if I don't shampoo a second time, hair doesn't seem clean.

A dab of condirioner.

At the speed that I'm using it - those two bottles should last me from present age of 76 till I don't need any more, most likely.

Hair mainly the original brown variety, with some gray sprinmkled in.

Quite a few have said that they can't believe that I'm as old as I am - and lately I've begun telling them to imagine my hair changed to all gray, then rethink.

ole joyful

I dilute the shampoo 50/50 ... it lasts longer and works better because it penetrates my hair more.

One lather, maybe a conditioner (also diluted)

Not all shampoos are created equal, but price is not necessarily the best indicator of quality. You need to find what suits your hair (you're very lucky if you can use all shampoos).

I find that I need different shampoos depending on the water. The one I use at home, where there is a lot of silicon in the hot water, does not work well at my parent's house, where there is little silicon but lots of other minerals in the water. Where the water is chlorinated I need a third type.

Did you know that brown soap makes an excellent shampoo for normal and greasy hair? Much cheaper than shampoo, and you need very little of it.

Hello,
I'm usually just a lurker but this thread was screaming for me to reply to! I use whatever cheep stuff is on sale but I have a secret. I have beautiful shinny full bodied hair with a perfectly ph balanced scalp. How? White Vinegar! Here's how: I use a simple cup because I have yet to get it together to remember to save a shampoo bottle. Anyway, I put half vinegar half water I use warm water to mix cause vinegar is cold but if you use a bottle just keep in under the running water/shower till it's time to use. Shampoo, once will work fine unless your hair is really dirty. If you get a nice lather repeating is not needed. After shampoo pour the mixture over you hair and work in. Warning* the first time you do this the vinegar will have a bit of work to do and might sting a bit just know that it's working. Leave in for a min or two and rinse. Then condition. Simple. If it gets on your face it's an added bonus, it works the same as alpha hydrox but cheeper, lol.

If you use dandruf shampoo like I used to because of dry scalp you will love me for this. So much cheeper and works better. I use it every shower but you don't have to. No more soap build up and it naturally balances your ph level. Healthier too than all those chemicals.

Enjoy your new shinny flake free hair!

Keilamarie

I have short hair and apply the shampoo directly to my dry hair and massage it in (smear the shampoo on your palms like you would hand lotion before applying). This is a trick I learned from a hairdresser years ago. It really takes care of hair products (gel, spray, etc.) that are on the hair surface before you dilute the shampoo with water.

Then splash on a little water and lather as usual. I can usually get by with only one sudsing and I rarely use conditioner. On the rare occasions I've used conditioner, I use about 3 drops of it from a free hotel-size bottle and apply it directly to the crown area while my hair is wet after shampooing, but don't rinse out.

Grainlady

The only shampoo that works for me is Finesse. My hair is long, curly and extremely thick. Because my hair is dry, I wet my hair very well and shampoo only my scalp. Rinsing takes the shampoo through the rest of my hair but that's all it needs. A big bottle of Finesse conditioner lasts me 3 - 4 shampoos because I have so much hair. I can only wash it 2 times a week and I have never ever had greasy or dirty smelling hair.

I used to use lots of hair products. Shampoo to clean it, conditioner to try and correct the dried out texture, gel/mouse/spray to try and stop it turning in to a fly away mess the moment it encountered moderate air movement. None of these products were amazingly expensive, but add them all together and it's not just a lot of money but a lot of time and effort using them, and for me the results were rather dismal anyway. My hair looked bad with the products, and honestly the only reason I kept using them was because it looked twice as bad without them.

Well, it turns out that our modern approach to hair care has issues. The daily chemical strip with caustic shampoo, coat of synthetic oils, silicones and polymers to try and make it feel soft again, then final adhesion of the stripped and clogged mass in to a relatively attractive shape with more synthetic glues (spray, gel, etc) is a very good way to wreck your hair. I don't believe the sales talk anymore, after reading the lables and finding many chemicals known as irritants and/or carcinogens, I think that the only thing most shampoos would nourish is excema or skin cancer.

I now buy shampoo made from natural ingredients. It is more expensive than my normal shampoo, but for the first time ever I like my hair, it feels nice, and it saves me money. No need for conditioner, it feels fine now. Also, good condition hair does exactly what it should, it brushes in to shape perfectly every time and never needs any hair products to stay there.

Can you give us some brand names of natural shampoos that you have liked? I see them at the health food store all the time, and you are right, they ARE expensive. So, I have always been afraid to try them. I didn't know how they would work and didn't want to blow a whole bunch of money on something that may turn out to be junk.

I have tried a lot of the natural cosmetics and have not cared for them. I have tried natural dishwashing soap and been extemely disappointed with the results. Tried natural deorderant - phooey.

I'll willing to try something different for my hair as I an NOT happy with what I am using now.

Be careful if you decide to go "natural" and use Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap (found in most health food stores - www.drbronner.com - as a shampoo. It takes only a tiny amount and you'll get an incredible amount of suds - especially if you have soft water.

I use it to shampoo my hair about once a month to help eliminate hair product residue and hardwater mineral deposits on the hair, but if one were to use it daily, it would really strip the natural oils out of the hair and would make it very dry. So as a "natural" shampoo, it's not for daily use.

Grainlady

I've been using the Aubrey shampoo. I believe it's quite widely available. Anyway, I've had the same bottle for ages. I wash my hair every day, but I only use a little bit of shampoo and take my time working it through the hair. It doesn't foam much as it doesn't have synthetic detergents in it, which can make it harder to spread around, but you get used to it after a while. Just don't be tempted to use loads as more doesn't clean any better than a sensible amount. Overall, the bottle is expensive, but using small amounts and not needing a conditioner means it's not really costing me that much to use it.

Something I intend to try soon as a hair gel substitute is gelatin mixed up with half the water reccomended on the packet. It's supposed to be good, but I haven't remembered to buy any this week.

And of course, in the spirit of the forum, the frugal person would have short hair to use less shampoo, conditioner, combs, brushes, etc.

Baldness is being "naturally frugal" and balding is when you're "forced frugal" :)

Jannie, your dermatologist is way off on this one, shampoos are not all the same. What works for one person will NOT work for everyone. I use a cheap shampoo once in a while to strip my hair of buildup, but for my long, very straight hair the cheap shampoos leave a "fuzzy" look due to breakage, not sleek and healthy like better products do. I use Biolage shampoo and conditioner. It prevents the breakage of hair like no other products I have ever used. And I use Silk Therapy leave in conditioner. It is more expensive but I need the smallest dab of each product, not a capful as needed with the cheap stuff. In the long run it is possibly cheaper because less is used.

Talk to your hairdresser about what products are best for you, they should be the ones to address this, not a dermatologist.

If someone were to use a cupful of the cheap stuff that I use ...

...s/he'd need to have a body pretty well covered with hair!

I only use a little - and one can scarcely see where the level has dropped in a big bottle in about two years, I'd say ... probably more, as I'm sure that I had it over a year in my former home.

As for having let my hair grow all winter - spring's coming, so it'll soon be time for a shearing.

Well, semi-shearing, anyway.

I'm a bit too old to look very macho - even if I did get rid of the whole lot from the top.

Good wishes for keeping your head clean - both inside and outside.

No dirty mags, now!

o j

Years ago, I was told by a hairdresser that shampoos should be diluted with water because they are too strong for our hair and scalp. Yet, I only add water when the bottle is almost empty. I started using Nature's Gate Organics shampoo and conditioner recently because my favorite conditioner, Tressemme, reacted on my skin. I certainly plan on trying the vinegar/water solution.

well, the amount of shampoo you use is also dependent on how much hair you have (or have left!!!) I do not do the repeat, just the lather and rinse part. But I do wash every day. I occasionally use conditioner. I also dilute the last 10% of the bottle with water to get every last bit out.

I don't use the bargain basement shampoos, nor to I use the salon expensive bottles either. I rotate brands every once in a while.

BTW Pert Plus is too strong.

Years ago, I was told by a hairdresser that shampoos should be diluted with water because they are too strong for our hair and scalp.

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and it doesn't ring right to me. I mean, I understand how a given chemical mixture could be too harsh for hair and skin. But what self-respecting company would turn down a chance to water down their own product to a directly-usable strength and sell more of it? Water has got to be cheaper than just about any chemical mixture. I don't get it.

Definitely no need for second wash and rinse unless you have a lot of hair product in your hair. And do not add water to the shampoo because you are diluting out the preservatives that are there to maintain the shampoo - only add water at the very end to get the last few dregs out of the bottle before you toss it. You don't need lots of bubbles either since the chemicals that wash the hair don't cause suds- those come from other additives in the shampoo to make us feel like we're doing something. Bottom line is the hair should be clean - not whether or not you had a lot of suds.

There are different detergents used in shampoos, some are more gentle than others - some are so gentle that they are only appropriate for babies. Manufacturer's usually use a mix of detergents to achieve their product's purpose - none however are too strong for hair and scalp, but some may be too gentle if you use a lot of product on your hair.

Some Shampoos contain additives that don't wash out and can build up on hair - other's don't. So if you use one that builds up products, you'll find you need to switch to one that doesn't (often referred to as clarifying) to wash away some of the build up, or you could avoid the problem by avoiding those with build up products. Check out the cosmeticcop.com - Paula Begoun, she wrote a book about hair products and has lots of info on her website.

I do turn the bottle upside down when it gets low, we don't use more than we need - just a small amount and use the cheapest shampoo that makes you happy. Price has nothing to do with quality when it comes to shampoo. Price does have a lot to do with advertising, packaging and perceived quality and coveted market share.

And the vinegar trick was needed years ago when we used soap as a shampoo - now that all shampoos are detergents, there is no need to use vinegar or lemon juice or other acidic rinse agent - so you can save some money there.

I don't get the watering down shampoo by 50% thing. Why not just use 50% less shampoo when you wash your hair? Your hair is wet already, isn't it?

All shampoo's are made with the same base. What they add to it is what makes them different, such as the vitamins and scents. I usually use Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner. For my hair, it's what works best. Lately though, I have switched to the Got2B line and love it. I have short short hair and use mousse, pommade and hair spray to keep my hair styled right, and IMO, if the Got2B shampoo can get it all out without having to repeat the wash a second time, it gets a 2 thumbs up from me.

I've also tried using shampoo that is 'specially formulated for coloured hair' and I don't think it makes a bit of difference. I hot oil my hair and deep condition it weekly to keep it healthy. And lately, I've been using coupons. The Got2B was on sale: buy one, get one free so I bought the shampoo, conditioner, pommade and hot hair treatments. With my hair as short as it is (and thin and fine) this should last me quite some time.

deb,

Far be it from me, an Ontarion, to pooh-pooh an idea presented by an Albertan.

However ...

... I'm pretty sure that I've been told that we don't absorb vitamins through hair ...

... or scalp - or any other part of the kin. [[That was supposed to be "skin" - but I thought the original too funny to alter]]

Just through the intestine.

I've been known to be wrong ...

... I think there was once, about ten years ago ...

... something inconsequential, I'm sure .......

(In addition to the one above, of course).

Have a great weekend.

ole joyful

P.S. My SIL, nephew and niece live in and near Edmonton. Daughter and I flew out for funeral last summer when nephew's young wife, who'd had health problems, took a seizure in bath and drowned.

An agriculturalist in his 80s who'd had emphysema for years and had been colleague in Korea 45 years ago died in Sedgewick, s-e of Edm. a couple of weeks ago. Plus another clergy former colleague in her 90s, who had been alert and active till recently, in Saskatoon - both on the same day. Imagine.

ole joyful

Joyful, you do absorb vitamins through your skin, hair and nails. A great source of Vitamin D is the sunshine!

Michelle, I'm sorry, but you don't absorb vitamins through your skin, hair or nails. The Vitamin D is a chemical reaction within the skin which is different from absorbing:

"Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin." from the NIH - see link for more info.

It can be confusing because proteins/amino acids/DNA can adhere to skin, nails and hair to help make them feel slightly thicker and smoother - and the sources of proteins/amino acids/DNA can be silk, animal or plant based (read your shampoo bottle's list of chemicals most hair treatments and many shampoos incorporate them into their formula because they do help the hair marginally. They are not absorb, the coat the surface. This is different from vitamins which do nothing for the hair, nails for other dead skin - however vitamins within the body, for living cells is critical to good health - it's important to differentiate or else you buy into some hype that a manufacturer generates to make their product sound wonderful and to justify a high price tag.

Here is a link that might be useful: NIH - information about Vitamin D

Hair is dead and doesn't absorb vitamins, the skin on your scalp is alive and that does absorb some of the ingredients in the shampoos. More expensive shampoos (for the most part but not always) have better quality ingredients and are formulated to be gentler to the hair or address different issues such as thinning, oily hair, dandruff, color treated etc. That aside, they all will get your hair clean, some will make your hair cleaner (drier) but that is not necessarily a good thing. If you use a cheaper shampoo, you may have to then use a conditioner because those inexpensive shampoos can be very drying to the hair so you really didn't save as much as you thought. Water quality, and products you use afterwards will affect the final result. There is a balance to be found!

kimba00,

Thank you - also michelle phxaz and skypathway - for interesting information.

Far be it from me to even hint that anyone around here should be even slightly ...

... unbalanced.

Beautiful day here - hope you're enjoying the same (or at least similar).

ole joyful

I have to debate that vitamins in shampoo do anything at all, and that they're even asorbed by the scalp.

First of all shampoo has very little contact time and is washed off moments after application. Any vitamins in the shampoo are highly unlikely to attach to the scalp or even come out of solution to any extent in this time and will be washed right out when you rinse your hair.

However, assuming any do remain what chance do they have of passing through the skin? Considering how large some of these molecules are (for example vitamin E has 29 carbon 50 hydrogen and two oxygen, and it is certainly not the biggest vitamin) I would say that it's highly unlikely. The far smaller nicotine molecule (just 10 carbon, 14 hydrogen and two nitrogen) can only be absorbed through the skin in any significant quantity if applied in high concentrations for prolonged periods of time.

Despite claims found on many cosmetics, things do not pass through skin easily and it is in fact a very good barrier. I'm convinced that it's junk science and the only vitamins that do anything useful are the ones we eat!

bry84,

I was not implying that your scalp absorbs vitamins, which I believe is a silly notion as well. Your skin does absorb quite a bit in a shower though, in fact I just read recently that researchers believe a 10-minute shower is equivalent to drinking two gallons of water. Whether this is true or not, the skin does absorb more then we'd like to believe thus why we wear rubber gloves when dealing with germs, blood, toxins, etc. Whether the things we're absorbing are passed through or utilized by the body is a whole 'nother subject.

Vitamins are difficult enough to absorb orally, let alone through the skin.

Actually intact skin is a good barrier to germs, blood-borne diseases, etc.

It is when the skin is not intact or the organisms come into contact with mucous membranes (ie: eyes, mouth, vaginal or anal tissues) that you need to be concerned. Even a hangnail could be the entry point for blood borne pathogens.

Thus--the gloves.

Interesting thread.

blsdgal,

Do a simple google search on "dermal absorption" and you will have quite of bit of "interesting reading".

Thus--rubber gloves.

Here is a link that might be useful: One of many links discussing dermal absorption

Kimba00 and blsdgal - you are both correct. Intact skin is a good barrier - otherwise we'd be overrun with infections and environmental hazards etc. AND there are some chemicals that can be absorbed into the skin. Hence we have gloves (a variety of different types of gloves so you can choose the correct glove for the chemical/biohazard in question) and other personal protective equipment.

Well, I can name three items off hand that are readily absorbed via intact skin: nicotine, hormones, and nitroglycerine. (the patches) as well as many others. The more layers of skin the more "protected" one can be from certain substances and exfoliated skin will allow even more to pass through. I believe in the near future we will see exactly how many toxic substances we expose ourselves to daily thinking that our skin will protect us when in all actuality it is a living organ that is every bit as vulnerable as any other organ especially for folks with compromised immune systems.

If a ten minute shower was equivalent to drinking 2 gallons of water you'd weigh 14 pounds more when you left the shower than when you went in, 2 gallons * 7 pounds a gallon.

lather
rinse
repeat

If you send a computer programmer into a shower with those instructions he/she would never come out... no end or way to bail out of the loop.
( an old geek joke )

prettyphysicslady,

I realize now where I read that tidbit was a website referring to the amount of chlorine that enters the body via steam inhalation and shower water absorbed through skin is comparable to the amount that would come from 2 gallons of chlorinated water consumed orally. Sorry for the misquote :-)

Some stuff can surely be absorbed through one's skin.

Before farmers (or others, for that matter) are allowed to buy those heavy duty chemicals (herbicides, pesticides, etc.) they must take a substantial course and pass an exam.

When I came home the other evening my landlord asked me if I'd do him a favour.

The tank on his weed/pesticide sprayer was leaking and he had quite a lot of 2,4d (agent Orange) in it, so he'd put a 10-20 gal. garbage bucket under it to catch the outflow.

He asked if I'd dump the contents of the bucket back into the tank of the sprayer from time to time.

Cautioned me to be careful not to splash it, and wash my hands afterward.

I put on my oldest pants, an old fluff-filled jacket that had shell ripped in a few places, and, since the only protective glasses that I could find were really smokey, felt that my glasses would protect my eyes.

Lacking liquid-proof gloves, I pulled a couple of old bread bags that I'd tested for leakage in my water-filled sink, up over my hands, securing them up near my elbows with elastic bands.

Used an old 4 litre (about 1 gal.) milk jug to remove much of the liquid from the bucket, pouring it back into the tank, until I could lift the bucket itself, which was under the tank, of course, so not easily moved.

Washed my hands carefully after my little escapades - did that about three times prior to leaving the next day.

When I got home, the tank was repaired.

ole joyful

Since Ole Joyful said he did the repeat thing, and we know he's frugal, I decided to see if my hair felt cleaner that way. No conditioner for me, at least not often, I have oily hair anyway. Seems it did feel cleaner after the second shampoo. At least that's what I want to believe...Lynn

Some things do pass through the skin, I've been using trichlorophenylmethyliodisalicyl (try saying that fast!) to treat spots for years. Unlike most spot washes and creams it does soak in to the skin very fast and penetrates even deep spots with no visible head. The phenol kills bacteria and the spots visibly shrink or vanish overnight.

I've also observed, although not purposefully tested, that I can become slightly drunk by spilling methyl hydrate on my hands.

It would seem in my experieince that the tendancy for substances to pass through skin is mostly limited to synthetic coupounds we would not normally be exposed to. I can think of a number of examples and all of them are synthesized.

Lots of things pass through the skin. I do think that taking a shower probably delivers less toxins than soaking in a tub.

I was told or read somewhere that if you fill a pot with tap water you should leave it sit a while uncovered and much of the chlorine will evaporate before you boil your vegetables or pasta or whatever.

If true then we probably breath a lot of it in while showering.

Does anyone know if that is true about letting the water site?

Yes, the chlorine does evaporate from standing water. How long it takes depends on temperature and the PH of the water. Alkaline water will take longer and acidic will be faster. I'm thinking it could take anywhere from hours to days. However, boiling the water will get rid of the chlorine almost instantly, so you can simply allow the pan to boil before you add any food if you really want the chlorine to go away.

It doesn't however matter much, there isn't any risk from cooking your food in tap water, it would have been perfectly safe, if not benificial to you health to have drunk the 2-3 liters of water you put in the pan.

The amount of chlorine is tiny, about 1 molecule in every million, we simply notice it because it has a strong taste. Further still, chlorine is a normal component of food, for example table salt, and it's used in the body in small amounts, it is not toxic in these tiny quantities and we already have metabolic pathways to remove excess. The only difference between chlorine in tap water and in food is tap water contains diatomic chlorine, which is a free radical.

However, despite the public dislike of free radicals, they're both abundant in our environment/body and in sensible amounts well tollerated and harmless. Pollution, cleaning chemicals, personal products, cooked food, cigarette smoke, all contain them, and these sources expose you every day to a quantity far greater than chlorine in tap water.

They're not something to be concerned about. For starters you'll never be able to entirely avoid them, even the oxygen we breathe is a free radical. Further still, many of the products we use that contain them actually bring great health advantages. Think how many people would become sick and even die without safe drinking water and disinfectants (both personal and for cleaning). A world without these reactive substances, which are unavoidably free radicals would be a far less healthy place for us to live.

Thank you for clarifying that. That is cool info about boiling water to remove chlorine.

Mostly I think it is just the smell that troubles me. They have to chlorinate so heavy in the early summer.

Very interesting thread!
I have relatively thick, straighter than straight hair. On one half of my head that is. The other side likes to do a little flip thing just to annoy me. And to make matters worse I have a huge ridiculous cawlick that runs down the back of my scalp and when my hair goes flat, the cawlick parts like the Red Sea.

I find that the more conditioners that are in shampoo's the flatter my hair is. If I use conditioner after I shampoo my hair is horribly limp. THEN it gets all dry and brittle and even more flat. THEN I buy more expensive shampoo's and conditioners to try to fix it only get battered hair.

So, I stopped with the expensive shampoo's and started using dish detergent - not all the time but at least once a week. Then apply a little conditioner and my hair is great. When I shampoo with regular shampoo, I will use a vinegar rinse and NO conditioner at all.

The dish detergent (usually Sunlight) gets out all the hair products and conditioners that weigh the hair down.

My hair has never been healthier-looking (for dead cells lol) and I colour my hair - myself. Hair salon dyes have too much conditioner. I don't use shampoo for colour treated hair just ol Sunlight and regular conditioner and my colour doesn't fade.

My hair stylist are always commenting on what good shape my hair is in and when I tell them what I use - they stop with the sales pitches on their products. LOL

I've recently started using Sunsilk Anti-flat shampoo and conditioner and I like it. It is weightless and very mild and my hair does seem to be fluffier longer when I use it.

deb ab, I've often wondered about those got2be products. I need something that won't flatten. I use the worse products - Final Net hair spray. My hair is short and spikey (perfect style for straight hair) but I have a hard time finding products that will make the spikes last longer and not flatten.

I envy people with curly hair! I have a hard time getting a good hair cut and am always looking for someone who specializes in straight hair. One little slip up when cutting straight hair and it is so noticeably. That's why I got the spikes - so you can't notice if it is slightly off kilter.

Who knew I'd have so much to say about hair? lol

BJ

You're looking for something that will keep the spikes longer so they won't flatten? Now, don't laugh, but I knew a guy who used TOOTHPASTE for his spikes. And no, he wasn't crazy, he was a full time HAIRDRESSER. He didn't use it on customers.

Since you apparently are not adverse to trying something unconventional, like using dish soap as shampoo, you may want to experiment with this. You don't have to go out an buy anything new either, and won't be stuck with a bottle of somthing you won't finish using if you don't care for the results. :)