In the case of shampoos, if you color your hair, you should spend the extra money on shampoos that protect your color. Unfortunately I have found most inexpensive shampoos and conditioners contain alcohol, and even some of the more pricey (like Pantene)have alcohol. Look at the ingredients. If it has alcohol, it will strip your color and ultimately dry out your hair. Many inexpensive conditioners make your hair feel conditioned because they contain wax which does nothing but coat the hair. The combination of wax and alcohol will ultimately require you to use more product and wonder why your hair is so dry without it. There was a special on one of the news shows (I think 60 minutes) that exposed the fact that many of the products we buy today like conditioner and lotion actually contain ingredients, like alcohol, that do the opposite of what you think they should. What good is a moisturizer or conditioner that drys you out?

Glad to see that my olive oil suggestion is working for your daughter. Wearing a hat will not only protect her hair from further damage but also keep her cooler in the sun. Wearing a scarf around the face can filter out particlates from the air that can be breathed in. Desert sand is very fine like dust and not like the sand we associated with beaches and kiddy sandboxes. When I was in AZ it didn't take much wind to blow it into our mouths while we talked. I always thought the gritty sand was going to wear the enamal off of my teeth as I could always feel it if I put my teeth together. If flies are a problem I would not be using honey in the hair as I think that could attract them. It is also known that flies are attracted to scented products so it makes sense not to use them. It's nice to see that you've found a penpal to share things with. The email capbilities at GW have never worked for me either. For some reason only some accounts are affected and not others. I think it has something to do with when one sign up here. Maybe writing to GW and asking will help resolve it for you.

Hope I can get some! There are quite a few I buy on there. Usually we get the Smart Source or P&G.

Chiming in again, since I guess that I started the whole shampoo bar thing here. Before I went on the Camino last year I trialed several bars. I rather liked the Grapefruit bar from Sweetsnthings, but I had also bought a bar made by Tree Hut at a local store. It was their 4 in 1 Mango bar. I really loooooved how it made my hair feel, and it smells yummy, so that's what I took on the Camino with me, and I liked everything about it. It's got more, for want of a better word, "chemically" ingredients, more like a traditional liquid shampoo, but worked better for me than the other bars, especially since I have hard water at home, and wasn't able to do an ACV rinse on the Camino. When I returned home from Spain I went to buy some more, but discovered that it had been discontinued! I managed to find 3 bars on clearance, which I am hoarding for my next Camino walk. (this summer, yay!) But now my search was on to find a replacement. I've been usingthis one from another Etsy vendor, LakeSuperiorSoap, and it leaves my hair soft and silky. The scent is nice, but pretty strong. I have also tried this one from GetLathered on Etsy. I like it too, but not quite as much. Neither shampoo leaves any kind of residue in my hair. After shampooing I use a quick swipe of this conditioner bar through my hair to make it easier to comb, but it hasn't been that hard to comb without it. The conditioner bar has lasted forever.