How Much 'Poo Do You Do?

No, this is not just some random photo of 2 bottles of shampoo.  These are my now emptied bottles of shampoo.
Guess how long it took me to use up these 2  bottles?

I used both of these bottles up in 7 MONTHS.   I switch off every week using one and then the following week I use the other one.....then I--pardon the pun--rinse and repeat. hehe
So if it takes me 7 Months to finish both bottles, it would take me 3.5 months to finish one if I didn't alternate brands.
Got it?
Good.

My hair, though thin, is a bit longish.  4" below shoulder length so I have a bit of hair to wash.  I use an amount the size of a nickel when I 'poo.  I wash my hair 2-3 times per week....a little more in the summer if I am getting sweaty.  But in the winter months 2-3 times is sufficient.

So if I extrapolate this out, I go through less than 4 bottles(12-16 oz. each)of shampoo a year.  A 2 yr. supply(which is what I like to keep on hand)would be 8 bottles tops for me.
By combining coupons and sales, I can usually get high end 'poo for $1 or less per bottle especially at Rite-Aid, meaning at most, I spend $4 on 'poo per year tops.

Considering a regular retail price on 1 bottle of name brand shampoo can run you $4-$8, I have cut my spending on 'poo by 75% from what it use to run before I used coupons and bought on sale almost exclusively.

A tip on shampoo--change up your brand every couple of weeks!  Your hair gets 'use to' whatever you use and stuff accumulates on your hair shafts.  You need to strip this gunk off every now and again so using a different brand usually is enough to do that.  Each shampoo can have different surfactants, conditioners, scents so by changing brands, the new ingredients will wash away the old ones giving you cleaner feeling hair.  As you continue to use the same 'poo over and over the new ingredients are left behind on your hair shafts causing a new build up of the new 'poo ingredients.  This is what they market the 'clarifying' shampoos for...to wash off the build up from your old shampoo.  But be careful using clarifying 'poos all the time as they tend to be harsher on your hair.

How many bottle of 'poo do you go through a year and what is it costing you?

I tried going the Baking Soda/No 'Poo route.  It was difficult getting use to it at first.  With shampoo, your hair follicles are use to producing lots of oil, because you are stripping away the natural oils every time you 'poo.  The baking soda isn't stripping but your follicles continue to over produce oil so you will go through a stage in the first month or two where your hair gets greasier to the touch.  If you can tough this part out, once your follicles calm down, things get better.  But a lot of people can't get past this part and give it up since they don't feel clean.

While baking soda did work, for now I prefer a good lather on my head now and again.

Have you ever tracked how long a bottle of shampoo lasts you?  Let us know your thoughts on 'Poo, ok?

I'd love to mark and keep track of how long/how many bottles of shampoo #2 son goes through.  Of course, he has more hair and it's longer than mine....plus he is in that teenage showering/shampooing/grooming overkill stage of life.  Here he is about 6 months ago in what I refer to as the "sheep dog look".....the girls he knows are all jealous of his hair.lol

Sluggy

DOUBLE YOUR REFUND on PANTENE Purchase OFFER

Remember my last post about the Proctor & Gamble Catalina Deal going on NOW at Weis Markets?
There is a 2x your Purchase Price REFUND Opportunity on any Pantene Pro-V item(up to $12).
Go get the details HERE.
It's available until 2010 so plenty of time to avail yourself of the opportunity.

Buy some Pantene this week at Weis(on sale for $3 a bottle) or KMart-where most stores are doubling coupons this week(get the big honking bottle and use that $2/1 Q that they'll double to $4 from last Sunday's coupon insert). Then save your receipt to submit for a DOUBLE WHAT YOU PAID REFUND.

Speaking of KMart.....I've gotta run. ;-))
Details on the rest of my shopping day later.

Sluggy

MIR at CVS on Hair Products

If you frequent CVS drug stores, be sure and check out the MAIL IN REBATES available currently for ORGANIX & VITAMIN Hair Products there. Most all varieties of these brands qualify for a MIR when you mail in the cash register receipt w/the product circled and the TRY ME FREE Hangtag. (Make sure you get one with a Hangtag, I took mine off of the Organix bottle before I shot the photo.)

And if you hurry in before this week's sale is over at CVS, you can get these brands on sale for $4.99. I know, I know.....you say, "I'm already getting them free no matter reg. or sale price when I do the MIR." I say, "Better to be out of pocket initially $4.99 rather than $6.99, until the rebate comes in!

Sluggy