I have hair that's fair-colored, naturally curly, & fine to medium textured, so it's easy to damage, & naturally dry in our hot & dry to hot & humid climate (central Arkansas). I was told I needed something with a lot of natural moisturizing ingredients, and I started buying TCB ethnic and Aussie Moist shampoos & conditioners again after using many different expensive salon brands for a year or more. But, I love Dove's new 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner! It's great for when I stay with relatives & in-laws, or on the go (i.e. at gyms & public pools) all of which where showers & bathroom time are limited.

My dermatologist and plasticgardens obviously feel very differently about this topic. My son and I both have dermatitis. He has tried every over the counter dandruff shampoo to no avail. Until he switched to a mild shampoo without harsh chemicals his condition did not improve. Since switching to this shampoo he can go 2 days without washing his hair and the redness and flaking has dramatically decreased. I'm hoping the flaking will go away completely with time (he has only been using this for 3 weeks). Anyhow, our dermatologist said, use a mild shampoo with minimal chemicals and little to no fragrance added (perfume can irritate the scalp). Use conditioner only on the ends if at all. He said that harsh shampoos strip oil out of the hair and scalp, which looks good at first but causes the scalp to secrete even more oil to replace what was stripped away. So the best thing to do is use a very mild formula that will rinse out excess oil but not strip the hair and scalp. The oil production should slow down once your scalp adjusts to the shampoo. Seems to be working for us. And he recommended Cetaphil cleanser for the skin. I have been using this for 6 months (I was afraid it would make my skin oilier because it seems very rich) and I have not had a flair up of acne or rosacea in 4 months.

I bought some Orvus and used it once for something...I forget what. You don't use much of it as it is very difficult to get all the suds out. After years of sitting on the shelf, it got hard in the bottle so I threw it out. If I need to wash a quilt I think I will use Ivory flakes or Dreft for babies. They are very mild soaps.

Everyone's hair is different. You have to find what works for you by trial and error. My salon uses mostly Redken but most of their products tend to dry out my hair after a while. Even the moisture formulas. On the other hand when I switched back to Pureology after trying Redken even my hairderesser noticed the difference. I do love Redken's smoothing milk. But the shapoo/conditions are awful for me. Great for my DD and my hairdresser. Even thought my hair tends to frizz I cannot use any "smoothing" shampoo. Too heavy for my hair I guess. My hair feels like it needs a wash the next day. people swear by oils but they all leave my hair full of static by the next morning. Love the first day but have to wash it out the next or walk around with my hair "glued" to my face.