My husband and I haven't used shampoo in over 3 months. I did some research and found a few suggestions about just using Baking Soda. I gave it a try and loved it. Husband tried too - for the first time in YEARS, no more dandruff or itchy scalp, etc. My complexion has totally cleared up as well.

To start - use 1 tiny drop of conditioner and 2 X tablespoons of baking soda. Dissolve in 1 cup of warm/hot water.

Wet your hair 100% as much as you can. Work the mix in to sections of your scalp. Use finger tips. Use any paste along hair line. Allow to sit on scalp while you shower.

Rinse.

After a week you can switch to 2 drops of tea tree oil in place of the conditioner.

Expect your scalp to over produce the oils for 3 weeks or so. Once past it - your hair will be great. For longer hair use a diluted form of Apple Cider Vinegar to detangle.

No suds but you quickly get used to it and it's awesome!

When I lived in India I regularly used soap nut (known as aaritha) to shampoo my then waist length hair as well as wash delicate wool sweaters and shawls. 10 minutes is not long enough to soften the soap nuts. My usual procedure was to soak the soap nut over night. If I failed to do som, I used a pressure cooker to boil and soften it. I got suds! I also used a handful of dried Indian gooseberries (aamla) to condition my hair.

When I lived in India I regularly used soap nut (known as aaritha) to shampoo my then waist length hair as well as wash delicate wool sweaters and shawls. 10 minutes is not long enough to soften the soap nuts. My usual procedure was to soak the soap nut over night. If I failed to do som, I used a pressure cooker to boil and soften it. I got suds! I also used a handful of dried Indian gooseberries (aamla) to condition my hair.

Problem with soap nuts is they come from India so they travel the world to get in my washer. Can the soap nut tree grow here instead of there and more precisely does anyone sell North american grown nuts?

On the other hand trucking nuts across North America might be almost as carbon intensive as boat-shipping them from India and then trucking them the lasta miles.

=====author replies=====
Yeah, perhaps it also needs to be balanced against the fact that they are shipped here without special packaging....

Using the nuts directly in the washing machine at 40°C works fine (no prior softening required).

Price benchmark: I've found fair trade bio soap nuts for 14€/kg (~0.14€ per wash) in Europe (http://www.azimuts-art-nepal.com/?p=presentation)... keep your eyes open, it seems many are selling them at a premium...

Thanks for the review and for the commenters insights.

I've found much cheaper prices in Europe to the point that it is cheaper than conventional white label detergents so I'm definetly giving them a go.

For the sustainability factor from transportation: does anyone know in which conditions can these trees be planted 8didn't find pro info in english)??

I like the thought of being self-sufficicient in cleaning products ;)!

=====author replies======
I love it! Homegrown soap nuts! See Wikipedia under saponin, I think there's a link to the trees and conditions they need.

OK, now let's set the record straight:

Yes, "addicted" is a good word for it. (Not all that dissimilar to what the tobacco industry did to us.) After some 75 years of intensive marketing P and G (and others) have done one heck of a marketing job on us. If you do your homework, suds do not equal cleaning power. That is ONLY in your head. It is brainwashing (pun intended) at its absolute finest. And you are far from alone.

Now let's just get some basic facts correct here. As an avid user and fan of soap nuts for the last six to eight months, I will qualify myself as very experienced. I have studied their properties, and having a background in skin care formulation and chemistry - plus being a thrifty consumer - I think I am more than qualified to provide some solid, accurate data.

First, soap nuts are VERY affordable - IF you know how to use them, and IF you are using soap nuts of good quality. There are very significant differences between brands and types. One should note that this is actually a fruit that is harvested annually. Harvests will vary and the "last year's" harvest will always be discounted by the exporters. Soap nuts have a great shelf life, but the fresher the better. Keep that in mind as we move forward.

Oh, to get some other facts straight: The fruit grows on a Sapindus (not saponus) tree (not bush). The premier variety, Mukorossi, grows up to 60 feet tall and is a prolific fruit producer for up to 90 years. The fruit is much like a cherry (big seed with pulp and skin). It is the dried pulp and skin that gives us what is erroneously called a soap "nut" (I write that given that it is not a nut at all, albeit it resembles one in some ways). SAPONIN is the holy grail. Saponin is released from the soap nut via two means: heat and agitation (commercial extraction processes aside). Saponin is what produces the low sudsing - yet highly effective - soaping effect.

Back to affordability: I can usually get 6-7 loads from a half ounce of good quality soap nuts. Premium select quality soap nuts can be purchased for $17.75 (full retail) for 10 ounces. (I just checked my primary source). $17.75 divided by 20 (20 half-ounces) divided by 6 (6 loads) equals $0.147/load. Even inferior quality soap nuts that release saponin for only 3 loads would be less than $.30/load. Now I haven't even factored in that you can get deals on larger quantities - plus you can get discounts. My favorite brand is also sold on Amazon where you can buy a 64 ounce bag for $57.95 with around $7 shipping. Doing the same math as I did the first time (and including the $6.81 shipping to me) now we are at $0.085/load. Bottom line: You are not using them properly. Period. Don't feel bad. Again you are not alone. Also there are MUCH better quality soap nuts out there than Maggies. If you look, you'll find them. It's pretty obvious.

I could go on and on and on here, but I don't want to spend all day writing. There are major errors in virtually every single point you have made. But hey, soap nuts are new to all of us in the US. We have a lot to still learn. More study, knowledge and more experimentation will help you a great deal. I've done more than my fair share already. I may repost after this with a lot more detail about some of the other errors you made. This is enough for today. There are sources for MUCH more accurate information. If you look you will find them.

Soap Nuts are going to change the way we think - and the way we clean. A paradigm shift is needed, but that is only a matter of time. It's hard to get over a lifetime of brainwashing. The soap nut is a true GIFT that nature has given us. Now, let's just use our heads and maximize their potential. I personally have a 95% green cleaning regime in my home. I owe that to soap nuts.

=====author replies======
Thanks for all the great info.

OK, now let's set the record straight:

Yes, "addicted" is a good word for it. (Not all that dissimilar to what the tobacco industry did to us.) After some 75 years of intensive marketing P and G (and others) have done one heck of a marketing job on us. If you do your homework, suds do not equal cleaning power. That is ONLY in your head. It is brainwashing (pun intended) at its absolute finest. And you are far from alone.

Now let's just get some basic facts correct here. As an avid user and fan of soap nuts for the last six to eight months, I will qualify myself as very experienced. I have studied their properties, and having a background in skin care formulation and chemistry - plus being a thrifty consumer - I think I am more than qualified to provide some solid, accurate data.

First, soap nuts are VERY affordable - IF you know how to use them, and IF you are using soap nuts of good quality. There are very significant differences between brands and types. One should note that this is actually a fruit that is harvested annually. Harvests will vary and the "last year's" harvest will always be discounted by the exporters. Soap nuts have a great shelf life, but the fresher the better. Keep that in mind as we move forward.

Oh, to get some other facts straight: The fruit grows on a Sapindus (not saponus) tree (not bush). The premier variety, Mukorossi, grows up to 60 feet tall and is a prolific fruit producer for up to 90 years. The fruit is much like a cherry (big seed with pulp and skin). It is the dried pulp and skin that gives us what is erroneously called a soap "nut" (I write that given that it is not a nut at all, albeit it resembles one in some ways). SAPONIN is the holy grail. Saponin is released from the soap nut via two means: heat and agitation (commercial extraction processes aside). Saponin is what produces the low sudsing - yet highly effective - soaping effect.

Back to affordability: I can usually get 6-7 loads from a half ounce of good quality soap nuts. Premium select quality soap nuts can be purchased for $17.75 (full retail) for 10 ounces. (I just checked my primary source). $17.75 divided by 20 (20 half-ounces) divided by 6 (6 loads) equals $0.147/load. Even inferior quality soap nuts that release saponin for only 3 loads would be less than $.30/load. Now I haven't even factored in that you can get deals on larger quantities - plus you can get discounts. My favorite brand is also sold on Amazon where you can buy a 64 ounce bag for $57.95 with around $7 shipping. Doing the same math as I did the first time (and including the $6.81 shipping to me) now we are at $0.085/load. Bottom line: You are not using them properly. Period. Don't feel bad. Again you are not alone. Also there are MUCH better quality soap nuts out there than Maggies. If you look, you'll find them. It's pretty obvious.

I could go on and on and on here, but I don't want to spend all day writing. There are major errors in virtually every single point you have made. But hey, soap nuts are new to all of us in the US. We have a lot to still learn. More study, knowledge and more experimentation will help you a great deal. I've done more than my fair share already. I may repost after this with a lot more detail about some of the other errors you made. This is enough for today. There are sources for MUCH more accurate information. If you look you will find them.

Soap Nuts are going to change the way we think - and the way we clean. A paradigm shift is needed, but that is only a matter of time. It's hard to get over a lifetime of brainwashing. The soap nut is a true GIFT that nature has given us. Now, let's just use our heads and maximize their potential. I personally have a 95% green cleaning regime in my home. I owe that to soap nuts.

I was so happy to see what I thought was going to be a good overview of the value of soap nuts and there multi-purpose value to replace chemicals in the home.

I'm sorry to say that if I'd read this particular review, instead of doing independent research, first I'd never have used soap nuts.The explanations sound like soap nuts are a great thing, but the actually grades look like results were disappointing.

That being said, I am sure the writer offered her personal experiences, and of course those will vary based on things like the quality and the source of the soap nuts.

I tried several suppliers in the North America before I found one that always provides top quality soap nuts which provide impressive and consistent results.

In addition to all the positive things others have said, and some corrections that are offered to some less than accurate information I would like to add a few points.

Specifically about needing to use vinegar or baking soda for whites. First, in my experience, most people add vinegar or baking soda to wash for fabric softening, not whitening. I need neither to soften my clothes because soap nuts do that naturally. But about the whites. My mate carries white linen handkerchiefs and since we live in Florida whites are a huge part of his warddrobe. I have actually found my white clothes are whiter washing with soap nuts than when I used regular perfumed chemical laundry detergent and bleached my whites. He actually continues to tell me how impressed he is with how ALL of his clothes look and feel since we've switched to soap nuts.

I discovered the reason that my whites are whiter is conventional detergents actually do two nasty things. The first is they actually coat the fibers of the fabric and don't penetrate them so whatever body oil or soil is in them actually stays in them and then the more you wear them the more residue builds up and the more dingey whites get.

Not true with soap nuts, because of the way they work they make the residue that's already in the fabrics release and then with continuous use no more residue builds up in the fabric. So my whites actually got whiter using soap nuts, and others have told me the same thing.

Another thing about economy and affordability is that clothes will last longer washed with soap nuts because there are no chemicals in them to break down the fabric fibers or fade the colors.
Let's remember you don't need fabric softener or dryer sheets so that's another point of savings with soap nuts.

I am forever a soap nuts devotee.

Here are some other uses I found.I actually use the spent soap nuts post washing to boil my liquid. By the way ten minutes of boiling is not enough it tales about 15 minutes for the saponin to realease if the soap nuts are dried out. Extracting the last of the saponins means even more savings since there is always saponin left in good quality soap nuts even after 5 to 6 loads of laundry.

I put liquid in my bath, I wash my cars with the liquid. I mix water, vinegar, and soap nuts liquid to clean my stove top, counters, bathtubs, mirrors, floors,toilets, and I use it in my carpet cleaner so pretty literally I use soap nuts in some form to clean everything else on which I once used packaged cleaners.

Ever try soap nuts as a shampoo? They make your hair feel thicker and smooth.