Shampoo is a whole other can of worms for me. If I don't use the exact right shampoo, I get all kinds of crusty scabs on my scalp that bleed if you scratch them. For the longest time I was able to use Breck's Herbal Essence without ill effects, but then they changed the formula! So then I had to start a new shampoo search a few years ago. I went through so many bottles of different stuff it was pitiful. I thought maybe the scents were bothering me, so I tried stuff with no scent. I thought maybe it was the chamomile in the herbal essence that my scalp liked, but no- that didn't help.
After a year of trying different stuff, Head and Shoulders came out with a sensitive care formula that works for me. However, Walmart doesn't carry it! The only place I can get it in town is a particular grocery store, and they didn't have it last time I looked for it. Soooooo, I just bought 4 big bottles of the stuff on Amazon.com and hope that Head and Shoulders isn't phasing that particular product out.
Another soap issue- I used to have acne fairly consistantly until halfway through my thirties when I stopped washing my face each evening with soap. I just started rinsing with water each evening and my skin cleared up! It's hard to argue with that kind of message from your body. Soap is just plain *bad* for my skin. I have to wash my hair every other day to remain socially acceptable, and I use a dab of soap on parts that get smelly at that time, but otherwise I don't touch the stuff. I kind of wish I could get by with oiling my hair like some black people do, I bet my scalp would be much happier with that sort of treatment- but it isn't really an option for blonde/ light brown hair.