Hi FMLers:
 
An old beautician taught me this trick.  We've used it at our house for
YEARS!
 
No matter what, buy a good grade of shampoo (fert or otherwise) and then put
5 or 6 tablespoons in a small squirt bottle.  Add warm water to dilute the
shampoo till it's real runny..  experiment with it till you get a good thin
cloudy liquid!  wet hair then spray the shampoo/conditioner on the hair.
This results in an even coating of a thin layer of really REALLY well
sudsing shampoo everywhere you need it!  No fumbling to open caps or lids,
no spilling if it tips over, and its EXTREMELY affordable!  Note: The stuff
will dehydrate back to its original 'thick' state if it sits in the shower a
week or two..
 
The beautician told me that beauty shops world-wide normally "cut" their
shampoos and conditioners like this to make it stretch... if you have
dandruff or other conditions needing special shampoos, you can use the
special shampoo for your second sudsing and get away with lots less too!
(however, it's not a good idea to delute medicines or they won't work!)
 
My ferret bathes about once a month, he never fights the shampooing stage,
but boy!  He sure hates it when the water is running!!  So I use several
large cups of rinse water set out aforehand after he shampoos, and that
works just fine!  no itching, no residue, etc.
 
Happy bathing!
Kim Latas
Spirit Lake, IA
[Posted in FML issue 2192]