Shampoo bars were always a product that I had wanted to try but they aren't an item that I can pick up on my weekly Target run. If I ran out of shampoo, I just ran to the store and grabbed my good old Garnier and checked out with my plastic bottle and moved on.
A few months ago, I interviewed the owner of a local soap refill store and had expressed my interest.
The interview was for a school assignment but it wound up lighting a fire for my passion for being more green. The shampoo bar I was directed to was the only brand they had in the store and only came in two scents.
I used the crap out of this bar until I went back home for Thanksgiving break, being in Springfield we do not have any relevant stores, so I went to Lush. I had no idea what I was really looking for. I knew they had shampoo bars and I knew that it was from a brand that I trusted but I basically knew nothing about that.
With the help of an employee, I am now three bars deep and madly in love. My go-to bar is called 'Honey I Washed My Hair', it is obviously honey scented and one of my favorites. I am a sucker for anything with honey.
There were a lot more scents than I had originally bargained on dealing with and stood there for half an hour smelling them.
When I found the one I wanted, the employee directed me to a handy tin that I could buy for just $3 to hold it in, and of course, I bought it. It was so worth it though; it is so much easier and stylish than throwing it in a plastic bag to go on vacation.
I was filled in on how I should use this bar and it has all held to be true. When using a shampoo bar, you don't need to rub it all over your head until you feel bubbles start to form. In fact, don't do that!
Just a couple of swipes will do and trust me, it WILL foam up. The lather that comes out of this tiny bar rivals that of shampoo in a bottle. Each bar lasts anywhere from 60 - 80 showers and that is no lie. Towards the end, they start to break apart but they still work just the same.
Shampoo bars come in so many different smells and have so many different variations. Lush has a bar made specifically for people with curly hair and each bar has different benefits. Another added benefit is the money that you are saving. You don't need conditioner. That's right, you don't need conditioner. The bars do a good enough job of nourishing and hydrating your hair that you don't need to waste money or plastic on a bottle of it.
I speak about Lush because that is the company that I have the most experience with. There are plenty of companies that have different shampoo bars and I will have some of those below.
I am not saying that a shampoo bar will save the world because it won't, but it does save one less bottle from being put into a landfill or the ocean and it can lead to better habits. Because of my interest in a shampoo bar, I have become more passionate and conscious of my use (or lack thereof) of plastic.
Overall, I think that my hair feels a lot cleaner. I don't feel any leftover residue like I might if I used shampoo and/or conditioner. I think it also helped soften and detangle my hair better than a regular shampoo would.
I also feel a lot better about using it because I no longer have to worry about the unregulated fragrances in the hair care products on the shelves at other places. America doesn't regulate fragrances and so there could be crazy stuff in there, but with Lush and other natural brands, you know what you are getting.
I sucked my friend and her mom into using them as well and, in the words of my friend, "You have changed my life".
Lush - Honey I Washed My Hair
Basin - Hair Care Barrel
Friendly - Natural Shampoo Bar
Ethique - Solid Shampoo Bar
Chagrin - Shampoo Bar
