Let’s be honest. Solid bath products don’t seem to bring the same excitement or luxurious experience as liquid ones do. I mean, when has anyone said they prefer their Dove Moisture bar soap over their highly-fragranced Bath and Body Works Champagne Rose shower gel? Shower bar products just seem inferior and not as effective as our liquid ones.
It is no surprise that venturing out to try a shampoo or conditioner bar can be quite scary for a lot of people. To try it on our body is one thing, but our hair? What if it dries it out? Makes it frizzy? A bar conditioner can’t possibly provide as much moisture as our usual liquid one, plus we can’t risk a bad hair day.
Well it’s your lucky day– I took that risk for you, and surprisingly, there was no bad hair day.
There are many benefits to switching to shampoo bars such as all-natural ingredients free of sulfates and parabens which don’t strip hair while cleansing, they last twice as long, and they’re mess-free making them perfectly suited for travel. However, the main reason why I, as well as many others, decided to make the switch is because shampoo bars don’t contain any unnecessary packaging and even better; they’re completely plastic free. In other words, they have a minimal impact on the environment.
I purchased the Ethique Hair Sampler ($17) which contains a collection of their best selling hair products. The set brings three different mini solid shampoos and two mini solid conditioners encased in a plastic-free paper box. Ethique’s mission is to spread awareness to #giveupthebottle and and prevent 50 million plastic bottles from contaminating our planet by 2025.
I have thin, wavy, dye-free hair. The issues I mainly deal with are frizz, dullness, definition, and split ends. It is important to me to use hair care products that will tame my hair by holding the waves together and controlling fly-aways while nourishing and repairing. This can be challenging for even standard liquid products so in all honesty, I was slightly concerned that the bar routine might turn out to be a disaster.
You apply the products by running the bar along your hair from root to tip. Once you have a good lather you can proceed to wash your hair as you usually would. One drawback I quickly experienced was that I had to spend more time than working the product into my hair than with a liquid alternative; however it’s important to note that I do have a lot of hair. I was able to detangle the knots in the shower but had an easier time when I started using a comb. I did feel the need to add some leave-in conditioner after but this is usually already part of my routine.
In terms of results, I was very caught off guard. My hair was soft and silky yet it didn’t feel stripped at all. Best of all, it held some bounce and texture allowing my waves to retain their shape.
All five of the minis worked just fine, but I experienced the best results with the Frizz Wrangler shampoo and The Guardian conditioner, who both target fighting frizz and damage. Ethique is available for sale in-store at Target and online on their website and Amazon. You can take their hair quiz here to determine which of their products are best suited for your hair’s needs.
There are many other note-worthy, easily accessible brands offering package-free hair care including Lush, Meow Meow Tweet (also available in store at Target), and SheaMoisture (available at Walmart and Walgreens).
The Ethique full sizes cost around $15 which can seem pricey when compared to your $5-10 shampoo you usually buy; however, keep in mind that shampoo bars will last you twice as long when stored properly. Besides, maybe paying a little extra to support sustainable brands and lessen your carbon footprint isn’t such a bad idea when you’re helping the current state of the environment.