Single-use plastic is the biggest culprit in polluting our environment. As we learn in our Backpacker’s guide to sustainable travel course, single-use plastic pollutes oceans and beaches, threatening marine life and putting thousands of species at risk. However, each of us have the tools to reduce our single-plastic use in many ways. Today we want to talk about Shampoo Bars, how to choose them, why make the switch, and which are the 5 best shampoo bars you’ll want to try out now.
By LLM
Reducing plastic consumption should be everyone’s priority. But we know that as travelers, some locations, as well as some habits, might make it that little bit harder to do so. We also want to address a problem we know every traveller has experienced at least once: burst shampoo bottles inside our luggage.
Nowadays, there are plenty of different shape bottles, travel sizes and bags that aim to help us with just that. But finding one that checks all the boxes, while being sustainable, not tested on animals, and also good for our hair is a whole other challenge. For us, shampoo bars do exactly that.
All in all, choosing bars over bottles means, cleaner luggage, less plastics going into our oceans and landfills, no toxic ingredients like parabens and sulfates on your hair, lasts a lot longer, and let’s be honest, a much more stylish bathroom. Here are 5 top benefits of using shampoo bars.
Benefits of Using Shampoo Bars
Naturally great smells
Even though using natural, cruelty-free and zero-waste ingredients has been an increasing trend that has made its way into hair products in general, we’ll still find that many traditional bottle shampoos are filled with preservatives and chemicals. Using them, strips our hair of its natural oils, leaving the scalp dry.
Shampoo bars, on the other hand, contain many more natural ingredients that are good for hair, such as natural oils, vitamins, and minerals. That is why on their packaging, you will see sustainable ingredients like sunflower oil, lavender oil, olive oil, argan oil, or coconut oil, which give your hair moisture and vitality.
Thanks to natural essential oils, your hair will never smell better than once they have met a shampoo bar. Instead of using a synthetic fragrance, shampoo bars use natural essential oils that are good for hair and scalp and give your hair a wonderful and refreshing scent.
B.O.B shampoo bars, for example, are uniquely formulated with ingredients that are from the Brazilian biodiversity like the coposu butter and buriti oil, this means completely natural ingredients that will make your hair look and feel amazing. B.O.B also has a complete line of plastic-free and waterless products that range from facial bars to deodorants.
They do a lot of good to our hair
Following the above perk, we can not forget that all these natural oils are super beneficial for our hair and its health. Shampoo bars are packed with them as well as other fresh/natural ingredients.
Natural ingredients promote hair growth, create volume, increase blood circulation, and promote hair follicles’ health. In addition, great shampoo bars leave hair feeling lightweight, clean, and full of volume, and help to relieve a dry and itchy scalp, leaving it refreshed too.
They are multipurpose
Funnily enough, shampoo bars can also be used for other purposes like washing your body, pets, and clothes while camping or traveling. And, since many shampoo bars contain nourishing oils like Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil and Almond Oil you can also use it as a complete hair treatment and skip the conditioner to save even more money.
They are cheaper in the long run
One bar, costing only slightly more than the average drug store bottle brand, can save you big. One 3.5 OZ bar usually lasts for 2 to 3 months or approximately 80 to 90 washes. This equals to 2 to 3 bottles of liquid shampoo so, we won’t need to shop that frequently, mainly due to the fact that bars are more concentrated than traditional shampoos and conditioners.
You know why? Well, surprisingly enough, 80% of conventional shampoo’s volume is just water. According to B.O.B Bars, that’s exactly right. “Which means you're basically paying for water”. Bar shampoos have fewer preservatives as the water comes directly from your shower.
Best for traveling and the environment
Our planet will definitely appreciate seeing you reduce your plastic consumption by making the change to shampoo bars. When you choose bars over bottles, you save up to 2 plastic bottles, which contributes to generating less waste for our planet. If you decide to use a shampoo and a conditioner bar, like Onsight Care Hydrator plus Shampoo and Conditioner, you save up to 5 (6.7oz) plastic bottles.
Our small choices make a huge difference.
And of course, we love brands that share the same values and are aware of the responsibility they hold. “Big brands would love people to believe that they make their products wrapped in plastic for their customers’ convenience. The truth is that it’s just the cheapest packaging option for their business, so they can keep costs low and make more money. They are incredibly good at putting the blame on consumers, when frankly, brands need to be held to account for the entire lifecycle of their products – including the packaging! We find that a lot of people actually find their plastic-free swaps save them time and money and are easier to use once they’ve made the change”, confirms Brianne West, CEO and founder of Ethique.
In addition, it simply makes traveling easier, because we won’t have to worry about clutter and luggage weight, and taking our liquids out at airport security anymore. In simple terms, they are great for saving space. Being much smaller and more lightweight in comparison to the number of washes you can get from the same amount of product, shampoo bars will save space. This comes in handy in various situations, from keeping your bathroom cabinets decluttered to packing for an upcoming camping trip.
How to use a bar shampoo?
Basically, you need to wet the shampoo bar and apply it directly on damp hair onto your scalp, working the lather in circular motions until it foams.
Then, you massage the scalp using your fingers and spread the lather from root to tips. After that, you can rinse it off, and you are all set! Perfectly cleaned and beautifully scented hair.
Now, want to know where and which bar to get? Here are our 5 favorite ones to try.
Best Shampoo Bars to Look Out for This 2022
