When it comes to living a more sustainable life, reducing plastic waste is on the top of the list for many people. I have also decided to reduce the waste our family produces, especially plastic waste.
It’s a great place to start, because you can achieve it fairly easily by swapping products you use for more eco-friendly versions.
I started with shampoo bars and conditioners to rid my bathroom of all this plastic.
I did a lot of research into this topic and in this article, I will share all the knowledge I have gained with you.
Hopefully, this will help you to also make the swap to shampoo bars and conditioners and reduce your plastic waste.
What Are Shampoo Bars And Conditioners?
Let’s start with the basics, and look into what shampoo bars and conditioners actually are.
When I first heard of shampoo bars, I thought, they are probably just soaps and that savvy companies just call them shampoo bars to make more money.
But turns out I was wrong. Shampoo and conditioner bars are a concentrated form of liquid shampoos and conditioners.
While bottled products consist of around 80% of water, solid bars hardly contain any. This means that shampoo and conditioner bars are not just soaps, but they have been made for hair.
Most contain the same ingredients as their liquid versions, minus the water.
Do They Work?
Like many other people, I did wonder if shampoo bars and conditioners work.
And I am pleased to say the answer is yes. Because they are basically the concentrated form of a liquid shampoo, they do the same job.
A good quality shampoo bar will ladder up just as well as any bottled shampoo. The ones I tried, left my hair feeling clean and smelling lovely.
And, if like me, you love the smell of freshly washed hair, then shampoo bars won’t disappoint. Depending on the brand, the smell will be more or less intense, just like with different liquid shampoos.
And because solid bars contain the same ingredients, you can get the same luxurious smell that can last for days.
Conditioner bars do also work just as well as liquid conditioners.
While it might take some time to get used to using a bar rather than a liquid, good quality conditioner bars will make your hair soft and easy to manage.
I have long and thick hair and need to use a conditioner to be able to brush my hair after I washed them.
So when I changed to solid bars, I was nervous about the conditioner bars not working. But the ones I tried worked well and made my hair easy to brush.
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Are Shampoo Bars And Conditioners Eco-Friendly?
The main reason for me to swap to solid bars is to live a more sustainable life that is kinder to the environment.
One thing I am doing is swapping products I use in my everyday life for others that are either zero-waste or at least reduce plastic waste.
But conventional liquid shampoos are bad for our environment beyond the plastic bottles they come in. Their ingredients also have a huge environmental impact.
Reduced Plastic Waste
And shampoo bars and conditioners do just that. No more plastic bottles in the shower.
Depending on the size of the shampoo and conditioner bar you use, you can save around two plastic bottles per bar. This is because one bar lasts approximately twice as long as a bottle.
Like other concentrated products, solid bars don’t contain water, so you can get more ingredients into one bar than into one bottle.
Most companies producing and selling shampoo bars and conditioners have a focus on sustainability, so they don’t use any plastic in packaging either.
The solid bars I tried all came in cardboard boxes, which could be recycled.
Less Water Used In Production
But using solid bars can also help to save water. In liquid shampoos and conditioners, the main ingredient is water. This means a lot of water is used to make these hair care products.
Given how precious a resource water is, the less is used unnecessarily the better.
And shampoo bars and conditioners show that it is not necessary to add any water. The bars just need a bit of water to get activated and given we tend to use them in the shower or bath, this is easily done.
No More Waste
Do you every use all of your shampoo and conditioner? Often it’s difficult to get the last bits out of the bottles.
I am sure that over the years I have wasted enough liquid shampoo and conditioner to fill at least a new bottle. And such waste is not only bad for the environment but also for my purse.
With shampoo and conditioner bars, there is zero-waste. When a bar gets too small to use properly or starts to crumble, I just take a new one, wet it with a bit of water and stick what remains of the old one to it.
You have to push them together firmly and then let dry. After that you can use the new bar as before.
That way, I use up the entire bar without any waste. And this works for shampoo and conditioner bars.
Manufactured In The UK
While all of the above applies to all shampoo bars and conditioners, I only buy ones that have been produced in the UK.
Because I believe that it is not environmentally friendly to ship them halfway around the world, I try to buy from close to home whenever possible.
And there are so many UK companies who make good quality shampoo and conditioner bars. So it’s not difficult at all to find one that works for you that has been manufactured in the UK.
I also found that many of these UK companies are small and sell directly to their customers. This means they don’t ship their bars to shops first where you then buy them, but instead they ship them straight to you.
This means less fuel is used, which is better for the planet, and you support small UK businesses, which is never a bad thing.
Our Top-Rated Shampoo Bars:
| Shampoo Bar | Value For Money | Range | Results | My Rating | Full Review | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Excellent | Great | Outstanding | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Outstanding | Good | Excellent | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Excellent | Great | Outstanding | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
Are Shampoo Bars And Conditioners Expensive?
While I’m on a mission to live a more environmentally friendly life and want to reduce the plastic waste of my family, I don’t want to have to spend a lot of money to do it.
So the question whether solid bars are expensive is very important to me. I did a lot of research and was pleasantly surprised.
At first glance the bars look more expensive, but if you look into it, they are not more expensive than many other brands of liquid shampoos and conditioners.
First of all, one solid bar lasts around twice as long as a bottle, depending on sizes of course. I found that my shampoo bar lasts more than twice as long as a bottle and the conditioner bars last even longer.
So keeping this in mind, most good quality solid bars are on a similar price level as most better high street brands.
But like with liquid products, you can find bars that are much more expensive and ones that are really cheap. It all depends on what quality you want and can afford.
This is good news, because it means you can find a shampoo and conditioner bar to reduce your plastic waste while keeping in your budget.
Do Solid Bars Work For All Hair Types?
Unless you are one of the lucky ones and your hair is so easy going that any shampoo will do, you probably use a liquid shampoo and conditioner for your particular hair type.
I have long thick hair that tends to dry out, so when I decided to switch to shampoo bars and conditioners, I was anxious that I wouldn’t find bars that would work for my hair.
But most brands offer solid bars for different hair types and I found a shampoo bar and conditioner that works brilliantly with my hair and keeps it soft and shiny.
So there are conditioner and shampoo bars for curly hair, shampoo bars for sensitive skin and shampoo bars for people with dandruff. And also anything in between.
Like with liquid shampoos and conditioners, you might have to experiment a bit to find the one for you.
If, like me, you have long thick hair, you might wonder if there is a shampoo bar for you. Find out in my guide about shampoo bars for thick hair.
Can Shampoo Bars And Conditioners Damage Your Hair?
When I first started to research into solid bars for hair, I came across this question a lot.
And while I didn’t ask myself this question, I had another one: Will shampoo bars make my hair dry out?
I think this question comes from the assumption that shampoo and conditioner bars are basically just soaps.
And I still remember using soap as a child and it making my skin feel dry. This belief got stuck in my head and transferred to all solid bars.
But because shampoo bars and conditioners are made with the same ingredients as their liquid cousins, they won’t damage or dry out your hair.
Of course, they might contain ingredients that won’t work for your hair or scalp. But that’s the same with liquid products.
If one brand won’t work for you, try another one. You will soon find a shampoo bar and conditioner that works for you.
Is There A Transition Period?
This is an interesting topic, because I didn’t think that there was a transition period for shampoo bars or conditioners.
I assumed that you just start using solid bars and get on with your life and to be honest, that’s how it worked for me.
However, I soon found out that not everyone has the same experience. Basically, a transition period occurs when your hair needs to adjust to the new product.
This is mostly the case, if you move from a liquid shampoo that contains a lot of chemicals to a natural shampoo bar.
Apparently, most liquid shampoos and conditioners contain chemicals that will build up on your hair and scalp. Amongst those chemicals is one called sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), which will ensure that you won’t have a transition period.
This explains why I could easily switch between different liquid shampoos and conditioners without any problem. (Yes, I confess, I used to be a frequent switcher!)
If your chosen shampoo bar and conditioner does not contain these or similar chemicals, then you might have a transition period.
What this transition looks like will depend on your hair. Everyone reacts differently, but you could get:
- hair that feels waxy
- hair that feels heavy
- hair that feels greasy
- hair that feels dry
- or a bit of everything
And there is also no set time how long this period will take. It will depend on your hair and skin. But it can range from a few washes to up to a month.
The important thing to know is that you should not give up on your shampoo bar and conditioner immediately. Keep trying it and see if it gets better.
Normally you will feel an improvement after a few washes or so. It won’t be as bad as the first wash for the duration of the transition period.
I am a bit surprised that I didn’t have a transition period as I moved to a natural shampoo bar, but maybe I was just lucky. Maybe because I also used a conditioner bar, which might have helped. Who knows!
Find out more about this interesting topic in our shampoo bar transition period guide.
How Long Do Solid Bars Last?
While it is impossible to say exactly how long shampoo bars and conditioners last, I can tell you that they will last longer than your liquid shampoo and conditioner bottles.
This is because bars are a concentrated version. So you get much more product into a smaller bar.
Also, because it foams up as you use it, you can stop when you have enough. With a bottle you just have to guess how much you will need and as a result you might use more than you need.
How much longer a bar will last depends on these factors:
- the size of the shampoo and conditioner bar – the bigger, the longer they will last
- how often you wash your hair
- how much product you use – the longer the hair, the more you will need to use – just like with a liquid shampoo or conditioner
- how you store your bars – if your bars get wet even when not in use, they will be used up quicker
Various brands do give indications on how long their bars last, and I have seen ones that last up to 50 washes, up to 60 washes and up to 80 washes.
However, this will be an average, so don’t rely on this too much, as we know it will depend on various factors. Generally, average shampoo bars last at least twice as long as an average bottle of shampoo.
Conditioner bars last even longer. In my experience, one conditioner bar lasts as long as two shampoo bars and probably four times as long as a bottle of conditioner.
I have long and thick hair, but I still don’t have to use much conditioner, that’s why it lasts so long. With plastic bottles I always found that my conditioner ran out before my shampoo. Now it’s the other way round!
How Do You Use Solid Bars?
If you are considering swapping to solid bars, you might wonder how you use shampoo bars and conditioners.
There is a slight difference between the two, so I will explain it one bar at a time.
Using A Solid Shampoo Bar
It’s simple really. You activate the bar by making it wet. Then you rub it between your hands, and it will start to lather.
Then you take the lather and rub it into your hair. If you need more, just go back to the bar and get more. This method works well if you have short or mid-length hair.
But I found that with my long and thick hair, it took ages to get enough foam. So I started to use the second method.
I wet the bar and then rub it directly against my hair. I rub it all over my head until I feel I have enough.
Then I massage the foam into my hair and rinse thoroughly.
Using A Solid Conditioner Bar
A conditioner bar won’t lather up, so rubbing it in your hands first won’t work. So you have to rub it directly on your hair. Wet it first, to activate the bar.
Then let it glide over your hair. I start with the upper side of my head. After that, I let the bar glide over the underside of my hair.
I go over each strand of hair only once, as I find the hair takes on enough like this.
Finally, I massage my hair and scalp and then rinse.
How Do You Store Solid Shampoo And Conditioner?
When it comes to storing your shampoo bars and conditioners, there is a difference compared to liquid ones.
Your liquid shampoo and conditioner you just leave in the shower and use as you need it. The plastic bottle will make sure that everything stays safe and sound.
Solid bars need a bit more help and care. And it’s important to store them correctly, otherwise they won’t last as long.
You will need a soap dish or rack, which allows the bars to dry out quickly. Most brands offer such dishes or racks, and you can get them in many variations.
Then you have to make sure that you store your shampoo and conditioner bars in a dry, cool place out of direct sunlight.
We have delved into this topic in more detail in our complete guide: How to store shampoo bars.
Can You Travel With Your Shampoo Bar And Conditioner?
The answer is yes. To protect your bars, you might want to buy shampoo bar tins. Most brands offer these in their range.
I bought quite a few, because they are also great for storing new bars. And I can also use them for my moisture bars and body bars.
Most tins tend to be quite sturdy, so no need to worry about the bars braking during your travels.
You have to make sure your bars are dry before you put them into the tins though.
One thing that’s great about shampoo and conditioner bars (and there are many great things about them!) is that they don’t count as liquid when it comes to taking them on a plane in your hand luggage.
So you don’t have to worry about having too much liquid on you. And most women probably struggle, given how many liquid personal care products we use (I know I do!).
But these tins are also very handy if you go to the gym or the pool.
Read more about travelling with shampoo bars in our guide.
Can You Get 2-in-1 Shampoo And Conditioner Bars?
If you like the convenience of 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioners, then you probably don’t want to give it up when swapping to a solid bar.
And the good news is, you don’t have to. Many brands offer bars that are a shampoo and conditioner in one.
Are Solid Bars Safe For Septic Tanks?
If, like me, you live in a more rural area of the UK and all your drainage is served by a private sewage treatment plant, then this question will be important to you.
I researched this when I first decided to swap, because we were new to using a septic tank, and I was worried I would cause a problem.
But because shampoo bars and conditioners use the same ingredients as their liquid counterparts, they are absolutely safe for septic tanks.
Also, many brands who manufacture solid shampoo and conditioner bars, use natural ingredients and avoid chemicals wherever possible, so it’s even better for the septic tank.
Do Shampoo Bars And Conditioners Work With Hard Water?
If you live in a hard water area, you might be aware that it can affect the efficiency of products like shampoo and conditioner.
Whether a shampoo and conditioner bar works with hard water will depend on the ingredients and the pH level of the bars.
Signs that a shampoo and conditioner bar does not work with hard water are:
- shampoo bar not lathering up well
- hair feeling waxy after washing
- whitish residue on hair after washing
- hair feeling greasy and heavy after washing
You may have noticed that these signs are similar to the ones of a transition period. So if you live in a hard water area, it might be good to keep this in mind, in case your transition period seems to go on forever.
In order for solid bars to work with hard water they need to contain cleansing ingredients, such as surfactants, which are synthetically derived chemicals, however there are also natural ingredients available, such as tea tree oil.
While surfactants are not harmful as such, some people’s skin might get irritated by them.
Natural soaps, which don’t contain these chemicals, also tend to have an alkaline pH level, as they are soap based. And this does not work well with hard water.
So you have two options. Either you choose shampoo bars and conditioners that use cleansing ingredients.
Or, if you are keen on natural bars, you can rinse your hair with an acid rinse, such as apple cider vinegar.
If you want to know more details about shampoo bars and hard water, read our guide about shampoo bars for hard water.
By the way, while hard water might cause issues with shampoo bars, it is not harmful. On the contrary, hard water is actually good for your health.
Are There Any Disadvantages Of Shampoo and Conditioners Bars?
While there are many benefits of using shampoo bars and conditioners, you might wonder if there are any disadvantages.
And rightly so, after all nothing is ever perfect in this world, right?
The good news is, there aren’t many disadvantages.
When it comes to storing and travelling with solid bars it’s not as convenient as with plastic bottles.
While you don’t need to worry with liquid shampoos and conditioners, you have to take a bit more care of your bars, as we have explained earlier.
Depending on which solid bars you choose you might have to go through a transition period and if you live in a hard water area, it might not work as well.
However, all these advantages are minor, compared to the benefits you get. And all these advantages can be easily overcome.
So I would recommend to everyone to swap to shampoo bars and conditioners. The amount of plastic bottles we could save would be huge, and our planet would thank us for it.
Our Top-Rated Shampoo Bars:
| Shampoo Bar | Value For Money | Range | Results | My Rating | Full Review | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Great | Outstanding | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
| Outstanding | Good | Excellent | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
| Excellent | Great | Outstanding | 4.90 | Read Review | Visit Website |
