Best Shampoo Bars Made In The UK [UPDATED 2025] – If you want to reduce your plastic waste, swapping to a shampoo bar is an easy way to do so. But there is a lot of choice out there, so you might want to know which are the best shampoo bars available.
When I first decided to make changes to my life to be more eco-friendly, I started to look for quick and easy things to do. And reducing the plastic waste we produce at home struck me as a good starting point.
Having heard of shampoo bars, I decided to make the swap and start there. I soon found out that there are many brands offering solid shampoos, so embarked on a journey to find the one for me.
To help others who want to start the same journey, I have put together a comparison of the best shampoo bars I have encountered to find the one for me.
Best Shampoo Bars Comparison
| 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 |
 | Great | Outstanding | Excellent | 4.85 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Excellent | Limited | Outstanding | 4.80 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | 4.75 | Read Review | Visit Website |
 | Great | Good | Excellent | 4.70 | Read Review | Visit Website |
How My Ratings Work
To make this comparison of the best shampoo bars as useful as possible, I will be looking at different key factors that matter.
We all know that we won’t swap to a shampoo bar if we don’t get the results we want. But at the same time, we don’t want to spend the earth for it. That’s why I will also look at value for money.
Because we all have different hair types and our hair needs different things, it is important that a shampoo bar brand can cater to these different needs.
That’s why I look at the range the brand offers as well. I give each factor a rating, which will then give me the overall rating of the brand.
Because I want to reduce my waste and live a more environmentally friendly life, I only look at UK-based brands that manufacture their shampoo bars right here.
That’s because I don’t believe that it is good for our planet to ship products half around the world, if we produce them in our country.
While I endeavour to try most of the shampoo bars I compare, not all will work for my hair. But just because I don’t think that a particular solid shampoo bar brand is for me, does not mean it’s not working for anyone else.
I am also, at the moment, restricting my reviews to surfactant-based shampoo bars, as I live in a hard water area, which means soap-based bars won’t work for me.
This means that I wouldn’t be able to review soap-based shampoo bars fairly.
Which Shampoo Bar Is Right For You?
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At A Glance
So now you can find out how the best shampoo bars I reviewed compare to each other.
#1 – Bain And Savon (Our Rating = 4.90/5)
This family-run business is based in my neck of the woods, and they make all their shampoo bars here in the UK. They make them in small batches by hand, using high-quality plant-based and biodegradable ingredients.
Because I live in a very hard water area, I chose the Botanical Shampoo Bar range. These are pH-balanced solid shampoos, which means they contain surfactants, but plant-based ones. Not only do they work with hard water, you also don’t have to go through a transition period.
However, Bain and Savon do also offer soap-based shampoo bars, if you prefer them. I went for the Monoi De Tahiti Botnaical Shampoo Bar, which was designed for dry/curly hair.
Apart from solid shampoos, they also have conditioner bars, soaps and many other eco-friendly products. It’s worth checking them out.
So how did I get on with my Bain and Savon shampoo bar? In one word: brilliantly. The solid shampoo produces a luxurious lather with a subtle but superb scent. It’s very easy to quickly distribute the lather all over my hair. And as my hair is very thick and long, that’s no mean feat.
What I love most about the Bain and Savon shampoo bar is that my hair feels soft and is manageable as soon as the lather is washed out. I have never experienced this without a conditioner before.
And my hair continues to be manageable after it has sat in a towel for a while. So when I come to blow dry it, my brush glides through easily, with only a few small knots. That’s a big deal for me, because I often struggle with my long and thick hair.
Once dried, my hair feels and looks fabulous. It’s a real joy to glide my fingers through my hair and get dazzled by how shiny it is. But the best thing is that the Bain and Savon shampoo bar repairs my split ends.
My hair could do with a cut for a while now, but life just gets in the way. So my ends aren’t the healthiest at the moment, but this shampoo bar makes them look like I just had them cut, just amazing.
I love the Bain and Savon shampoo bar and would recommend it to anyone who wants a plastic-free, zero-waste shampoo that contains only natural ingredients.
Read my full Bain and Savon shampoo bar review for more details about my experience.
#2 – Faith In Nature (Our Rating = 4.90/5)
I came across this shampoo bar brand in search of sulphate-free bars, because my long thick hair is also dry, and I have heard that sulphate strips your hair of moisture.
So I wanted to try a surfactant-based shampoo bar that does not contain sulphates.
While the Faith In Nature shampoo bar didn’t lather up as quickly as others, it did still clean my hair very well.
I didn’t use a conditioner, as I wanted to see if a sulphate-free solid shampoo would remove the need to use one. And I am very pleased to say it did.
My hair was manageable and easy to brush and once dry was soft and healthy. That was a first for me, as I have always used conditioners.
Despite these shampoo bars being sulphate free, there was no transition period and I had no issues with my hard water either.
I chose the Shea & Argan shampoo bar, as it contains shea butter and argan oil, which are both highly nourishing ingredients. According to their website, this shampoo bar is also ideal for curly hair.
When I first got the solid bar it had a beautiful fresh sent and I couldn’t wait to use it. Unfortunately it didn’t transfer to my hair, which was a disappointment, but I guess it just shows that they aren’t using synthetic fragrances.
Although I found a shampoo bar for the needs of my hair, their range is rather small, with only four different shampoo bars, albeit with a corresponding conditioner.
However, I have hope that they will extend their range in future. And they do have a dog shampoo bar as well.
In terms of what you get for your money, I have to say a lot. The shampoo bars are bigger than most and the price is very reasonable. Cheaper in fact than some of the best-known liquid shampoo brands.
My Faith In Nature shampoo bar lasted over three times as long as my shampoo bottles, so not only do I save money, I also reduce my plastic waste considerably. Hurray!
Read my full review to find out more.
#3 – KinKind (My Rating = 4.90/5)
This family run UK business has it made its mission to get rid of plastic bottles in homes across the UK, which is a vision I can only support.
They have a great range of shampoo bars that cater to many hair types, such as dry hair, curly hair, grey hair, coloured hair as well as bars for people with sensitive skin or who suffer from dandruff.
You are sure to find a solid shampoo that works for you with KinKind. They even have a shampoo bar for dogs, just in case you also want to swap your best friend’s liquid shampoo to a bar.
The shampoo bars lather up like a traditional shampoo and cleaned my hair very well. I tried the NOURISH me! bar, which had a heavenly coconut smell.
Afterwards, my hair was soft and looked shiny and healthy. And there was no transition period and no issues with my hard water.
For me the shampoo bar lasted about twice as long as a bottled shampoo, so no more expensive than most liquid shampoo brands.
But KinKind only uses naturally derived ingredients, which are better for your hair than synthetic ones used in liquid shampoos. So definitely value for money.
You can find out more about my experience with this brand in the full review.
#4 – Foamie (Our Rating = 4.85/5)
Even though Foamie is a German company, all their products are made in the UK. Their mission is to remove plastic from our bathroom routine, which is a mission I am fully behind.
But at the same time they want to create products that work and do what customers want. To achieve this Foamie enlisted a team of scientists to develop their products.
The result is a shampoo bar made from natural ingredients that gives you great results and that doesn’t have a negative impact on the environment.
It will work with hard water and there won’t be a transition period, because it’s a surfactant-based solid shampoo. However, it’s also sulphate free, which is great news for your hair and the planet.
I have long thick hair that is also dry, which means I try to avoid sulphates, as they can dry out your hair. And I am very pleased to tell you that the Foamie shampoo bar left my hair hydrated and looking and feeling great.
It lathered up very well and had a lovely fresh smell. I chose the Foamie Aloe Vera shampoo bar for dry hair. And it gave me such great results, I didn’t even need to use a conditioner.
One thing I love about Foamie is that they really try to make the best product possible. Their shampoo bars have an ergonomic design that fits perfectly in your hand and dries quicker when hung up.
They even added a 100% cotton string to make it easy to hang it up. If you are now wondering if this means that Foamie shampoo bars are more expensive, the answer is no.
They are similarly priced to most other solid shampoos and are not more expensive than most liquid shampoos. I think that for what you get with this solid bar you get good value for money.
Their product range is also quite good, as they cater for various hair types, including dry hair, thin hair and coloured hair. Although I didn’t need a conditioner, they do have conditioner bars for each shampoo bar.
They also have 3 in 1 bars for men and 2 in 1 bars for kids, body bars and dry shampoo. All plastic-free and containing high quality natural ingredients.
I am really happy with the results I got from the Foamie shampoo bar and can recommend it to anyone who wants to reduce plastic in their bathroom.
You can find out more about my experience in my full Foamie shampoo bar review.
#5 – Eco Living (My Rating = 4.80/5)
Like me, the founder of UK-based company Eco Living wanted to live a more sustainable life. But she struggled to find eco-friendly alternatives to many products. So she decided to found a company and make her own.
As a result, Eco Living places our environment at the heart of all they do, and I love that. Their shampoo bars are made from only naturally derived ingredients, so you won’t find any nasty or harmful chemicals.
The shampoo bars are surfactant based and not soap based, so you won’t have to go through a transition period. The surfactants they use are plant based and aren’t sulphates. That’s great news if, like me, your hair and scalp tends to be dry.
One thing I was a bit sceptical about was that Eco Living doesn’t have different shampoo bars for different hair types. I have long thick hair that needs a lot of moisture and nourishment.
But after checking the ingredient list and finding Pro-Vitamin B5 on there, I decided to give it a go. This ingredient is known to be good for hair and skin.
And I was pleasantly surprised. The shampoo bar lathers up beautifully and my hair felt clean after washing it. The big test, of course, was to see how it felt once it was dry.
One bonus was that I didn’t need to use a conditioner, as my hair was easily manageable. This is no mean feat with my thick hair, I can tell you. Once my hair was dry it felt soft and looked shiny.
I tried two scents: autumn berries and wild fig. While there is only one shampoo bar for all hair types, you can decide between different scents. They both smelled yummy, but autumn berries was my absolute favourite.
Even after a few hours my hair still slightly had the lovely scent. I really like that.
Find out more in our full Eco Living shampoo bar review.
#6 – Grüum (My Rating = 4.75/5)
The company philosophy of this UK company is all around sustainability, which I really love.
Their shampoo bars are made using naturally derived ingredients, with natural ingredients such as coconut oil to nourish the hair.
Rather than the petroleum-derived sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), these shampoo bars use the milder and plant-derived sodium coco sulphate, which is made from coconut oil.
As a result, the bar lathers up nicely and my hair was squeaky clean after the wash. I tried their nourishing shampoo bar.
Once dry, my hair was soft and looked healthy. Unfortunately, my hair didn’t smell of coconut, as I had hoped. There was a slight scent at the start, but it soon disappeared.
Grüum has a good range of bars, which cater to various hair needs, including for sensitive scalps, dandruff and hair that needs extra volume.
Slightly more expensive, it is still at the same level as many liquid shampoos, but you can save two bottles of shampoo from becoming plastic waste by choosing this bar.
Read my grüum review in full to learn more.
#7 – Awake Organics (My Rating = 4.70/5)
First a disclaimer: this obviously isn’t a shampoo bar, so what does it do in this list? Well, while not an actual bar, it follows the same principle. It’s a shampoo in concentrated form, using natural ingredients and no plastic packaging.
So I thought it’s OK to include it in this list. The company, Awake Organics, is a small, family-run business based in the UK. They make all their products by hand on their premisses and only use UK suppliers who align with their values.
Their ethos aims at sustainability and natural products that don’t use nasty chemicals or plastic. Unlike the other shampoos in this list, this shampoo is aimed at people who experience hair loss or thinning.
It contains caffeine and rosemary, which both increase blood flow to the scalp and hair follicles, which helps to prevent thinning and hair loss.
It’s suitable for all hair types. My husband switched to this shampoo from another caffeine shampoo that came as a liquid, containing synthetic chemicals and in a plastic bottle.
He is happy with the Awake Organics shampoo powder. He said it lathers up well, makes his hair soft and looks healthy, and it might stop his hairline from receding further.
On the last point, we can’t be sure, as it’s very difficult to tell, given that he has his hair quite short.
You can read about his full experience in our full Awake Organics shampoo review.
Are Shampoo Bars For Everyone?
You probably can guess that I believe the answer to this question is yes and not just because I think everyone should swap to solid shampoos and reduce their plastic waste.
The best shampoo bars out there use natural ingredients that are better for the planet but also for your hair and scalp. Because conventional liquid shampoos aren’t just bad for the environment because of the plastic bottles, but also the harmful ingredients.
There seems to be a trend amongst new personal hygiene and beauty companies to ditch harmful chemicals and go natural, while at the same time producing products that are more sustainable, such as shampoo bars, conditioner bars, body wash bars, etc.
But they don’t forget the customers needs either, which means everyone can find a shampoo bar that is right for them.
During my search for the best shampoo bars made in the UK, I have found solid shampoos that cater for all needs. No matter if you have oily hair, frizzy hair, dry hair, normal hair, damaged hair, curly hair, dull hair, colour-treated hair, grey hair there is a shampoo bar out there for your.
It’s all about finding it and hopefully, my best shampoo bars comparison will help you make the swap yourself.
3 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 |
