Solid shampoos are a great way to reduce your plastic waste. But is there a shampoo bar for thick hair out there that will work for me?
This is the question I was asking myself, when I started to look into swapping my liquid shampoo for a solid one.
Bit by bit, I want to get rid of the plastic waste I produce at home. And shampoo bars sound like a great way to do that, as you can save around two plastic bottles by buying one bar.
But I have long and thick hair, which can be a bit difficult to manage, so I did some research and tried different brands to see if I can find a solid shampoo bar for me.
In this article, I will share my experience with you to help you make the swap and have happy thick hair.
How Do You Know You Have Thick Hair?
If you are now wondering whether you have thick hair, let me help you answer the question.
Do any of the following scenarios sound familiar:
- when you decide to air-dry your hair, it will stay damp all day
- you run out of conditioner long before you run out of shampoo – and you use a lot of both in general
- putting up your hair poses many challenges: for one it doesn’t stay up for long and it will get so heavy that you get a tension headache
- if you have straight hair, curls don’t stay in for long as your hair is so heavy they straighten out after an hour or so, even if a hairdresser curled your hair (I politely decline any offer of my hairdresser to curl my hair, it’s just not worth their time)
- in hot weather your neck gets all hot and sweaty if you leave your hair down
- you don’t have to try and get more volume into your hair
- you lose so much hair that in theory you should be bald by now, but you still have hair aplenty
- your head and ears never get cold in winter – who needs a hat?!
- your hair makes an excellent sunscreen
If you can relate to some or all of these, then welcome to the thick-hair club. If you are not sure, you can also use these methods to find out.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind having thick hair, I love my mane. But like other hair types, it has its pros and cons and needs the right care.
That’s why, when you swap from a bottled shampoo to a solid one, you want to make sure that your hair still gets what it needs. So you will want to know if there is a shampoo bar for thick hair that can handle your hair, right?
Which Is the Best Shampoo Bar For Your Thick Hair?
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What Thick Hair Needs From A Shampoo
Like many people, it took me years to figure out what my hair needs to feel soft and look healthy. Over the years, I have tried many liquid shampoos to find the one that works best for me.
When I decided to switch to a solid shampoo to reduce the plastic waste I produce, I had concerns that I would not be able to find a shampoo bar for thick hair.
One problem I always found is that there aren’t many shampoos especially for thick hair, at least they don’t mention it on the label, like they do for coloured hair or curly hair.
There are loads that promise to thicken your hair, but I will stay well clear of these. The last thing I need is more or thicker hair!
However, as my hair is also dry, like most thick hair, a hydrating and/or moisturising shampoo normally works fine.
Thick hair, like mine, needs a shampoo to:
- clean the hair thoroughly
- hydrate it
- nourish it
- make it manageable
To achieve the last point, I always used a conditioner, as this was the easiest way as a shampoo alone never managed it.
So I set about to find a shampoo bar for thick hair that can give my hair what it needs and reduce the plastic waste in my household.
Sulphates Yay Or Nay?
One thing I came across a lot when I researched to find a shampoo bar for thick hair was that anyone with thick hair should opt for sulphate-free shampoos, whether liquid or solid.
Let me just make clear that sulphates as such are not bad for your hair. They are highly efficient cleaning ingredients that help to get rid of dirt and build-up on your hair.
However, they do also tend to strip your hair and scalp of moisture. And because thick hair is very often also dry, shampoos with sulphates can contribute to the problem.
Hence why many recommend people with thick hair to choose sulphate-free shampoos.
I have checked the ingredients lists of the liquid shampoos I have used over the past few years and they all contained sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), which is a synthetic surfactant or cleaning agent.
They also ensure that a shampoo lathers up well, as the foam helps to lift off dirt from your hair and scalp.
This ingredient had a lot of bad press for two reasons. Firstly, it can irritate the skin, which is why people with sensitive scalps should refrain from using products with this ingredient.
Secondly, it is derived from petroleum, which is a fossil fuel, and it is therefore not good for the environment. But because it is cheap and easy to produce, it is favoured by many beauty product manufacturers.
The ingredients used in many conventional liquid shampoo bars are bad for our environment, not just SLS.
While I never had a problem with skin irritations, I don’t like the fact that it is made from a fossil fuel.
There are alternative cleaning agents, or surfactants as they are also called, which are naturally derived. For example, sodium coco sulphate is made from coconut oil.
It still has excellent cleaning and foaming properties but is much gentler for your skin. That’s good news, but it is still a sulphate, so does that mean it’s no good for my thick hair?
One Can But Try
To find out, I decided to try a shampoo bar that uses that ingredient. I found a UK-based family run company called KinKind, which produces solid shampoos using sodium coco sulphate.
I tried their NOURISH me! shampoo bar, which is enriched with coconut oil and was created for dry to normal hair. So I thought this sounds like a shampoo bar for thick hair.
Because they also offer conditioner bars, I decided to get one too. Mostly out of habit, as I am used to needing a conditioner.
The results were brilliant: my hair was clean, soft and looked healthy. You can read my full review of this product here.
So far so good, but I wanted to know if I could ditch the conditioner if I opt for a solid shampoo that does not use sulphates.
After some more research I found a UK-based brand called Faith In Nature. Again it’s a family run business, which I love.
They use sodium cocoyl isethionate and disodium lauryl sulfosuccinate. If you are now scratching your head wondering what these are, I was the same.
So I did some more research. They are surfactants but not sulphates. So they are still cleaning and foaming agents.
And they are also naturally derived, plant derived to be more precise, so no nasty chemicals made from fossil fuels.
I chose their Shea & Argan shampoo bar, as it was made for dry to very dry hair. Again, it sounded like a good shampoo for thick hair. By the way, it’s also ideal for curly hair, according to the website.
It includes shea butter and argan oil, which should hydrate and nourish the hair and scalp.
Rather nervously, I didn’t order a conditioner bar, even though they do offer them.
While this shampoo bar didn’t lather up as well as the other one, it did still work fine and my hair was clean after the wash.
Then came the moment of truth, brushing and drying my hair.
Although there were some knots, all in all my hair was manageable and once dried, it looked shiny and healthy. Not quite as soft as when using a conditioner, but still nice to touch.
You can read about my full experiences with this brand in my Faith In Nature shampoo bar review.
So there you have it, not only can you find a shampoo bar for thick hair, but you can even ditch the conditioner.
At least I could, I do realise that everyone is different and it might not work for all people with thick hair. But what I would say is, be brave and give it a go.
Now that I have found my inner brave woman, I will also try the KinKind shampoo bar without conditioner to see if it will work. I will update this article once I have the results.
Should You Go Fully Natural?
But before you go, I would not do my duty if I didn’t tell you about natural soap-based shampoo bars. Soap-based shampoos use natural surfactants such as oils and plant butters. This means they are sulphate-free, which means they make a great shampoo bar for thick hair.
While these products still clean your hair, there are some drawbacks, which you should be aware of.
Shampoo bars that are soap-based are alkaline, whereas our scalp is more acidic. When they come together, they can unbalance the pH level of your scalp and hair, which is not a good thing.
To solve this problem, you would have to rebalance the pH level of your sclap by using an acid rins, for example with apple cider vinegar.
But because they don’t use any moisture-stripping detergents, you might not have to wash your hair as often, so the rinse won’t be needed as often either.
The second issue is that you will have to go through a transition period, if you swap from a liquid shampoo that used surfactants to a soap-based shampoo bar.
You can read more about this adjustment period in our article about shampoo bars and transition period. But briefly, it means your hair needs some time to adjust to the new hair care product.
During this time, your hair might feel greasy, waxy, heavy and dry. It will pass, but could last weeks or even months.
The third issue is why I personally did not try soap-based shampoo bars. If you live in a hard water area, which I do, then soap-based shampoos will leave a waxy residue in your hair. So while a soap-based product sounds like a great shampoo bar for thick hair, I decided it’s not for me.
The effects are similar to what you might experience during the transition phase, but because it is caused by the bar reacting with the hard water, it won’t pass.
You can find out more about this topic in our article about shampoo bars and hard water.
I’m not saying that these natural soap-based shampoo bars are bad. I actually quite like the idea of having a product that uses such natural ingredients, but living in a very hard water area, I decided not to risk it.
But if you want to give them a go, you can find really good brands making these types of shampoo bars on the website &Keep. Brands such as Funky Soap and Friendly Soap are worth a try.
One of the advantages of soap-based shampoos is that they are cheaper, because their ingredients are cheaper.
Now that you know all you need to know about how to find a shampoo bar for thick hair, you can make the swap from liquid to solid shampoo and reduce your plastic waste.
Best Shampoo Bars For Thick Hair:
| 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 |
