The Best Zero Waste Shampoo Bars for Natural Haircare
We don’t have to be environmentalists to know that plastic is one of the biggest problems of the 21st century. As consumers we can make simple swaps in our everyday life that do not harm the planet so much.
40% of the 400 million tonnes of plastic produced each year is single-use. One such product that constitutes a significant amount of single-use plastic waste are shampoo bottles. Let’s explore some more sustainable and zero waste shampoo options.
How much waste do shampoo bottles create?
An average person in America uses 11 bottles of shampoo a year. This adds up a sizeable amount of plastic to household waste produced in a year for a family.
It takes an average of 70 to 450 years for a plastic bottle to degrade. This means that every shampoo bottle that you’ve gone through in your lifetime is still lying intact in a landfill somewhere in the world.
The solution then lies in using other products that function the same way as shampoo but come in different packaging and have safer ingredients. The most obvious choice amongst these alternatives is shampoo bars.
What is a zero waste shampoo bar?
A shampoo bar is similar to a bar of soap. Consumers buy a solid shampoo bar and when exposed to water the shampoo bar begins to lather.
Bar shampoo is great because it can be created and packaged in a plastic free way reducing our waste and carbon footprint. These are particularly great for anyone living a zero waste lifestyle because they allow consumers the opportunity to ditch the plastic bottles.
This post does contain some affiliate links which means The Honest Consumer may receive a commission if you decide to purchase, however, at no additional cost to you!
How to use a Shampoo Bar
When you're in the shower run the bar under water and begin to rub it like a bar of soap. A good shampoo bar should start lathering.
Lather some on your hands and begin to rub onto your scalp and throughout your hair. As someone with thicker hair I've discovered that rubbing the shampoo bar directly on my hair works best.
However, this does not work for all shampoo bars as some shampoo bars can have a high concentration of cleanser which could result in leaving a waxy consistency.
It just depends on the shampoo bar and your hair. Be patient as if can take time to find a shampoo bar that works well with your hair! Follow up with a conditioner bar after you've lathered & rinsed out the shampoo.
How to Store Shampoo Bars
Keeping your shampoo bar dry when you're not using it is key. If the shampoo bar is not able to dry it will turn mushy overtime. I've been using these storage containers which are great because they allow your shampoo bar to drip dry due to the slits at the bottom of the container. You can also use metal storage tins.
Benefits of Using Shampoo Bars
Shampoo bars have numerous benefits compared to conventional shampoo.
The primary advantage is that they last longer than shampoo bottles, for instance, a 100 gm bar can last up to 80 washes on average. One shampoo bar usually lasts 6 months, so you only need 2-3 shampoo bars a year!
Most shampoo bars are made by companies that are environmentally conscious and are aware of the harmful impacts of shampoo in a bottle. Hence, they usually have less chemicals compared to normal shampoos.
They also help to bring your hair back to its original, shiny and voluminous self by washing away residues left by chemicals from normal shampoos.
An obvious benefit of shampoo bars is the plastic-free packaging that they come in.
Switching to shampoo bars can reduce this waste significantly. Most shampoo bar companies also try to use sustainable packaging like paper and bioplastic for packaging their product.
They’re amazing for travel, as they are small, light, and easy to carry. You would also have no problems carrying them on cabin baggage on a flight as they are not liquid!
What harmful ingredients to look out for when shopping for shampoo?
Although shampoo bars are way better than traditional shampoos for your hair, you still have to watch out for a few things whilst shopping for them. Typically shampoo bar do not contain “dirty” ingredients, but there are some of them which have the same composition as conventional shampoos.
Even in shampoo bars, you need to watch out for the usual sulfates, parabens, phthalates, triclosan, and dimethicone. These are harmful materials in shampoos and shampoo bars that can reduce your hair health and also cause environmental pollution.
So it’s always a good idea to read the ingredients list before you buy to be completely sure what ingredients you will be using on your head and hair.
The Best Zero Waste Shampoo Bars Made with Natural Ingredients
To make the switch to plastic free shampoo easier, we have compiled a list of a few eco-friendly shampoo bars that you could try when you are ready to make the switch.
These zero waste shampoo brands feature plastic free products feature high quality ingredients, eco-friendly packaging, and are made in the United States.
EcoRoots Organic Shampoo Bars
EcoRoots shampoo and conditioner bars are unisex and work great for all hair types. Their plastic free shampoo bars are Silicone Free, Phthalate-free & Paraben Free and will last around 50 washes. The shampoo and conditioner bars are made in small batches in the USA and are $12 each.
Public Goods Unisex Vegan Shampoo Bar
Public Goods has one of the best-looking shampoo bars out there, all made with natural oils and natural fragrances. Public Goods states their bars last three times longer than shampoo. The bar contains lavender oil and rosemary extract for volumizing with a subtle fresh scent.
This shampoo bar is free from parabens, synthetic fragrances, sodium lauryl sulfates, phthalates or any formaldehyde derivatives and are also vegan. Public Goods shampoo bars feature an affordable price point of $5.50 encouraging everyone switch to plastic-free shampoo.
Corvus Botanicals Zero Waste Hair Care by Women for Women
Corvus Botanicals is a woman owned brand that offers a variety of different shampoo bars to choose from which are all reasonably priced at $8.
Ethical shoppers can also choose to purchase a bundle pack of shampoo bars and conditioner bars designed for different hair types and requirements.
The bars are ocean-safe, vegan, and plastic-free. Corvus Botanicals pays special attention to sustainability, for instance, the cocoa butter used in their emerald shampoo bar is sourced from a small shareholder community in Ghana and hand-harvested by women.
The bars are packaged in glassine wrap which is biodegradable and compostable. I've been using Corvus Botanicals shampoo and conditioner bars for a few years and truly love this product.
Meow Meow Tweet's Organic Shampoo Bars
Meow Meow Tweet has an option of choosing between two shampoo bars and a shampoo powder. The rosemary avocado bar has softening ingredients whilst promoting shiny bright hair.
The lavender coconut milk shampoo bar conditions, softens and has a calm and cool sense. The soap is low lathering as it has no additives and can also be used for the whole body. The bars feature certified organic and fair trade ingredients. Meow Meow Tweet shampoo products range from $5-$24.
HiBar Hair Care for a Zero-Waste Lifestyle
HiBar shampoo bars are conveniently shaped for easy use. Moisturize, Soothe, Volumize, and Maintain are the different bars available. They are safe for color-treated hair and contain no sulfates, parabens, silicones, phthalates, or palm oil.
The Maintain bar is for those who do not wash their hair frequently, the Soothe bar for an itchy flaky and sensitive scalp, the Volumize bar for thin, fine, or lifeless hair as it controls frizz and brings definition to curls, and the Moisturize bar for hydrating and nourishing. These specialty shampoo products can be purchased for $10-$14.
Bestowed Essentials Shampoo Bar for Damaged Hair
The shampoo bars from Bestowed Essentials have two scents; tea tree + aloe and coconut +lavender. The bars comes in a recyclable metal tin which makes storing easy.
Bestowed Essentials
The coconut and lavender shampoo with ingredients such as avocado oil, olive oil, sodium hydroxide, shea butter, and castor oil can be used for damaged hair. The aloe and tea tree shampoo is most useful for dandruff-prone hair.
Bestowed essentials shampoo bars lather well and also feels very creamy. This eco-friendly shampoo bar can be purchased for $10.
Fat & the Moon's Zero-Waste Shampoo Bar
The Fat and the Moon’s Gentle Rhassoul Clay shampoo bar which has all organic ingredients gives a gentle and deep clean to your locks. The rhassoul clay in the shampoo bar gives volume while rosemary helps to invigorate the scalp while being gentle on the hair and scalp.
This powerful bar bar is equivalent to 16oz of liquid shampoo and free from parabens, phthalates, and sulfate.
The product is packaged in a paperboard box with paper wrap and shipped in recyclable packaging. This natural shampoo bar can be purchased for $26.
Package Free's Zero-Waste Products
Package Free has very many options when it comes to shampoo bars. Their basic round shampoo bars priced at $14 has different scents to choose from such as balancer, cleanser, detoxifier, fixer, hydrator, and stimulator.
You could pair it with a complementing conditioner bar also available on their website. To guide your choice, they have detailed descriptions of which bar to use for different kinds of scalp and hair type. They even have a kids shampoo bar.
Shampoo Bar Tips
If you’re ready to make your hair care routine a bit more sustainable here are some tips for switching to shampoo bars!
The best shampoo bar is the one best suited to your hair type. Choose what shampoo bar to buy according to your scalp and hair type. As specific ingredients in the bar have different functions, you can choose your shampoo bar depending on whether you have dry hair, itchy scalp, fine and oily hair, or any other hair type.
Don't feel discouraged if your first shampoo bar doesn't seem to be a good fit. Sometimes it takes time to find hair care products that work with your hair. I previously tried a shampoo bar from Lush that didn't work for my hair, but once I tried Corvus Botanicals shampoo bars that was a great fit for my hair.
While using a shampoo bar, make sure it's kept dry so it lasts longer. Lather the shampoo bar between your hands and rub them into your hair and wash as you normally do.
It might take around 3 weeks for your hair to transition to shampoo bars. So you might have to be a bit patient.
Hopefully this guide has helped you ditch the plastic packaging and explore sustainable shampoos!
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