What is the shampoo bar craze all about?
I am frequently asked by my customers "What is this shampoo bar craze all about?" Read along to find out just how great shampoo bars are!
When I first began my journey into natural personal care products, I tried numerous attempts at a DIY natural shampoo.
When I first began my journey into natural personal care products, I tried numerous attempts at a DIY natural shampoo.
Concoctions like castile soap and coconut milk, variations of the "no poo" (shampoo alternatives with baking soda) and several variations of soap bar types of shampoo and provided years of trying and failing to find what I wanted.
Our shampoo bars are very much like your store-bought shampoo EXCEPT they do not contain all those pesky fillers, artificial fragrances & colors or the many preservatives to ensure they can stay on shelves years! Doesn't that sound fantastic? On top of that we are reducing our waste. You really cannot get any better!
Here are 5 qualities I was looking for in a shampoo bar:
- I wanted something natural/ naturally derived (of course!).
- I wanted BUBBLES. No, you don’t need something to lather to clean your hair BUT I am a soap maker and I loves the bubbles!
- I wanted my hair to be clean but not stripped. In many cases you will find a soap bar claiming to be a shampoo. I personally have never found them to work for my hair. With a shampoo soap bar, I found my hair ended up feeling like dry hay and I needed a TON of conditioner to counter the dryness. This is due to the pH in bar soap which is too high for hair. Now that you are curious, ask your stylist about proper pH!
In other instances, I would find my hair is too greasy after washing. This is due to the having too many oils remaining on your hair from the soap. When you make soap, you decided what % of your oils are left after saponification. These extra oils will not be broken down and washed away thus staying in your hair! - I wanted simple. Yes, I could use a shampoo soap bar (formulated properly) and rinse with Apple cider vinegar and then most likely a conditioner on top of that but I like simple. That’s why when I formulate products, I follow the K.I.S.S principle and use minimal but purposeful ingredients.
- I liked the idea of using a shampoo bar. It is much better for the environment that wasting multiple plastic bottles every 1-2 months is not necessary anymore!
I wanted to cut down my plastic use as much as possible. Switching to glass/ paper/ card box packaging is a goal that I am constantly working towards! So, cutting down my waste at home is important to me.
~Side note, approximately 12 bottles are sent to the landfill per year per person. Now imagine that number with 30 women doing the same. That's 360 bottles per year in the landfill just from shampoo and conditioner. I digress, plastic waste is for a another blog post.~
With all of this considered I knew I wanted a plastic free bar, a product that lathered, a simple and easy replacement to my old routine, a product that left my hair feeling AMAZING and above all I wanted it to be more natural!
Enter in our Shampoo bars!!
I can honestly say my hair has never felt better. It's so soft, shiny, the volume is like I have never seen before. Before I could only go a day before I needed to wash my hair. Many friends would say you have to train your hair...Well I was a stay at home Mom for almost 2 years.. (I'm sure other moms reading this know where I am headed with this). There were plenty of times I did not have the energy to wash my hair every day. There was no training this hair haha..
Keep reading to learn a bit more about what's in the shampoo bars!
The shampoo bars are very much like your store-bought shampoo EXCEPT they do not contain all those pesky fillers, artificial fragrances & colors or the many preservatives to ensure they can stay on shelves for years! Doesn't that sound fantastic?
Our formula consists of 4 components: naturally derived surfactants, conditioning agents, essential oils and a small amount of preservative. I will provide some basic descriptions of the components to help you get a better understanding of shampoo bars.
First off, we use surfactants naturally derived from coconuts. Surfactants are used to help breakdown the excess oils and dirt so they can be easily rinsed with water. Oh, the glorious bubbles! "Surfactant" used to be a dirty word never to be uttered when trying to go natural. After nearly 6 years, of research and learning I now know there is a wide range of options available including many naturally derived surfactants. I never stop learning more about my craft. I do this for you, me, your family and mine.
Secondly, our bars consist of conditioning agents like panthenol and hydrolyzed oat protein. They help give hair strength, moisture and shine.
Secondly, our bars consist of conditioning agents like panthenol and hydrolyzed oat protein. They help give hair strength, moisture and shine.
Third, the essential oils are used to provide the scent. Have you tried the Peppermint and Rosemary bar? How about the Orange Cream? Gorgeously scented!
Lastly a wee tiny bit of broad-spectrum preservative. A MUST! Particularly since these bars will be exposed to water for an extended period of time. Lots of ickies like to grow when water is present and the preservative keeps you safe! If you were to research the ingredients on your bottle of store-bought shampoo you will find many perfume/ preserving ingredients.
There you have it. a shampoo bar in a nut shell. I am proud of our formulation and we aren't looking back!
made ya look ;)
(my cutie little boy loving the bubble mohawk!)
(my cutie little boy loving the bubble mohawk!)
Love your natural beauty!
Renee xo
Really informative blog I love this product. It lathers readily with lots of bubbles and rinses out quickly. Another plus for the environment….. uses less water!