Shampoo Bars: Are they a hype or hit?

Within the last year I have had a lot of clients ask me about shampoo bars. The first time a client asked me about it I looked at her like she was crazy! “A shampoo bar?!” I said, “What the hell is that?” I felt a moment of embarrassment and confusion. I am a hairdresser; I should know about the products on the market. So, I did some research and found out shampoo bars are (usually) organic based shampoos that are molded into a bar the size of a hand soap bar.

As time went on more people were asking me about them, the clients asking me about them knew as much as I did or perhaps less, so I decided to get hands on and see what the fuss was about.

Last month I purchased my first shampoo bar, I’ve been using the Lavender Coconut Milk Shampoo produced by a company called Meow Meow Tweet. Here is what their story pulled from their website.

“We are a small-batch skin care company that creates vegan products with pure, all natural and organic ingredients. We develop all of our goods as if they were modern culinary dishes, from the sourcing of ingredients to the beautifully scented, healthful and efficacious final products. As makers and purveyors, we hope to encourage small changes in the lives of our customers through the physical, emotional and ecological healthfulness of completely natural goods for the face and body. With MMT, we hope to make that experience accessible and our process transparent.”
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Sounds like a great company! Am I right?! I went with their Lavender Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar because I’m a sucker for all things lavender, plan and simple. I’ve been using it once to twice a week for the last month and I must say…. I LOVE IT! The first time I used it was strange, I was in the shower, I got my hair dripping wet and rubbed this bar against my head for a minute, at first it didn’t lather, but the more I rubbed, the more effervescent my hair became. It smelled delicious!!! Once I rinsed the product off, I felt it left my hair slightly tangled and dry. “Damn” I thought, “I was really hoping it was going to be great.” I got out of the shower and dried my hair with no products, no leave in conditioner, no regular conditioner, nothing. I started blow drying my hair and I was amazed by how soft and shiny my hair was. There was no fly away hair or static. I was in awe by the fact that a shampoo only left my hair in such a beautiful state.

The more I used this bar the less I felt my hair was dry and tangled after rinsing it out. I believe it takes time for your hair to adapt to new products, especially when it doesn’t contain all the strange chemicals regular shampoos have.

Overall, I will say that I am hooked on shampoo bars! Of course, I would love to see what this product does on a variety of different hair types and textures, like long hair, curly hair, over processed hair, and color treated hair. From what the ingredients say it checks out to be color safe.

I would recommend shampoo bars for those who are looking for organic based products and for individuals who are trying to reduce waste and be aware of our environment (this company use little to zero plastic). I would also recommend this product for individuals who have allergies or sensitivities to salon quality products. Like I said earlier, some beauty products have unnatural or even harsh chemicals in them. Going more natural may help with those sensitivities and create healthier hair and scalp. 

I purchased my bar from an adorable store in Salt Lake City called, Animalia. This store has become my new favorite obsession! This cute locally owned shop offers locally made products and they are a bulk station; which means you can refill all of your household items here like shampoos, conditioners, dish soap, body lotion, laundry detergent, and more. If you accidentally threw out your empty bottles, don’t worry! They have glass and plastic bottles you can purchase to refill with. They are all about reuse, reduce, and recycle. 

Stop by Animalia and get your shampoo bar today.

I know there are a lot of other companies out their that sell shampoo bars, like Whole Foods and Sprouts. There are other local companies like Mountain Madness Soap Co. as well, however I have not tried theirs. If you want to explore, try one on yourself, and let me know what you think of the results.

I would encourage everyone to try shampoo bar at least once. Not only could it be better for your hair, but it would be better for the environment; by using less plastic and creating less waste. This could potentially create a new pattern in your life where you are not only taking care for your hair, but also taking care of the environment.
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Until next time, happy hair washing!
DJH

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