I love washing my hair. It smells nice and it feels gooooood. Sure, I can let it go completely natural and not use product at ALL, but that doesn't work for me. I've tried. I did make the switch to natural EVERYTHING a long time ago (to be honestly, I can't recall 'natural' NOT being in my cosmetic vocabulary) -I've been using natural shampoos and conditioners for a long time, because ew - I'm not using anything with potential harmful goo in it - plus, I don't like the unnatural scents of mainstream shampoo brands. As for shampoo bars, I'd been avoiding them. How could a soapy looking bar wash my hair without it becoming a tangled mess? It was tricky not to recall those desperate times where I used actual soap on my hair. However, I decided to take the plunge and very, very quickly have become a convert.
Here's 5 reasons I think you should be too.
1. Packaging
Unless you've been living in a cave, you'd know that plastic bottles are a horror for the environment. Millions of bottles are bought every minute - something like 20,000 every damn SECOND - and many end up in landfill or in the ocean. Whilst I can't find any data that says how much of this is shampoo and conditioner bottles - or cosmetic bottles per se - they all become part of the swirling horror masses of rubbish in our oceans in some way or another, so the more the world can catch on to avoiding them in the first place, the better.
I WAS solving this issue by going to my wholefoods co-op and simply filling up an old bottle. This worked pretty well and I was feeling pretty good about it. But as the next few reasons will show, making the switch will make you feel even better.
2. Cost
Oh my goodness. When I first saw the bars pop up in my local shops I kinda freaked out abit. $20 for a bar? There's no way I could afford that. I pay around $3 for the cheap organic stuff at Coles, or a little bit more for the refillable stuff at Wholefoods. However, what I was missing was that these bars are uber concentrated. No more tipping half a bottle of conditioner on your hair to get a proper lather - a pea sized bit of a shampoo bar will do the job just fine! In fact, one brand I bought claimed that just ONE of their bars was equal to six bottles of shamoo and conditioner. Damn. That's some savings. The best thing to do is to cut off a slice, pop it in a soap tray or a small container in your shower so it doesn't wash away with water and turn to mush, and leave the rest in the cupboard. My Mum and I bought different brands, so we swapped a few slivers so we could try out the different sorts to figure out which was best for our hair.
I bought mine online too, and sometimes you can find discounts or savings that way, or buy in bulk. I now have 6 bars that will most definitely last me for the rest of the year for around $50. Some even have small sample bars you can try out.
3. Travelling
These bars are incredible for travellling. If you're only taking on hand luggage, you don't have to worry about carrying too much liquid, and if you're not, well, you can be guaranteed that it won't leak all over your bag!
If you're anything like me, you won't need to stress about leaving your bottle behind in a hotel room. I've cut my bar into little slivers into a small jar, and the rest of the bars I am storing in my backpack. Each time I use it, I'll only be taking a small amount from my day to day cosmetics bag to the shower, and even if I leave the jar behind, I'll still have the bars in my luggage as back up!
Plus, you can also use these bars to wash laundry or use them as soap if you're short on other products - they are even kind enough to wash your face.
4. All Natural Ingredients - No Nasties
Soap bars have a range of good moisturising oils such as coconut, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil and macadamia. There are no SLS or parabens and often are cruelty free and vegan (although some might contain honey). Like any natural product, do check the ingredients - palm oil can be an issue with some, so make sure it's certified sustainable or doesn't have palm oil at all.
5. Yes, they really work!
I couldn't quite believe how much these foamed and lathered, just as you expect a shampoo to do. They're made with saponified oils - saponification is the the chemical reaction that takes place when you mix oils and water with a strong alkali, like natural potassium hydroxide, under heat.
They left my hair very clean, and even without the conditioner, I simply brushed my hair without much fuss and found my hair was just fine. Some people say there's a little transition period as you get used to it, but I didn't find that at all. Of course, it depends on the product you're using, so a bit of research about the right one for your hair type, co-buying with family or buying sample bars will help you find just the right bar for you.
Some people say it feels like there's a waxy coating to start and I had a jug of apple cider vinegar and water to rinse with just in case, so that's always an option if that happens to you. In fact, I highly recommend a weekly apple cider vinegar rinse anyway - I've done it since Mum used to do it for me as a kid, where I'd sit in the bath sucking the vinegar from my hair!
I have found since using this shampoo, I don't even need to wash my hair every day - every third day seems plenty.
If you care about the environment and desire to get away from synthetic styling products and other unnatural, unhealthy hair care routines, this switch is going to be easier than you think. It's a great leaping off point from considering making your own shampoos or hair treatments too.
Do you use natural shampoo bars? Would you make the switch? What's your hair care routine?
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