You've heard of it. You've probably seen it. You're probably thinking, "does this thing really work?" For your interest, I've gone through a few shampoos to suss out whether or not "green" shampoos could work at all.
Why use a shampoo bar?
The lack of plastic is one obvious reason. Another is that a solid bar of soap is lighter and more efficient to ship/drive than liquid bottles of the same amount of washes. This is one of my favorite reasons to use shampoo bars! There are no more plastic bottles to be 'recycled' and are more often than not hand-made and made locally.
Lastly, most of the shampoo bars are made with mostly natural materials and limited synthetic materials. At the end of the day, I figure it's a win-win if I can have a product with zero waste, and that is also better for my skin and hair.
I went through a few until I finally went to Lush and got the Seanik shampoo bar (pictured above). This is the first bar that hasn't left me greasy and smelling like patchouli (not that there's anything wrong with that). I have to clarify that I am not sponsored by Lush, but if they'd like to, I am 100% in favor of it!
It suds up really well and comes in handy for my thick, dense hair. I can genuinely scrub down and get into my roots, which is a common problem with many of the bars I've found before. It has a light finish after rinsing and doesn't feel like I've got something caked on or stuck to my hair. It lasts for months, especially if you don't wash your hair every day.
How do I use it?
It's easy as rinse & lather really. If you've used a bar handsoap, you know how to slip and scrub it until it lathers up; once you've got bubbles, rub it into your hair and enjoy!
Because of my oily, dandruff-probe scalp, I've used a scalp massaging brush even before switching to the bar. It helps work in the product, loosens the dead skin, and improves circulation throughout the scalp.
As I said before, I've gone through a few different bars before finding one I loved. I've gone to work with matted and/or oily hair because it wasn't the right one. It's similar to any beauty product in that not all work for you, and you may not have the same needs as others.
Storing your bar
The key to having a long-lasting bar is to keep it dry. If there's a place in your shower where it gets less wet, store it there, and be sure that it has plenty of drainage, so it doesn't get soggy. If you plan on traveling with it, make sure that it's dry before placing it in a tin and placing a ribbon below so you can pray it out if it sticks to the bottom. Aluminum is rust-resistant, so reuse any convenient containers you have around your home.
I'd love to hear if any of you have found alternatives as well! Happy washing!
