Soap/Scrub/Shampoo bars but not from Lush?

[TreeSunset]

Looking to switch to soap and shampoo bars but I don’t want to buy from lush. Ideally looking for a scrub bar and if it has tea tree in it then extra bonus. No idea where to start with shampoo and conditioner bars though.

Look at beauty kubes. They have great shampoo and a conditioning mask that actually work.

They are not cheap though.

This company is amazing

www.sarandipitysoapco.com/

Only one for me is HTTPS:amicasoap.co.uk, soaps, shampoo bars and conditioner bars, natural products with natural and sustainably sourced ingredients which work and work well!

No idea why that URL didn't work! www.amicasoap.co.uk

I'm not a lush fan as I find there very harsh and not friendly to my skin or hair, I've tried these from a company called Gift Wellness, they are amazing and the conditioner is like my bottled one I use but even better and actually lasted so much longer. Definitely recommend and no more plastics in my bathroom 😁 www.indiegogo.com/projects/cleanse-without-plastic#/

I found the wild-sage.co soap shampoo did not lather up as well as lush yellow shampoo bar. But I have very thick hair so it might suit others.

Wideye do lovely soaps and shampoo bars, and they're cheaper than lush! They deliver so it doesn't matter if you're not based on the south coast!

wideye.co.uk/

I’ve just started using the BECO one from Waitrose and my (greying) hair is looking better then ever! It seems to condition it nicely too, so it feels lovely and soft. We have hard water and it still lathers up nicely.

I buy from here beanandboy.com/ they're local to me and have a good selection of soaps. The net bags are good too.

I've just started using a shampoo bar from nonplasticbeach.com I was given it as a gift. It smells amazing, lathers up brilliantly and leaves my hair feeling lovely and soft. No need for a conditioner.

@TreeSunset shall we work through half of the suggestions each and find the best haha

That’s not a bad idea as now I’ve got too much choice!

Be aware that using real soap, which some of these that have been mentioned are, including Friendly Soap and Funky Soap, is very bad for your hair (and skin) long term, even using a vinegar rinse. Real soap opens up the cuticles on the hair shaft and roughs them up as it is strongly alkaline. Using an acid rinse of some sort neutralises the soap to an extent, but the damage has been done by this point. Eventually, the roughness builds up and causes real damage. Yes, I know people used soap as shampoo for centuries, but they tended not to wash as frequently as people do nowadays.

I looked at a lot of information when I was trying to make my own properly formulated personal care products (for personal use only, I've never sought to sell anything) and a lot of the claims for soap shampoo bars are not scientifically supported. Obviously they're better for the environment than plastic containers though.

You're best looking for what's known as syndet shampoo bars, which are synthetic detergent, and are much closer to the PH of your skin and hair. I'd personally avoid ones with SLS and SLES, which I believe a lot of the LUSH bars are and go for ones using SCI (sodium cocoyl isothionate) and cocamidopropyl betaine, which are extremely gentle. These are detergents made from natural sources such coconut, whereas others can be derivatives of petroleum. It's worth checking the ingredients list on the product; real, saponified soap will have on ingredients listed as '...ate', such as this Friendly Soap ingredients list: 'Sodium cocoate, Sodium olivate, Sodium castorate, Aqua, Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) essential oil contains linalool, limonene, geraniol, Pelargonium graveolens (rose geranium) essential oil contains geraniol, citronella, linalool'

I've made my own shampoo bars based on SCI and cocamidopropyl betaine and they're not bad at all, though I have to say these detergents are a bugger to track down and aren't that cheap because of postage costs.

On the other hand, I don't always practise what I preach, because I buy lovely goats' milk soap from an eBay seller that my skin bloody loves

I hope this essay has helped someone make a decision and hasn't come across as too patronising or preachy, which I suspect it might be a bit, sorry if has.

No, that was all really useful thanks and I wouldn’t have known that until it was too late for my hair

Friendly Soap does do shampoo bars too Owlish, I used them for six months and only changed because I had to buy one locally and loved the square shape.

Disfordarkchocolate Yes, they call them shampoo bars, but they're actually soap, the same as the Funky Soap shampoo bars. Everything I looked at on their website, except the conditioner bars, are real soap. This is why you need to check the ingredients

Compare the ingredients I listed above, which was for a Friendly Soap shampoo bar to this list for Beauty Kubes shampoo bars: Tapioca starch, Sodium cocoyl isethionate, Cocos nucifera milk powder, Sodium cocoyl glutamate, Inulin, Rosa centifolia flower powder, Panthenol, Glycerin (Palm-free, from a rapeseed source), Citrus aurantium dulcis peel oil, Citrus paradisi peel oil, Tocopherol, Maltodextrin, Cymbopogon martinii oil, Limnanthes alba seed oil, Helianthus annuus seed oil, Acacia senegal gum, d-Limonene, Citral, Geraniol, Linalol, Farnesol*

The ingredients in bold are the detergents/surfactant/foaming agents. It's actually much easier to include conditioning agents in a syndet bar than a soap bar, which can affect the saponification process.

Incidentally, Beauty Kubes are a whopping £9.50! I won't be buying those

I must have been lucky Owlish, my hair is lovely and smooth

I use coconutty shampoo bars, I have both them from various websites, wherever they are available at the time. My hair feels really clean and I don't need to use conditioner any more which is a bonus. My 3 dds have switched to bars too, my eldest has long very curly hair and she no longer has problems with frizz. I had trouble at first getting it to lather, I was using my hands but discovered it lathers better if I rub the bar around directly on my hair. I use dove on my skin, I have started using it on my face recently too and it seems fine.

*bought not both

Have not given up shampoo, but always use goats milk soap for my skin, creamy, smells lovely, lasts a long time and does not clutter up bathroom.

I put my soap on a microfibre cloth after each use to stop it melting away too quickly.

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheSoapingGoat?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=658312928

@owlish which ones would you recommend with the science of it all?

@TreeSunset when I was researching, I wasn't looking for products, I wanted recipes to make my own. Try searching for syndet bars.