Body soaps and shampoo bars

[MumNeedsTea]

I've been thinking of ditching my shower gels and shampoo bottles to reduce the amount of plastic we use. I will soon run out of my current shampoo bottle so I think it's now or never :)

Can anyone recommend a good brand for body soaps and shampoo bars? Shampoo wise I use the bodyshop rainforest moisture range so looking for something similar. I have very thick curly/wavy hair.

A few questions :

1. Is it ok for various members of the house to use the same body soap and shampoo bar.. I mean hygiene wise? If not, I cannot imagine where I would store the numerous bars
2. Do you use them for your kids too? I would like too if it means one more less bottle of plastic. Both my kids suffer from dry skin and have a history of eczema.
3. What about conditioner? I've never seen any conditioning bars

TIA :)

I bought shampoo bars from amica after a recommendation on here. They are great and my scalp is much better than before.

Yes nice French and Italian soaps in TKMaxx. Greek olive oil soap is great leaves the the skin feeling really soft and I have really dry skin.

I buy shampoo and conditioner bars from here. They are more costly but last for ages, and are lovely for my hair. I have also tried lush shampoo bars but find them a bit harsh. (I also dislike going in Lush as the shop assistants won't leave you alone.)

There are lots of small soapmakers making fabulous bar soap, just google 'handmade soap'.

Mimi Folksoap - is it this one??* their soaps look nice!

I use Simple soap for my hands and body.

What shampoo bar would work with fine, wavy hair?

Yes @BagelGoesWalking

A colleague had ordered loads as her daughter has suffered for nigh on 30 years with eczema, and this soap has really made a difference. It then turned out when she did a big order that the man who makes them lived pretty close and he delivered them to her himself! She cut up a few of them as samples so I've tried the banana one, and have some of the lavender one (with nettle maybe) to try next.

Thanks mini. Should have asked originally, but do you know which specific soap she used? I'm eczema prone as well and trying to use soap bars more.

Just wanted to add another to the list.
suneetacosmetics.co.uk

Nice range of face, body and hair products. They've added some shampoo bars but I haven't tried them.

@BagelGoesWalking I've just checked with her and it was the hemp and oat one.

Thanks so much for asking, mimi, much appreciated. I'll get that, the goat's milk and beard balm for my DS. 😬

@BagelGoesWalking for this sumereta cosmetics, as you've tried them before can you tell me what their packaging is like? Looks like plastic pots and bottles but maybe they do a returns option where they recycle it like Origins?

Their stuff is just what I've been looking for and at good prices too so thanks for sharing!

I haven't ordered from them in a while but I seem to remember it was plastic. You could contact them to ask about recycling. Hopefully, it would be recycled via local council schemes, if not by them. Sorry I can't help more!

Thanks @BagelGoesWalking have emailed them direct, will post back if I find out more. They have a really broad range and all very affordable and natural ingredients. So tempted to do a massive order tonight but will wait until I know the score on the packaging. A great find though - thanks again for sharing xx

I've been experimenting with shampoo bars - agree that Lush have a lot of nasty ingredients in them, they're basically normal shampoo in soap form.

I live in a really hard water area and get the coated /matte hair problem with soap shampoo bars but a cider vinegar rinse solved that problem - I mix some with water in a spray bottle, spray on after washing and comb through, then rinse. Hair is nice and shiny after and doesn't smell of vinegar!

Loving the soap recommendations on here, my current bar is nearly finished so I'll give some of these a try.

I've bought some shampoo and conditioner bars from Peace with the Wild. It's a small local company. The products are wrapped in waxed paper and sealed with wax. I'm very impressed.

Thanks to Mimiasovitch I just received my order from Folk Soap. Looking forward to trying the Hemp & Oat first. Beard balm is a Christmas present!

Phebo soaps are great! It's a brazilian brand and all soaps are vegan. You can get it in the UK on Amazon and this website will probably also ship to UK Ien.granado.eu

I use Phebo soap daily, have used it since i was a small child. Oh, they even have bar soaps for babies!

Bar soap is pretty much the norm where i live. It's common for families to share the same bar. I prefer to have my own bar because i like to have my own smell.

I bought two shampoo bars and a conditioner bar from Funky Soap Shop and I really like it. I have the amla and coconut milk one (and also the Moringa one, but not tried yet) and the conditioner for dry hair. The first 10-14 days my hair felt really weird, there is a warning about this in the parcel, but now it looks better than it has for a long time. It takes a little longer to wash and condition my hair but that doesn't bother me.

I can't get on with the Friendly soap shampoo bar much as I wanted to. After 3 consecutive uses I can't get a brush through my roots, they're all matted and greasy. I don't even have greasy hair.

I really want to try a shampoo bar too but my hair can get dry very easily....especially at my Boyfriends which presumably is due to the water there.

I have already moved to using soap - just a pack of 4 cheap bars. I do want to find a soap my Granny used to use though. No idea what it was but had a really unique smell (which I can't describe but I remember it made me happy lol) .....I am like a loon in the shop sniffing every bar hoping i will stumble across it!

Bagel I hope it works for you. I'm thinking of getting the dog shampoo 😁

Try as I might I don’t get on with bar soap for head or body. My skin on my body gets tight, dry and itchy. And my hair just feels horrible and unclean - I have very greasy roots so no I can’t just leave it!

I am going to try again but with a cider vinegar rinse. I want to use bar shampoo. I did get some nice stuff for the dog, coconut and neem bar shampoo, and he hadn't complained about his coat.

I recently came across a company called ethique beauty and their stuff was gorgeous, it was in America although I’d I think from New Zealand, if you have anyone who can send it you it’s fab, they’re not selling online to UK till next year 🙄

Igneococcus did the funky soap shampoo bars arrive in plastic packaging? I really like their selection of soaps, but not sure about packaging.
Thanks.