Bar shampoo

[HuckfromScandal]

Help please

I bought a lovely shampoo bar in Shetland last week, hoping to cut down on the amount of plastic I use!
But having now washed my hair twice, it makes it horrible squeaky, and very tangly.

I have read a few blogs about having to prep your hair for this. But to be honest, several rinses of vinegar and bicarb etc don’t
1 - sound appealing
2 - feels like a bloody faff
3 - more products, so more waste,,,some what defeats the point.

Will this get better on its own, do I keep trying.

Help me hive mind

Try another brand. Nuddy and Gruum both make shampoo bars that have no transition period or need for faffy rinses. I use both regularly

Some shampoo bars leave my hair feeling like I've used normal soap on it - i.e. like you've described your hair as being.

Others are great, and my hair is just the same as if I'd used liquid shampoo, with no adjustment period or cider vinegar rinses etc needed.

So unfortunately I think it's just a case of trial and error until you find a bar that works for you.

I personally wouldn't bother trying to get that particular shampoo bar to work for you - I'd just pretend it was a soap bar and use it up as hand soap or in the shower, and find a different shampoo bar to try on your hair.

I don’t like shampoo bars, so had to switch back it I’ve found an alternative I’ll buy once I’ve ran low. It’s plastic free and can send the bottle back to be refilled.

www.wearthlondon.com/zero-waste-shampoo?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjo3k0d3o6gIVFIjVCh2p-gqHEAQYESABEgL_NPD_BwE

I use one from Lush and I really like it. No faffing & makes my hair clean and soft. It might just be a case of shopping around until you find one that works for you.

I tried really REALLY hard with shampoo bars, with several sorts, for well over a year. I did bicarb scrubs, ACV rinses. Often, they'd be ok to start with, but I always ended up with a thick greasy patch at the back of my hair. Where your hair would stay wet if it was put in a pony tail while wet.

Disappointing as they worked really well for my temperamental scalp - no itching, no dandruff, no build up.

Thank you all

I will try another brand
And see how I get on
And then maybe move onto recyclable bottles. I was using Keihls, and they do recycle, but I would prefer no plastic at all if possible!

We use Friendly shampoo bars and my hair feels the same as usual. It has cut down on both plastic waste and bathside clutter.
I didn't need any prep, I don't really understand what that would be for. Is it about removing silicone maybe? But there are sulfates in shampoo bars, so I don't think so.

I love shampoo bars but there definitely was a transition period. You could always see if you have an eco refill shop near you so you could refill bottles with eco friendly shampoo. I've found a happy medium where I use shampoo bars but eco refill conditioner as I just couldn't get on with the conditioner bars

I use Friendly Soap bars. They're pretty good. I did like the Soapnuts bars better but they seem to be really difficult to get hold of, for some reason. My hair is quite oily, & we have super, super soft water here.

The harder the water you have, the more likely the shampoo bar is to leave a waxy feeling residue.
Friendly soap company shampoo bars are notorious for this, and them even have a warning on their website about the areas is the UK their bars aren't so suitable for.

Gruum bars (current have an offer to try a free shampoo bar, for the cost of the P&P) don't have this problem. I adore the brightening lemon and sweet almond one, which leaves my waist length, tends to frizzy hair, manageable.

www.gruum.com/free-shampoo-8420/?v=79cba1185463

Just incase you want to try one.

@Vebrithien that looks really good! Just wondering - have you tried the gruum conditioner bar too? Any good?

(Hope it's ok to pounce on your thread op)

I had problems with shampoo bars at first, but the Gruum ones are great. I live in a hard water area, and my hair is thick dry and wavy, winning combination, but they lather up really well.

Wet your hair thoroughly and use the bar directly on your hair going round and round

@pawpawpawpaw

We use Friendly shampoo bars and my hair feels the same as usual. It has cut down on both plastic waste and bathside clutter. I didn't need any prep, I don't really understand what that would be for. Is it about removing silicone maybe? But there are sulfates in shampoo bars, so I don't think so.

There aren't any sulphates / sulfates (yes I'm an old school chemist and can't get over the name change) in the shampoo bars I use, I react to sulphates, which was one of the reasons I switched to bars.

I use either soul and soap bars or gruum ones and I don't have that problem at all. Sometimes I can get away with not using conditioner and my hair feels great, it's in the best condition in years (I don't dry my hair with hairdryer or straighten it even outside of lockdown so in that sense lockdown hadn't changed my hair the shampoo type has)

I second gruum the lemon one is my favourite

@TooFrickinHot

Not tried the conditioner bar yet, but it is in the post to me! I went for the special offer of 2 shampoo bars and a conditioner bar for £14, rather than the one free shampoo bar.

However, the Friendly soap company conditioners (lavender and geranium or lavender and tea tree) are brilliant, so looking to trying the Gruum one.

With the conditioners, the trick seems to be to leave a little water in the case with the bar when you finish, and that softens the bar enough so it 'spreads' over your hair. They don't lather.

Use an exfoliating mitt to work up a lather. I occasionally use bicarb before using the bar, I use Cole & Co. I have been using ordinary shampoo every so often because I had a full bottle before starting on bars last August. When the bottle is finished I'll be using a bar all the time. I love the squeaky feel.

Thanks for the Gruum link Vebrithien. I've just started with shampoo bars after getting one to try for boots review panel. I love it but the full size of the one I'm testing is really expensive so gruum looks like a cheaper alternative!

Thanks for the link @Vebrithien I've just ordered myself the coconut one and sent the link onto my DD 😊

I really wnated to find a shampoo bar that worked (to avoid single use plastic) - Gruum worked initially and then made my udually dry hair very clumpy- like I had not rinsed out conditioner by mistake. Friendly bars really don't work for me as I am in a hard water area. But what I can't get over is the cost. They state 30 washes but I have never got even 10 washes out of a bar - making 70p-80p per wash which adds up considering a bottle of 500ml is usually £3. If manufacturers are saving on water transportation etc- why is it so much more expensive?

I bought an Eco Warrior Shampoo Bar in Sainsbury ( £3 reduced from £4.50 so I thought worth a try ?)

It is nice , lathers well and rinses well , I;m in a hard water area .

I'd got the Ethique mini bars in the Holland&Barrett calendar which were lovely (smelled like white chocolate )

Years ago I did try the Lush Godiva one but I used it too heavy handed and it put me off .

If I go off the Eco Warrior one after a few tries I'll donate it to my DD for her leg shavng

I tried for a couple of years but have just gone back to OGX shampoo. I live in a very hard water area and my hair was horribly dry and breaking. It's now almost perfect again. I have cut down hair washing to once every 5-7 days though and DH has shaved his head so use far less shampoo than I did a few years ago.

I can recommend gruum, tried my little eco shop shampoo bars but found they left a waxy feel which is not a good look! I've ordered some more shampoo from gruum and a conditioner its on its way but wondering how do people store the bars, are they ok in small tupperware pots or better left out?