Shampoo bars

[CambsAlways]

Just discovered these, and must say they are brilliant only used a couple but I’m converted , anyone else love them too, my favs are the ones from Lush

I like gruum too. I'm a bit wary of bain & savon shampoo bars because some of them are soap and not shampoo, which is quite damaging to my hair. I love their apple cider vinegar rinse though. The orange one smells lovely.

I like the gruum moisturising one, but don't find the conditioner bar very good. Might give L'Occitane a go as l like their stuff.

I love them from here BooCottageBotanicals.co.uk my hair seems to like these handmade ones.

Not so much the lush ones. They contain SLS and aren’t so easy to rinse out.

Got the link wrong it’s boocottage.co.uk

I'm a bit wary of bain & savon shampoo bars because some of them are soap and not shampoo, which is quite damaging to my hair.

Really? I've just checked their products online and I can't see anything that says any of them are soap. How are you defining soap vs shampoo? As far as I'm aware, soap has to have lye in it, and their shampoo bars don't. They have glycerine, which can be used in the soap making process, but that doesn't mean they are soap - glycerine is used in all sorts of things.

Soap vs shampoo is the ph isn’t it?

Ahhh so glad to see little blue hen being recommended! She is amazing, lives just near me and have been using for years. Her products are so good and a great price

Soap vs shampoo is the ph isn't it?

I just went down a bit of a Google rabbit hole about the differences between shampoo and soap. It wasn't that conclusive! Essentially they are both 'detergents' made of various surfactants. Traditional old-fashioned soap is a bit more alkaline, but most modern soaps aren't really true soap. Like shampoo, they tend to include all kinds of oils, fragrances and ingredients to make them lather/foam nicely and be more gentle on skin and hair.

Essentially the cleaning element of shampoo (incl bars) is the same as modern soap, but with more oils/conditioning stuff added.

@lazylinguist

I'm a bit wary of bain & savon shampoo bars because some of them are soap and not shampoo, which is quite damaging to my hair.

Really? I've just checked their products online and I can't see anything that says any of them are soap. How are you defining soap vs shampoo? As far as I'm aware, soap has to have lye in it, and their shampoo bars don't. They have glycerine, which can be used in the soap making process, but that doesn't mean they are soap - glycerine is used in all sorts of things.

It's the babassu and lime one which I was really interested in until clocking the ingredients. All of the sodium *ate ingredients are the salts you get when the oils are saponified. Eg Sodium babassuate is what you end up with when the lye reacts with the babassu oil during the soap making process (I make homemade soap).

They also state in the description "This is a natural shampoo, hand made using the cold process soap making." But even if they didn't, recommending a vinegar rinse to help with a "transition phase" is a big tell. It's basically using a acid to try to neutralise the alkali from the soap. The "transition phase" is often just damage to the hair shaft so I always check the ingredients of so-called shampoo bars carefully.

This blog post from éthique explains the problems with using soap as shampoo. They're not just trying to flog expensive shampoo bars 😂

I've previously asked bain & savon about the pH of the babassu and lime bar and they replied saying it was around pH7. If it's been made with the cold-process soap-making method this is just not possible. I do like their other products, just cautious with the shampoo bars.

Would help if I included the link 🤦🏻‍♀️

ethique.co.uk/blogs/how-to/why-are-our-bars-so-much-more-than-other-shampoo-bars

Gruum are fab. Last ages and wash really well.

Hmmm - that's very interesting LemonRedwood, thank you! It sounds like a bit of a minefield! I have very fine, breakable hair with a tendency to dullness and I've just had it highlighted. So I don't want anything harsh or damaging.

I'd been finding that a lot of shampoos and conditioners make my scalp itch, and in any case I like the eco aspect of bar shampoo. I like Lush products but don't like the company. I might try some if the bars recommended on here. It's a shame, as my local zero waste shop sell Bain & Savon!

Ok I've read that Ethique description now and am convinced!

I have very fine, breakable hair with a tendency to dullness and I've just had it highlighted. So I don't want anything harsh or damaging.

I have the same, although I haven't had it coloured for a while now, and it was a combination of trying to save plastic and seeing if I could just use my own homemade soaps as shampoo that sent me into the research rabbit hole!

I’ve tried a few different bars at different times and they all dry my hair out and strip the colour terribly

I used to have a really itchy scalp until I started using shampoo bars. And then I tried the Gruum one and it was so harsh it was like my head was on fire. I like Eco Warrior but it's trial and error. I've never had one that left it feeling waxy or greasy. Some of them are really pricey though.

Has anyone tried the Faith In Nature ones?

Big fan of the Wideye shampoo bars, lather up well, last for ages, no SLS so Curly Girl friendly and they smell great!

The company I use. Mentioned up thread. Said the shampoo bars they use aren’t soap. Something to do with the ph.

The way they feel is very different from the lush one I have. My hair is clean and really soft. It’s not coloured hair, but they have shampoo for all hair types. I use a clarifying shampoo because I’m mega greasy.