For some, the thought of washing your hair with soap seems… unappealing. But many of us are switching to plastic free alternatives and discovering the wonders of shampoo bars along the way. Not only do they come in gorgeous colours and scents (and, most importantly, are plastic free!) but they can also do our hair wanders ✨.

We have to admit that they do take a bit of getting used to. Think about it – if you’re anything like me you’ve probably spent your whole life washing your hair with products packaged up in plastic that promise you smooth, glossy hair. We’re bombarded with advertising telling us that buying this particular shampoo will make you attractive and successful and happy 🤔. This apparently magical shampoo tends to contain ingredients such as silicones and other nasties that build up in our hair over time, so much so that our hair becomes reliant on it. Our hair is essentially addicted to commercial shampoos 🙀.

So it’s no surprise that when detoxing these chemical nasties that there’s a transition period – our hair is basically going through chemical rehab 🌿. Here at Bambú Living Sustainably we stock lots of lovely shampoo bars for you to try – from EIRA, Friendly and ZWP (Zero Waste Path Shop) – to provide a range of prices and natural properties to suit every hair type and wallet.

The lovely folk at ZWP have put together a guide on how to make the change to shampoo bars. This, and a bit of patience, will help you on your way to switching fully to shampoo bars.

Transition Phase

When you first switch to a natural shampoo bar you may go through what is called a ‘transition phase’. During this period your hair may feel oily, you may produce excessive sebum and get waxy residues.

Why Does This Happen?

The reason this happens is that conventional shampoos and hair products often contain silicones that coat your hair to make them feel soft and shiny. Unfortunately, these substances leave some residues that are hard to remove with gentle, natural products.

Another reason is that conventional shampoos tend to remove your natural oils, causing your scalp to over-produce oils to compensate. Because natural shampoo bars don’t strip the hair of their natural oils, for a little while you may have excess oils while your scalp adjusts to the new washing method.

Tips and Recipes

Before Using the Shampoo Bar

To avoid this oily feeling you can do a baking soda rinse using your shampoo bar. This may be done only to speed up the transition phase or regularly if you live in a hard water area.

Baking Soda Rinse Recipe

1 tbsp Baking soda/Bicarbonate of soda
1 litre Warm water
1 Dissolve the baking soda into the litre of warm water in a large jar or bottle. Pour the solution on wet hair, massage well but **do not rinse**.
2 Proceed directly with the application of the shampoo bar.

Using the Shampoo Bar

Shampoo bars are much more concentrated than liquid shampoo, therefore rubbing the bar directly on your hair will result in using too much product, leaving a residue.

Tips

Lather the bar in your wet hands and apply the foam obtained to your hair.
Massage the hair as you would do a liquid shampoo.
You can also section your hair into areas in which to apply the shampoo (i.e. top of the head, two side and the back) to ensure an even application of the product.

After Using the Shampoo Bar

Our shampoo bars don’t need any conditioner afterward. This is due to the fact that they contain 5% of unsaponified oils and naturally occurring vegetable glycerine – this is a byproduct of the saponification process that is usually removed to be used in other cosmetics.

Instead, after every wash you can use an Acid Rinse. This has multiple benefits – it will balance the PH (soap is alkaline while our skin is slightly acidic), it will remove any residue and it will leave hair soft and shiny.

Acid Wash Recipe

1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar / White wine vinegar
OR 1 tsp Citric acid
500ml Warm water
1 Spray bottle
1 Mix the water and your acid ingredient in the spray bottle.
2 After washing your hair spray the solution on the roots and lengths.
3 Let it rest on your hair for 1–2 minutes.
4 Rinse well.

Remember that you can play around with different concentrations and acid ingredients. I’ve found that the citric acid worked best on my hair but it changes a lot from person to person.

Keep the bottle in your shower for the next washes. Don’t worry – if you’re using vinegar the smell will fade once your hair is dry!

🌿 A note from Bambú 🌿

If you enjoyed this guide, please follow our friends at Zero Waste Path Shop on facebook. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with them, or ourselves here at Bambú, if you have any questions about transitioning to shampoo bars.

Shampoo Bars: How Living Sustainably Can Give You Great Hair