All About Shampoo Bars

Shampoo bars are all the eco-friendly rage now! But why use a shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo? What’s the difference?

• Shampoo as we know it today is generally just a liquid detergent. It tends to strip everything from the hair, requiring use of conditioner to replace the oils and nutrients that it’s stripped away. 
• It is mostly water, and since it contains so much water, it requires lots of chemical preservatives. And you’re paying for mostly water. And lots of chemicals.
• Since it comes in a bottle, it uses lots of plastic.
• Detergents are generally made from petroleum products, and aren’t necessarily biodegradable. 
• Most shampoos contain synthetic fragrances, which can have phthalates and other chemicals that have been shown to be harmful. 

So what’s a shampoo bar and how is it different?

There are two kinds of shampoo bars: detergent-based and soap-based. 

If you’ve seen shampoo bars that look like they are lots of tiny noodles pressed into a solid form, those are detergent-based shampoo bars. Makers buy the little “noodles,” which are a synthetically made surfactant (often Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate if you want to know), and mix them with other ingredients to press them into a bar shape. 

So hooray! You’re not paying for mostly water, and you’re not adding another plastic bottle to the landfill. So that’s a definite improvement. 

But there are still some drawbacks: 

• Synthetically made surfactants are usually petroleum-derived.
• They are not necessarily biodegradable. 
• Even if they are biodegradable, those particles they degrade into can often hang around in the environment–that is to say, it degrades into smaller synthetic bits, but those bits are still around.
• They still tend to strip the hair of all its natural oils.

Here at Dancing Bee Soapworks, we make a truly natural, soap-based shampoo bar. What that means:

• It is a truly natural soap, which means it is made from natural animal or plant-based fats that are mixed with an alkali, usually lye. The fats and lye go through a chemical process called saponification, which chemically transforms them into something completely new: soap. 
• It is less harsh and does not strip the hair completely, and is therefore less drying.
• It contains more nourishing oils, which can then require much less conditioner or moisturizer after use; many people are able to skip the conditioner altogether. 
• There are no synthetic sulfates, parabens, phthalates, or any of that nasty stuff. 
• It is not made from petroleum. (eww.)
• Not only does it biodegrade: it basically turns into dirt. You can compost it. It returns to a completely natural state. 

Are there any downsides to soap-based shampoo bars? 

As with any soap or shampoo, everyone will have their own preferences. It might not work for everyone. 

Lots of people say that because soap does not exactly match the PH level of hair, that means it is bad for the hair. Detergent, on the other hand, can be formulated to match the hair’s PH level. 

I am not a chemist, but my own personal experience of making soap and using my own soap for 25 (!!!) years, plus my research, leads me to this conclusion, which is my opinion only: that whole PH level thing is just a marketing tool. (I said what I said.) Our skin and hair are very resilient and even if they come into contact with something of a different ph, it doesn’t actually affect our skin mantle that much. 

My family has been using nothing but my shampoo bar (or just my regular soap) on my hair for 20+ years and it’s great. Lots of people use only my shampoo bar and love it. I know several curly girls who swear by it because it doesn’t dry their hair out like shampoo. But hey if it doesn’t work for you, that’s ok too! You do you. 

So, you want to try out a shampoo bar but wondering how it works? It’s the easiest thing in the world. Just rub it across your head to build up a good lather, and use your hands to scrub your scalp just like with regular shampoo.

But oh, this lather! It’s like no wimpy liquid shampoo you’ve experienced. It’s rich and thick and creamy. The exact oil formulation (especially extra castor oil and some coconut too) is what gives it that beautiful lather. And then it’s got oils in it that are especially good for the hair and scalp, good stuff like jojoba, kukui nut, and sweet almond oils. Rosemary and Juniper essential oils help stimulate the scalp and condition the hair. 

Our shampoo bar feels different than detergent-based shampoo; some people like to follow it up once a week or so with a rinse of half water and half cider vinegar or lemon juice. This helps to remove buildup if you feel you have some. Lots of people never feel the need to do this though. Your hair might also need a week or so to adjust to a new shampoo regimen.

Ready to give our natural soap-based shampoo bar a try but aren’t quite ready to commit to an entire bar? We have adorable mini shampoo bars so you can give it a whirl without spending much. Just select the mini size on the shampoo bar product page.

Let us know how it works for you! Thanks for joining us on the journey to a more natural clean.