First of all - What is a Shampoo Bar?
A Shampoo Bar is basically a bar of soap. Pretty simple though they are formulated in a way to wash your hair but also condition. So each bar gives a different level of conditioning.
Dirty Hippie Bars are made with almost all Certified Organic Ingredients, what we put on our skin goes within so I prefer to keep it organic. With Dirty Hippie Shampoo Bars I have different formulations and each are slightly different.
I recommend getting a trial pack which contains a piece of each one, a third of a bar, which will last at least a good few weeks of hair washing, giving you enough of a chance to try each one and switch around if you need to to make sure you find the bar most suited to your hair.
What are the benefits of using a Shampoo Bar?
SO many.
- No plastic bottles for a start, my bars come wrapped in paper, ZERO WASTE, total WIN for the environment.
- When you make Shampoo in a solid bar form there are no need for things like preservatives and emulsifiers.
- When you find the right bar for your hair you should find that you need to wash your hair less often. You are likely to have more volume to your hair, faster hair growth, for those with curls, more defined curls and less frizz.
- You should have a healthier scalp. I get lots of people asking what they can do for itchy scalp or dandruff often the only answer needed is to switch to a truly Natural Shampoo. There are many Shampoo's defining themselves as "natural" "organic" but when you read all of the ingredients then it's often not the case. Unfortunately as I discovered many times greenwashing is rife.
- Palm oil can also be hidden in many products under many different names.
You can read about the different names it is hidden under here: http://www.palmoilinvestigations.org/names-for-palm-oil.html
Are there any down sides to using a Shampoo Bar?
Yes there can be! If you have hard water you can struggle a bit with Shampoo Bars, mostly with getting them to lather up well and wash hair properly, if you are committed to the cause though this can be a fairly easy fix with a shower filter for softening water.
Some people find it hard to get the balance with oily roots and dry tips. Soft brushing can help with this - distributing your natural oils through your hair well. Or the use of an oil like my Hair Nourishing Oil on the ends can help, some people find a little Coconut Oil rubbed through the ends can help too.
Conditioner Bars are amazing I use on my ends only.
The scary bit for some - transitioning!
So when you start using Shampoo Bars yes your hair and scalp can freak out a bit. If your hair is used to nasty chemical shampoos it needs to re-adjust. Shampoos with nasty ingredients strip the hair of all oils and then you replace them by using conditioner, Shampoo Bars are gentle.
Some people have no trouble at all and their hair is fine immediately and others it can take a while to settle. The issue is usually "gummy" feeling hair which can be a bit tricky if you are also trying to figure out which bar suits best, my advice is to pick the bar/bars that you think are the best suited to your hair and start there, see how you go, don't use one all up then move onto another as you won't be able to go back and see how it feels again. Play around a bit, try them all, see how your hair responds. Most importantly give it time to settle down, it can take weeks to find your new normal.
Use an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse/spray to speed up the process. Make up the mix 3 parts water to 1 part ACV. You can either mix this up and use as a rinse in the shower or put into a spray bottle and spray on after the shower. Personally I like to spray it on - and get it right into my roots. You can get the bottle I use on the website here. You can either get an empty bottle and make it up yourself or buy a pre-made one. I have recently added the option of tea tree to be added to the mix which will help with scalp problems and dandruff. Or of course if you have a spray bottle at home you can put that to use, I recommend a good Organic ACV such as Ceres or Braggs.
So how do I actually use a Shampoo Bar?
Easy! Just rub it on your head and it lathers up, or you can rub it in your hands then rub the lather on your head, give your scalp a wee massage with your fingers like you do and then give it a good rinse. Sometimes I give my hair 2 washes, sometimes just one, depends how long I've left it and how oily it is. Really oily hair might need a couple of washes and not so oily hair might only need one. This is your choice. I recommend the ACV rinse or spray after, this restores normal PH and adds shine and helps prevent tangles. Some people don't use an ACV rinse/spray after and find their hair is fine without it.
How do I store Shampoo Bars?
You need to keep them as dry as you can, if they sit in a puddle of water they will melt. I use a wire shower caddy hanging thing like this:
I got it from Kmart for about $7 I think it was and it can hold a few soaps, its hanging in the shower away from the water stream. You can use something like this or a wooden soap rack or even a dry flannel to sit them on.
Can I use Shampoo Bars as Soap?
Yes you absolutely can, it's just lovely moisturising soap after all, you can use any of the bars in the shower as body wash, the Peppermit Patchouli is popular in our house for the shower. Another popular multi-purpose bar is the Coconut Oil Bar this one is also fab by the sink as hand wash, foamy and naturally anti-bacterial, makes a great shave bar as its super foamy and it can also be used as a spot treatment for stains on clothing before chucking them in the wash!
I recently asked our customers on Facebook for some feedback on Shampoo Bars if you would like to have a read of what they had to say you can read that here:
https://www.facebook.com/dirtyhippienz/photos/a.1468554486807317.1073741828.1468029143526518/1751878275141602/?type=3&theater
Some people have their own little tips and tricks!
You can either buy the Shampoo Bar's individually in sample or full size, you can get a Trial Pack of all the bars for $17 or the pack below for $25 which also contains a Facewash bar, Tooth powder and Probiotic Deodorant samples.
