Heard about solid shampoo bars but dubious to try?

Don’t worry, I am your Guinea pig in our journey towards a plastic free lifestyle.

What is plastic free shampoo?

In our next venture going plastic free, I wanted to try out solid shampoo and conditioner to see how it compares to bottles of liquid. The humble shampoo bar has been around for decades but has recently started gaining popularity with the growing concerns for the environment and innovative ingredients which have made them able to compete on a level playing field.

After asking around, the top pick seemed to be Lush. Following the unmistakable aroma into their store, I felt completely out of my depth so asked for some help from the sales assistant who kindly talked me through their collection. I was looking for something that was quite light, full of goodness and wouldn’t make my hair greasy. I decided to just trust my nose and go for my favourite smelling shampoo and the light conditioner: Jason And The Argan Oil& Big

Lush cosmetics support ethical buying, fighting animal testing, naked packaging and are handmade! With 100% vegetarian products and 80% vegan, what’s not to love! … the solid body wash was fascinating and I loved that it looked like a bottle but was totally plastic free. #LushNaked

The best thing is that apparently these little bars last as long as 3 medium sized bottles! Plus, because they are solid there's no need to worry about taking liquids on the plane! ✈️

My first time using plastic free shampoo and conditioner

Feeling rather happy with my new purchases, I made my way to the shower. Being a total solid hair product virgin, I didn’t really know what to expect and was happily surprised as I began to rub the little red shampoo bar that it lathered up nicely. I immediately noticed a few differences to my usual shampoo: the bubbles didn’t stay in my hair long and I felt like I had to lather up a few more times to make sure it was clean. As I rinsed it out, my hair felt extremely clean… to the point of being dry and felt a little waxy (I had read that my hair might feel waxy so continued onto conditioner).

(Image: Lush)

The sales assistant had recommended to wet the conditioner beforehand which was a great tip as I felt I needed quite a lot. She also suggested stroking it down the ends of the hair for better coverage. I have a feeling it might take a little longer to get used to the conditioner!

Usually once the conditioner is on my hair it feels silky and knot free, however the solid conditioner was a lot thicker in consistency – perhaps my old conditioner coated my hair in something to give the illusion of silkiness! I still had faith and after drying, my hair did feel very light, clean and healthy! It was a little more knotty than usual and my hair is only shoulder length so would possibly be a little tricky if my hair was longer.

(Image:Lush)

My conclusion

The best part about this experience was that my hair didn’t get greasy again for days! I will definitely persevere with the solid bars, I’ve heard there might be a transition period for your hair to get used to the new products but once you’re on the other side, it’s marvellous! 

My decision to try the solid bars was driven by the staggering amount of plastic bottles that we throw away. According to Forbes, people are buying 1,000,000 plastic bottles per minute around the world and National Geographic estimates that 91% of all plastic is not recycled.[1] The UK alone uses 13 billion plastic bottles every year, with the bottles littered on our streets costing local authorities (and us) £778 million in 2015/16 to clean it up,[2] not to mention the amount that ends up in our oceans and amongst wildlife. The bathroom is a tricky place to go plastic free, with all our cleaning products and sprays it may seem an impossible task to accomplish. If your needing some help in taking things further, this is a great article to get you going: Plastic free bathroom

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/07/26/million-plastic-bottles-minute-91-not-recycled/

[2] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/339/339.pdf