Shampoo bars are pretty amazing. All the best parts of your favourite liquid shampoo (lots of light lather, delicious scents, the best hair day of your life), with none of the wasteful packaging.
If you’ve decided to make the switch to solid shampoo, we’re excited for you! There’s just one thing left to do: find your perfect bar.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
What’s my hair type?
When we talk about hair types, there are six basic categories that most shampoos will fall into: balanced, dry, oily, frizzy, fine and colour-treated.
But here’s the wrinkle: most of us have hair that fits into more than one category. And then there’s hair pattern to think about, meaning whether your hair is straight or has a curl (and then there are multiple curl patterns, too!).
It’s totally normal to have complicated hair needs and not a straight-forward ‘hair type’. We’re always talking to people who have oily roots but dry ends, or curly hair with a sensitive scalp, or colour-treated hair that’s also prone to frizz. You’re not alone, and there absolutely is a shampoo/conditioner combo out there for you!
The simple rule is this: pick a shampoo that suits your scalp’s needs, and a conditioner that will look after your ends. So, someone with oily roots but dry ends might try St Clements Clarifying Shampoo Bar with The Guardian Nourishing Conditioner Bar.
Try our handy dandy flow-charts to find the best bar for your hair type.
What does a good hair day look like for me?
The other consideration when choosing your shampoo is what a ‘good hair day’ looks like for you personally. Do you value shine above all else? Enhancing your natural curl pattern? Or maybe you want to encourage bounce, or protect your hair from the elements, or pep up flat roots?
Whatever your hair goals, if you know what you want, it is going to be that much easier to get your shampoo bar pick right the first time.
Good things come in small packages
Our shampoo bars are super compact, so one of our full-size bars lasts at least 80 washes – equivalent to three bottles of liquid shampoo. That can last a long time, so we tend to recommend trying minis if you’re in doubt. Each trial-size bar lasts ten washes, giving you a chance to find out if it’s the one for you before committing to a full-size.
Still not sure?
If in doubt, test our our Hair Quiz or give us a shout on hello@ethique.co.uk. Our miracle workers would love to help you find your dream bar.
