We reviewed the most popular sustainable shampoo bars to see if they are a better option than traditional liquid shampoo. Liquid shampoos began to gain popularity in the mid-20th century, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. Prior to this, solid bar soaps were commonly used for washing hair. However, liquid shampoos offered convenience and ease of use, and they quickly became more popular than soap bars.
Washing hair with soap bars leaves it dry, dull, and super frizzy because the alkaline properties of soap disrupt the pH balance of your hair. Liquid shampoos use different cleansing agents specifically designed for hair, which made them a lot more popular than just regular soap.
However, commercial liquid shampoos often contain harmful chemicals and mostly water, which makes them easy to apply. And as the sustainability movement grew, people started looking for more environmentally friendly options that would accomplish the same goals but would reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing and consumption.
Why are Shampoo Bars More Sustainable than Traditional Liquid Shampoo?
Reduced Packaging: Shampoo bars typically come in minimal or zero-waste packaging, such as compostable paper or no packaging at all. This significantly reduces plastic waste compared to traditional liquid shampoo bottles.
Longer Lifespan: Shampoo bars are concentrated and don’t contain unnecessary fillers like water, which means they last longer. A single shampoo bar can replace multiple bottles of liquid shampoo, reducing the overall amount of packaging waste generated.
Transportation Efficiency: Shampoo bars are lightweight and compact, making them more efficient to transport compared to bulky liquid shampoo bottles. This contributes to lower carbon emissions during transportation.
Natural Ingredients: Many shampoo bars are made with natural and plant-based ingredients, eliminating the need for harsh chemicals and reducing the environmental impact associated with their production and disposal.
Water Conservation: Shampoo bars require less water to produce and use. Traditional liquid shampoos require large amounts of water in their manufacturing process and during usage. By switching to shampoo bars, you can contribute to water conservation efforts.
What Are the Main Natural Ingredients in Shampoo Bars?
Coconut Oil: Known for its cleansing properties, coconut oil helps to remove dirt and impurities from the hair while providing moisture and nourishment.
Shea Butter: Shea butter is a natural moisturizer that helps to hydrate the hair and scalp, promoting softness and smoothness.
Olive Oil: Olive oil is rich in antioxidants and vitamins, making it an excellent ingredient for nourishing and strengthening the hair.
Castor Oil: Castor oil is known for its ability to moisturize and condition the hair, promoting healthy hair growth and reducing breakage.
Argan Oil: Argan oil is a lightweight oil that helps to hydrate the hair without weighing it down. It also adds shine and helps to tame frizz.
Tea Tree Oil: Tea tree oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, making it effective in treating scalp conditions and promoting a healthy scalp.
Our Recommendations
We selected the best sustainable shampoo bars that don’t contain soap and are made of nourishing ingredients. Here are our recommendations.
The Leafinty S02 shampoo bar is designed for dry and normal hair, gently cleansing while nourishing and locking in moisture. It's formulated with clean and vegan ingredients, including a proprietary blend of sulfate-free and soap-free cleansing agents enriched with coconut oil, shea butter, and plant-based silicone alternatives. The bar is pH balanced, providing a rich lather, and is safe for color-treated hair. It's free from sulfates, silicones, parabens, phthalates, and palm oil, making it environmentally friendly with zero plastic packaging. The bar is long-lasting, providing great value, and is equivalent to 2 to 3 bottles of liquid shampoo.
About Leafinty
Leafinty’s mission is to create personal products that are kinder to the body and to our planet while reducing plastic waste. Unlike the traditional shampoos that consist of 80-95% of water, the Leafinty’s shampoo bars are only made from cleansing and conditioning concentrated ingredients making them last as long as 2 to 3 bottles of traditional liquid shampoo. They only use the best natural ingredients and their products are free of sulfates, parabens, and phthalates.
The Calming Shampoo Bar by Ethique comes in eight varieties that have different scents and address different hair types and hair issues. The Healing Kiwi shampoo bar is designed to alleviate itchy or dry scalp issues, offering a lime-scented, soap-free formula that gently cleanses with a rich lather. It contains a blend of oils and soothing oatmeal to calm and nourish the scalp, providing softness and shine to the hair. The bar features nourishing ingredients like neem and karanja oils, cocoa butter, and coconut oil, known for their healing properties. It's made with ethical and sustainable ingredients, including vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil-free, and paraben-free components, sourced from producers paid a fair wage. It’s also eco-friendly, TSA-friendly, and compostable.
About Ethique
In 2012, the founder Brianne West initiated the journey by developing formulas in her kitchen in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Aotearoa (New Zealand) which later became the foundation for her brand, Ethique. At that time, plastic-free products were not a significant concern, and solid beauty bars, which Ethique specializes in, were not widely available. In 2015, Brianne successfully crowdfunded capital to expand the business, leading to international sales by 2016. Despite the global presence and operations in more than 22 countries, Ethique maintains a small, entrepreneurial, and mission-led approach. The company is dedicated to creating products that are better for both individuals and the planet.
This is a bottle-free, natural shampoo alternative made with 3.2 oz of rice water for hair growth. Enriched with rice water protein and natural ingredients, it balances hair pH and moisturizes hair. It's formulated without parabens or sulfates, ideal for dry and color-treated hair. It comes in zero-waste packaging which is 100% compostable. The shampoo bar is certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny and is completely vegan.
About Kitsch
Founded in 2010 by Cassandra Thruswell in Los Angeles, Kitsch’s mission is to offer high-quality beauty products with a focus on sustainability and ethical practices. Their products are effective, formulated with natural ingredients and without harmful chemicals, and are cruelty-free. Kitsch prioritizes reducing waste with bottle-free options and compostable packaging, while also ensuring fair wages for ingredient producers.
This shampoo bar boasts a luxurious lather that effectively cleanses without stripping natural moisture, leaving hair strengthened, soft, and clean. It contains marshmallow root extract and elderberry to promote healthy hair growth and thickness, along with glycerin and Vitamin B5 for moisture and volume. The pH-balanced formula is dermatologist-approved for sensitive skin and regulates oily scalp while soothing irritation. Free of sulfates, parabens, silicones, and artificial fragrances, it suits all hair types and is made in the USA with natural, vegan ingredients in eco-friendly packaging.
About The Earthling Co.
The Earthling Co. was established in 2016 by sisters Stephanie and Celia Dailey with the goal of offering sustainable alternatives to everyday products, driven by a passion for reducing waste and living in harmony with the planet. Through their brand, they aim to make eco-friendly living accessible and convenient for all, encouraging individuals to embrace more sustainable practices in their daily lives. They began by creating handmade, zero-waste products and expanded their range to include various sustainable essentials, prioritizing natural ingredients, minimal packaging, and carbon-neutral shipping. The Earthling Co. also actively engages with its community through educational initiatives and partnerships with environmental organizations, striving to raise awareness and inspire positive change towards a more sustainable future.
These shampoo bars come in 7 naturall scents with each one offering a different benefit and designed for different hair types. Made with nourishing ingredients, they leave hair looking and feeling fantastic without stripping away natural oils. Vegan, cruelty-free, and palm oil-free, they're gentle on both hair and the environment, lasting for 50+ washes and eliminating 3-5 plastic bottles per bar. Compact and TSA-approved, they're perfect for travel, saving space in suitcases, and are phosphate-free, chemical-free, and made in the USA.
About Tangie
The founder of Tangie began creating waste-free products due to sensitivities to store-bought products. Starting with a desire to clean windows naturally, she discovered that you can use water and vinegar instead of a commercial cleaner. All of Tangie’s products are plant-based, free of harsh chemicals and are plastic-free. The company holds multiple environmental certifications, including Leaping Bunny, Green America, EWG Verification, and Clean Hub certifications.