5 Benefits of using Shampoo Bars
Sections
1. Reducing Plastic Waste
Over the last few years, there has been a greater awareness of how plastics (particularly single-use plastics) have affected our environment for the worst. I think it's safe to say that the majority of us have acknowledged this and are trying to reduce our dependency on single-use plastics.
Plastic bottles from traditional liquid shampoos contribute to an astonishing amount of plastic pollution that harms our environment and endangers marine life.
Solid Shampoo bars have been growing in popularity in recent years; they are equally as effective as your traditional branded liquid shampoos, if not better. Shampoo bars typically are packaged plastic free, and an average bar (40g - 60g) would last the equivalent of 2 bottled shampoos.
With every lather and rinse, you're actively reducing the demand for plastic bottles that often end up in overflowing landfills or floating in our precious oceans. It's a tangible way to positively impact the health and beauty of our hair and planet.
Imagine the cumulative effect of millions of individuals like you, consciously opting for plastic-free shampoo bars. Together, we're transforming the beauty industry landscape and setting a powerful example for other sectors to follow.
But it doesn't stop there!
The reduction in plastic waste achieved by choosing shampoo bars extends to the entire life cycle of the product. From production to disposal, the environmental impact is significantly minimised. Traditional shampoo bottles require substantial resources and energy for manufacturing, transportation, and recycling. By just using shampoo bars, you're conserving energy, reducing carbon emissions, and reducing the strain on our planet's resources.
2) Great Shampoos
Shampoo bars are great shampoos! Find a reputable shampoo bar maker, and you will find that the ingredients used are sourced sustainably, naturally and with quality in mind. At Washla, our shampoo bars contain essential proteins to maintain strong and healthy hair, Pro vitamin B5 to nourish and retain moisture in each hair follicle, Conditioning agents to soften and moisturise your hair, Shea butter for extra nourishments to both your scalp and hair. Finally, we only use Essential oils (no chemically produced perfume), but more on that later.
You will find that shampoo bars generally stay clear from an ingredient typically found in most store brought shampoos - SLS (Sodium lauryl sulphate), not to be confused with SLSa. SLS has had a lot of bad press in recent years linked to health risks. However, no conclusive studies have shown this to be true. SLS primary function is to clean, which is why you will find this ingredient in the likes of shampoos, shower gels and even toothpastes. SLS is such as effective cleanser, which is one of the reasons why we have excluded this from our shampoo bars.
We use much gentler ingredients to wash away unnecessary oils, dirt and grime from your hair while retaining valuable moisture and active ingredients to keep your hair healthy, soft and vibrant.
Lastly, we have found, and so have our customers, that our hair feels so much better after using a shampoo bar. One of the key benefits of using a shampoo bar is that it contains no water. It is a fully concentrated shampoo bar, and when you glide it across your wet hair, your hair is getting the full benefits of the ingredients from the bar - unlike its liquid water counterpart.
This nicely brings us to the topic of water...
3) Minimising Water Waste
Traditional liquid shampoos require a significant amount of water throughout their manufacturing journey. From the sourcing of raw materials to the intricate formulation and bottling stages, water plays a central role. It's a hidden aspect that often goes unnoticed but deserves our attention when considering the environmental impact of our hair product choices.
The manufacturing process of shampoo bars requires significantly less or no water compared to liquid shampoos. Their solid form eliminates the need for excessive water usage during mixing, dilution, and bottle production.
Beyond the water savings, shampoo bars also play a role in reducing carbon emissions associated with transporting bulky liquid shampoo bottles. Their compact and lightweight nature contributes to fewer fuel emissions during shipping, further lessening the impact on our environment.
4) Essential Oils
Have you ever had an allergic reaction to a skin or hair product? Most allergies are due to factory-produced chemicals like perfumes.
Finding shampoo bars that don't contain artificial scents can be difficult, but there are a growing number of us who only scent our shampoo bars with Essential oils.
Not only are essential oils natural by extracting them from plants, fruits and or herbs, but they contain numerous naturally occurring vitamins and health properties that we are constantly discovering.
When we started on our quest to discover the finest and most fitting essential oils for our shampoo bars, we came upon the remarkable Tea Tree oil. Among the many beautiful aromas available, the unique and pleasant earthy scent of Tea Tree oil captured our attention. The benefit of using Tea Tree oil in a shampoo bar is astonishing, from its anti-inflammatory & antibacterial properties to its vast array of nutrients that can benefit hair, scalp and skin.
Here at Washla, we created an amazing and very popular Charcoal and Tea Tree shampoo bar, you can find this Tea Tree Shampoo here.
We naturally colour this bar with organic activated charcoal powder, giving the shampoo bar an extra boost in cleansing power without stripping essential oils and moisture from your hair.
5) Travel friendly
Last but not least, a very practical benefit of a shampoo bar is how easy it is to take with you on your travels, to the gym or on the move.
The shampoo bar's convenient size and weight make it easy to take anywhere.
My husband takes a shampoo bar with him on his business travels, and because these shampoo bars contain no water, he carries his bar in his cabin bag. You can confidently carry your shampoo bar in your carry-on luggage without additional packaging or worrying about exceeding the allowed liquid limit put in place by most airports.
Their solid form also ensures mess-free transportation, eliminating the risk of leaks or spills that can wreak havoc on your belongings.
Final Thoughts
Obviously, we are huge fans of using shampoo bars!
To me, it's an obvious choice when we can have a superior product that minimises our environmental impact and offers many other advantages.
If you want to check out our range of shampoo bars, view our collection here.
You be happy to know that all our deliveries are carbon-neutral by investing a proportion of our profits to tackle this. We know that every delivery we make leaves a carbon footprint, which is why we've partnered with cutting-edge companies that specialise in removing carbon from the air. To find out more, read here.
