Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Shampoo bar?

A shampoo bar is very much what you will find in your favourite liquid shampoo bottles, all except for the additional water content. Most people will benefit from using a shampoo bar as the nourishing vitamins, and moisturising ingredients are not watered down and are applied directly to your hair.

Due to the nature of being "water-less," it is a lot lighter, and each bar typically lasts between 2 - 3 of your standard shampoo bottles.

What is the difference between shampoo and soap bars?

Shampoos are specifically tailored for use on hair and scalp. Our hair and scalp have a natural pH level of around 5.5. Your scalp becomes irritable and dry at anything outside of this pH level, causing itchiness and dandruff, and your hair becomes dry and brittle. 

Our shampoo bars are pH balanced to encourage healthy hair and scalp. Shampoos are made with synthetic ingredients, mainly from coconuts, ensuring a gentle cleansing experience.

Your typical soap bars are created through a chemical reaction called saponification. This reaction combines fat or oils with an alkali solution, which results in soap. Due to the process of making soap with alkali, the finished soap bar pH level will be around 9 - 10, which is not ideal for your hair or scalp.

Soap also reacts to minerals, especially in hard water areas. These minerals are bound to the soap, causing "soap scum." After washing your hair with soap, you will often find a waxy film-like residue in your hair; this is soap scum.

We always advise using a shampoo that is not soap and is pH balanced, specifically for hair and scalp.

Which Shampoo bar is for me?

All our shampoo bars are gentle and provide a great cleansing experience, which moisturises and softens your hair.

You can pick your favourite scents from our range of Everyday shampoo bars for those who have "normal" hair (not dry, not oily, or experiencing dandruff).

Coloured / Dyed hair:  We only use delicate and gentle ingredients in all our shampoo bars. They are perfectly suitable for those with coloured or dyed hair, so feel free to pick your favourite scented aroma.

If you have recently coloured or dyed your hair, we recommend using one of our Hydration shampoo bars. The dyes, bleach, and colouring chemicals can leave your hair dry and brittle. Rehydrate your hair with our Hydration range, as they provide additional moisture back into the hair with the help of added Vitamin Pro-B5 and Shea butter.

Oily hair:  Try our citrus shampoo bars. Sweet Orange and Lemon Fresh shampoo bars are perfect for cleaning excess oil and rebalancing your hair and scalp. 

Dry hair:  Our Blooming Lavender Hydrating bar is excellent for those with drier hair. We use only natural Lavender essential oil, known to help relieve itchy and dry scalp and has excellent moisturising properties.

We recommend our Hydrate range, which has a higher concentration of moisturising ingredients and added Shea butter.

Itchy / Dandruff:  Dandruff is formed by pieces of dead skin from the scalp. An irritable and itchy scalp can also cause dandruff as the constant scratching creates dandruff. Try our Hydrating Rebalance Tea Tree shampoo bar to stabilise the scalp's pH levels and hydrate the skin at the same time.

Curly hair: Curly hair is prone to drying out, which causes frizziness, and damage to the hair follicles. We recommend our range from the Hydrating Shampoo bar, but particularly the Hydrating Blooming Lavender bar. We use only natural Lavender essential oil, known to help relieve itchy and dry scalp and has excellent moisturising properties.

To increase further hydration to your hair, we recommend using our conditioner bars after each wash. 

Thinning: Eucalyptus is known to stimulate hair growth, and Tea Tree is known to prevent hair loss. 

What is paraben free?

Paraben is a class of preservatives that prevents bacteria and fungi from growing. Parabens are widely found in cosmetic products, from creams to deodorants. 

Several small publications show paraben may be linked to various health issues. However, there is no conclusive evidence that paraben in cosmetic products can cause harm.

We have taken the err of caution and do not use paraben in our products.

Do your products contain SLS?

No, our shampoos are sulfate free. We use Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA) which is different to Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS). SLS has a small molecule structure and therefore penetrates the skin easily leading to irritation. SLSA is derived from sustainable coconut and palm oils.  

Is packaging recyclable? 

Our boxes and packaging including tape is 100% recyclable and biodegradable. We have no control over how it is sent via third parties. 

How long will it take to receive my order?

I do not mass produce the bars and therefore when stock is low, new batches need to be made. Once bars are made they will need a minimum of a day or two to cure before packaging. We will let you know if this is the case at the time of ordering and then please allow the extra 3-5 days for delivery.

Why are some bars smoother than others? 

All our bars are made by hand in small batches. Every care is taken in each step to make sure they are all uniformed as best as possible. 

How do you store them?

Keep them away from running water to prolong life. Put aside preferably on a soap rack and allow to air dry. Unopened boxes should be stored away in a dark and cool area away from humidity.  

How long does each bar last?

Depends on various things: How often you wash your hair, length and thickness of hair and how you store it. 
On average it should last 70-80 washes. During trialling, for my own usage only, my bar lasted 6 months with having long thick hair and washing 2-3 times a week.

How to use shampoo bars?

It may seem simple enough to answer, however, some people with longer and thicker hair find it slightly more difficult to lather up.

Firstly, the boys in the house have no problems. They simply just rub the bar all over their wet hair and easily get the bubbles. I believe the blunt ends of their hair give a bit of friction to create the lather.

Us with longer and thicker hair, make sure the hair is drenched right down to the scalp. Creating a lather in wet hands and massaging into the roots to get right down to the scalp first and then rubbing the bar around the rest of the hair whilst wetting it now and again. 

It’s whatever works for you. To prolong the life of the bar I wouldn’t recommend standing under the water constantly whilst rubbing the bar around the head.

Why has the scent disappeared?

Due to the nature of essential oils the strength of the scent will slowly start to fade as it ages. This is also another reason why Washla makes in small batches to keep everything lasting longer. 

Additional info: Our fruity scents - Lemon & Sweet Orange are naturally lighter in smell than the earthier scents that we have. This may be the preference for people with sensitive noses or generally doesn’t like strong fragrances. 

Do we ship outside the UK?

Yes we do. Please visit our delivery page for more information. Delivery costs will be automatically calculated at checkout.