A friend of mine started using shampoo bars this week. This is a switch that I wish all people made. There are a couple of reasons that shampoo
bars are more environmentally friendly.
First, using bars rather than bottles entail way less waste and don’t
rely on the oil industry. In today’s
world, I think that it’s important to distance ourselves in any way possible
from these companies. Secondly, shampoo
bars are soap based, often natural and free of all the insanely harsh chemicals
that we then flush down the drain.
People shampoo their hair WAY too often, and when they do, they use way
too strong of chemicals to do it. Like
everything else on our bodies and on our planet, there is a fragile balance
that we don’t want to throw off.
I do however have a couple of cautions. When your hair is used to the chemicals, and
you’re used to the ease of just squeezing two products out of bottles, it takes
some adjustment.
1.
Don’t
shampoo as much. Unlike using shampoo
and conditioner that ensure that you have to use it every other day just to
keep the oil away, shampoo bars keep your hair clean for almost a week.
2.
Use the shampoo bar on the top of your head and
scalp rather than the tips – similar to bottle shampoo, it can dry out the
ends.
3.
Use an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse. This is incredibly important to rinse the
soap residue away every time. A
tablespoon or two mixed with a cup of shower water to rinse your hair – instead
of conditioner. Very cheap, very
simple. If you’re worried about the
smell from the vinegar, it smells pretty strong, but the smell doesn’t hang
around on your hair. Unless you have
really short hair, if you skip this step you will likely not be able to use
shampoo bars for long.
4.
Consider using baking soda every other
time. Baking soda is a very gentle
cleanser and people are starting to use it on their hair more and more,
especially if they want to grow their hair long. It works great and is gentle on long
hair. Just like the Apple Cider Vinegar
rinse, a tablespoon or two of baking soda mixed with a cup of shower water and
work it into your scalp. Don’t expect
suds, and it might not feel “clean” until you’re out of the shower, but I
promise it does work. Finish with an
Apple Cider Vinegar rinse and away you go.
Cheap and simple, and therefore something big business doesn’t want you
to know.
Shampoo bars are really the way to go. There are some talented soap makers that make
amazing shampoo bars…Check out etsy.com for
some fantastic shampoo bars or your local farmers market.
