shampoo and conditioner bars are a great eco friendly beauty swap. Containing a concentrated dose of ingredients for healthy hair, they can last far longer than plastic laden shampoos and conditioners where water is most likely the main ingredient, give you softer, shinier hair, save you money and help protect the environment.
But, unlike those waterproof plastic shampoo bottles, when you take a bar of soap or shampoo into the bath or shower, it's naturally going to get wet. Fine when you're lathering up your hair and body but when you're done, how do store shampoo bars to make sure you're not letting those precious natural ingredients slip down the drain?
We've shared our top tips for prolonging the life of your plastic free shampoo and conditioner bars so you can make the most of every wash. Whether you're switching to a plastic free shampoo or have been using a bar conditioner since they became a thing, we're here to help you get the most out of them.
Keep out of direct contact with water
We get asked a lot about where to store shampoo bars. Our advice is to make sure that once you've finished washing and conditioning your hair with your shampoo bar, try not to let them come into contact with water. Some ways you can do this are:
- Storing them in a soap box
- Keeping them in a soap dish out of the flow of water
- Leaving them on the shower rack out of water's reach
- Buying a mesh soap bag and hanging them in the bathroom
Whichever option you choose, it's important your soap bar isn't getting splashed or dripped on. Each drop of water is using up those precious and potent natural haircare ingredients and could also cause the bar to go soggy meaning you use more product in your hair on the next wash than you need to.
Allow to dry completely between uses
Wet or damp shampoo bars not only waste product you've spent your hard earned money on but they also can harbour microbial and bacterial growth that can occur when products are kept in humid, damp environments. It's therefore important to make sure your plastic free shampoo and conditioner bars are allowed to completely dry out in between uses. Some ways you can do this are:
- Make sure your soap dish or box has drainage holes so your bar isn't sitting in a pool of water
- Check there's enough space for air to circulate around the bottom of your bar
- Allow the bar to dry on a surface away from water, like a windowsill or where there is natural airflow
To learn more about the hygiene of your beauty products check out our podcast.
Avoid direct sunlight
Like any natural beauty product, shampoo and conditioner bars can become discoloured if they're left in direct sunlight. There's also the added hygiene issues if your bars are in direct sunlight and are damp which is just asking for mould and fungus to develop. Keep your bars looking pretty by avoid natural direct sunlight to make the most of them.
Cut your shampoo bars into portions
If your soap dish doesn't quite hold a full bar, or you're leaving your shampoo and conditioner bars on the edge of the bath or in the shower, it can be a good idea to cut the bar into portions. This way you'll preserve the whole bar for as long as possible. It's also ideal for child sized hands or anyone with dexterity problems to be able to use the bars more easily.
Follow these simple steps and you'll be sure to get the best out of your plastic free shampoo and conditioner bars not only for your hair but for the environment too.
At Blomma Beauty we choose to stock KIND2 shampoo and conditioner bars because they're the best we've tried...and we've tried a LOT! They're made with only natural and plant based ingredients and are certified micro plastic free too.
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