Have you heard of shampoo bars? There are a few sprinkled throughout the market and over the years we’ve tried many of them. Most recently we got our hands on Davines’ bar shampoo options and had the opportunity to talk with Nancy Roberts, an educator for Davines, about this addition to their product line.
First things first, why do we love Davines? Davines is an Italian-based haircare company that takes sustainability VERY seriously. All of the plastics used to package their products are food grade and recyclable. They formulate with care and precision, using botanically derived ingredients, and release the products to the consumer market as they meet their high standards. They offer a wide range of product that doesn’t react negatively with the water or land once the products are washed off and rinsed down the drain. (Did you know that our personal care products that are made without the planet in mind are a major cause of the growth and expansion of algae blooms? Algae bloom = nothing good for the planet.)
So bar shampoo, huh? Here is a handy list of commonly asked questions:
I love my liquid Davines shampoo though…
If you already use and love a Davines shampoo from their Essential Haircare line, you’ll be able to find most of them in bar form. They are almost exactly the same, however, we discovered that our hair felt slightly more hydrated by using the bar form instead of the liquid. This is possibly due to the shampoo bars being more acidic on the pH scale, meaning that your hair strand’s natural state is less disturbed. *actually, while these bars ARE balanced to a low pH, they are not necessarily LOWER than their counterparts. The sunflower seed oil creates a rich lather which in turn hydrates and protects the hair. You can mention a lower pH of the product being good for the hair, but please don’t mention that it is lower than anything else in the essential line because it’s not necessarily true for ALL products in the line.
How long do they last?
This depends on how frequently you wash your hair as well as your hair’s density. A safe bet would be 30-40 washes per bar. Let’s say you use Davines’ Momo Shampoo (a hydrating shampoo made with Cartucciaru Melon extract from Mrs. Francesca’s farm in Italy) and usually purchase the 250ml bottle. You can now try out the Momo Shampoo Bar and get approximately 300ml worth of product. Plus, the bars are less expensive than their bottled counterparts. More product for less money? Yes, thank you!
How should I use a shampoo bar?
Pick up that cute lil’ bar, rub it between your wet hands until suds begin to form in your palms, set your bar back down, and apply those bubbles to your scalp and roots. Massage the product into your hair exactly like a liquid shampoo. We found that the most difficult aspect of using a shampoo bar was making the mental switch. Instead of pouring the product into your hands, you just massage it into them.
Do they cause damage by rubbing it on wet hair?
When used properly, not at all! Many product lovers assume that we’ll take the bar and rub it directly onto your wet strands. While this wouldn’t cause any crazy damage, we recommend applying the suds from your shampoo bar the same way you apply your liquid shampoo. (Nobody rubs the open bottle on their head until shampoo comes out, right?)
How should shampoo bars be stored?
You’ll want to give your bar its best shot at completely drying out between uses. This means you need airflow under and around it. We prefer a good ol’ soap dish to rest the bar on and use the shampoo bar tins to store the bar when we travel.
Should I use conditioner after bar shampoo?
If you usually use a conditioner, then absolutely yes. As mentioned above, the bars do feel a bit more hydrating but you’ll want to continue your normal routine after using bar shampoo.
Are shampoo bars more sustainable?
Speaking of Davines’ shampoo bars specifically, yes. Their shampoo bars are carbon-neutral, packaged only in recyclable paper, you are getting about 50ml more worth of product in a bar vs in the bottle, it is easy to over-use liquid shampoo, shampoo bars ship from Italy around the world in pallets that have very little wasted space inside the shipping box. Imagine all of the empty space between bottles vs how tightly bars can be packed in their shipping containers.
Who should be using a shampoo bar vs liquid shampoo?
- The Beauty Guru/Product Junkies. Bar shampoo is less common and honestly just fun to experience something a little bit different.
- The Travelers. Can you even imagine how easy these are to travel with?! You’ll be so pleased with yourself when you can toss a bar into your carry-on and not have to worry about bagging and double-bagging your shampoo bottle to protect everything else in your suitcase.
- The Gym-Goers. Solid shampoos are just so portable! After a workout, we’re typically in a mad rush to freshen up and get on with the rest of our day. It’s easy to over-use liquid shampoo when you’re in a hurry, bar shampoo is self-regulating so you’re likely to get bored of rubbing the bar before you can use too much.
- The Eco-Conscious. If you’ve made it this far, you know that it’s carbon-neutral and is packaged with 100% recyclable paper. Davines’ solid shampoos are made with high-quality, naturally derived ingredients, making its carbon footprint impressively small.
Thank you to Nancy, our wonderful expert on all things Davines and shampoo bars for taking the time to talk with us and answer our many questions. You can find her on Instagram @nancyrobertshair.
Now friends, take a few slow deep breaths. You just learned so many new things! How can this new (or reviewed) knowledge enrich your life? Do you see this improving your environmental health? Will the benefit of clean ingredients improve your physical health? Will any of this information ease mental stress?
We hope you find beautiful ways to incorporate shampoo bars into your life, let us know what you discover!
Leave a Reply