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I'm a fan of shampoo bars. For starters, they’re space-efficient, which is a necessity when you share shower space with family members. They’re also extremely travel-friendly with no risk of causing spills in your bag. Most importantly, they cut down on plastic use (something I'm really trying to work on in 2024 and beyond).
With that in mind, here are seven shampoo bars that deliver a solid performance on lather, scent and cleansing ability.
Best Overall Shampoo Bar
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Best Shampoo Bar for Damaged Hair
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Best Shampoo Bar for Dry Hair
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Best Shampoo Bar for Color-Treated Hair
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Best Smelling Shampoo Bar
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1. Lush Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar
Fun fact: When Lush first launched their now cult-favorite shampoo bars, they sold 12,000 of them within the first 48 hours. Each bar (there are 12 different varieties to choose from) is loaded with essential oils and hair-friendly ingredients to address your most pressing concerns—be it an oily scalp or frizz. I like this sweetly-scented bar because it smells delicious and makes strands softer and smoother without weighing them down.
2. Peach Strengthening Shampoo Bar
This honeydew melon-scented bar will quickly become a favorite in your shower. (Just look at that cheery lime green color!) Crafted in small batches, no two bars look exactly the same but each one is sulfate-free and packed with coconut oil, shea butter and monoi oil to strengthen weak strands and smooth down your cuticles. Plus, every purchase supports 5 Gyres Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on reducing plastics pollution through research.
3. Odacité 552m Soap-Free Shampoo Bar
Approximately 552 million plastic bottles end up in landfills each year, which is what prompted Valerie Grandury, the founder of Odacité, to create this shampoo bar. (It also explains the name.) Formulated with argan oil, cupuaçu butter and coconut oil, it washes away dirt, excess oil and product buildup, while keeping the ends silky soft. Psst, Hilary Duff is a fan.
4. Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo Bar
For the dyed and highlighted among us, this color-safe bar is your best bet. Formulated with Amazonian murumuru butter and organic coconut oil to hydrate parched ends and no sulfates, it gently cleanses your scalp and strands without stripping it of moisture or color. The heart-shaped bar fits snugly into your palm and the rose scent lingers long after you rinse.
5. Wildland Organics The Super Bar
If you’re really looking to cut down on space and waste, you’ll love this three-in-one bar from Wildland Organics. Made with saponified sunflower, coconut and castor oils, it gently cleans from tip to toe (or, to be more specific, from scalp to strands to face to the rest of your body). Imbued with Palo Santo and Gotu Kola (an ancient Chinese herb), it fills your shower with a grounding earthy scent that’s calming. The brand really (ahem) raised the bar on its packaging as well; it’s made from post-consumer recycled paper and is 100 percent recyclable.
6. superzero Fine Hair Shampoo Bar
As our Associate SEO Editor Marissa Wu attests: You can have salon-grade, ultra-nourishing shampoo that comes in a bar. This brand makes soap for all hair types that addresses diverse concerns, from frizz to oily and thinning hair. Wu tested the shampoo bar for fine hair and found that it rendered her lank locks less frizzy with more volume than other brands she’s tried. And despite the bar form, she reports that the shampoo lathers incredibly well.
And if you’re still on the fence about which bar to buy, try this sampler from Ethique. At 16 bucks a set, you get three kinds of shampoos and two conditioners to tackle everything from frizz to an irritated scalp. Each petite bar (for reference, they’re roughly the size of a Reese’s peanut butter cup) is completely biodegradable and comes in compostable packaging, so it doesn't leave any trace (or residue) behind.
Of course it takes a little getting used to at first since we’ve all been conditioned to lather up a certain way. With bar shampoo, you either want to rub the bar between your palms to create a lather or put the bar directly on wet strands. Either way works—though I prefer the palm method because a direct application can sometimes be too heavy handed.
Ideally, you want to keep your shampoo bar someplace dry, or in a vented space where it can drain between uses; this way, it doesn't wear down too quickly. When traveling, you can pop your shampoo bar into a sealed container. (Note: Many of the brands featured here sell their own tins that will fit the exact size and shape of their bars.)
