Our Pick of the Best Natural Shampoo Bars That Are Hot Right Now

Shampoo bars aren’t anything new. They have long been popular in the backpacking community for years, and it makes perfect sense why. They are small, convenient and don’t take up unnecessary space in travel bags. They are also designed to last longer. Today, everyone’s embracing them.

According to Lush, one of the industry’s leading beauty brands, their shampoo bars can last up to 80 washes. If you were using conventional liquid shampoo, this is the equivalent of two to three bottles. This provides great value for money.

That aside, perhaps one of the best things about shampoo bars is the fact that they are great for the environment. Here are some statistics to help put things into perspective. Since 2010, close to 10 million shampoo bars have been sold across the globe. This is merely a fraction of what’s been sold since they were first invented more than 20 years ago.

In the last five years alone, they have saved the environment from approximately 30 million plastic bottles that would have ended up landfilled. If that’s not reason enough to make the switch, we don’t know what is. We put together our top picks of the best natural shampoo bars that are hot on the market right now.

1. Best Natural Shampoo Bar Overall

ethique heali kiwi

If the numerous 5-star reviews on Amazon are anything to go by, then you know you can’t go wrong with Heali Kiwi from Ethique. The brand designs natural shampoo bars that cater to every kind of hair type there is. So, whether you have normal, oily or dry hair, there’s a specially formulated natural shampoo bar from Ethique to help you care for it.

Each Heali Kiwi bar lasts the equivalent of three bottles of liquid shampoo. It is 100% soap-free and is completely vegan. It lathers significantly more than any traditional liquid shampoo to get rid of all product build-up in your hair with very few washes. So you don’t have to worry about spending a ton of time in the shower re-washing your hair to get it clean.

It is made from ingredients like Oats, Neem Oil, Kiwifruit Oil, Manuka Oil, Coconut Oil and Calendula which work in tandem to prevent your hair from drying out while nourishing and hydrating it in the process. There aren’t many other natural shampoo bars in the market designed with this specific combination of ingredients.

Features

  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free
  • Lasts up to 80 washes

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Hydrating and nourishing to hair

Cons

  • May dissolve quickly if stored when wet
  • Has a higher wax-content compared to liquid shampoos
  • May cause more hair tangles among individuals with fine or curly hair

2. Best Natural Shampoo Bar for Oily Hair

voodoo charcoal shampoo bar

The majority of people who have oily skin tend to also have oily hair. The skin type you have on the visible surface of your body doesn’t usually vary with the one on your scalp surface. If you’re not sure if you have oily hair, here’s how to tell.

First, it usually has a dull, lifeless appearance most of the time. Next, regardless of how much you lather up your hair to make sure it’s clean and oil-free, it begins to look limp and greasy after two or so days. Finally, you suffer from a lot of hair shedding, which stems from dandruff caused by excess oil secretion.

If you fall into this category of people, then you’ll love Voodoo Charcoal Shampoo Bar from Beauty and the Bees Tasmania. The secret to its effectiveness lies in the activated charcoal contained in its ingredients. It works to mildly detoxify your hair and scalp, gently removing the grease buildup that’s notorious for weighing your hair down.

You don’t have to worry about it leaving your hair dry in the process. It has Organic Castor Oil, Coconut Oil, and Olive Oil to moisturize your hair giving it generous full body and extra shine. If you suffer from conditions like psoriasis, eczema, and dandruff, Voodoo will help alleviate these conditions, reduce inflammation, and leave your scalp feeling better than it did before.

Features

  • Cold-pressed
  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfates-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free
  • Lasts up the equivalent of two liquid shampoo bottles

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Great for oily hair

Cons

  • Has a higher wax-content compared to liquid shampoos

3. Best Natural Shampoo Bar for Thick, Curly Hair

moroccan mud shampoo bar

Curly hair looks and feels great. However, it does tend to be a lot drier than other hair types. Here’s why. Your scalp produces natural oil known as sebum. It serves to keep the scalp moisturized and hair soft and protected. For people with straight hair, this natural oil tends to travel down the shaft effortlessly, which makes them prone to getting greasy hair.

On the other hand, people with curly hair face a different type of challenge. The twists, turns, bumps, and ridges in their hair shaft make it difficult for sebum to get to the end of the strands. This leaves the hair dry, making it more susceptible to breakage. Therefore, if you have this type of hair, you need to integrate hair-care products that are infused with loads of essential oils to nourish it. This includes your shampoo bar.

Moroccan Mud Shampoo Bar from Beauty and the Bees is specially formulated with a unique blend of conditioning ingredients suited for thick curly hair. It removes the sebum and product build-up from your scalp without stripping the hair of more moisture than it needs to. Rhassoul Clay soured from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco serves to restore vital nutrients and moisture to keep each hair strand hydrated.

Features

  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free
  • Lasts up to 80 washes

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Hydrating and nourishing to thick curly hair

Cons

  • May dissolve quickly if stored when wet

4. Best Natural Shampoo Bar for Sensitive Scalps

neem and tea tree soap

Do you have a sensitive scalp? Here’s how to tell. If you experience regular itching, chronic dryness, and redness, it’s a tell-tale sign that you suffer from scalp sensitivity. There are many reasons why you could have a sensitive scalp. It could be brought on by skin disorders like dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis. It could also be triggered by allergic reactions from certain hair products like shampoos, metals, and plants like poison ivy.

It could also stem from infections that are specific to hair follicles like Carbunculosis, Furunculosis, and Folliculitis. These conditions cause inflammation of the scalp, which in turn makes it more vulnerable to bruising and microscopic tears that cause pain when the skin comes into contact with harsh chemicals and substances.

You, therefore, need to find a product made from mild and all-natural ingredients that work to reduce inflammation, heal the scalp, and get your hair clean. Neem and Tea Tree Soap and Shampoo Bar from Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve has been dermatologically proven to do all these three things.

It contains Neem and Tea Tree Oils that have powerful anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. These have proven to be quite effective in removing dead skin build-up from the scalp, alleviate the pain that results from inflammation and treating conditions like dandruff, dermatitis, and psoriasis. It also has Botanical Extracts and Jojoba Oil, which soothe the scalp and alleviate the pain that results from irritation and chronic inflammation.

Features

  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Has healing properties

Cons

  • May dissolve quickly if stored when wet
  • May cause more hair tangles among individuals with fine or curly hair

5. Best Natural Shampoo Bar for Men

bossman 4 in 1 bar soap

For most men, skincare and hair care products, all boil down to choosing the one that has the uncanny ability to do everything. You want a product that washes, conditions, moisturizes, exfoliates, adds volume, and promotes growth. Heck if it can cook your meals and iron your shirts – even better! However, the reality is you need to get different products, all optimized to do different things.

With that said, 4-in-1 Bar Soap from Bossman comes close to doing a number of those things. It is made with lots of hydrating and conditioning ingredients like Organic Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Safflower Oil, Plantain Leaf Powder, Cocoa Powder that are designed to cleanse and moisturize the scalp and beard hair while adding shine and volume.

It also has a special formula that contains essential oils like Vanilla, Lavender, Geranium, Patchouli, and Rosemary to refresh and invigorate the mind and body, leaving you feeling fresh and adorned the signature Bossman scent. It lathers easily which makes it great for the days when you’re hard-pressed for time.

Features

  • 4-in-1 formulation
  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free

Pros

  • Lathers easily
  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Hydrating and nourishing to hair and beard

Cons

  • None

6. Best Natural Shampoo Bar for Damaged Hair

shampoo bar for damage control

Your hair is prone to getting dry and damaged when you constantly treat it like a never-ending lab experiment. From dyeing it a different color every other week to flat-ironing it every other day. These are the perfect ingredients for hair damage. Here’s how.

Each strand of hair comprises three layers, the medulla (innermost layer), the middle, and the cuticle (outermost layer). Exposing your hair to heat and chemical inputs damages it leaving dry, brittle, and lifeless. However, with the right level of nurture and protection, you can revive even the most damaged hair. This starts with choosing the right shampoo bar.

Ethique Eco-Friendly Shampoo Bar for Damage Control has been widely touted for its ability to restore and improve the appearance of damaged hair. It is made from all-natural ingredients that comprise Cocoa Butter, Coconut Cream, and Coconut Oil to moisturize and restore your hair’s pH balance. They soften and condition the hair to keep it hydrated making it less prone to breakage.

It is completely sulfate-free and contains no synthetic fragrances or chemicals that could exacerbate the condition your hair is in. It works well for most hair types and is recommended for people who suffer from sensitive skin.

Features

  • Glycerin-based / cold-pressed
  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free
  • Lasts up to 80 washes

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Safe for colored hair
  • Contains peppermint to invigorate mind and body
  • Hydrating and nourishing to hair

Cons

  • May dissolve quickly if stored when wet
  • Has a higher wax-content compared to liquid shampoos
  • May cause more hair tangles among individuals with fine or curly hair

7. Best Natural Shampoo Bars for Colored Hair

old fashioned bar shampoo

Dyes work by stripping the hair of its natural color and adding a new color to the hair shaft. There are three different types of dye. First are natural dyes like henna which are derived from plants. These simply coat the hair with their dye without removing its natural color. The other two categories comprise semi-permanent and permanent dyes that penetrate the outermost and innermost layers of the hair shaft respectively.

J.R. Liggett’s Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo is specially designed to keep your color-treated hair looking vibrant. It is sulfate-free and uses all-natural ingredients to keep your hue looking as good as the first day you had it done. Colored hair can get dry and brittle. Washing your hair with Whiff Shampoo Bar works to restore moisture and nutrients to keep your hair healthy and protected.

It has all-natural ingredients like Mango Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Almond Oil, Aloe Vera, and Vitamin D that work to strengthen, moisturize and breathe life into dry colored hair.

The shampoo bar’s delicious coconut fragrance is reminiscent of a warm tropical scent on a warm summer’s day that you’ll find to be mildly therapeutic. You can’t go wrong with it.

Features

  • Environment-friendly
  • TSA-approved solid
  • Made using all-natural ingredients
  • Sulfate-free
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Sodium hydroxide-free

Pros

  • Long-lasting
  • Great value for money
  • Convenient to use
  • Hydrating and nourishing to color-treated hair

Cons

  • May dissolve quickly if stored when wet

Time to Raise the Bar

If you’re in the market for a new shampoo, the handy bar-cleansers detailed in this guide not only enrich your shower experience but are also a safer alternative to the conventional bottled liquid kind.

The fact that they are crafted using all-natural ingredients means that they are effective at getting your hair clean and nourished at the same time. We recommend trying out these products for yourself to experience what you’ve been missing.

Are you searching for a mild makeup remover made from non-toxic ingredients? Check out our blog for 7 washable and eco-friendly makeup removers that are great for your skin.

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