Comparing Shampoos

We all know I am a fan of the shampoo bar. They last longer than their bottled counterpart, they have less waste, and they are an all round easy swap to make. For the past however long I have been buying the same bar from Amazon every few months when I run out. Of course, buying from Amazon is its own can of ethical worms so I figured it was high time to branch out and try something new.

I have tried three different shampoo bars in recent months and here is what I thought of them.

The first bar I tried was from The Little Soap Company and their Eco Warrior Soap Range. Being a fan of all things citrusy and spicey, I opted for the Ginger and Orange bar. Price: £4.50

Pros

• Lucious smell
• Cardboard packaging - no plastic!
• Vegan, cruelty-free, and all those amazing things
• Left my hair feeling soft and amazing

Cons

• Most expensive option of the three
• Awkward to lather because it is rectangular
• Available in bulk-buy options, but where would I keep them?!

I went in with this shampoo with very little expectations and hopes. I saw the flavour combo and was just that one and buy. Initially I did buy it through Amazon, but there is a dedicated website with subscriptions and bulk buying options. Therefore I could go for the more ethical purchasing route should I buy this bar again. And I very much would buy this again.

My hair was suffering with the whole lockdown/having not cut it during unemployment situation and it was feel dry AF towards the beginning of the year. (To the point where I did hack half of it off myself in an act of sheer desperation.) Now the parts of my hair which were dry beyond repair didn't improve much, but the rest felt silky smooth and I just wanted to run my fingers through it all the live-long day. Plus, the aroma - legit had me drooling.

The only real major draw back I have with this bar is that, out of the three it was the most expensive. If it was all round the best, then I feel like I could justify the extra expendature. Buying in bulk does bring the price down to a similar bracket to the other options, but where the hell am I supposed to store a box of 12 shampoo bars? The bathroom in our new house is one of the smaller rooms and has very little storage space so that means they would end up being stored in the spare room or utility room, which seems a little impractical. Not impossible, but awkward for sure.

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Next, I tried Morrison's own shampoo bar. I may have actually squeaked in excitement when I saw my local Morrison's not only stocks a shampoo bar but they have their own brand. The demand is there! Price: £3.00~

Pros

• Easy to add to my weekly shop
• Ideal price
• Fantastic lather
• Good shape

Cons

• Overwhelming perfumey smell
• Literally, you can smell it from a mile away
• Lacklustre fragrance choice

Now, maybe this is because I tried this bar after the orange and ginger wonder, but I cannot get on with the smell of this bar. It claims to be argan oil, and tries to be this light, perfumey smell. But it smells like your nan's perfume and you're trapped in a small box with a 1000% concentrate of it. I don't get it. I'm sure many like that style of smell, but I would rather have my shampoo smell like tropical fruits. When I bought bottled, I would go for Aussie, Fructus Garnier, or Herbal Essences. Having a shampoo bar smell like perfume just feels like a solid opportunity missed. But there is hope. Morrison's have brought out their own shampoo bar. If the demand is enough, perhaps they will bring out more flavours.

Because it is actually a really good shampoo bar. It's round shape it fits nicely in your hand from the get-go unlike rectangular bars which you have to wear down first. Plus, it is concave and is snug against your noggin. It lathers so well. Normally I find with the bars that your first wash doesn't really bubble up at all while the second more than makes up for it. I don't know what Morrisons have put into this, but it gets super bubbly on the first wash. Like, give yourself an Elvis quiff level of bubble. The end result is clean and soft hair. It's literally just the smell letting it down.

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The last bar I tried was sourced from our local refill shop. The Refill Emporium in Market Drayton stocks Friendly Soap, in a range of shampoos and regular soaps. Price: £2.75

Pros

• Supporting local
• Smelled amazing - genuinely like Kendal Mint Cake
• Vegan, cruelty-free, no palm oil, etc
• Cardboard packaging

Cons

• Left my hair feeling greasier than the start of the shower
• Rectangular
• Leaves insoluable grey/white residue

I really wanted this shampoo bar to be the best. It smelled amazing - I was genuinely worried I would mistake it for Kendal Mint Cake and eat it, that's how good it smelled. But it just did not clean my hair. After a few tries, it really saddened me to admit defeat. My hair felt grim and I was worried about the damage it might be doing. This would have been the best of all worlds had it worked. Despite being rectangular, it brought up a good lather and with it coming from our local refill shop I was hopeful that it could be my gateway into using it more. But alas, if it doesn't work it doesn't work. Since looking on their website it turns out that it does not work well with hard water areas. I honestly have no idea if we are a hard water area (especially as they seem to work for a friend), but the results line up with what happened to me.

In addition to the slimey feeling left in my hair, I was leaving the shower covered in a thick, white-ish residue which I could scrape off myself. On the first use, I just put this down to putting too much coconut oil on my hair and it reacting to the shampoo a little differently. But with its continued occurance, even with minimal coconut, I guessed it was just the bar. But it's not all bad. The good lather you can achieve means it'll be great to use as shaving foam. (With my fancy safety razer no less!) So while it does not cleaan my hair, it will be used. I am tempted to even repurchase when this one runs out with the express intention of using it for shaving foam. Provided I remember, it'll be a while yet before it runs down!

The Verdict

While they all have their pluses and minuses, it largely comes down to convenience. Would I love to bulk buy the Eco Warrior? In an ideal world, yes, yes I would. Perhaps when we have sorted out the spare room it will be more of a viable option, but for now the Morrisons bar is the only contender. I don't have to go out of my way to remember buying it - I can just pop it on my shopping list. It's inexpensive, it's convenient, and it leaves my hair feeling nice and clean. It's just a shame about the smell!

Do you have a favourite shampoo bar to recommend? Any insights to the hard water issue? Lemme know, below!