As someone who has only recently started replacing plastic household items with non plastic ones, I thought I had reached ultimate hippy status when I switched to a shampoo bar.
Shampoo bars are great because they (obviously) don’t come in plastic bottles. A simple change which will avoid the purchase of 10+ plastic bottles per year. Easy.
I opted for Lush because it’s a good go-to in terms of trustworthy eco-ness. I chose the Seanik bar because I wanted buoyant, volumised hair it promised.
The first time I used it I had a bit of a strange sensation, as if I was extra, squeaky clean – all around my face and ears! I got used to this quickly though and was really happy.
Seanik is bright blue so you have to be careful to place it somewhere that won’t see it running blue water all down your bath. It also has a tendancy to stick on to whatever it’s sitting on so I recommend a soap dish with lots of indents or grooves (I saw on our Bracknell Less Plastic facebook group that someone suggested placing them on up turned nail brush), otherwise you’ll lose half of the bar to whatever you’ve placed it on each time it dries!
Once used to managing all of this, I found the bar fantastic. It lathers really well, very easy to use and if stored correctly will apparently last three months, at only £7.50! A simple change that everyone can make towards having a plastic-free bathroom. Good times!
Until….!
I went to the have my hair highlighted, which resulted in a crowd of hairdressers around my chair, perplexed at the ‘silicon’ that was covering it. The condition of my hair had deteriorated so much since I last went in only three weeks ago, that they couldn’t put in the amount of highlights I wanted. They put this down to too much straightening, and we agreed on a couple of low-peroxide highlights until the condition of my hair improved.
As I sat in the chair waiting, it suddenly dawned on me… THE SHAMPOO BAR! It was exactly three weeks prior that I had started using it. It was so harsh that it had ruined my hair. I called my hairdresser over to explain.
“A what?!”
“Shampoo bar… like a bar of soap but shampoo!”
“But…. WHY?!”
At least I was able to open the conversation about the disposable towels and individual packets of sugar they used!
This hasn’t put me off using shampoo bars: I’ve bought a different brand that I am about to try and my boyfriend with his super thick hair is still using the Seanik. What is has opened my eyes to though is that you the changes I am preaching might not work for everyone. Prior to this, I thought swapping out was so simple but now I understand that it isn’t going to be the case. Without the interest I have in less plastic use I would have already dismissed shampoo bars as not being a good enough replacement.
But… onwards. I will try others so that I can advise if and when people ask me. Recommendations welcome!
