Why switch from liquid shampoo to a shampoo bar?

Why switch from liquid shampoo to a shampoo bar?

  • Published: 10/03/2019
  • Updated: 10/03/2019
  • PlanetWood
  • Hair Care

There is a lot of evidence showing that your liquid shampoo can be more harmful to both you and the environment than it is helpful to your hair care. Here we take a look into the effect liquid shampoos can have and why shampoo bars are a great alternative.

Liquid shampoos can cause serious skin problems

The majority of the liquid shampoos on the shelf today include a wide variety of synthetic ingredients. One such ingredient of concern – which is found in a huge amount of liquid shampoos – is called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, or SLS for short. SLS is used as a lathering agent but concentrations as low as only 5% can cause severe dryness and irritation to your skin and scalp. For users of SLS containing shampoos who have conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and other ailments that cause dry skin or scalp this is of greater concern.

It’s little known or understood by very many that lather isn’t necessary for a shampoo to clean your hair well. It is typically expected that shampoos need to lather well to be effective. If a shampoo product doesn’t create a rich lather, users don’t think it cleans all that well and this is a misconception.

Using a liquid shampoo full of unnatural chemicals to wash your hair will more often than not remove all the natural oils that protect your hair and scalp.

Does your hair feel greasy the day after washing it?

Does your hair feel greasy the day after washing it?

Ever had that “my hair feels greasy” feeling the day after washing your hair?

This does not mean that your hair is dirty, far from it. It means your body is replacing the natural oils your liquid shampoo has removed. Your body will produce more or less natural oil afterwards depending on how often you wash your hair and how abrasive the shampoo is.

How is my liquid shampoo damaging to the environment?

There are a couple of reasons why liquid shampoos are not environmentally friendly. The most obvious one is the plastic packaging that most liquid shampoos are bottled in.

Although some brands of liquid shampoos are offering alternative packaging that is more eco-friendly, the majority of shampoos are still sold in harmful and non biodegradable plastics that can take well over 400 years to break down fully. Unless every plastic shampoo bottle is recycled it will not degrade for centuries when thrown away.

The potential damage to wildlife is extensive. A single piece of plastic can severely injure or kill many animals before it has been safely broken down.

Another issue which is less common knowledge with liquid shampoos is that many of the ingredients are not easily broken down in the environment. To most of us, we don’t consider what happens later with our shampoo when it goes down the plug hole.

Water treatment centres can’t eradicate all chemicals

There are a lot of chemicals that our water treatment centres have to remove during the process of treating our waste water before it is recirculated. Shampoos with synthetic ingredients are one of the challenges they face.

Chemicals which cannot be removed and broken down during the treatment process find their way eventually back into nature, more often than not, the worlds vast oceans. These types of chemicals are a huge risk to aquatic life and other animals.

What is a Shampoo Bar?

A shampoo bar looks like a fancy bar of soap and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Shampoo bars can also be formulated in an unnatural way, just as with liquid shampoos, but with a little research you can reveal which shampoo bars are an environmentally friendly alternative to your liquid shampoo.

What benefits are there to switching to a shampoo bar?

We have our own range of eco-friendly shampoo bars made from a variety of carefully selected organic ingredients – Wave™ Shampoo Bars. For the purpose of this article, when we refer to shampoo bars, we are talking about handmade, organic and even vegan shampoo bars

Apart from the fact shampoo bars are more environmentally friendly than their liquid counterparts they are by far much more beneficial to your hair.

Here are a few reasons why switching to a good shampoo bar is better for your hair and the environment;

- Shampoo bars can be made with all-natural ingredients such as vegetable oils, vegetable butters, essential oils and other healthy ingredients which are naturally good for your hair and scalp
- They will lather up adequately without the need for synthetics like SLS
- You can buy different formulations which have specific benefits to your hair
- All natural shampoos do not contain preservatives or parabens and can even be formulated so they are suitable for vegans – like ours are.
- You can get a lot of use out of a good shampoo bar which will ultimately save you money
- They are very easy to transport and pack
- They will not leak in your luggage

How do you use a shampoo bar to wash your hair?

Shampoo bars are much easier to use than you might first think. Yes it may seem like washing your hair with a bar of soap at first, but eventually you will find a method that works best for you and your hair.

We have listed an easy to use method to help you when starting out with a shampoo bar below;

1. The first thing to do before washing with a shampoo bar is to rinse your hair thoroughly
2. With your shampoo bar in hand, start at your scalp and work your way to the ends directly rubbing the bar on your hair
3. When you have worked your shampoo bar over all of your hair, massage until a lather forms and then rinse
4. Repeat where necessary

If you would like to know more about shampoo bars, we would be more than happy to answer any questions you have. Please email us at info@planetwood.co.uk.

This article should not be considered medical advice. Please always consult a qualified doctor or pharmacist when making health related decisions.

PlanetWood Wave™ Shampoo Bars