Yes, you should swap your liquid shampoo with a solid bar — here are the best ones to shop
Solid shampoo bars are a more eco-friendly approach to your standard shampoo bottles.
Lush Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar
$undefined
$15.00
When shopping for a shampoo bar, my experts recommend considering the following factors:
Want more from NBC Select? Sign up for our newsletter, The Selection, and shop smarter.
I rounded up expert-recommended and highly rated shampoo bars, as well as options our NBC Select editors tested and reviewed. All of the options below are formulated for a range of hair textures and types to best suit your personal needs.
This shampoo bar has a sweet honey and toffee scent, which leaves your hair smelling great in addition to cleansing, moisturizing and softening it, according to the brand. “It fit perfectly in the palm of my hand and was easy for me to turn into a lather that I transferred from my hands onto my hair,” says NBC Select reporter Zoe Malin.
Unlike other bars on our list, this one is meant for both your hair and body. “At first, I didn’t love the smell right out of the box, but once you lather the bar up, it’s much more subtle and clean,” says NBC Select commerce editor Cory Fernandez. Formulated specifically for those with a sensitive scalp and skin, this bar is free of common irritants like fragrances and sulfates, according to the brand. Although it has no added fragrance, the ingredients themselves do give it a slight scent (but not a bad one), says Fernandez.
This shampoo bar, which has a 4.6-star average rating from over 400 reviews at Ulta, gently cleanses the hair while also defining curls and giving them a soft, shiny and bouncy appearance, according to Ethique. Reviewers say this option lathers well and leaves minimal frizz on their curly, wavy and coily hair. The bar, much like all Ethique options, comes in plastic-free, compostable and recyclable packaging, according to the brand. You can pair this with its matching conditioner bar, too.
If you’re experiencing thinning hair or are looking to soothe an irritated scalp, consider this option from Lush. The bar has cinnamon and peppermint to stimulate your scalp, while other ingredients like rosemary help reduce irritation. “I have both very fine hair and a sensitive scalp, so the combination can make my hair look flat and dull. After using this shampoo, I noticed I have a lot more volume,” says NBC Select updates editor Mili Godio. “I also love that it’s textured, so it gently exfoliates my scalp.”
This shampoo bar has antiseptic and antibacterial ingredients like tea tree oil and coconut oil to ensure dry, flaky scalps and dermatitis symptoms are at bay by reducing itchiness and retaining moisture, according to the brand. Reviewers say this has a nice sudsy lather and leaves their hair feeling clean post-shower. This shampoo bar has a 4.2-star average rating from over 14,000 reviews on Amazon.
“First and foremost, I love the shape of this shampoo bar because it fits great in my hand and doesn’t slip,” says Godio. “It also lathers really nicely, so it feels like I’m using a normal liquid shampoo, plus it adds volume and shine to my otherwise flat hair.” Godio stores it in the brand’s shampoo bar bag, which hangs up on a hook in her bathroom to conveniently keep it off of surfaces. This shampoo is also available in a bundle with a hydrating shea butter conditioner bar.
Davines makes Jordan’s favorite shampoo bars for dry hair. Another bar in the brand’s lineup is this one that helps combat frizz, add shine and hydrate your hair at once, according to the brand. Hydrating ingredients like olive extract help smooth frizz-prone and coarse hair. The brand recommends wetting the bar between your hands to create a creamy, foaming lather and then applying it to your hair and repeating as necessary, according to Davines.
This shampoo, which has a 4.4-star average rating from over 2,600 reviews on Amazon, has coconut oil, vitamin B5 and rice protein to moisturize hair and leave it soft and silky, according to the brand. Reviewers say its unique oval shape makes it easy to hold and lather the product throughout the hair and the roots. It’s also available in conditioner bar form (which you can purchase separately or in a bundle) and comes in a fragrance-free option, too.
Hair texture, hair type and scalp health can all influence what shampoo bar you buy, says Mark Constantine, trichologist and co-founder of Lush (Ed’s note: the decision to include Lush products were made independently from this source). Below, experts break down a few key factors to consider.
You’ll want to consider shampoo bars that have natural oils, including coconut and argan oil, and other moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and aloe vera, says Jordan. Also, look for options that use gentle surfactants rather than sulfates to cleanse hair. Some gentle options include apple cider vinegar and sodium cocoyl isethionate, according to experts in our guide to clarifying shampoos.
Aside from sulfates, you’ll also want to avoid bars with drying alcohols, such as ethanol (ethyl alcohol), isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) and denatured alcohol (SD alcohol), because they’ll remove moisture from your hair, says Jordan.
Shampoo bars come in different shapes, including circular, triangular and rectangular. Bars with a triangular shape can make them easier to hold and control, while circular shapes might be harder to grip but lather more easily in your hair, says Jordan.
Much like liquid shampoos, you’ll want to look for bars that suit your hair type. If you have fine or thin hair, for example, look for bars with ingredients that won’t weigh your hair down but will still hydrate it, like moringa seed oil or palmetto berry extract, and avoid heavier moisturizers like shea butter and avocado oil, according to experts in our guide to shampoos for fine hair. If you have medium to thick hair, look for a bar with hydrating ingredients like the natural oils listed above. For coarse hair, find a bar that will be super moisture-rich with butters and oils to smooth and soften your hair.
Not every bar will work for every hair type. Bars with lightweight ingredients including jojoba oil will be better for people with fine hair or straight textures. Bars that have curl defining ingredients (such as shea butter, coconut or argan oils, glycerin and aloe vera) and hydrating ingredients will be better for people with curly or coily textures, according to Jordan.
Much like your hair type and texture, you’ll also want to factor in your current scalp condition — dry, oily, sensitive and more, says Jordan. Many shampoo bars will clearly label what scalp type they’re most suitable for and how they can improve your scalp health, according to our experts..
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
Bianca Alvarez is a former associate reporter at NBC Select who covered skin care and hair care. For this story, she interviewed experts and researched highly-rated bar shampoos that were in line with expert guidance.
Catch up on NBC Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok to stay up to date.
