This post was originally part of the Green is Beautiful Giveaway Hop, hosted by Happy Mothering!
We had never tried – or even heard of – bar shampoo before this Christmas when I received J.R. Liggett’s bar shampoo and shelf from my Mother-In-Law. This shampoo is the best!
I had previously trained my hair to only need washing every two days. Once upon a time I was trying to grow my hair out super-long and I learned that if you want really healthy, thick hair, then you should wash it less often and try not to use much “product” in it. Since we started to learn about environmentally friendly and healthy products, we’ve learned to avoid fragrance in products and we’ve learned about the evils of palm oil and sodium laurel sulfate and a whole ton of other “evils” you can read about over at ewg.org. There are also a ton of reasons why bar soaps are better for the environment than liquid soaps and these hold true for shampoo too!
With J.R. Liggett’s bar soap I only need to wash my hair every 3 to 4 days and I never need conditioner. It comes out totally soft, clean and healthy feeling. Jonathan has always been super-picky about his shampoos, for most of the time I’ve known him he’s insisted on only using the special shampoo that his mother sends him from Virginia! He says that everything else leaves his scalp feeling itchy. He has found that one swipe of the J.R. bar through his hair is all he needs to lather up and feel great. I need a bit more than that (like a nice rubbing throughout my hair) but then I get a great lather and wonderful feeling hair.
It’s also a shampoo that I can feel good about.
From their facebook page:
- It’s made entirely from pure 100% natural oils.
- It contains NO animal products, or preservatives.
- It doesn’t strip hair of its natural oils.
- It rinses out clean and easily.
- It’s especially good for permed or colored hair.
- It gives your hair body, and manageability.
- It leaves your hair soft, healthy and smelling clean.
- It’s great for TRAVELING, OR BACKPACKING.
- 100% Biodegradable with minimal packaging.
- No Petroleum Based Detergents.
- No Sodium Laurel Sulfate or DEA.
J.R. Liggett found an old New England recipe for shampoo many years ago and starting sharing bars with family and friends. He realized that the shampoo was very popular, and started selling it in the mid-1980s. If you are concerned about particular ingredients, or just want an idea of what the bars contain and which one might be best for you, check out their list of shampoo bars, ingredients and usage. Their webpage isn’t specific about where you can find it in stores, but my MIL bought my gift at LL Bean!
And for pet lovers, he even makes a dog shampoo! We’re thinking about getting my brother to try it and write a review!
We were so thrilled with the bar shampoo, that we wrote to J.R. and asked him to sponsor this giveaway. He was happy to and thanks to his generosity the winner of this giveaway received all of the following: an Old Fashioned Shampoo Shelf, A Natural Traveler and a bar of the winner’s choosing. If you can’t wait, and you just want to buy some yourself, you can order them online.
Update: If you have hardwater, you may have trouble with the shmapoo. This post explains how to use the shampoo with hard water.
If after a while of using the shampoo you find that you have a slight “coating” on your hair, you might want to try an apple cider vinegar rinse. J.R. says:
Try a “completely natural” alternative to commercial conditioners by using a simple rinse made from diluted (up to 50%) apple-cider-vinegar and water.
Use this rinse slightly warmed for a more comfortable feel.
After using our shampoo for a period of time some people experience a slight “coating” effect to their hair. Using this rinse occasionally as part of your routine normally brings your hair back to its original soft and silky condition.
Happy Green Shampooing!
Alicia & Jon
i honestly do not pay attention to the ingredients. Being i am not allergic to anything it really does not matter to me.
I avoid parabens, fragrances, sodium laureyl sulfates. I always consult good guide and/or ewg before buying any personal care products. I’ve never tried a bar shampoo but really want to!
I avoid SLS and parabens.
No parabens, no SLS, and no heavy fragrances.
to be perfectly honest, i dont avoid anything.. my family doesnt have any allergies, (except latex) so we are good 🙂
does that make me a bad person? :/
Parabans and alchohols.
mmjohnson555@gmail.com
GFC:Mechele Johnson
I avoid SLS and parabens.
Parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, fragrance – anything synthetic.
heavy perfumes, scratchy ingredients like nuts, seeds and shells. Holly Hennessy Swint astroqueen67@hotmail.com
Sodium laurel sulfate!
phthalates, parabens, sodium laurel sulfate, artificial fragrance and other synthetic ingredients.
i dont avoid any ingredients
No Sodium Laurel Sulfate and I HATE ANIMAL TESTING!!!
2dogs5catscrew@att.net
I guess I am a fail at checking ingredents in my shampoo
For our 4 year old, we have been buying soaps without parabens and sodium laurel sulfate. We have been buying her California Baby and Burt’s Bees.
sls, parabens for sure. fragrance is also good to avoid unless its essential oils. oh and pthalates!
I avoid sulphates when purchasing shampoo.
parabens, sulfates, no sodium laurel sulfate, artificial fragrance
SLS and parabens. 🙂
I try to avoid SLS!
I try to avoid SLS and for my LO who has had sensitive skin since she was born we avoid fragrance in her products. I also agree with amyorvin above, NO ANIMAL TESTING!
Great giveaway, I have never tried bar shampoo. this sounds amazing!
Melissa Alexander
I avoid parabens, artificial fragrances, sodium laureyl sulfates – ( emscout9 at Hotmail dot com)
Cool giveaway. I love bar shampoos. Thanks. I try to avoid parabens, SLS, SLES, Triclosan, DEA, TEA and alcohol. I also won’t use anything tested on animals.
–Vicki Vix on r/copter form
fromfurrin at gmail dot com
Lots of perfummy smells
I’m not allergic or sensitive to anything but I look for products that are not going to strip my color and are going to be moisturizing and are not tested on animals.
I won’t use anything tested on animals or with dyes.
rierie11booger (@) yahoo.com
I dony pay attention to my shampoos and conditioners. I just whatever is on sale.
sunniewoodyplus2 atmsn.com
I don’t avoid any ingredients. I will pay more attention for now on.
parabens
I avoid parabens and waxes
itsjustme62613 at gmail.com
I try to avoid shampoos with perfume type ingredients.
The kinds of things that make your scalp tingle.
aniwilsonintx at hotmail dot com
I usually try and avoid perfumes. (Corey Olomon)(olomon@hotmail.com)
I avoid perfumes and usually stick to children’s shampoos and conditioners
I definitely avoid perfumes.
marija.majerle at gmail dot com
I avoid parabens, fragrances, sodium laureyl sulfates, I try to use only organic products as well.
Thanks for the giveaway…we try to avoid any numbered dyes / artificial coloring (i.e. red dye #3)
senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com
Brian E.
I avoid SLS and parabens.
Eureka, Eureka! I find it, I made a soap 100% natural based on olive oil min 65% , shea butter and, annnnnnnnnnnnnd Camel milk. no additives at all, not even essential oil. furthermore , it is cold processed ; result = milky formula, enriched with ultra-moisturizing , superfatted agents ( 8-10%), gently cleanses the skin,Creamy, hypoallergenic, it leaves a protective film on the skin.
Also we made soap with cactus fruit seeds, clay, argan oil, olive cakes…use it as shampoo, as toilet soap, for babies… and especially for women, it is perfect to use it as an intimate bath ( avoid gel since it contains horrible ingredients which penetrate your body)
We use the shampoo bars from http://www.almanaturalssoap.com we don’t get buildup and the lather is amazing. Don’t need any conditioner. Hairs never felt better!