If you have a collection of shampoo bottles lining your shower walls, or are simply looking for a more sustainable alternative, you might want to consider a shampoo bar. Instead of the liquid consistency you might be used to, shampoo bars are solid, concentrated shampoos made with natural ingredients and essential oils, says Brooke Jordan, hairstylist and co-founder of The Birdhouse, a salon in New York City.
If you’re new to solid shampoo and looking to try it out, I spoke to hairstylists and trichologists about the benefits of a shampoo bar and how to shop for the best one for your hair.
How I picked the best shampoo bars
When shopping for a shampoo bar, my experts recommend considering the following factors:
- Ingredients: Depending on your hair type, texture and scalp health, you should look for ingredients that help with your specific concerns. Generally speaking, you’ll want to look for shampoo bars that have hydrating ingredients like natural oils and glycerin to keep your hair healthy and shiny, says Jordan. (More on ingredients below.)
- Shape: Shampoo bars come in multiple shapes including circular (the most common), triangular and rectangular. When deciding which is best for you, it’s important to pick one that you can easily hold in your hand, experts say.
- Price: The price of your shampoo bar will vary, but our list has options as low as $14 and as high as $28.
The best shampoo bars
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.
Best overall
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.
Best 2-in-1
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.
Best for curly hair
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.
Best for fine hair
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.”
Best for itchy, flaky scalps
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.
Best for irritated scalps
“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.
Best for coarse hair
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.
Best for dry hair
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.
How to shop for shampoo bars
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.
Ingredients
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.
Shape
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.
Hair type
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.
Hair texture
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.
Scalp condition
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..
Meet 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.
- Brooke Jordan is a hairstylist, co-founder and creative director of The Bird House, a salon in Brooklyn.
- Mark Constantine is a trichologist and co-founder of Lush.
Why trust NBC Select?
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.
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