SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER BAR

Shampoo and conditioner bars have become a buzzy beauty category, but interestingly, we found fewer enthusiasts among our testers for the 2023 Awards than last year, when we had four shampoo bar winners. This year, just one hair-washing bar impressed the testers – but for the first time, we also found a conditioning bar that pushed panellists’ buttons, so we’ve awarded Gold to both, as scores were so similar.

Bar-format haircare offers several eco-advantages over bottles – much, much lighter to transport (thus reducing the overall carbon footprint of your haircare) and eliminating plastic waste. 

Testers again declared themselves surprised at the performance of these winners, many converted to this so-easy way to cleanse/condition. (Although it has to be noted: even the winners here didn’t get a universal thumbs-up.)

GOLD (JOINT) AWARD  Klorane Shampoo Bar with Oat

Last year, Klorane’s Mango Shampoo Bar scooped Silver; this year, it’s crowning glory for their vegan-friendly Oat option, based on organically grown oat extract which ‘combines the effectiveness of a shampoo with the benefits of a conditioner.’ The gentle formula is designed to ‘take care of the whole family’s hair, from the age of three’; the base is soap-free, with ‘high tolerance on infants’, they promise. One bar, Klorane go on to explain, is equivalent to two 200ml bottles of shampoo, while the paper packaging is 100% recyclable. 

£11.50 for 80g - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

‘This bar worked with so much less foam than shampoos I was familiar with. I wasn't sure that my hair could be clean with so little product; I tried it in lots of different circumstances – after swimming in a chlorinated pool, in the sea, after gardening with my hair full of bugs and leaves. It just got better and better’ • ‘I used to wash my hair every other day but with Klorane I slowly noticed that I was washing less. My hair was softer and more manageable’ • ‘I’m amazed. I never would have believed a small bar could be so powerful; I love the feel of my soft hair and find I am sliding my hands through it when I'm watching TV or in a daydream or reading!’ • ‘Very good timing BB, thank you. I took this bar on a hand luggage flight to Spain; as it wasn’t liquid, it didn't have to go into the plastic bag and be declared. I was in a chlorine pool and the salty Mediterranean sea and Klorane was up to the job. I had noticed that the softening effects of the shampoo bar also worked on my body, so I used it instead of shower gel during my holiday; it worked incredibly well, too’ • ‘I was initially sceptical regarding bar shampoos and for that reason, this was the first one I have tried. (The concept gives me flashbacks to washing my hair with Imperial Leather to loosen stubborn hair dye when I was a teenager.) I have been using the bar for six weeks now and it hasn’t disappointed; in fact, I took this away on holiday with me as my only shampoo. Praise indeed.’

£11.50 for 80g - click to buy 

GOLD (JOINT) AWARD, BEST NATURAL and BEAUTY STEAL  Earth Kind Organic Oats Conditioning Bar

Earth Kind have positioned themselves from the start as super eco-friendly and ethical. ‘We’re very aware that we only have one planet, and that planet has finite resources… The horror which we are inflicting on our children and children in one thousand years’ time are the micro and nano plastics which we are putting into this planet’s fragile eco-system…’ Shampoo and – in this case –  conditioner bars are one of the easiest ways to cut down on plastic, and most testers who trialled this bar found that it lived up to the promise to moisturise, increase elasticity and prevent breakage (even in colour-treated hair). Interestingly – coincidence? – this conditioner winner, like the shampoo bar Gold, is also powered by oat micro-proteins, plus wheat amino acids and moisturising plant extracts. A cute soap dish tin is available, for transportation. 

£8.95 for 50g - click to buy 

OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:

’10/10. Love this conditioning bar. The fragrance was  comforting, gentle – a sort of sweet, oaty smell. My hair was manageable after conditioning and I was able to comb through my wet hair with ease. Overall, very pleased with the condition of my hair during and after use’ • ‘I have long hair, below shoulder-length, and like to saturate my hair with the conditioning bar. I really like how you can rub this on parts of the hair that feel dry, for instance underneath and the sides’ • ‘I used the conditioning bar while in Spain; normally with the sun and chlorine and salt water, my hair is not in the greatest condition but I used this throughout my holiday and my hair was in the best condition it had been in abroad ever: soft and smooth, easy to brush through. So, despite being perhaps harder to apply than a normal conditioner, it worked really well’ • ‘My hair is much softer and smoother than normal and lasts really well between washes which I was surprised by (it normally feels slightly greasy after a couple of days). There's not much creaminess, but enough to make my hair look and feel soft and nourished, and it rinses off fairly well, too’ • ‘My hair looks super- glossy and smooth. My husband keeps commenting on how much better my hair looks.’

£8.95 for 50g - click to buy