Do shampoo bars save you money?
Shampoo bars have come a long way, in terms of popularity and quality, in the past few years. Formulations have improved and moved away from soap-like textures. A tell-tale sign of their rise is the mainstream brands getting on board and now offering solid bars. The shampoo bar trend has ultimately been consumer led, with more and more people realising that shampoo and conditioner bars are the most eco friendly way to wash your hair.
Shampoo bars have good eco credentials for several reasons. The main being the omission of water, which is a precious resource. Traditional liquid shampoos have a high water content (over 50%). Waterless solid bars are lighter to transport and lower in carbon footprint. Shampoo and conditioner bars require much less packaging, too. They are much more concentrated and generally have ingredients that tend to be kinder to the environment, too.
Zero waste hair care is great, but do shampoo bars save you money?
Hairy Jayne shampoo bars are 50g of solid shampoo. Our regular refillable shampoos are 250ml, so in physical terms, they’re 5 times the size. On average, they last about the same amount of time. Based on a person washing their hair every 2-3 days, both our refillable shampoos and shampoo bars last around 2-3 months. The difference is that a shampoo bar costs £8 (the naked option). A bottle of shampoo costs £16, and to refill the bottle is £13.
So compared to our liquid shampoo refills, our shampoo bars are on average around 38% cheaper per wash.
So, how do shampoo bars save you money?
For Hairy Jayne, the answer lies firstly in the packaging and secondly in the sheer difference in volume. Firstly, the cardboard boxes we use to package our shampoo and conditioner bars cost us far less than the refillable pump bottles or refill packaging that we use for the liquid shampoo. So obviously we need to charge more for the latter. And secondly, because of the big difference in volume, we need to use more of our essential oil blends to fragrance the liquid shampoo. Which is where a lot of the cost goes.
How do I get the most out of my shampoo bar when I make the switch?
Shampoos bars are great value, and even better value for money when they are looked after properly. Like soap bars, they can go a bit soggy on the bottom if they are left wet in the shower. Finding a place to keep your shampoo out of the stream of water, and out of puddles, is the best way to prevent this from happening.
Unlike soap bars, Hairy Jayne shampoo bars are slightly soft and putty-like in texture. They can easily be cut up and moulded into whatever size or shape you like. Before you accidentally leave your shampoo bar in a soggy soap dish, or throw away the last slither before it’s finished – read on. These are our tips for getting the most value out of Hairy Jayne shampoo bars.
1. Buy your shampoo and conditioner bars ‘naked’ for the best value
As a zero waste hair care brand, we’re always looking for ways to save on packaging. So our shampoo and conditioner bars come with three options – boxed, naked or in a travel tin. The naked shampoo bars have the bare minimum in packaging, so they can be purchased at an even lower price.
Hairy Jayne 'Naked' Shampoo Bars £8
2. Bulk buy your shampoo bars to save money in the long run
Already know which shampoo bar is your favourite, or maybe you’re looking to try them all out? Investing in our All The Bars bundle of six shampoo bars will save you £6. Ordering in bulk also means fewer deliveries. Our bundle reduces the postage cost to zero as it qualifies for free shipping which saves a further £3.50 (and it reduces the carbon footprint, too).
Hairy Jayne All The Bars Bundle £42
3. Keep your shampoo bar on a shampoo bar holder or store it in a tin
To ensure you avoid a it-turned-to-mush scenario, it’s wise to think carefully about shampoo bar holders or storage. Switching to a shampoo bar is making a new habit, so it’s a good idea to think about how this new habit will fit into your current routine. Would it be best to keep your shampoo bar out of the way of unwanted water in a reusable travel tin? Or would you rather have it resting on something on a ledge in the shower? Our shampoo bar holders are designed to be the same size as the shampoo bars so they don’t take up lots of shelf space but keep the underneath of the bar raised and able to drain excess water.
Hairy Jayne Shampoo Bar Holder £7
4. Try the “double shampoo” technique to wash your hair less often
A double shampoo might sound like you’re using twice as much product. But actually, the second shampoo (directly after the first one) doesn’t need to work quite as hard. So it lathers much more easily and requires less product. And the beauty of a double shampoo means that your hair actually stays clean for longer. Which then means having to wash your hair less often.
5. Cut a small piece off your bar when you travel
Going away? No need to buy those tiny travel shampoos any more. Solid shampoo bars don’t even need to be put in your clear bag to go through airport security. And when you take one with you, you can just take a small portion of your bar wrapped in some cloth or in a small tin. Same goes for a conditioner bar – both lightweight and compact.
6. Add the last slither of your old shampoo bar to your new one
Nearly finished the bar? When you’re down to the very last slither of your shampoo bar, there’s no need to just throw it away. It can be easily moulded onto your next one. We made an Instagram post to demonstrate this. Shampoo bars really are the zero waste hair care option.
So the answer to “do shampoo bars save you money” is a big yes, with the added bonus of being very eco friendly. If you haven’t already made the switch to shampoo bars, has this post convinced you? It’s worth trying a sample size if you aren’t fully reasy to commit. Or if you really aren’t convinced, there’s always the other eco friendly option – our shampoo refills cut down plastic waste drastically.
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