The 10 Best Shampoo Bars

An eco-friendly alternative to liquid shampoo.

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Collection of soap and shampoo bars.

Getty Images

Shampoo bars are a straightforward swap for anyone looking to make their self-care routine more sustainable. These bars are often package-free when you shop in person or come wrapped in easily recyclable or compostable paper packaging, which reduces the amount of single-use plastic in your life compared to a plastic bottle of shampoo.

Of course, not all hair types are the same, and neither are all shampoo bars, so Treehugger has put our first-hand experience and research chops to task to help you find the best bar for you. We reviewed every ingredient to make sure all our recommendations are vegan, never tested on animals, and paraben-free. For some people, the results may actually be better than your current liquid cleanser.

Bar soaps also tend to be associated with fewer planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions compared to liquid bottles of suds because they weigh less due to low water content. For the same reason, bar shampoos will also travel well in your luggage. You won't have to worry about the TSA's liquid limits or any wasteful spills.

Ahead, the best bar shampoos, whether your hair is dry, fine, oily, or curly.

Best Overall

Lush Cosmetics Montalbano Shampoo Bar

Lush Cosmetics Montalbano Shampoo Bar

Lush

The Montalbano bar has become part of my daily morning routine and can be used without conditioner. It’s great for regular-to-oily hair types, and the citrus scent is a perfect wake-me-up. The vegan formula includes rosemary and green olives for added shine.

Lush’s shampoo bars are beloved by many Treehugger staffers, but the best one for you depends on your hair type. One of Lush's bars can replace up to three 250 milliliter bottles of liquid shampoo. If you shop in person you can get it with zero packaging, or if you order online, Lush shampoo bars usually come packaged in a small paper bag.

Best for Dry Hair

Soap for Goodness Sake Babassu Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar

Babassu Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar

Courtesy of Soap for Goodness Sake

This bar from Soap For Goodness Sake doubles as a body soap and gets top marks from the Environmental Working Group, which independently rates the safety of product ingredients. This shampoo uses babassu oil, which comes from a tropical palm tree, is moisturizing, and contains antioxidants. It has a gentle coconut fragrance. 

Soap For Goodness Sake offers two packaging options when shipping their bars: paper or compostable glassine.

Best for Fine Hair

Lush Cosmetics Flyway Hair Shampoo Bar

Flyway Hair Shampoo Bar

Courtesy of Lush Cosmetics

The Flyway bar is another Lush shampoo bar that gets rave reviews from the Treehugger team. One staffer reports that this bar makes her “super-fine hair super-soft.”

The Flyway shampoo bar has organic cocoa butter and calming chamomile oil that’s great for dry or sensitive scalps, while hand-harvested sea salt helps add volume and texture to hair. The sea salt also adds to a scent that’s fresh and beachy, and lemon oil cuts greasy buildup. 

Best for Itchy Scalps

Ethique Heali Kiwi

Ethique Dandruff Shampoo Bar

Amazon

Treehugger writer Katherine Martinko took a number of Ethique's products for a spin and found that these shampoo bars deliver effective cleaning in plastic-free packaging. If you suffer from an itchy or easily irritated scalp, then the Heali Kiwi shampoo bar may be right for you.

This bar is formulated with calming oatmeal, coconut oil, neem oil, and karanja oil to help soothe scalp issues as well as dandruff. As the name would suggest, it has a fruity fragrance. Ethique also donates a portion of its profits to environmental charities.

Best for Dandruff

Superzero Shampoo Bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp

Superzero Shampoo Bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp

Courtesy of Superzero

After a month of using Superzero's Shampoo bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp, Treehugger's tester noticed fewer flakes and overall thought this bar worked great. Key ingredients that fight dandruff in this shampoo include tea tree leaf oil, rosemary oil, and extract from Ziziphus Juazeiro bark (an evergreen tree native to South America). The formula also includes avocado oil and shea butter to help soothe the scalp.

Superzero's products are shipped without any plastic and come in a recycled paper box. As a member of 1% For The Planet, the company also donates to non-profits that work to fight plastic pollution and protect marine wildlife.

Best for Color-Treated Hair

Love Beauty And Planet Shampoo Bar

Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Water Shampoo + Conditioner Bar

Target

If you're looking for something that will be gentle on your color-treated hair, consider Love Beauty & Planet’s Murumuru Butter and Rose Shampoo Bar. Its cruelty-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, sulfate-free, and dye-free. Plus, it is full of beautiful ingredients like Bulgarian rose petals and Amazonian murumuru butter which will give your hair a glossy “I just went to the salon” feel.

Although some shampoo bars can be hard to find at your local supermarket, Love Beauty and Planet products are carried by many national drugstores and big-box retailers.

Best for Natural + Curly Hair

HiBar Volumize Shampoo

Amazon HiBar Volumize Shampoo

Amazon

For those with curls, regular shampoo may lead to frizz, flattening, or unwanted poofing. HiBAR’s Volumize Shampoo is designed to help curls hold their shape while minimizing frizz, and Treehugger's tester agrees. She noted that this solid shampoo left her hair feeling soft and clean. The featured ingredients include African dates and Vitamin B5. It’s free of sulfates, silicone, and phthalates, and it’s safe for color-treated hair. 

This product may also work for people with natural hair in search of a shampoo bar. Ariel Sahar, the low-waste YouTuber, did a full review of this product on her natural curls and was happy with the results.

Best Shampoo and Conditioner in One

Wildland Organics The Super Bar

Wildland The Super Bar

Wildland

This multitasker can be used as a shampoo, conditioner, body bar, and for shaving. This shampoo bar is great for anyone who wants a minimalist approach to bathing or to save space in a tiny bathroom. The majority of the all-natural ingredients are certified organic, and its scent is a blend of sage, bergamot, and palo santo. The Super Bar is packaged in post-consumer recycled paper. 

Although Wildland Organics' products do not have a third-party organic certification yet, the company is in the process of applying for certification and holds all of its ingredients to an organic standard. Wildland Organics also donates 1 percent of all sales to protect wilderness areas in the United States.

Best for Kids

Not!ce For Tangles Shampoo

Not!ce For Tangles Shampoo

Courtesy of Not!ce

This shampoo bar from Not!ce (formerly Unwrapped Life) is perfect for detangling thanks to marshmallow root. Essential oils including ylang ylang and pink grapefruit give it a bubblegum scent. It works into a lather easily. It’s free of any ingredients derived from palm oil or petroleum products. Not!ce also offers a For Tangles Conditioner Bar in the same scent. 

Most Long Lasting

Brixy Mint Eucalyptus Shampoo Bar

Brixy Mint Eucalyptus Shampoo Bar

Brixy

Our tester was impressed by how long Brixy's bar lasted. As someone who shampoos daily, she noted that this bar outlasted others she's tried by a month. It feels and lathers a lot like your typical bar of milled soap. It's Leaping Bunny certified, meaning it's animal-testing free, in addition to being vegan and free of palm oil.

We tested the Mint Eucalyptus bars, which have a refreshing and bright scent. There are also citrus and coconut vanilla scent options available. It comes packaged in recyclable cardboard.

Final Verdict

Hands down, shampoo bars from Lush won the hearts and heads of our team, although the best one will depend on your hair type. If you're a true minimalist looking for one product that can do it all, try The Super Bar.

Frequently Asked Questions
  • How do you use a shampoo bar?

    There are two approaches to using a shampoo bar. One option is to gently massage the bar over your wet hair and scalp until a lather forms. The second option is wet the bar and work up a lather in your hands, then apply the suds to your hair.

    In either case, it's a good idea to store your shampoo bar in a dry spot when you're done using it, to help it last much longer.

Why Trust Treehugger?

Here at Treehugger, we're dedicated to helping our readers find the best sustainable, ethical, and low-waste products. Over the years, our team members and testers have tried many shampoo bars and are eager to share our first-hand experiences to help our readers find the right products.

Senior Commerce Editor Margaret Badore is an environmental journalist with over a 15 years of experience reporting. She personally tested many of the products on this list.