5 Sure-Thing Shampoo Bars

Environmentally friendly. Vegan friendly. Travel friendly. Who knew that shampoo bars could be so friendly? With little or no packaging, natural ingredients and a solid composition, they are high-performing products to go beyond hair cleansing. Some brands have tailored ingredients for specific hair and scalp needs, be it volume or flakey scalps. And often, they can do double duty as a body wash—given their gentle ingredients—which amps up the travel convenience. Here are five bars for a range of hair types. —Michele Marko

lush seanik shampoo bar ($12). As a pioneer in natural and “naked” (zero packaging) products, LUSH was at the forefront developing shampoo bars. The brand has a range of 12 different bars for specific hair needs. The Seanik bar, which both softens hair for detangling and volumizes, contains nori seaweed and Irish moss seaweed, sea salt, lemon oil and is scented with jasmine absolute, orange flower absolute and mimosa absolute. For ease of travel and storage, LUSH has created custom shampoo bar tins.

cascadia rosemary & mint shampoo bar ($6). Vancouver-based Cascadia’s most popular shampoo bar is the rosemary & mint formulation for treating itchy, flakey scalps. With distilled water, castor seed, coconut, olive and sustainable palm oils, and organic cocoa seed butter, this bar is also beneficial for thinning hair. Cascadia also has an unscented version and a lavender & geranium fragranced bar.

rocky mountain soap company shampoo bar with rosemary ($6). Alberta’s Rocky Mountain Soap Company uses rosemary leaf oil and luxe organic shea butter to increase circulation to the scalp while softening the hair. The brand recommends this bar for shorter hair.

steele & co shampoo bar ($9). Crafted from a family recipe, the Steele & Co shampoo bar uses almond and caster oils with shea butter to cleanse hair but leave it soft. The Victoria-based brand says this shampoo bar is gentle enough to clean beards and the face.

soap works shampoo & conditioner bar. Wth ingredients like aloe for softness and scents from the essential oils of cedarleaf, eucalyptus, galbanum, orange and wormwood, this vegan, gluten- and sulphate-free shampoo/conditioner combo bar cleanses and softens hair for detangling.