1. What is a shampoo bar?

We all probably remember grandma’s hand soap. A shampoo bar is actually the same thing. A shampoo bar is a shampoo, but in a solid form, in soap form. So there is no liquid substance, but a solid structure. But instead of hand soap, it is therefore hair soap! A shampoo bar cleanses and conditions your hair. Other words used for a shampoo bar are also shampoo block, shampoo bar or hair soap.

2. How do I use a shampoo bar?

Use a shampoo bar under the shower. It is best if your hair and scalp are thoroughly wet so that the shampoo bar can be distributed properly. Rub the shampoo bar between your hands or directly on your wet hair. Then massage it through your hair and let it foam. Then rinse the shampoo well out of your hair. Completely done? Then lay the shampoo bar on a soap dish to dry.

3. Is a shampoo bar better than a “liquid” shampoo?

Not necessarily! The big advantage is of course that a bar of soap is plastic-free. This saves an awful lot of plastic waste. In addition, a shampoo bar is not only better for the environment, but also for your wallet. You can save a lot of money with a shampoo bar, so 100 grams of a shampoo bar equals the contents of 5 plastic bottles of shampoo. This makes it cheaper for you.

In addition, a soap bar is milder for the hair and scalp because liquid soap usually needs all kinds of additional ingredients, for example, to make it last longer. These additive ingredients do not add anything to the care of your scalp and hair. In addition, a shampoo bar has a lower pH (acidity) that is closer to the pH of your skin. If you have always washed your hair with liquid shampoo, your scalp has to get used to this. How? Read that in question 4: Can I immediately switch from a regular shampoo to a shampoo bar?

4. Can I switch from a regular shampoo to a shampoo bar right away?

Are you completely sold and have you bought your first shampoo bar? Then don’t be disappointed if you don’t get the desired results from the very first wash. Your scalp has probably gotten used to a certain pH value of your liquid shampoo.

What is the deal with these pH values anyway? We explain it to you (or skip the explanation and go straight to the conclusion):

About pH values:
A pH value is used to indicate how “acidic” something is. This is indicated by numbers between 0-14, where a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Anything between 0-7 is seen as slightly acidic to strongly acidic. Anything from 7-14 is seen as slightly basic to strongly basic.

The pH of your scalp is on average 4.7 and that of your hair 3.7. Hair products you use all have their own pH, which when used mixes with the pH of your hair and scalp. This can make your hair more acidic or basic. It is best to use a hair product that is close to your own pH level. This is because your hair has to get used to a change in pH, which can result in: tangles, frizz, dull hair, split ends, fragile hair, dehydrated hair, less resilient hair, etc. Thus, a good pH level (between 3.5-5.0) provides a positive effect, which can lead to: shiny, smooth, hydrated, strong, resilient, protected hair. You can also express choose a different pH value. For example, if you have an oily scalp (this is a low pH) then you can choose to choose a shampoo bar where the pH is a bit higher, like 6 or higher. This neutralizes the scalp so you are less likely to suffer from an oily scalp. Handy huh?

Conclusion
To cut a long story short, your hair and scalp just need some time to get used to the change of shampoo type. In the beginning, getting used to a shampoo bar can take some effort, but hang in there! It can sometimes take up to 10 washes for your hair and scalp to get used to it.

5. Is a shampoo bar good for your hair?

A shampoo bar can be just as good for your hair as a liquid shampoo. Only, a shampoo bar usually consists of natural ingredients because it doesn’t need the preservatives that a liquid shampoo needs. This makes your hair and scalp less likely to be burdened with harmful or unnecessary ingredients. But of course there are liquid shampoos that also have many natural ingredients without parabens, sulfates, silicones, etc. So this is something you can always look out for. A tip: if it doesn’t say “100% natural” on the packaging, it’s not. There is a lot of stunting going on at the moment with the term ‘vegan’, but that is not the same as 100% natural. Read more about this in this blog.

6. How do I store a shampoo bar?

Of course you want your shampoo bar to last as long as possible! Therefore, we have a few tips on how best to store your shampoo bar:

Do not store your shampoo bar in the shower. This also prevents water from getting onto it and ‘melting’ a bar of soap. It doesn’t make your soap any prettier either, which we think is a shame. Even putting it in a watertight container doesn’t really help, because then you run the risk of the soap ‘sweating’. If you put the shampoo in a dry place, such as a soap dish, your soap will last the longest!

In short, it is best to keep the soap on a soap dish outside the shower. The tray must be cleaned every now and then. Such a bamboo soap dish also looks super hip. And ours has removable bars, which is handy for rinsing out in between.

7. How long does a shampoo bar last?

How long a bar lasts depends on how often you wash your hair, how much soap you use and how big the soap is in number of grams. To give you an example, a shampoo bar from Miracles by Stella is 100 grams and will last about 80-120 times – much longer than a shampoo from the bottle. You save a lot of bottles with it (5!) and a lot of liters of water.

8. Is a shampoo bar suitable for my hair?

Just like shampoos, shampoo bars come in all shapes and sizes for all hair types. Just like with liquid shampoos, there are shampoo bars for curls, gray hair, dry hair, oily hair, colored hair, thin/fine hair, itchy scalp, dandruff … we could go on and on! Whether a shampoo bar is right for you is mostly a matter of personal preference as to which soap you like to use. Hard soap is usually milder on the hair and scalp because liquid soap usually needs additive ingredients, for example, to make it last longer. These additive ingredients do not otherwise add anything to the care of your scalp and hair. In addition, a shampoo bar also has a lower pH (acidity).

9. Which shampoo bar does Miracles by Stella offer?

New in our shop: we have discovered the very best hair soap for you:

Lovely Hair Soap
The Lovely Hair Soap is natural, environmentally friendly and 100% zero waste. The shampoo bar is packed in greaseproof paper, so all essential oils remain in the soap. All ingredients are 100% pure, vegan & organic. The shampoo bar is free of silicones, parabens, sulfates and other synthetic meanness. The natural soaps are made from vegetable oils that have been cold processed, so the natural active ingredients are optimally preserved. The shampoo bar is also available in a bundle with the Beloved Body Soap or together with a bamboo soap dish.

10. Is a shampoo bar free of harmful ingredients?

No, not every shampoo bar is free of harmful ingredients; you have to look carefully to see which brand you buy. Many brands put “vegan” on their packaging, but that says nothing about the quality of the ingredients, only that no animal ingredients are used. Also, these days it often says so much ‘% natural’ on it. The fact that this is usually not 100% usually says that synthetic cleansers have been added. If you buy from a brand like Miracles by Stella, then you can be sure that you are buying a 100% natural product with no junk.

11. What about plastic?

Plastic soup in the sea, plastic waste in the streets, plastic that is not recycled… Plastic is regularly in the news lately. The big question is: how are we going to solve this? By using a shampoo bar you are already going a step in the right direction to use less plastic. A shampoo bar is not in a plastic bottle, which saves a lot of plastic. In addition, a shampoo bar outlasts several shampoo bottles because they last much longer. By buying a shampoo bar instead of a shampoo bottle you save up to 5 plastic bottles. In addition, no animals are harmed in the making of Miracles by Stella’s shampoo bars: our shampoo bar is 100% vegan and organic.

12. Can I take a shampoo bar with me when I travel?

If you are planning a trip with hand luggage only, a shampoo bar is the way to go! It has many advantages. First of all, you can go through customs with an easy mind, because you can take it with you in your hand luggage! You do not have to keep to the number of ml what normally may pass through customs with a liquid shampoo. Secondly, it is nice and light and does not take up much space. What we are also very happy about is that all your luggage arrives dry and well at destination, no more leaking bottles!

13. Are shampoo bars cruelty free?

Yes, the shampoo bars we sell are 100% cruelty free. None of our products have been tested on animals. And of course there are no animal ingredients in them either (they are vegan). We think that’s only logical. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

14. I get an itchy scalp from a shampoo bar, how can this be?

An itchy scalp from using a shampoo bar is not crazy.  If you have always used liquid shampoo, your scalp probably needs to get used to a shampoo bar. It may be that you like the shampoo at first, but after a few weeks you experience irritation, flaking or oily hair. This can have several causes. We explain it to you and how you can solve it:

1 You’re allergic to one of the ingredients

Shampoo bars are usually made of natural ingredients. It is possible that you are allergic to one of these ingredients. You can put it to the test and try a different shampoo bar!

2 You didn’t rinse out the shampoo properly

Shampoo bars usually don’t contain harsh cleansers like sulfates. Because of this, you do need to rinse your hair well to get the soap out of your hair extra well. Otherwise dirt and hair soap can remain on your head, also called build ups. So rinse it extra well or use apple cider vinegar as a rinse. Tip: if you rinse the shampoo for at least a minute, you’ll go a long way!

3 Your scalp still needs to get used to it

If you have just switched from liquid shampoo to shampoo bars, your scalp probably needs some getting used to. This is because your scalp is being washed in a mild manner, which means that the sebum production has to get used to it. This can make your hair/skin feel greasy. This is a matter of biting through! If it persists for a long time, it could be that you are allergic or do not rinse your hair properly.

4 You have to get used to the pH value

Because your scalp and hair have a different pH than the shampoo bar, your hair may need to get used to it first. Because of this, it may take some time before you get the results you want. So don’t worry if you don’t get the perfect result right away.

5 The shampoo bar is not suitable for your scalp

It’s also possible that you don’t have the right shampoo bar and that it is not suitable for your scalp. Try another one! It could also be that your scalp can’t get used to a shampoo bar at all, so it doesn’t work for you at all.

15. What are the pros and cons of a shampoo bar?

To sum up a long story, or 15 questions, we have made a handy overview of all the pros and cons about the shampoo bar:

Advantages of a shampoo bar:

• It is a mild shampoo
• A shampoo bar often contains natural oils
• It is environmentally friendly
• Cheap compared to regular shampoo
• No more empty bottles in your bag
• It looks super cute and colorful
• Less plastic waste (much less)
• It foams and smells great (the one from Miracles by Stella)
• It takes up less space
• You can use a shampoo bar much longer than a regular shampoo.
• No harmful ingredients, just the essentials

Disadvantages of a shampoo bar:

• Your hair may need to get used to it
• It may take a little more time to wash your hair than with a regular shampoo

We are of course very curious if this article has helped you in your choice of a solid shampoo, will you let us know? We would like to hear from you!