An ode to solid shampoo

Second-day hair with tired skin having been up driving since 4:30am

"Make my hair look like an up-to-date version of Cher Horowitz's" is how the conversation usually starts with a new hairdresser. That opening line has become a lot harder since hairdressers who really understand that meaning moved up the chain in their fields and started charging a lot more...

Then comes the inevitable shampoo conversation. Previously I've always gone for the best shampoo I can afford at the supermarket (Dove has usually been the winner there) and rarely have I found myself being in a position to pay both the extortionate costs of getting my mop attended to in Wellington plus the shampoo and conditioner they recommend afterwards. 

For the past year, that conversation has taken an interesting turn and with the condition my hair is in, despite the regular heat torture I put it through, few hairdressers have been able to argue that I should use their shampoo instead. 

I tried Christchurch-based company Ethique's range of solid beauty bars in almost every form they come in over the past year. To be frank, I'm sold.

What's the deal here? Why am I washing my hair with a bar of soap? 

Well, to cut a long story short, Ethique founder Brianne, was determined to get rid of plastic bottles from the world. She worked out that shampoo and conditioner (plus loads of other beauty products) are mostly made up of water. Half way through a science degree, she became determined to do something about the resulting plastic that was being produced by the beauty industry so began formulating these products into concentrated bar forms, with compostable packaging. 

She found her winning formulas and here you are - an enormous range for all hair types and a number of skin types. In the case of shampoo, what you do is wet the bar, stroke it few your hair a few times, get a lather going and rinse.

After a few trial and errors (you can buy sample packs, this didn't take long), I found the bar that works for me: sweet and spicy shampoo, and not only discovered that the shampoo leaves my hair soft and bouncy (even swishy), there was no need for conditioner. I go through one shampoo bar every 6-8 weeks, washing my hair around five times per week, and one year in, am still barely 1/2 way through the conditioner bar that I bought for dry days. 

The company claims that each bar stops three plastic bottles from going to the ocean - being a daily shampoo user I'd say my own experience has been closer to two bottles, but over a year, that has added up regardless. 

I go away for work a lot and am now in the habit of wrapping up my bars in a beeswax wrap and using them rather than the inevitable plastic fest you get in hotels (resist the cute bottles!). They dry really quickly, aren't messy and you save that little bit of extra waste from entering the world. 

I also use the face serum twice per day and it has done wonders for my combination skin, plus use their moisturiser at night (it is very rich - less is more). I even tried the kid shampoo on my daughter who has the most incredible long and thick hair and it came out even better than it already is. Unfortunately my husband gives the kids their baths and didn't realise that her shampoo wasn't soap and used the entire thing, which should have lasted one year, in a week... 

All of Ethique's bars are vegan, cruelty free, not tested on animals, certified B corp and sustainable. And they work. 

I understand they're a massive success in the USA and Australia and are launching in the UK at some point. 

So go on, give up the bottle, and like this ageing 37 year-old Cher Horowitz wanna-be, you may never look back. 

Not a sponsored post, just written by a convert who can't shut up about this amazing company. https://ethiquebeauty.com/

Kat