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Writer's pictureNina Acuña

Cruelty-free/Vegan Shampoo Bars

Updated: Mar 7, 2019


Our family is trying to reduce our waste and decided to ditch plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles. We thought about taking our old shampoo bottles and refilling them at our local co-op but figured shampoos bars would be better considering travel.

There are quite a few vegan shampoo bars on the market and we didn’t really know where to begin. We took to Social media to see what folks had to say and decided to go from there.



Lush seemed to be the most popular shampoo bar on social media, so we started using their shampoo and conditioner bars. The shampoo worked well and lathered very quickly, but their conditioner bar was useless. We absolutely loved the smell of their products, but that along with the SLS( Sodium Lauryl Sulfate a toxic ingredient) are the reasons we decided to stop using their products. Lush isn’t exactly transparent when it comes to their ingredients and our family likes to stray away from synthetic fragrances.


We searched again and read reviews that lead us to a few other brands. We picked 5 to try out and see what worked best for us. Conditioner bars were hard to come by and we were skeptical about their success after less than satisfying results with the Lush Conditioner Bar. I, Nina, became the official tester and decided to condition with Apple Cider Vinegar.

What worked for me may not work for others as hair types vary. I have thin, straight, flat hair. I enjoy a good lather but also understand that the amount of lather doesn’t necessarily mean more clean. I should also mention that we have hard water here in Arizona and I’m not sure if that would make a difference in results.

First up was Auromere Shampoo Bar with Organic Neem Tulsi-Spice. It has a very subtle but pleasant fragrance to it. It took me two passes through my hair to get a good lather. My hair felt very dry and almost tangled when rinsing. After the ACV rinse and letting it air dry, my hair felt heavy and didn’t have much movement. An “All-in-One” bar that can also be used as a full body wash.

The next shampoo bar I tried was the BRÖÖ Craft Beer Hydrating Bar Shampoo. This bar lathers really well and even has a built-in massage nubs to give your scalp a massage. It seems wonderful but not overpowering. My hair felt waxy after washing and rinsing and I was worried about it becoming heavy and stiff after the AVC rinse. That wasn’t the case. My hair felt clean and looked full. BRÖÖ takes beer hair from saloon-to-salon, blending real beer (their #1 ingredient) with gentle, sulfate-free cleansers, and silky conditioners,

J.R. Liggett’s shampoo bars were up next. They have six different formulas to choose from. We got a sample of each and I was able to try them all. They all yielded the same results for me and I enjoyed the subtle fragrances of each. It took quite a bit to get them to lather and my hair felt dry after rinsing but before conditioning. My hair felt slightly heavier after dry but had a really nice shine to it.

The fourth shampoo bar I tried was Suds of Love by Booda Organics. Like most other shampoo bars, this one took awhile to lather. It is fragrance free and great for people with sensitive skin. My hair felt smooth after rinsing but before conditioning. I was expecting it to weigh my hair down, but it was the opposite. My hair felt moisturized and had some body to it. Perfect for many bathing needs, Enjoy the rich, creamy lather for body and face, as well as a soothing shampoo and shaving cream.

Finally, I tried Whiff Shampoo Bar found on Amazon. It only comes in a peppermint formula and they sell a conditioner bar along with it. I was surprised by how quickly this shampoo bar lathered. The peppermint oil felt refreshing on the scalp and has a pleasant odor. My hair felt smooth after rinsing but before the ACV rinse. When my hair was dry, it felt light and clean but had static to it. I tried it again with their conditioner bar and the static was gone.


In the end, the ones that worked well for my hair were the Broo craft beer, Suds of love and Whiff shampoo bars. Every shampoo bar mentioned here doubles as body soap which makes trying a variety of shampoo bars easy as you will not waste your money if happen to not work for your hair type. They also work well for shaving. If you have a favorite shampoo bar you think we should try let us know. I would also like to find a fantastic conditioner bar.

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