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Environmentally friendly and easy to toss in a toiletry bag, shampoo bars are a conscientious choice for travelers. Plastic-free packaging cuts down on waste, and by ditching the liquid shampoo, you can also sail through the TSA line. These eight bars target different hair types and concerns, but all share a common goal of helping the planet.
Easy on sensitive scalps: Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk bar
Save space in your luggage by packing this hair, face and body bar
(Image credit: Briogeo)
This hypoallergenic 3-in-1 bar, made with soothing oat milk and aloe, works on your hair, face and body, and “actually performs well in all three categories,” Condé Nast Traveler said. The formula “naturally calms scalp irritation” and keeps hair from feeling “dry or frizzy” after spending hours in the sun and salt water. ($19, £15.14, Amazon)
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Combats frizz: Davines Love shampoo bar
Say goodbye to frizz with the Love shampoo bar
(Image credit: Davines)
This is the bar version of Davines’ “cult favorite bottled shampoo,” InStyle said, an “ultra-gentle” and “super-hydrating formula designed to tame coarse, frizzy hair.” Its herbal scent is “subtle” but there, lingering on your locks. The bar feels substantial in your hand even after weeks of daily use. ($27, £21.50, Amazon)
Works for all: Earthling Co. shampoo bar
The Earthling Co. bars come in six scents, plus fragrance-free
(Image credit: The Earthling Co.)
All hair types can lather up with Earthling Co.’s strengthening shampoo bar. Cocoa seed butter, marshmallow root and panthenol “condition and protect the hair,” Cosmopolitan said, and help keep it “hydrated and smooth.” A fragrance-free version is available and great for people with dry scalps, otherwise there are six pleasant scents that include wild lavender and sweet sandalwood. ($16, £12.75, Earthling Co.)
Cleanses thick tresses: HiBar Moisturize shampoo bar
The untraditional shape of this bar ensures it reaches hair roots
(Image credit: HiBAR)
The HiBar Moisturize bar’s asymmetric bullet shape is a big part of its strength. This “allows for easy lathering and reaching the roots of thick strands,” Good Housekeeping said, while the coconut oil and rice protein deeply hydrates. If you wash your hair in the morning, the bar’s invigorating orange and ginger scent is like a soapy coffee jolt. ($10, £8, Amazon)
Boosts volume: Lush Seanik shampoo bar
Seaweed and sea salt add texture to Lush’s Seanik shampoo bar
(Image credit: Lush)
Give your hair some va-va-voom with this volumizing shampoo bar, made with shine-enhancing lemon oil, Irish moss and Japanese nori. These seaweed bits and exfoliating sea salt granules help “refresh” oily hair as well, Good Housekeeping said, and the bar’s ocean scent “brings the beach to your bathroom.” ($15, £12, Lush)
Protects color-treated hair: Odacité 552M soap free shampoo bar
The citrus scent from Odacité is an invigorating option
(Image credit: Odacité)
Prepare for a professional-quality wash away from the salon. The Odacité 552M bar is made with argan and castor oils and cupuacu butter, which creates a “creamy lather,” Condé Nast Traveler said. The “refreshing” citrus scent also ensures a “pleasant in-shower experience.”
After rinsing, expect “bouncy, silky-soft locks” that do not feel “stripped of their natural oils.” The formula’s name, 552M, refers to the 552 million plastic shampoo bottles that are thrown away every year in the U.S. ($29, £23.11, Amazon)
Treats oily hair: Star Bars Clarity shampoo bar
All Star Bars products are stamped with the brand’s cute logo
(Image credit: Star Bars)
Star Bars’ Clarity shines when it comes to cleansing oily hair. Apricot kernel oil guarantees hair is soft without being greasy, while blueberry extract repairs damage and averts breakage. Safe for color-treated hair, Clarity does not weigh down curls and smells fresh, with a rich herbal fragrance featuring notes of cypress and juniper. Bars are handcrafted in small batches, then packaged in a recyclable paper container. ($22, £17.50, Star Bars)
Strengthens locks: Viori Hair shampoo bar
Viori designed its bar around Longsheng rice water
(Image credit: Viori)
Nourishing Longsheng rice water is a key ingredient in Viori’s shampoo bar, resulting in “strands that shine, have more volume and break less frequently,” Marie Claire said. The formula was inspired by the Red Yao women of China, who use Longsheng to clean their silky hair, and reviewers “rave” that Viori’s bar “reduces hair shedding” and “makes hair more manageable.” ($18, £14.34, Sephora)
