Healthy Shampoo in a Bar
- Reduces Toxicity
- Saves Money
- Eliminates the Need for Conditioner
- Saves the Use of Plastics
The concept is plastic-free shampoo in a bar! The savings in cost, plastic and waste disposal sound significant and worth a second look. The convenience of a bar of shampoo sounds like it could work, so on with the investigation.
The first soap I looked into was a beautiful, round, pink bar. It was an eye-catcher, so I check the ingredients. This popular brand of colorful bar shampoo listed Sodium Lauryl Sulfate as the first ingredient.
If you don’t know Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, also known as, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, SLES or SLS, it has dangers associated with it. Although it might be called natural, being made from petroleum or coconut, it’s chemical processing presents the problem. SLS is a suspect in cancer, neurotoxicity and organ damage. It is known to disrupt the endocrine system and because of its wide usage, it is causing great harm to consumers. This product also had other than natural fragrance and color, bring more toxicity into the body via the skin, making it a poor choice.
Without too much searching I found another option called Dr. Liggitt’s Bar Shampoo. This is a 35 year old product that is easy to overlook in it’s plain packaging, but it seems to be a good alternative to the modernized version. The ingredients are basic, Saponified Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Sunflower Oil, Organic Palm Kernel Oil and RSPO Palm Kernel Oil, Fragrance, Rose Oil.
In the interest of living without toxicity, I tried Dr. Liggitt’s Bar Shampoo and actually love it. You do not need conditioner and hair not only seems to stay cleaner longer, but it looks and feels great. If your goal is to limit chemical toxicity, save money and help the environment, this seems like a very good choice.