Shampoo on board!

The shower – that moment when you come up with great ideas … then you forget. Well, there you go a great idea that will not stay in the soap dish. Solid shampoos. Practical, natural, ecological and surprising. And they last a lot!

One of the co-founders of the English brand Lush invented it 20 ago. «Mo Constantine created the first solid shampoo by chance», tells The Luxonomist Gloria Pavia, Director of Communications and PR of Lush Spain. “She patented the idea. It sums up all the values ​​of our brand». In fact, for Lush solid shampoos are true heroes. «One of our solid shampoos bars equals 3 bottles of shampoo, so imagine the amount of plastic and transports is saved. The best way to care for nature is not generating waste».

Lush solid shampoos are made with a small amount of water and no preservatives. They are realy useful at the gym and the airport. Want to know which one you suits you best? «Rather than recommend a shampoo depending on the type of hair, we do according to their ingredients and benefits», Gloria said. «For example, if you are looking for volume, Seanik is perfect. It is made with salt, seaweed and lemon. If you want a very shiny hair, try Brazilliant with fresh orange. New is our best selling solid shampoo; it has cinnamon, cloves and nettle and prevents hair loss».

Soap bars for hair
We travel from the English countryside to the Sierra de Guadarrama. Some of Los jabones de mi mujer are formulated to care the skin of the body but also your scalp and hair. Amelia Pérez, the soul of this beautiful project of natural handmade soaps, speaks enthusiastically about their advantages: «A conventional shampoo has about thirty chemicals, very aggressive to the scalp. In our Rosemary soap, for example, there are only five, all natural». Amelia started making her own soaps because all products she found in the market irritated her skin. «All soaps that leave our workshop soothe inflamed and scaly skin. And not only stops the itching of the scalp; the hair looks cleaner, regenerated and shinny».

According to Amelia, «conventional shampoos use paraffins which create an artificial layer on hair. The hair doesn’t breathe or hydrated». So before you start using a natural soap as shampoo, she recommend to remove this layer with a solution of water and baking soda. «Rub well into the scalp before rinsing with that rid your hair of all impurities». 30 «If you dye your hair, do not forget to repeat the process every time you apply the dye», she recalls.

As in the case of Lush, product life is another advantage, and a bar of 100 g by Los jabones de mi mujer lasts about a month. Just let it dry in a well-drained soap dish, placed, for example, on pebbles. Those are the soaps that Amelia recommeds for the different hair types: 

• If your hair is oily, try Rosemary soap. Rosemary is antiseptic, stimulant and astringent. This soap strengthens the scalp, preventing hair loss. It also nourishes and gives elasticity.
• Calendula soap is suitable for all hair types. Regulates the seborrhea of ​​the scalp and nourishes. Exerted on the skin has a healing, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying action.
• In very curly hair, like afro hair, Argan soap and Beeswax soap create a natural protective layer that greatly softens hair. Argan oil is composed of essential fatty acids as well as vitamin E, which gives strength and shine.
• Carrot and Neroli soap is so soft that it can be used to remove cradle cap that forms on the skin of some babies.

How to use it
Like everything else, it’s just a matter of practice. Sundra Essien, from the Danish brand Isangs Hair & Body, shows us a few tried and true ways of tackling the bar:

• The Short & The Tall: For hair that is short or hair that is tall (think afro), using a shampoo bar is as simple as rubbing the bar over your locks with one hand while working the suds into a rich lather with the other.
• The Sandwich: For longer hanging tresses, many find it convenient to scrub the hair while sandwiched between the shampoo bar in one hand and palm of the other.
• The Passerby: This technique involves passing the shampoo bar along the length of the hair until enough lather has transferred, allowing you to work up a delicious lather.
• The Distant Lather: If shampoo bar-hair contact is not your cup of tea, you may try this technique of lathering the bar in your hands then transferring the lather to your hair.

• The Pile-on: Although this may be a bit difficult to manage for some, others find it easiest to first pile the hair on top of the head, and then rub the bar over the piled hair working up a fluffy lather. You may need to hold hair in place with one hand while rubbing the bar over gather hair with the other.

Isangs Hair & Body solid shampoos are made with all natural ingredients with no perfumes or preservatives. With them, you will not need conditioner, since they are highly moisturizing. Sundra recommend a final vinegar rise to close the hair cuticle, re-acidify the hair and get a good rinse out.