Nobody wants to try shampoo bars unless they're free...

[KiwiMoose]

I have put out an APB on my social media asking people why they don't seem to warm to shampoo bars. I have a bucket load of foaming apple here (all the way from the USA) that needs using up, but I don't want want to throw good money after bad making shampoo bars that are, quite frankly, very expensive to make. I have myself and my hubby and sister in law that use them regularly and that's it. And i only need to make circa 5-6 bars per year to service just us three.

Excuses people use not to try them are:
1) My hair is long and thick ( and I guess there's an implication that it won't do the job?)
2) They go gooey in the shower ( mine don't - but I remember the Lush ones used to when we bought those)
3) It will ruin my coloured hair
4) I have sensitivities
5) I have grey hair and need special shampoo ( is this a thing?)
6) I don't want to buy a (big) bar only to find out that I don't like it, so if I could get a little sample I might try it (my cost price is just over $3 for a 40g bar, so I don't fancy giving a truckload of those away!)
7) I'm fussy with shampoo and i like my salon-bought brand (even though it costs them nearly $40 per bottle)
8) I only spend $3 per bottle on shampoo so i don't want to spend $12 on a shampoo bar
9) How do you store the bar between washes? ( genuine question, but one wonders what they are imagining...taking it out of the shower each time and putting it back in again next time you need it? I mean - where do you usually store your shampoo?)

Can anyone help me out here with responses to some of these questions? Thoughts? Ideas? Anything?

 

[Ford]

Mmm, make a half size bar. Priced 60% of the full size bar. Put both sizes out. You'll sell a lot of half's initially. But people will switch to full bars. Once they get the results.

 

[CreativeWeirdo]

I can answer some of these questions; I used to work in a hair salon at their front desk and I had to learn about ALL the products. But I think the biggest problem is that people just don't know HOW to use a shampoo bar. Maybe a video tutorial/introduction to just how shampoo bars work would help take away some of the intimidation.

1) Course, thick, long hair takes a lot of effort to wash because there is just so much of it and you have to get the shampoo everywhere without missing any space. I liquid shampoo SEEMS easier because it's already easy to spread.

2) I've heard that complaint about regular soap bars, so it's really just about educating them about proper storage of bar soaps to begin with.

3) Coloured hair can be tricky; most commercial shampoos, specially current salon shampoos, are being formulated to protect colour in hair. It's more about something being less stripping as something to protect the hair colour. Previous shampoos of yesteryear contained ingredients that were very stripping to the hair. The way permanent colour works, is that a base (ammonia/bleach) penetrates through the hair strand and "removes" the natural hair colour, and deposits the new colour in it's place. Because hair isn't alive, it won't repair itself, unlike skin. Once that damage is done, it won't be undone. And once there is damage, it's easier for the damage to get worse. Like if you get tear in your sweater, if you leave it alone, it will be okay; if you pull at the loose strand, it will get worse and unravel. That's why if you have split ends, you need to have them cut off or they will split even more up the hair shaft; like a run in a stocking. So, because the ammonia has already created "holes" in the hair, those "holes" can be where the colour is stripped away with harsher shampoos. Again, educating people around ingredients could help that, but you can't force people to learn if they don't want to.

4) Similar to #3, it's only recently that shampoos are using ingredients that are less aggressive and agitating. If they were more knowledgeable in ingredients, it might help. But sometimes if you have allergies, you stick with what you know doesn't create a reaction; just to be safe rather than being sorry.

5) Grey hair is a different hair texture to natural hair. It is often courser and dryer. People with grey hair often need high hydration shampoos.

6) That's just being entitled. *EDIT* I like @Ford 's idea!

7) This is a culmination of much of the answers above. Salon shampoos are a higher concentration than drug store shampoos. To pull arbitrary numbers out of the air purely as an analogy; you could think of it as the salon product having 40% water, where the drug store product could be 90% water. (Again, those specific numbers are arbitrary). You will need less of the expensive stuff and it would last a lot longer. Also, many people find they can go longer between washes when they use the higher quality stuff, extending the life of the product even more. I got a lot of free [very, VERY expensive] shampoo that I'm still using today, five years after I left. And I can easily go another five, if not more. One 250ml bottle lasts like 2 years.

8) I mean, everyone has different financial situations. I'd probably say the same thing if someone tried to sell me a Luis Vuitton bag! But we can't satisfy everyone; these just might not be the people you get to please this time, and that's okay!

9) It might depend on living situations. For example, residence/dorm life, you share the bathing facilities and you have to bring your stuff every time you use it, and you have to take it with you. Or, they may not have the storage space. Maybe a soap dish would be the answer?

I hope I was somewhat helpful in giving one perspective. Again, I think it really just comes down to people's general lack of knowledge regarding the subject. I mean, there are people all over the internet that don't think bar soaps are hygienic! I'm not sure how active you are in using social media with your soaps, but if I were you, I would try and spread knowledgeable information so consumers can feel impowered to make an INFORMED conclusion, instead of a subjective one.

 

[cerelife]

This may not help, but I can answer 1 and 3 as to why I don't use shampoo bars.
Also, I've only used Lush shampoo bars and I love the concept, but they are a hard NO for me. Your shampoo bars are probably much better, but I would still be hesitant.
1. I have a lot of hair - waist length and curly. It's not that shampoo bars can't do the job; more that they are kind of pain in the behind with long curly hair. It takes longer to use and little pieces of the bar often broke off in my hair. So longer to use; longer to rinse; and I'd still sometimes find stray bits of shampoo bar in my dry hair if I wasn't very careful about rinsing.
3. This was the deal breaker for me. I spend a small fortune at the salon to have my hair colored and glossed. Glossing coats the strands to give a lot of shine. Shampoo bars didn't affect my color so much, but they DID strip the gloss off in a hurry.
I don't know how helpful this may be, but maybe it answers some of your questions.

 

[KiwiMoose]

I can answer some of these questions; I used to work in a hair salon at their front desk and I had to learn about ALL the products. But I think the biggest problem is that people just don't know HOW to use a shampoo bar. Maybe a video tutorial/introduction to just how shampoo bars work would help take away some of the intimidation.

1) Course, thick, long hair takes a lot of effort to wash because there is just so much of it and you have to get the shampoo everywhere without missing any space. I liquid shampoo SEEMS easier because it's already easy to spread.

2) I've heard that complaint about regular soap bars, so it's really just about educating them about proper storage of bar soaps to begin with.

3) Coloured hair can be tricky; most commercial shampoos, specially current salon shampoos, are being formulated to protect colour in hair. It's more about something being less stripping as something to protect the hair colour. Previous shampoos of yesteryear contained ingredients that were very stripping to the hair. The way permanent colour works, is that a base (ammonia/bleach) penetrates through the hair strand and "removes" the natural hair colour, and deposits the new colour in it's place. Because hair isn't alive, it won't repair itself, unlike skin. Once that damage is done, it won't be undone. And once there is damage, it's easier for the damage to get worse. Like if you get tear in your sweater, if you leave it alone, it will be okay; if you pull at the loose strand, it will get worse and unravel. That's why if you have split ends, you need to have them cut off or they will split even more up the hair shaft; like a run in a stocking. So, because the ammonia has already created "holes" in the hair, those "holes" can be where the colour is stripped away with harsher shampoos. Again, educating people around ingredients could help that, but you can't force people to learn if they don't want to.

4) Similar to #3, it's only recently that shampoos are using ingredients that are less aggressive and agitating. If they were more knowledgeable in ingredients, it might help. But sometimes if you have allergies, you stick with what you know doesn't create a reaction; just to be safe rather than being sorry.

5) Grey hair is a different hair texture to natural hair. It is often courser and dryer. People with grey hair often need high hydration shampoos.

6) That's just being entitled. *EDIT* I like @Ford 's idea!

7) This is a culmination of much of the answers above. Salon shampoos are a higher concentration than drug store shampoos. To pull arbitrary numbers out of the air purely as an analogy; you could think of it as the salon product having 40% water, where the drug store product could be 90% water. (Again, those specific numbers are arbitrary). You will need less of the expensive stuff and it would last a lot longer. Also, many people find they can go longer between washes when they use the higher quality stuff, extending the life of the product even more. I got a lot of free [very, VERY expensive] shampoo that I'm still using today, five years after I left. And I can easily go another five, if not more. One 250ml bottle lasts like 2 years.

8) I mean, everyone has different financial situations. I'd probably say the same thing if someone tried to sell me a Luis Vuitton bag! But we can't satisfy everyone; these just might not be the people you get to please this time, and that's okay!

9) It might depend on living situations. For example, residence/dorm life, you share the bathing facilities and you have to bring your stuff every time you use it, and you have to take it with you. Or, they may not have the storage space. Maybe a soap dish would be the answer?

I hope I was somewhat helpful in giving one perspective. Again, I think it really just comes down to people's general lack of knowledge regarding the subject. I mean, there are people all over the internet that don't think bar soaps are hygienic! I'm not sure how active you are in using social media with your soaps, but if I were you, I would try and spread knowledgeable information so consumers can feel impowered to make an INFORMED conclusion, instead of a subjective one.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write a detailed response.

My older sister is a hairdresser and she won't use them. I'm pretty sure if I had long hair that I wouldn't use them either tbh. Especially if i had your hair @cerelife! My two younger sisters buy expensive shampoo from the salon and are 'shampoo snobs'. Maybe I should give one of them ( the slightly less snobby one) a small sample to try.

However, if i had short/medium hair I'd be totally for shampoo bars! I mean, i do and i am! Zero waste. Well researched ingredients arguably better than your average shampoo, and possibly better than, or at least as good as some higher-end shampoos. My hair is dry, thick and coarse and I have perfected this recipe so that it is ideal for my hair. My hair is coloured and I notice no difference in colour fade between my bars and my old shampoo for 'colour-treated hair'.

Anyway, I really don't know if I can be bothered doping all the marketing required to change people's minds about shampoo bars, when soap is comparatively easy to sell and there is less outlay and more profit in it.

Those of you who do sell shampoo bars, how did you get your clientele and were they as difficult as my lot are to begin with?

 

[Megan]

People who don't like shampoo bars are like @cerelife probably jaded by their experiences with LUSH bars which are full of sulfates and pretty cruddy for your hair.
I also don't like Lush's recipe. ESPECIALLY when combined with their conditioner bar which was horrid for my hair (made my hair grease city a day later and didn't help with comb through AT ALL)
The going gooey is a big turn off for shampoo bars or soap in general, and should be fixed by a well draining soap dish. I have a wonderful covered dish from ethique that I use (their bars are full of sulfates as well but for some reason work pretty well for me).

I agree with making a video about the bars showing how to use and store and highlighting some pros would be a good idea.

 

[Momskaputt]

In regard to #5. I'm blonde, going gray (or really more silver), and I use purple shampoo to combat brassiness. I don't want the silver to turn yucky yellow. I don't think it's recommended to use the purple shampoo every time you wash your hair, because it'll turn it purple. I don't have any problem with that though.

 

[Misschief]

I've been making and using shampoo bars for about 3 years now. Personally, I love them! I've been selling them at the market for the past three years as well. Last year, I was rather negligent and didn't make many because pressing them hurt my wrists (de Quervain's tenosynovitis) but now I have a press (look out market!)

I have several customers who absolutely love them! One buys them 4 at a time if I have that many in stock. Late last fall, I tried a new recipe (DIY Pourable Shampoo bars) and asked my neighbour, who is a hairdresser, to try one and she got back to me a couple of weeks later letting me know that she was VERY impressed. She especially commented on the amount of lather, something she didn't expect. (She's used LUSH bars before.)

Like you, @KiwiMoose, I'm trying to come up with ways of getting people to try them because I've found that the biggest hurdle seems to be the price. To that end, I've purchased a small press; I'm making 20 gram bars as sample sizes and am planning to sell them for $5.00 each. I figure that each bar should last for about 15-20 washes and that should give customers a good idea of what they're all about.

 

[Michelle0803]

I have put out an APB on my social media asking people why they don't seem to warm to shampoo bars. I have a bucket load of foaming apple here (all the way from the USA) that needs using up, but I don't want want to throw good money after bad making shampoo bars that are, quite frankly, very expensive to make. I have myself and my hubby and sister in law that use them regularly and that's it. And i only need to make circa 5-6 bars per year to service just us three.

Excuses people use not to try them are:
1) My hair is long and thick ( and I guess there's an implication that it won't do the job?)
2) They go gooey in the shower ( mine don't - but I remember the Lush ones used to when we bought those)
3) It will ruin my coloured hair
4) I have sensitivities
5) I have grey hair and need special shampoo ( is this a thing?)
6) I don't want to buy a (big) bar only to find out that I don't like it, so if I could get a little sample I might try it (my cost price is just over $3 for a 40g bar, so I don't fancy giving a truckload of those away!)
7) I'm fussy with shampoo and i like my salon-bought brand (even though it costs them nearly $40 per bottle)
8) I only spend $3 per bottle on shampoo so i don't want to spend $12 on a shampoo bar
9) How do you store the bar between washes? ( genuine question, but one wonders what they are imagining...taking it out of the shower each time and putting it back in again next time you need it? I mean - where do you usually store your shampoo?)

Can anyone help me out here with responses to some of these questions? Thoughts? Ideas? Anything?

I have had decent success with Shampoo bars so here's
1. my customers with long hair have reported back that they have less need for conditioner and that their hair also dries better. My hair is short, so ... however people with long hair that I have had test these bars have all reported the same things.
2. I have not experienced gooey, however, we do store ours on a soap dish and always recommend that they store on a soap dish in between uses. We even sell the "mesh" soap dishes which are very affordable.
3. I don't think that there is anything you can do to convince someone that any shampoo won't ruin their colored hair.
4. As far as sensitivities, the only thing that you can do is explain what is in your shampoo bar.
5. I have greying hair and shampoo works just fine. However, I have heard of some people with grey or greying hair using a shampoo with a bluing agent in it. I'm not sure what it does. I think that these folks fall into the same category as the colored hair folks.
6. I do offer a small-size bar for just a few dollars and have noticed that most of the people that have purchased those have come back to me telling me that they loved it and have purchased full-size bars.
7. and 8. these folks are both ends of the spectrum on being set in their ways.
9. we recommend the mesh soap dish or just the coated metal shower organizer.

Shampoo bars really appeal to environmentally-conscious folks. They love the fact that there is far less waste and that they totally control the amount of shampoo. I play on that A LOT with great success. However, this is a matter of knowing my audience. We sell a lot at farmer's markets so a lot of our customers there are already eco-friendly types. I have also found that my customers love the fact that shampoo bars take up less space in the shower/bath and have zero waste. I display mine on our table at shows with a sign that simply says "shampoo bars" and I have very small size bars out in a tin as samples for them to smell and touch.

I do make a couple of bars with marshmallow root powder in them which is said to be a natural detangler. I have recommended those to the customers with long hair and they have reported back great success.

Good luck @KiwiMoose. I hope you find success with your shampoo bars.

I've been making and using shampoo bars for about 3 years now. Personally, I love them! I've been selling them at the market for the past three years as well. Last year, I was rather negligent and didn't make many because pressing them hurt my wrists (de Quervain's tenosynovitis) but now I have a press (look out market!)

I have several customers who absolutely love them! One buys them 4 at a time if I have that many in stock. Late last fall, I tried a new recipe (DIY Pourable Shampoo bars) and asked my neighbour, who is a hairdresser, to try one and she got back to me a couple of weeks later letting me know that she was VERY impressed. She especially commented on the amount of lather, something she didn't expect. (She's used LUSH bars before.)

Like you, @KiwiMoose, I'm trying to come up with ways of getting people to try them because I've found that the biggest hurdle seems to be the price. To that end, I've purchased a small press; I'm making 20 gram bars as sample sizes and am planning to sell them for $5.00 each. I figure that each bar should last for about 15-20 washes and that should give customers a good idea of what they're all about.

View attachment 63706

Your bars look a lot like mine, but I don't color mine. I love the blue bar. May I ask what you are using to color your bars?

 

[Misschief]

Your bars look a lot like mine, but I don't color mine. I love the blue bar. May I ask what you are using to color your bars?

I used Bath Bomb colours; they're water soluble and don't stain.

 

[TheGecko]

1) My hair is long and thick ( and I guess there's an implication that it won't do the job?)

---> I have very long hair, down to my waist (I know, I'm 60 and I'm not supposed to). Until I get sick several years back, it used to be really thick and coarse and I had tried shampoo/conditioner 'bars' and it was just a PITA to get it worked through all the hair. But my hair is a lot thinner now and it would probably work better.

2) They go gooey in the shower ( mine don't - but I remember the Lush ones used to when we bought those)

---> Ingredients and storage.

3) It will ruin my coloured hair

---> When I colored my hair, I used products made for colored hair. You might want to research into this to find out what the difference is and if your formula meets or exceeds.

4) I have sensitivities

---> More and more people do these days which is why they are turning to artisan products. Commercial products contain a lot of chemicals to make up for cheap ingredients and extend shelf life.

5) I have grey hair and need special shampoo ( is this a thing?)

---> Yes it is. I have 'deer' hair...all different shades of 'blonde' plus brown and even black strands. It's mostly silver now, except for this weird, one inch section of almost solid brown underneath bottom center. Anyhoo...I get my shampoo/condition from my hairdresser...I don't know the brand name, I get it in the same gallon jugs she gets because it's cheaper that way and there is a difference in how my hair looks. The silver glistens as opposed to looking dull.

6) I don't want to buy a (big) bar only to find out that I don't like it, so if I could get a little sample I might try it (my cost price is just over $3 for a 40g bar, so I don't fancy giving a truckload of those away!)

---> So don't...give them away that is. I have some friends who do a lot of traveling for work. They love my soap, but worry about carrying and leaving their soap behind so I make 'travel size' bars of soap. I bought the 9 Cavity Silicone Guest Rectangle Mold (1.12oz) from BB and make a little extra batter and Bob's your uncle. I just wrap them in paper, but have been looks at little travel soap cases. They cost a few pennies to make and I sell them for $2.00.

7) I'm fussy with shampoo and i like my salon-bought brand (even though it costs them nearly $40 per bottle)

---> That's okay.

8) I only spend $3 per bottle on shampoo so i don't want to spend $12 on a shampoo bar

---> That's okay too.

9) How do you store the bar between washes? ( genuine question, but one wonders what they are imagining...taking it out of the shower each time and putting it back in again next time you need it? I mean - where do you usually store your shampoo?)

---> In a closed bottle so I don't get water in it and ruin it. It same seem like a no brainer to you because you make them, but to someone who no experience with them, it's a genuine question (and concern). We know that artisan soap is a different than commercial soaps...it's why we tells folks to use soap dishes that allow the soap to dry between uses so it lasts longer. It's one thing to pay $6.00 to 8.00 for a 4oz to 5oz bar of soap, but now you're asking me to pay $10.00-$15.00 for a 3oz bar of shampoo? Darn straight I want to know how I'm going to store it so it doesn't just melt away in the shower![/QUOTE]

 

[Obsidian]

I found shampoo bars expensive and inconvenient to use/store.
Unless someone is looking to reduce plastic waste, it may just be a difficult product to sell.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I don't want the silver to turn yucky yellow.

I have grey hair and need special shampoo ( is this a thing?)

From the time DH went from Salt & Pepper to almost completely snow white he used my PALM OLIVE SOAP for hair & body. Sometimes he followed up with an ACV rinse but most of the time he didn't bother. Rinsing with increasingly cold water for as long as it takes to remove all the soap residue did the trick. That soap left his hair clean, manageable and shiny without a trace of yellow!

Those of you who do sell shampoo bars, how did you get your clientele and were they as difficult as my lot are to begin with?

Two Things:
1) I label my lye-based shampoo bars and liquid shampoo as "HAIR & BODY SHAMPOO". Customers like the convenience of just one bar/bottle of soap in the shower/tub.

2) Educate your customers about what to expect from soap as shampoo.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SHAMPOO BARS

You also may find this thread helpful.

 

[cmzaha]

5. I have greying hair and shampoo works just fine. However, I have heard of some people with grey or greying hair using a shampoo with a bluing agent in it. I'm not sure what it does. I think that these folks fall into the same category as the colored hair folks
Good luck @KiwiMoose.

Bluing or Purple coloring in shampoo whitens gray or white hair. It does Not work as a colorant it just whitens yellow cast the same as bluing in your wash water will do for whites. In fact, after WW11 when hair products were hard for salons to acquire they would use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing for hair rinses on their gray and white hair customers. I still buy and use it in my wash. This is why they make blue rinses but I always hated using leave on blue rinses such as White Minx because they would stain customers' hair if they had snow-white hair, so I preferred to dilute the rinse or use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing.

When I made shampoo bars I colored the ones for my use with purple colorant to help brighten and ward of yellow tinge in my white hair. I quit making them for sale because I simply could not sell them no matter how I tried to promote them. I had a few customers that loved them so I told them to just special order them from me when they need shampoo bars.

 

[Rsapienza]

I agree with others that feel this is a niche market product. The die hard “environment” folks. They can be a little awkward to use, but after getting used to them, I have no issues. I don’t have any issue with storing them in the shower. I keep mine on a soap dish in the back corner of the shower and they are never soggy, mushy, or even wet for that matter. They seem to dry out well. Maybe signage highlighting “eco-friendly”, “reduce plastic waste”, etc…would help.

 

[CelestialLizzie]

I haven't used shampoo bars specifically, but I've used general bars of soap to wash my hair - which gives me the exact reasons why I am very hesitant on using shampoo bars, so I'll give you my two cents if you'd like.

1) My hair is long and thick ( and I guess there's an implication that it won't do the job?)

I have long and especially thick hair (when I go to the salon to dye my hair, they literally need to use enough dye for 3 people and the technician usually has to stop halfway through to go get more), and when I have used a bar of soap to wash my hair, I have so much that it was really difficult to clean through all of that thick curtain of hair evenly AND then also rinse all of it out, too. The rinsing part especially, since it always takes so long to rinse anything out of my hair in general, since I have so much.

2) They go gooey in the shower ( mine don't - but I remember the Lush ones used to when we bought those)

9) How do you store the bar between washes? ( genuine question, but one wonders what they are imagining...taking it out of the shower each time and putting it back in again next time you need it? I mean - where do you usually store your shampoo?)

I'll be real, but I always thought that the people complaining about mushy bars were being a little silly . I get mot people don't like bar soap in general so maybe they think its a lot more of an issue than it really is, but a lot of people don't seem to get that a bar of soap isn't made to just sit in a pool of liquid for days on end. In the shower, you're not supposed to put it under where the water will dribble down on it - I keep my bars in the opposite corner on that little ridge in a soap dish; I also stand my bar up (horizontally or vertically) so it's not sitting in water, which I'll also pour out a lot during a shower. I know a soap saver is better but I saw a soap dish on etsy with little bats and glitter in it and it was just so cute that I'll gladly pour out all the water on a regular basis.

3) It will ruin my coloured hair

That's... yeah, I don't know what you could do about that, honestly. I don't know what's in shampoos for colored hair that makes it special. Although in my experience you have to care a LOT more to worry about what shampoos you use if you have like bright colored hair, especially lighter colors, neons, and pastels, while when my hair was black didn't seem to change no matter what shampoo I used. When my hair was neon green I had to re dye it just about every week if I used regular shampoo.

5) I have grey hair and need special shampoo ( is this a thing?)

Yes, but some people care about this more than others. I have a lot of older women in my family that don't care about whatever shampoo they use, although apparently their hair is more dry and delicate than it was before they went grey - although one of my grandmothers uses a purple shampoo for blondes (purple because it helps with brassy tones) that her hairdresser told her was also good for grey hair.

6) I don't want to buy a (big) bar only to find out that I don't like it, so if I could get a little sample I might try it (my cost price is just over $3 for a 40g bar, so I don't fancy giving a truckload of those away!)
7) I'm fussy with shampoo and i like my salon-bought brand (even though it costs them nearly $40 per bottle)
8) I only spend $3 per bottle on shampoo so i don't want to spend $12 on a shampoo bar

Dude, I relate to all those fronts. Lush sells those bars for like $13 dollars a bar, which, I don't know how long those last, but a lot of soaps I'd use on my body sometimes don't last longer than a month (sometimes less), and with how thick my hair is, I don't think it'd last long. I wouldn't be opposed to trying a proper shampoo bar just to try it since I've heard they're really nice, but, emphasis on try. I'd rather buy a half bar like Ford said just to try it. Maybe hand out some smallish free samples to people, be that at craft shows or if you sell them online.
I'm also super fussy about shampoo especially above all other products (which is actually why I never even had an inclination to make shampoo bars, which is the opposite for a lot of people on here) because I have hecka dandruff otherwise, and although tea tree clears it up like magic, it makes my scalp so painfully sensitive that its almost tear inducing just to brush my hair, so for a long time I was switching between showering people in flakes whenever I turned my head to having a mental breakdown if I wanted to brush my hair, until I found a shampoo that eradicated my serious dandruff problem without the use tea tree, (Head and Shoulders Smooth and Silky) and I actually recently tried to switch over to a more expensive version of the same exact shampoo by the same company that has argon oil and rose essence in it, and I regret it so much because it doesn't clean as nicely or make my hair feel as smooth, so I'm scared to step out of my comfort zone, but I'd still be open to try a single use serving of a shampoo bar to see if it makes my hair feel nicer - if it works, I might have a bar around to use on special occasion.

Also, sorry for the essay I wrote, but I hope it helps you in some way.

 

[KiwiMoose]

WOW! You guys are the best! thank you for all your input. I just made some more shampoo bars last night and have made some smaller ones for trial sizes. I'm still not inclined to give them away (unless it's to a regular customer who I know is genuine) so I may well take a few to the next market and sell them for $3 apiece for people to try.

 

[AliOop]

I do make a couple of bars with marshmallow root powder in them which is said to be a natural detangler. I have recommended those to the customers with long hair and they have reported back great success.

Would you be willing to share how much marshmallow root powder you add to yours? I have some and would love to add it, but hesitate since I don't want to create bug food or change the pH too much. Thanks!

When I made shampoo bars I colored the ones for my use with purple colorant to help brighten and ward of yellow tinge in my white hair.

Can you share which purple colorant you used for your shampoo bars, and how much you added? Thanks!

 

[justjacqui]

We have three long haired people in our house and love using shampoo and conditioner bars. We haven't purchased liquid shampoo in a few years. I think they work well with long hair.

If you are making bars with mild surfactants (no SLS) then there shouldn't be an issue with it stripping hair colour. Most coloured hair shampoos as just sulfate free shampoos maybe with a silicone additive to help maintain colour.

When people claim they have sensitivities, ask what they are sensitive too. Your bars are probably better than the commercial liquid shampoos. If I remember correctly from some of the other threads, you were creating bars that didn't have some of the main ingredients that cause sensitivity such as Cocamidopropyl Betaine and SLS.

I think there are some people who will never change to a bar no matter how good it is.

Promote that they reduce plastic waste and that a small bar goes a long way. Commercial Liquid Shampoos are generally about 80% water. Although I am not a fan of "free from" marketing it might help to promote that they are sulfate free (unlike LUSH) and similar.

If you are selling at a market create a little flyer with how to use a shampoo bar. If you can get someone to draw a few pictures (comic style) it might help with people who are reluctant because they don't know how to use them.

Hope this helps

 

[Catscankim]

Never used a shampoo bar, but I can speak for the length of hair. I have long hair. I only wash my head and rinse and squeeze everything through, so I don't use much more shampoo than anybody else with shorter hair. Then I condition the whole length of my hair.

My hair is not particularly thick, but it used to be. I just always washed my hair this way. At one point I had all of my hair cut off for Locks of Love and she mentioned how healthy my hair was and I told her how I washed it. "YES! That is how you should wash long hair." Basically shampoo should not touch it.