Hair soaps have been all the rage for some time. On the one hand, because it is about sustainability, on the other hand, they should be just as good as regular shampoo. But what is the difference between hair soap and solid shampoo? We’ll explain it to you. Washing hair without plastic waste is becoming increasingly popular.
Instead of regular shampoos and conditioners, there has been an increasing number of hair soaps and solid shampoos on the market for some time that dispense entirely with plastic packaging. While soaps were primarily used to wash hands in the past, they are now used much more frequently on the head. The reason is self-explanatory: Much plastic waste, including numerous shampoo bottles, ends up in the trash every year. Of course, this pollutes the environment, especially the oceans in which the plastic waste ends up.
But there are other reasons why hair soaps are becoming increasingly popular and why one should consider switching. Hair soaps promise well-groomed, healthy and shiny hair that is significantly less greasy. They are supposed to cleanse and condition just as effectively as regular hair shampoos. In addition, the shampoo alternatives are very economical and usually free of palm oil and synthetic ingredients such as preservatives, silicones, surfactants or parabens.
Hair Soap Or Solid Shampoo: What’s The Difference?
Outwardly, the two shampoo alternatives are very similar, but the difference lies in the details or the manufacture and composition of the two products. Solid shampoos are very similar in composition to regular shampoos. They were pressed into soap form, removing the water. Often the ingredients consist of natural products, are vegan and promise the same mode of action as liquid shampoos.
But they also contain various surfactants, oils, perfumes and dyes. Fixed shampoo variants are produced synthetically. This has the advantage that the pH value can be precisely adjusted to the scalp during production. This is namely 5.5. If the pH value changes, the skin can dry out, or it can cause skin irritation.
On the other hand, hair soaps consist mainly of fat (approx. 3 – 5%) and nourishing oils such as, E.g. olive oil, coconut oil, or jojoba oil (approx. 50%). Other healthy ingredients can include aloe vera, shea butter or cocoa butter. In contrast to solid shampoo, hair soap only contains natural ingredients and no synthetic ingredients. They naturally have an alkaline pH value of over 7, which can damage the skin’s protective acid mantle.
This is why it is recommended that hair soaps be rinsed with acid after shampooing. This can, e.g. For example, a rinse made of water and apple cider vinegar or lemon (1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice to 1 litre of water). This leads to the fact that the hair scales close, and the lime cannot settle in the hair—the result: shiny hair without residue.
Hair Soaps: These Products Convince Online
We took a look around the net and put together our hair soap favourites for you. The best: you can buy them right here.
Carenesse Aleppo Soap
Caresse hair soap is a purely natural product and consists of just four ingredients: olive oil, bay oil, soda and water. The soap can also be used as a shower gel, washing hands, or even shaving foam. The moisturizing hair soap is biodegradable, has no synthetic additives, dyes or fragrances and does not contain parabens, mineral oils or palm oil.
Black Hair Soap From Meina
The black hair soap from Meina consisted of 100% natural ingredients and was specially developed for oily and flaky hair. Elements such as eucalyptus, mountain pine and rosemary oil have a regenerating effect, and the black activated charcoal prevents the hair from quickly regreasing after washing it.
Golconda Hair Soap Against Hair Loss
Golconda’s hair soap contains nettle and rosemary, which have a stimulating effect on the hair roots and thus prevent hair loss. It is also supposed to avoid dandruff. The vegan and certified natural product is handmade and consists only of lye and selected vegetable oils.
How Do You Use Hair Soaps Properly?
Before using hair soap for the first time, you should check the hardness of the water in your home. With hard water, the use of soap is much more difficult. The reason is that soap combined with lime and water forms small white flakes, making the hair feel rough to the touch. If you want to work around the problem, you can use a shower head with an integrated water filter.
Tip: A water filter also prevents limescale from quickly settling on shower stalls. Now take the hair soap and rub it between your wet hands so that it starts to foam. You can also rub it directly over your damp hair. It is best to hold the hair soap under running water beforehand. After you’ve lathered your head, you can rinse off the foam as usual.
Then you can make an acidic rinse out of apple cider vinegar or lemon and water for more shine and compatibility. You don’t even have to wash the whole thing off. Of course, you can also use a conditioner with soap after washing your hair. However, it would help if you only used this infrequently so that your hair could get used to the soap during hair care.
Storing Hair Soap Correctly: You Should Pay Attention To This With Solid Shampoo
So that your hair soap lasts and you can use it repeatedly to wash your hair, you should store it properly. The problem with soaps is that they eventually dissolve in contact with water. It would help if you, therefore, kept them in a dry place after your shower. So only take the solid shampoo with you in the shower when you use it. Otherwise, you can store the shower bar outside of the storm.
If you have used the hair soap for washing, you can best put it in a soap sachet after use ( available from Amazon*) or on a soap dish (with holes) so that the water can drain off. But there are also special storage boxes in which you can put the soaps. These are air-permeable and particularly suitable when travelling when you are on the move and want to pack the wet hair soap.
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