The beauty industry brings approximately 120 billion units of plastic into play each year globally, and sadly most of this is not recyclable. It is an industry that has been marked by persistent issues around irresponsible sourcing and poisonous levels of ocean pollution, via both plastic packaging and chemical-laden formulations.
This July, we want to encourage everyone to make a small change and try a shampoo bar. We know zero waste is an impossible ask for most households, but even making a one change can make a difference, and we think this is one of the easiest! You'll be wondering why you haven't tried them sooner.
Here's our top 5 things we think you need to know about our shampoo bars!
1. It’s not a soap. Soap is made when fats or oils are mixed with an alkali (sodium hydroxide) and a reaction called saponification happens. Soaps are generally too alkaline for your hairs needs. Liquid shampoos are made with synthetic detergents (Syndet) and with the right PH levels for your hair. Anihana removes the need for water and plastic by using a solid concentrated surfactant (this is what makes it so foamy) in our case we use a milder sodium coco sulfate which won’t strip hair of oils and is gentle enough for colour treated hair.
2. Up to 80 washes per bar. Each little shampoo bar is equal up to 80 washes, you’d be surprised how much they lather and a little goes a long way. Our shampoo bars use the same ingredients as your high-quality shampoos just less the water and plastic bottle, so they are super concentrated! Shampoo bars in general use at least 80% less water. As well as the water saved our one little bar is equal to at least 2 plastic bottles worth. How many washes per bar would vary depending on the length of your hair and how often you wash.
3.The low down on sulfates – Sulfates often get a bad rap! But not all sulfates are bad, whilst we have promised not to use any harsh sulfates such as sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) or SLES we are fans of the milder and gentler coconut derived sodium coco sulfate. Many shampoos’ use silicone which coats the hair to give the illusion of silky smooth hair, because we don’t use silicones, you may notice your hair feels a little different (but not in a bad way) which is why we recommend using our conditioner bar straight after too!
4. How to use - If my 3 and 5 year old can use them so can you! Its easier than you think, simply wet the bar and your hair, run the bar from roots to tips a few times (you need less than you think) and massage hair to lather as you would a liquid shampoo. Rinse thoroughly. Store somewhere dry until next its next use. Follow with our nourishing conditioner bars.
5. How to store- You’ve got your shampoo bar, you know what’s in it and how to use, but where the heck do you put it afterwards?! Storing correctly is the key to getting the most out of your bar. We created a custom shower shelf that stylishly sticks to your bathroom tiles and holds 3 anihana bars! You can also get creative and make your own holder with a pretty shell or a tray and some elastic bands to sit the bar onto like this one. The key is to keep your bar away from water in between uses so it can dry out before you need to use it next.
Now that we’ve convinced you to make the switch to shampoo bars 😉 you’re probably wondering where to find them. You can find the whole range here and at our amazing stockists listed below
In Australia, Coles supermarkets, Priceline. In New Zealand at Chemist Warehouse, Bargain Chemist, select New World, Pak n Save, Life Pharmacy and Unichem.
Happy Plastic Free July!
