Blogmas #16: Solid Shampoo and Conditioner

I’ve been using a new shampoo and conditioner, and they are not liquid. They are both solid bars. I will be the first to say that I was sceptical, but they really have been working for me. The best thing about these is that they are small and lightweight, perfect for travelling or throwing in an overnight bag. They won’t leak or get icky all over your luggage. It’s great.

The shampoo I have been using is Lush’s Godiva 2-in-1 Solid Shampoo bar.

Our vegan, 2-in-1 shampoo bar cleans and conditions your hair with moisturizing nut oils and shea butter. These butters and oils care for dry, processed locks and leave you with glossy, shiny, and softened tresses. Long used as a tonic for the hair and scalp, jasmine also perfumes your locks with an ultra-sexy fragrance with serious staying power. Named after a certain naked protestor, Godiva gets to work sending a message to your hair.

I was so sceptical of this, but I really have not been disappointed. It lathers just as well as a liquid shampoo and it does get my hair clean. I haven’t had any problems with my hair being dirty since I started in on this. It doesn’t strip your hair down the way a clarifying shampoo does, so if that’s the feeling you’re going for, this isn’t for you. This shampoo bar does have conditioner chunks in it, but they don’t really do much, so I follow up with a conditioner. It does smell very strongly. It has a thick jasmine scent, but the smell does not linger once you rinse it out. The problem I usually have with Lush products is their overwhelming smell, so it’s great that this doesn’t hold on. The bar also last forever. I can’t tell that I’ve used it, but I’ve been using it for a long while now. It definitely will last longer than my bottled shampoo.

It does have a few problems. I have to keep it in one of the tins that Lush sells so that it won’t melt away in the shower, which is a downfall of this particular product. As well, it has little bits of jasmine, presumably. It’s plant for sure, so every once in a while, I have to be careful that there aren’t bits of leaf or stick in my hair.  

When I use this, I wet down my hair, and then rub the bar along my hands, and then rub my hands in my hair. You can rub the bar straight onto your head, but I don’t like that as much. I like this. I like it a lot. I will definitely consider getting it again (if I don’t want to try out a different one) whenever I run out, but that will be a long time from now.

You can purchase these online or in store for $11.95. That’s a bit more than 2 bottles of drugstore shampoo, so I expect it to last at least that long. The little tins cost $3 or something, but are reusable.

When I was in at the Lush, I got a solid conditioner as well, it’s called Jungle.

Tame your mane with our solid fruity conditioner filled with an abundance of fresh fruit and conditioning cocoa butter. LUSH co-founder and inventor Helen Ambrosen was the first person to make a solid conditioner work. She discovered that cocoa butter will slide onto your hair to make it softer, and then dissolve in water to leave it smooth, shiny and de-tangled. Jungle feels rich and hydrating on the hair and leaves you with a fresh, fruity fragrance after washing it off.

This was a little bit harder for me to get used to than Godiva. It definitely leaves my hair feeling soft and easy to handle after, but the application did require some practice. This one is best if you just rub it straight on the ends of your hair, which does take some finagling of my arms because I don’t have extra long hair. I’m not sure about getting it again because of this problem. It really is just easier to use a liquid. I don’t have a problem with its performance as a conditioner though.

One potential issue with this is that it doesn’t leave hair slippery like silicone based conditioners usually do. It did take a little bit of an adjustment to make sure I was getting it on my hair. It also does have a strong smell that hangs around, with avocado, passion fruit, and banana. I like the smell though, it’s nice, and does smell vaguely tropical. Someone told me my hair smelled good yesterday, and I’m certain it was from this.

It’s also lasting forever, and costs $8.50. I also got it a little tin to stay in. I am not totally sold on this, but will use it up for sure and then re-evaluate.

In today's advent calendar window, there was a mini Hoola bronzer.

It's hard to find a bronzer that is the right color for your skin tone. You don't want something too orange, or too muddy, or too dark. Hoola works really well for me. It hits that perfect medium that gives me a perfect bronze. I've used up a Hoola in this sample size before, and right now I'm using Tarte's Park Avenue Princess, but this will work for on the go in my makeup bag. 

Have you thought about using a solid shampoo or conditioner?