All you need to know about the plastic-free, biodegradable and eco-friendly hair care trend for men!

Updated May 22, 2021

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Shampoo bars are becoming increasingly popular, which is great! Women everywhere are ditching traditional shampoos and opting for zero-waste alternatives. They’re eco-friendly, they’re cute, they smell like flowers and gumdrops and unicorns—and some even have glitter and tiny chunks of flower petals. They’re the perfect zero-waste hair care product for women!

BUT WHAT ABOUT MEN?

Men don’t want to smell like vanilla cupcakes or unicorn farts! They can’t have sparkles and flower petals lingering on their sideburns. Their bro friends will never let them hear the end of it. But, they do want in on the zero-waste hair care movement—as long as the products have a masculine scent.

Men deserve to have environmentally-friendly eco-manes just like women. And they can—because men’s grooming products now include shampoo bars.

That’s why we’ve done some research, visited a bunch of manufacturer websites, and chose some of the most ethical hair care brands that make shampoo bars made specifically for men in mind with scents like pine and tar and beer, ….you get where we’re going with this.

We’re talking natural, organic and vegan ingredients, zero animal testing, and plastic free packaging. Plus, some of these companies do pretty rad philanthropic work, which is pretty darn awesome, in our book.

Why Should You Switch To Shampoo Bars?

Traditional shampoos are packaged in plastic bottles, and if you take into account one bottle per person, that’s millions of shampoo bottles laying around in your local landfill…indefinitely. Why? Because as you all know, plastic doesn’t biodegrade.

Shampoo bars, however, are made with plastic-free packaging. In fact, most aren’t even shipped to your house in plastic. What they do get shipped in, is recyclable and biodegradable packaging that you can feel warm and gooey about; because you’re helping the planet.

They are also void of harsh chemicals and ingredients that strip your hair of its natural oils. In fact, when switching to an all natural shampoo bar, you may notice that your hair is not as dry as it normally would be after using traditional shampoo. For many people, this may take getting used to.

Shampoo bars are also suitable for beards and body. That’s right! Whereas traditional shampoo is limited to just the hair on your scalp, shampoo bars can be used for much, much more! In fact, men LOVE the new appearance and texture of their facial hair—stating that “frizz” is down by a considerable percent.

GREAT FOR TRAVEL AND CAMPING

Because shampoo bars are solid, compact, and friendly on the environment, they are excellent for travel and outdoor recreation such as camping. You can easily keep them in a soap bar travel container and not worry about spills or airport security telling you that the bottle you’re bringing on board with you is way to big. Plus, you don’t have to worry about a shampoo bottle going rogue and spilling all your carry-on, and you certainly don’t have to spend extra money buying a whole new shampoo bottle on your trip.

How Do Shampoo Bars Work?

Shampoo bars work just like regular soap bars. You create a lather, and smear it into your wet hair (and beard). Then you just wash as you would with conventional shampoo. In fact, here’s a video tutorial that I did on my son with J•R•Liggett’s Shampoo Bar (they are so nice and sent samples!) I applied the bar to his wet hair and it started to create a rich lather immediately! Then once we rinsed it out, his hair was soft and no greasy residue remained. That’s why shampoo bars are so great to use.

Are you Ready to try one Out?

Then let’s go check them out! Try it, and if you like it, make the switch for good! If not, then go back to what you used before. No harm done in trying something new.

Most bars will save you money because they last as long as 2-3 bottles of shampoo—provided you store them correctly. With that said, keep them on a dish soap (one with holes) so they can dry and prevent them from turning to goo. For recommendations on soap trays that are best suited for shampoo bars, check out our article called “How To Store Shampoo Bars And Soap”.

All the bars chosen below are Climate Pledge Friendly, which is a sustainability certification. They’re also cruelty free and never tested on animals, just probably on bad employees.

Boss Man

Bossman is a rugged looking, organic 4 in 1 bar. But, despite its manly appearance, it’s actually packed full of soothing nutrients that pamper your hair, face, beard and body! It’s used as shampoo, conditioner, body wash and beard lather. If you don’t have time to watch their video [above], they go over all types of skin issues that this shampoo bar has helped people with—from acne to dandruff and psoriasis. They go on to discuss how a mom has even used it on her baby because of how gentle the ingredients are compared to traditional shampoo and baby body wash. And that is amazing.

The Cowboy Bar

The Apple Valley Natural Soap company is one of our favorite family-owned shampoo bar brands. They are certified cruelty free, and have many cool and unique hand-made shampoo bars for both men and women. They even have a beard soap that you can try. So click on the link and check this small business out. And when you shop at Apple Valley Soap, you can get 10% off of your entire purchase with special code: AVNSDIARIES10 at checkout!

FAT AND THE MOON SHAMPOO BAR

This hand-made shampoo bar by Fat And The Moon will give you a gentle, deep clean with all natural and organic ingredients, and without the wasteful plastic packaging. This lil shampoo bar is equivalent to 16oz of liquid shampoo — and a little goes a long way! The rhassoul clay gives volume to locks, and the rosemary reinvigorates the scalp. You’ll literally have a great hair day, every day. This shampoo bar is available on EarthHero and you can take 10% off of your entire purchase with coupon code: ECOMOMDIARIES at checkout!

PLUM BRILLIANCE APOTHECARY CHARCOAL SHAMPOO BAR

If dandruff is a issue, than try this charcoal and rosemary shampoo bar by Plum Brilliance Apothecary. Handcrafted with castor oil, tea tree, and bamboo charcoal – this shampoo bar comes without any extra plastic packaging or nonsense for your most minimal experience. The charcoal promotes hair growth, while the tea tree removes excess oil, and the castor oil helps balance your scalp’s pH and undo damage. This shampoo bar is available on EarthHero and you can take 10% off of your entire purchase with coupon code: ECOMOMDIARIES at checkout!

The Breakaway Bar

The men’s “breakaway” shampoo bar is really unique. It’s a massive shampoo bar that you can break apart into different sized pieces, which is really convenient especially if you are an avid traveler. It’s also anti-fungal and great for taming dandruff. Also, you can microwave the leftovers and form a new bar of soap. Check it out for more details.

Grown Ass Man

These Grown Ass Man shampoo bars consist of organic and vegan ingredients. The founders of this shampoo bar decided women shouldn’t have all the fun when it comes to eco-friendly hair care, so they came up with an epic product that has an epic name! These shampoo bars contain essential oils, as well as conditioning oils that are great for both hair and beards. Each bar lasts as long as 2-3 bottles of shampoo.

Woody’s Hair & Body Shampoo Bar

Woody’s body and shampoo bar for men can be purchased in a single or 2 pack. “It is uniquely crafted with ingredients to nourish and soothe the skin yet bold enough to be used as a shampoo. Cover yourself from head to toe in Woody’s rich creamy lather for the ultimate once over. This dual-action product cleanses and conditions hair and body. The Shea Butter helps to hydrate and moisturize without build-up while the Tea Tree helps relieve dry skin and scalp and improve moisture balance”.

Mane Man

Mane Man shampoo bar is a three in one cleanser that can be used for hair, beard and body. The company sources local ingredients that are all natural and organic. The bar itself comes in compostable and biodegradable packaging to prevent plastic waste.

Duke Cannon’s Shampoo Puck

Duke Cannon’s shampoo puck is an awesome shampoo bar made of vegan ingredients. The puck comes in eco-friendly tin packaging that you can use for travel. The company also does philanthropic work; they donate 5% of all net profits to US veterans on a yearly basis. We also like this brand because they have a sense of humor: “we never test on animals, only on bad interns”.

The Shampoo Man Bar

If you love the refreshing smell of tea tree and mint, then you will love the “shampoo man bar” which creates a rich frothy lather (according to many testimonials). It’s especially great for dandruff, as tea tree contains anti-fungal properties that eliminate yeast.

J•R•Liggett’s Shampoo Bar

JR Liggett’s is a small all natural shampoo bar that is the equivalent to a 24 oz bottle of liquid shampoo. And with a blend of rich oils like Virgin Coconut, Aloe Vera, Almond Oil, and Mango Butter, it nourishes your hair and leaves it incredibly soft. In fact, the manufacturer claims that you will no longer need conditioner.

BRÖÖ Beer Shampoo Bar

Contrary to the name, the detoxifying charcoal BRÖÖ shampoo bar does not smell of beer, and is crafted for the short hair, “don’t need a lot of conditioner” crowd. This charcoal detoxifying shampoo bar is brewed with the “hair-loving” B vitamins in real craft beer, to serve up clean, healthy hair, body, face and even beard. And, to purify hair, scalp, and skin, it’s infused with a shot of detoxifying activated bamboo charcoal.

ResidentD Hair Darkening Shampoo Bar

The organic darkening shampoo bar by ResidentD is great for men who want to darken their grays naturally. This shampoo bar also contains organic ingredients like ginger that promote hair follicle growth and fight dandruff due to its inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It’s a really great shampoo bar to try if you have scalp problems and want to reverse some time as well!

CHLOE MASON SOAP COMPANY

This hand-made shampoo bar by the Chloe Mason Soap Company is made with goat milk, apple cider vinegar and turmeric—two key ingredients that fight dandruff and oily hair. It’s also works great as acne treatment because of turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties. You can find this artisan-made shampoo bar in the hand-made corner of amazon!

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