The Naked Truth: Ditch the Plastic with Zero Waste Shampoo Bars [Review]
There’s no doubt plastic packaging is a scourge on our planet. But local beauty creation Zero Bar is trying to make things just a little bit better with a push towards zero-waste hair care products that are not only effective and super kind to your hair but a little kinder to the planet too. While the concept of a shampoo bar isn’t anything new (Lush stores have been stocking all sorts of solid beauty products for quite some time now), it is all kinds of exciting that a South African producer has joined the growing solid toiletries market. With two exciting products available — a solid shampoo bar and a 2-in-1 hair and body wash bar (better suited for gents), Zero Bar is no doubt going to shake up the beauty scene in South Africa this year.
Cruelty-free, and made using no water, the locally made Zero Bar is an eco warrior of note. The little bar of haircare goodness is packaged in a recyclable cardboard box and will help you reduce waste in your bathroom while leaving you with beautifully soft, healthy hair. With sustainability top of mind, one Zero Bar will last you between 55 and 70 hair washes, depending on the thickness and length of your hair, helping you to use less product. That’s about 3 months if you wash your hair 5 times a week!
The Zero Bars are made using locally-sourced ingredients in a Proudly South African factory and helps to clean, enrich, moisturise, condition, shine, strengthen, nourish, soothe and repair your hair with every wash. To use, simply add a little bit of water, lather between your palms and shampoo as normal. The bars produce a luxurious, super-rich, creamy lather that rinses out quickly and easily, leaving your hair feeling oh-so-fresh, soft, and clean.
If you’re yet to join the solid toiletries fan club, you’re about to because they are the best thing in the history of ever. Especially for travelling. Solid toiletries are a traveller’s dream come true because you don’t have to worry about airport security scrutinizing the size of your shampoo and concerns about spillage are a thing of the past. Anyone who has ever had a bottle of shampoo spill out in their luggage will know the horror I am referring to. Yes sure, if you’re staying in a fancy enough hotel you’ll get those mini bottles of shampoo in your hotel room but let’s be real; those teeny tiny bottles don’t even contain enough shampoo to wash my cat, let alone any respectable adult woman’s hair. I’m also dubious of the quality of shampoo and conditioner they shove into those tiny bottles, so I always prefer to bring my own.
The Zero Bar range includes 4 fabulous solid shampoos to help treat a variety of hair concerns. The Argan Bar (blue) is jam-packed with extra Argan oil and nutrients to moisturise and nourish your hair while increasing shine, encouraging growth, and soothing scalp issues like dandruff. Another winner for a healthy scalp is the Jojoba Bar (orange) which is also a moisturising powerhouse for dry hair.
If your hair needs a little TLC then you can’t go wrong with the Moringa Bar (green) which will help to strengthen and rejuvenate tired hair and split ends. If it’s deep conditioning you want then you’ll love the Desert Melon Bar (yellow) which is packed with vitamins and anti-oxidants, to intensely condition the hair and scalp, without any greasy residue.
In addition to each bar’s key ingredient, the Zero Bar is made with Argan oil to hydrate and soften, Macadamia nut oil to increase shine and strengthen the hair, Avocado oil for moisture, Linseed oil, Grapeseed oil to moisturise and condition, Sunflower oil to nourish and soothe the scalp, and Coconut oil to stimulate hair growth.
My favourites of the range are the blue and orange bars, I have curly hair which is often quite dry and I struggle with inflammation of the scalp so these two are right up my alley. But, no matter which shampoo bar you choose you’ll love that the Zero Bar suds like real shampoo, smells wonderful, and leaves your hair feeling like a million bucks. My hair feels super soft after shampooing with the Zero Bar and I’ve found I’ve been using less conditioner after cleansing — a real win in my books!
The Zero Bar range is available online from the Zero Bar website at R75 each and will also be launching in more online as well as in-store retailers soon.
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