Have you tried a solid shampoo bar and been dismally disappointed that it just didn’t clean your hair like the conventional bottled stuff does ? You’re not alone. But don’t give up!

Not all shampoo bars are created equal, and I’ve seen many bars marketed as shampoo but really they are a bar of soap that left a thick, soapy residue in my hair. It also seems that different products work for different people too, so it will always be a personal experiment.

Hello, NueBar.

My chat with new-kids-on-the-shampoo-block, Sydney-based NueBar shows us exactly what to look out for in an effective shampoo bar.

So far I’ve tried natural shampoo bars that were just too soapy and needed an ACV rinse afterwards, and bars that seemed to clean really well but my scalp just didn’t like. So when I came across a new, Australian (local!) solid bar brand I was instantly intrigued and hopeful. Could I have found something that worked for me not only in reducing plastic but that actually cleaned, loved my scalp AND was locally made?

Use discount code ‘SHIFTSTYLE’ to get 10% off any NueBar products at any time!

nuebar review

I thought I’d go all-in to test and review a few NueBar products, including a shampoo bar, conditioner bar, facial cleanser bar and good all-rounder wash bar - all made by them right here in Australia. And it’s safe to say I love them! The shampoo lathers nicely as you’d expect shampoo to, cleans my hair well and my scalp is no longer flaky and irritated!

I had been hesitant to try a cleanser as I don’t like to strip the natural oils from my skin, as that can cause more breakouts and make the skin dry. But this guy has been a nice addition to my routine, not leaving my skin with that tight or dry feeling, and without the perfumes I know it’s safe for my precious skin - our largest organ after all.

The wash bar must be the longest-lasting solid soap bar I’ve tried yet. I’ve used many different solid soap bars (I do work with The Finders Keepers after all, and love trying soaps from the different makers!), some beautifully moisturising, but they can end up a bit too slimy and just don’t last long in the shower, or at the basin.

The conditioner bar I know will last me a loooong time, like we’re talking a year at least - if my last conditioner bar is anything to go by. As with all conditioners, you only need to put it through the ends, so I just wet my hair and the bar, then slide through the ends a few times before rinsing out.

How to find a solid solid.

I caught up with Katie, one half of the power-duo behind NueBar - also a proud queer business - to help us sort out the solid workers from the dud suds.

Katie is a trained herbalist/ naturopath, and recognised she “didn't want to create just another thing,” but she says, “The shift came for me with all of the environmental need that was everywhere we looked. I decided that perhaps if it was something that could actually make a difference then it would be worthwhile.”

There are many shampoo bars popping up these days - and I've tried a few! - how are NueBar shampoo bars in particular different to most other shampoo bars on the market now? 

“Many shampoo bars are made using the soap-making process, and whilst I don't want to dis' soap - I mean there are some beautifully crafted and lovingly made soaps around with lovely rich oils and additives like clay, honey, beer and charcoal - the fact remains that the soap-making process is always alkaline, it is just an outcome of the fundamental chemistry of how soap is created,” Katie explains.

“The problem is that alkalinity swells the hair fibre causing all the little scales on the shaft to stick out and then the soap scum tends to get caught in it.

“A rinse with apple cider vinegar afterwards can help to re-balance the pH and rinse out some of the soap scum but the bottom line is that alkalinity and hair washing are just not really good friends.”

“The other way of making shampoo bars, and the one I chose to use with NueBar, is to use surfactant technology. Surfactants act to cleanse and remove dirts and oils. The important thing about this process is that it can be pH balanced to be similar to that of the hair or skin and this helps it to clean without over swelling and opening the hair fibre so that it stays smoother and is less prone to tangling, weakening or residue build up.”

Are all surfactants good for us to use? What should we look out for?

“There are various kinds of surfactants on the market, some are quite harsh. They are cheap and will bubble up really well and really take the oil out of your hair, but they are also known to cause skin irritation in quite a lot of people,” Katie says.

“I'm talking about the sulfates, things like SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and Sodium Cocosulfate. Sodium CocoSulfate is often promoted as an alternative to SLS but it is simply a blend of sulfates and generally about 60-70% of that blend is actually SLS itself so it's pretty much the same thing.

“With NueBar I have only used the gentlest class of surfactants to create the wash effect. Rather than rely on one surfactant I have combined several gentle ones with nutritive oils and botanicals so that the wash is gentle yet effective and leaves the hair super soft and shiny without the need for silicones and other artificial shine agents that are often added to bottled shampoo.”

It's important that sustainable switches are effective - so people keep going with them! What do you think may hold people back from making the switch to shampoo bars, cleansing bars and to bar soap generally, and what can we do to convince people?

“Oh I absolutely agree, this is why I went with the surfactant-based wash because it is more like what people are used to getting out of a bottle.

“I knew that if my motivation was to get people off plastic-bottled products and keep them off then my products would need to be good, really good. People don't want to have to spend months "adjusting" to products.”

People can have fabulous intentions but the bottom line is if they don't like the way a product feels on their hair they are unlikely to stick with it. I also wanted the products to look beautiful so they really appealed to people on every sense level and it was something they were drawn to want to use because the products were desirable, not just the "right" thing to do. If we want to really reduce our plastic usage then bar-style products need to be a mainstream choice not just the domain of "deep green hippies" (like myself).”

Why do you think it's important that we all switch to using natural ingredients on our body and hair, and without the excess packaging?

“Natural ingredients are just going to make your hair feel healthier, your skin less irritated and your whole immune and detoxification systems will be less challenged giving your body a chance to heal itself.”

“We are surrounded by harmful chemicals in the world and many of them are doing us a lot more harm than we realise. Not that I fall into the “all chemicals are bad and all plants are good” camp. With NueBar I really have tried to have the best of both worlds. There really are some amazing manmade ingredients out there now that have been created by very clever chemists who have been working to minimise the detrimental environmental harms and maximise the positive effects of substances. They have taken natural ingredients and then tweaked them slightly to feel wonderful on the skin and hair.

“I like to say that NueBar is a combination of the very best that green chemistry and nature combined have to offer.” 

“Some of the substances most harmful to your health that are commonly used in body products are artificial fragrances and they are common! Kate Grenville has written a great book about them, ‘The Case Against Fragrance’. She suffered badly from their effects, they can really play havoc with your liver and detoxification systems.

“Excess packaging is something we all need to think about in all aspects of our lives. Mostly, we simply need to buy less stuff and when we do need to buy it then choose the least harmful option.”

Can any of your products also be multi-purpose? For example, soap for shaving and conditioner as in-shower moisturiser.

“Yes, I often get asked if "I can just use one bar for everything" and my usual recommendation is the Normal or Fragrance Free Shampoo bar. If you wanted to you could easily use those ones all over your body, hair, face - the lot with just one bar! Use it on your beard (if you have one) and for shaving. If your hair is not the kind that needs a conditioner, i.e. shortish and straight, then I reckon you could travel the world with one of those and nothing else. One bar to rule them all! 

“I often use the conditioner as a shave bar because it has such a lovely smooth feeling. The other thing you can do with the conditioner is use it as a co-wash. Basically this means you use conditioner only to wash your hair, no shampoo. The benefit of this is that it just washes your hair very gently and is nicely moisturising.”

What is next for NueBar?

“We really want to see the concept of bar-style products go mainstream and we want to be a big part of that happening, so we want to really get out there and help more people discover just how lovely plastic-free products can be, how they don't have to compromise to do the right thing by the environment, and why harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances are completely unnecessary.”

Use code ‘SHIFTSTYLE’ to get 10% off any NueBar products at any time!