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The Best Shampoo Bars to Try in 2024

Cut down on clutter and waste

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best shampoo bar universal: a woman washing her hair with a shampoo bar
Alona Siniehina/Getty Images

I'm a fan of shampoo bars. For starters, they’re space-efficient, which is a necessity when you share shower space with family members. They’re also extremely travel-friendly with no risk of causing spills in your bag. Most importantly, they cut down on plastic use (something I'm really trying to work on in 2024 and beyond).

With that in mind, here are seven shampoo bars that deliver a solid performance on lather, scent and cleansing ability.

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The Best Shampoo Bars at a Glance

1

Best Overall Shampoo Bar

Lush Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar

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2

Best Shampoo Bar for Damaged Hair

Peach Strengthening Shampoo Bar

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3

Best Shampoo Bar for Dry Hair

Odacité 552m Soap-Free Shampoo Bar

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4

Best Shampoo Bar for Color-Treated Hair

Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo Bar

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5

Best Smelling Shampoo Bar

Wildland Organics The Super Bar

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Best Overall Shampoo Bar

1. Lush Honey I Washed My Hair Shampoo Bar

What We Like

  • lasts for 60-80 washes
  • moisturizes and softens hair without weighing it down

What We Don't Like

  • some reviews report it leaves a residue behind

Lush

Fun fact: When Lush first launched their now cult-favorite shampoo bars, they sold 12,000 of them within the first 48 hours. Each bar (there are 12 different varieties to choose from) is loaded with essential oils and hair-friendly ingredients to address your most pressing concerns—be it an oily scalp or frizz. I like this sweetly-scented bar because it smells delicious and makes strands softer and smoother without weighing them down.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: toffee
  • Key Ingredients: honey, bergamot oil

Best Shampoo Bar for Damaged Hair

2. Peach Strengthening Shampoo Bar

What We Like

  • formulated without phthalates or parabens

What We Don't Like

  • some reviews report it doesn't lather enough

Grove Collaborative

This honeydew melon-scented bar will quickly become a favorite in your shower. (Just look at that cheery lime green color!) Crafted in small batches, no two bars look exactly the same but each one is sulfate-free and packed with coconut oil, shea butter and monoi oil to strengthen weak strands and smooth down your cuticles. Plus, every purchase supports 5 Gyres Institute, a nonprofit organization that focuses on reducing plastics pollution through research.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: honeydew melon
  • Key Ingredients: coconut oil, shea butter, vegetable glycerin

Best Shampoo Bar for Dry Hair

3. Odacité 552m Soap-Free Shampoo Bar

What We Like

  • yields a soft, creamy lather
  • smells like fresh oranges

What We Don't Like

  • doesn't last as long as some others on this list

Odacité

Approximately 552 million plastic bottles end up in landfills each year, which is what prompted Valerie Grandury, the founder of Odacité, to create this shampoo bar. (It also explains the name.) Formulated with argan oil, cupuaçu butter and coconut oil, it washes away dirt, excess oil and product buildup, while keeping the ends silky soft. Psst, Hilary Duff is a fan.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: citrusy
  • Key Ingredients: coconut oil, cupuaçu butter, castor oil and argan oil

Best Shampoo Bar for Color-Treated Hair

4. Love Beauty and Planet Murumuru Butter & Rose Shampoo Bar

What We Like

  • lathers nicely
  • leaves a pleasant rose scent

What We Don't Like

  • often out of stock

Love Beauty and Planet

For the dyed and highlighted among us, this color-safe bar is your best bet. Formulated with Amazonian murumuru butter and organic coconut oil to hydrate parched ends and no sulfates, it gently cleanses your scalp and strands without stripping it of moisture or color. The heart-shaped bar fits snugly into your palm and the rose scent lingers long after you rinse.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: bulgarian rose
  • Key Ingredients: coconut oil, murumuru butter, rose

Best Smelling Shampoo Bar

5. Wildland Organics The Super Bar

What We Like

  • can be used for hair, body and for shaving
  • made of all-natural and organic ingredients

What We Don't Like

  • n/a

Wildland Organics

If you’re really looking to cut down on space and waste, you’ll love this three-in-one bar from Wildland Organics. Made with saponified sunflower, coconut and castor oils, it gently cleans from tip to toe (or, to be more specific, from scalp to strands to face to the rest of your body). Imbued with Palo Santo and Gotu Kola (an ancient Chinese herb), it fills your shower with a grounding earthy scent that’s calming. The brand really (ahem) raised the bar on its packaging as well; it’s made from post-consumer recycled paper and is 100 percent recyclable.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: palo santo
  • Key Ingredients: saponified sunflower, coconut and castor oils

Best Shampoo Bar for Fine Hair

6. superzero Fine Hair Shampoo Bar

What We Like

  • safe for color-treated hair
  • reduces flyaways

What We Don't Like

  • a bit pricey

superzero

As our Associate SEO Editor Marissa Wu attests: You can have salon-grade, ultra-nourishing shampoo that comes in a bar. This brand makes soap for all hair types that addresses diverse concerns, from frizz to oily and thinning hair. Wu tested the shampoo bar for fine hair and found that it rendered her lank locks less frizzy with more volume than other brands she’s tried. And despite the bar form, she reports that the shampoo lathers incredibly well.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: a light, clean chamomile smell
  • Key Ingredients: vegan keratin, bond-building technology and triolein from microalgae

Best Shampoo Bar for Testing

7. Ethique Hair Sampler

What We Like

  • comes with three different shampoos for dry hair, an unbalanced scalp and for oily hair) and two conditioners

What We Don't Like

  • smaller sized bars can be hard to grip in the shower

Ethique

And if you’re still on the fence about which bar to buy, try this sampler from Ethique. At 16 bucks a set, you get three kinds of shampoos and two conditioners to tackle everything from frizz to an irritated scalp. Each petite bar (for reference, they’re roughly the size of a Reese’s peanut butter cup) is completely biodegradable and comes in compostable packaging, so it doesn't leave any trace (or residue) behind.

Fast Facts

  • Scent: depends on which bar you're using
  • Key Ingredients: also depends on which bar you're using but all ingredients are vegan, cruelty-free, palm oil-free, paraben-free and made with renewable ingredients

How to Use a Shampoo Bar

Of course it takes a little getting used to at first since we’ve all been conditioned to lather up a certain way. With bar shampoo, you either want to rub the bar between your palms to create a lather or put the bar directly on wet strands. Either way works—though I prefer the palm method because a direct application can sometimes be too heavy handed.

How to Properly Store a Shampoo Bar

Ideally, you want to keep your shampoo bar someplace dry, or in a vented space where it can drain between uses; this way, it doesn't wear down too quickly. When traveling, you can pop your shampoo bar into a sealed container. (Note: Many of the brands featured here sell their own tins that will fit the exact size and shape of their bars.)

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Jenny Jin Headshot Vertical 2023

Beauty Director

  • Oversees all beauty content at PureWow
  • Has over a decade of experience in writing and editing, both in print and digital media
  • Produces 'Youngish' newsletter, a guide to beauty in your 30s and beyond