I have always liked the idea of shampoo bars for portability as well as saving plastic bottles and truck miles, so I have kept an eye out for that perfect camino bar. I don’t have many strict criteria but I really like an invigorating blast of uplifting citrus, fruity or floral smell to mark the end of a sweaty day, and I like my lather instant, plentiful and rich. The ideal bar should be sustainable, easily available and reasonably priced, and last at least a full Francés (5-6 weeks) even doing double duty as body wash. Should be a doddle. … right?
Here are some of the products I have tried and tested, and I will update this post as and when I try more or change my mind. Please note I am not including ‘natural’ shampoo bars – they are basically soaps, so you have to go through a transition period where your hair looks greasy, and you’ll need a vinegar rinse after each wash … That’s just too much trouble on the camino. They may be great and work well for you but they are not for me. Instead I will focus on the ‘syndet’ bars, synthetic detergent cleansers that are basically bottle shampoo in bar form. Many of them are also full of natural and eco friendly ingredients, so you’re not swapping ‘natural’ for ‘artificial’! And if they are gentle enough to be used as a body wash as well, even better, as I will need only one product in the shower, and for laundry too.
I tested each bar excitedly as I got them, first of all by washing my hands with them for a while in shower temperature water. If my hands felt dry or waxy after, and/or they failed to lather properly, there is little to no hope that I will be enjoying washing my hair with them. Unless specifically mentioned I have tried all the shampoos listed on my hair, but these are my opinions and what doesn’t work for me, could very well work for you.
Full disclosure: I have long, thick, wavy (not curly) red hair that is prone to dryness. I can’t be bothered carrying conditioner around, I don’t particularly like vanilla-y scents and I have paid for every item myself.
So, this is my bar-to-bar journey so far:
Lush – After a false start with a Tigi Rockaholic which didn’t lather much, Lush was the obvious place to go. For my first camino I did my research, I thought, but I suspect I just went by what smell I would like to have in the shower, so I ended up with a Seanik bar with seaweed, lemon, and sea salt – which of course dried my hair out. I also got the round tin, where the bar promptly got stuck and then gradually turned to goo – this is not a Lush-specific problem, see top tips below. I think I got as far as Carrión with it before I got a mini bottle of branded shampoo instead. Lush offers different bars depending on your hair and its needs, and they are formulated with gentle and nature friendly ingredients. My favourite camino bar was the Montalbano, with lemon and olive oil. Unfortunately it is made for greasy hair, so though it smells amazing it can be drying when using every day over time. Their sweet smelling Honey I Washed My Hair has had very good reviews and might be a good place to start. They are £10 for a 55g bar now though so I thought I’d try other brands.
Garnier – Several of the big shampoo brands have come out with bars – Pantene, John Frieda, Herbal Essences, and recently Body Shop too, but I think Garnier were one of the first. In preparation for one of my walks I got three of their now five in an offer which included a teardrop or leaf shaped metal storage tin with airing holes, which is great, but the first two I tried, aloe vera and oat, both seemed very drying on my hands. The third one, with argan oil, lathers well, is easy to work into the hair and rinses easily. My hair felt nice and nourished when dried, so it went on the list of contenders. £7.99 for a 60g bar, widely available cheaper than that. (I didn’t take it on the walk in the end; it seemed to go very gooey very quickly and developed cracks.) My camiga Nicole bought one and loved it for her looong hair, so don’t just take my word for it.
Grüum – Suggested by a friend who had tried the award winning coconut bar, and I immediately fell in love! It lathered beautifully, left my hair nice and soft and frizz free and seemed to last for ages. Also it is pretty much unscented though there is a faint but pleasant smell of kindness and coconut. I brought it on a 2 week camino and it worked well-ish, it just seemed to dry out my hair with daily washing, and also it doesn’t have that zingy energising factor I am looking for. Still – it is that good I am keeping it and have ordered a gentle(r) version with only three ingredients to try as well. They are £9-12 for 50g bars but there is a cheaper subscription option.
In addition to the big brand products there are also plenty of small businesses making soaps and shampoos on Etsy – just beware the difference between the soap type shampoo, which requires a transition period and vinegar rinse, and a ‘syndet’ cleansing bar which is basically just bottle shampoo without the water. I decided to stick to bigger brands that were less likely to suddenly stop trading, so I found marvellous UK brand Nuddy, which was perfect – until it too folded.
Ethique – These got rave reviews and were widely available in the UK, US, Aus and probably worldwide. Originally a NZ brand, Ethique has been going fiercely plastic and nasties free for ten years now, their large bars are formulated for different hair issues, and they are economical in use. A word of warning though: Some of their most popular bars, like the Pinkalicious, turns to mush too quickly when used every day with no proper drying in between. Two of their bars, Sorbet, and the extra moisturising and lemongrass scented curl care bar, Professor Curl are both sulphate free, so the bars are harder, create denser – not inferior – lather and last better on the road. Both can also be used as bodywash. They smell nice too, though not very strongly.
Bonus feature: The big square Ethique shampoo and conditioner bars can be (carefully) melted down to create any size and shape you desire! I chop mine up, put them in a mould and melt them in 5-10 sec bursts in the micro, then leave to set. I even found a shell shaped silicone mould to make smaller pieces for camino travel!
For me, the Ethique bars were a winner! (note past tense …)
Loud screech of tyres: As of November 2024, Ethique UK is packing in and selling up! By the time I’d read the email and hit the website, my favourite bars were already sold out, but UK retailers might have stock for a while yet. Keeping review up as it is still going in some parts of the world, so when you run out, ask a friendly fellow pilgrim to bring some over … They have recently changed the names and shapes of the bars but they are essentially the same.
Alas, for me it was back to the drawing board.
Kinkind – They have few bars, but cover most needs and have won several awards – they have even posted a video of the bar in use so I could see it lathering up! I got an apple scented one and a geranium one for curly hair (not my kind of smell so left it in Sarria). They also do conditioner, bodywash and moisturiser bars. Shampoo bars cost £7.50 for 50g but there is a cheaper subscription option. The Kinkind apple shampoo lathers well, smells faintly of something not very appley and leaves my hair nice and soft. I am a little bit worried about how long it will last though, it seems a bit softer than the others, but at least it doesn’t crack or crumble like some Lush bars. KinKind are made in the UK for short travelled bars and send their orders in flat, letterbox friendly packaging. I will definitely keep and use the apple one, and after two of my favourites have been discontinued, sigh, it’s certainly a very good option. They have recently launched a new fresh peach scented moisture and gloss shampoo bar as well so could be a stayer!
Body Shop – Body Shop was on the verge of going out of business a year ago, but it seems they are now back on their feet, meaning I can still get my hair glossing serum, yay! They now offer three different shampoo bars: Ginger (anti-dandruff), Banana (nourishing and bright yellow!), and Shea (moisture restoring), all in a tapered round bar costing £10 for 60g, which should be enough for a camino. Picked up a bar in the sales and so far it lathers well, rinses out easily and leaves hair soft and clean without stripping it! The Scouse Spouse is using it and loves it.
If you are looking for an anti-dandruff bar, I have found out that Head & Shoulders, Body Shop Ginger, and KinKind Clear My Head apple scented bars have the same active ingredient in them, so no need to miss out on the bar joy!
Eco Warrior – The best value for money by a long shot, these award-winning large 100 g shampoo bars retail at £5.50 and come in different scents and formulations for different issues. When I was asked about a good bar for curly hair on the camino, I got the one for dry, curly and afro hair to try, and it gave a creamy lather even when I used it to wash my hands in cold water! The coconut and vanilla scent is nice and gentle, but … the Deeply Nourishing bar, which has been crowned Best Overall for two years running, has an Orange and Ginger scent, so I decided to try that first. It lathers really well, the mild scent is pleasant and my hair feels great and sleek without conditioner! I think you could easily manage with just one of these bars for hair, body and laundry on the camino. If it seems too big, they also sell a round 50 g bar – or you can cut it with a thin knife and just take half (one half might split though)! Will try the coconut one next.
Nope – this small UK business says Nope to nasty chemicals and offers large shampoo bars packed with natural and hair friendly ingredients. There are four options – refreshing peppermint, nourishing lavender, moisturising argan oil, and gentle unscented, all with matching conditioner, and also a selection of face and body bars. The lavender shampoo lathers brilliantly, rinses out easily and leaves hair soft and shiny, and the large bars should last a good while. I really like it so far!
Faith in Nature – Often mentioned in the same breath as Eco Warrior because they are both staunchly eco friendly and affordable, I thought I should try that too. The £7, 85 g Shea and Argan bar smells really nice – hard to put finger on what it is – and so far I have only washed my hands with it but at least it didn’t dry my hands out. I also tried the Dragonfruit, which has more of a fruity/tropical scent, for my hair as well as for the body. I found it didn’t lather as well as the Eco Warrior on this first attempt but it might not matter if your hair is shorter.
Should you swing past a Dia supermercado in Spain and want to replace or try a shampoo bar, I have finally found one that has a strong and uplifting smell, washes hair and body well and only costs a few euro – the Imaqe Naturals avocado and blueberry one. They also do a cannabis one which smells too much of, well, cannabis to me so I haven’t tried it. I have also found the Klorane mango bar, which has excellent reviews, in farmacias along the way, so no need to resort to bottles!
Other brands are of course available – take a look at the comparisons in The Independent and Good Housekeeping from 2024 – some of the ones I have mentioned make an appearance too.
Storage: If the benefit of a shampoo bar is its portability, what do you port it about in?
As mentioned above, shampoo bars can stick in the bottom of a soap tin and it can be hard to get it to dry out completely between uses. Top tips: leave a couple of matches, a layer of bubble wrap or a piece of neoprene or plastic down the bottom to avoid stickage.
Or get the Little Soap Company’s incredibly clever tins! I found them on the website when I was browsing their Eco Warrior shampoo bars. You might think a tin is just a tin, but these ones have a drainer insert – not just flat, with sides! – that can be taken out of the tin and used to keep the shampoo bar drained in the shower at home, or let it dry as long as possible on the edge of a sink on the camino! Then put the drainer and bar back into the tin, job done. Honestly, it’s brilliant. The round ones are even better, they have a screw-on lid to prevent leaks and keep the bar – like their round 50g one – from popping out! Don’t let the different tins confuse you, they all have removeable drainer inserts, they just have different logos embossed in the lid. Get the one that has your brand of product in it to remind yourself of the name when you go to repurchase!
I had given up on tins before I saw them, so I got myself a brilliant soap bag, which lets shampoo (or soap) bars dry quickly through the material. Drips and mush are no longer a part of pilgrim life – nor are rattles from a shrinking bar in a tin! I was given a Matador soap bag (thank you, Nanci!) but there are several brands out there now. Some come with suction cups, some with hooks or karabiners, making it easy to hang it in the shower, use the bar and drop it back in. Fold the bag over to seal it and the bar dries inside the bag, job done. You can even hang it off your backpack to speed up the process in the sunshine!
If the bar breaks up or you have only very little left, there are mesh bags to keep the pieces in so you can keep using them to the very end. They will still lather up and even act as a gentle scrub.
To condition or not condition: I notice that I have written (and deleted) the word ‘drying’ a lot when writing about shampoo bars – I don’t remember having the same problem with my normal bottle shampoos at home. I have come to the conclusion that might not be entirely the bars’ fault, considering I was out and about walking in sun and wind and rain for weeks and washing my hair every day without adding any conditioner. More likely that any shampoo that gives you that squeaky-clean feeling at home just strips the hair too much when walking.
I’d still say the practical and weight benefits of bringing one bar of shampoo, rather than two or more bottled products, outweighs the drying issue to an extent. I have had a word with myself about options: I could take a piece of solid conditioner (good idea, but where to put it in the shower?) or a tiny bottle of conditioner (ditto, plus plastic) or hair oil, like the small Body Shop pump bottle, which I don’t take into the shower but apply afterwards. I could also cut my hair drastically, but I’m not there yet. (Well – last time I had a haircut, I did specify ‘short enough that it doesn’t get stuck in the load lifters on my pack’ and was met with a blank look …?)
Considered opinion: I don’t really think there is that much difference between the syndet normal-shampoo-in-a-bar bars, so get one you like the smell/price/feel/eco credentials of, but avoid squeaky-clean-feel ones if you have dryish hair. You might want an unscented one so you don’t bother others with your choice of smell, or a pick-me-up-scented one, or a smaller or bigger one, or one with specific qualities, or just the cheapest. Try it a good few times before you go, so you know that it will work for you – if it doesn’t lather very well on the first attempt, try changing your approach: Stroke it on your wet hair or create lather in your hands; take a few more seconds to run the bar gently along the scalp before you massage the lather through the hair; do a second wash and watch the bubbles spring up! Think about how you will store it in the shower and also in your pack, to let it dry between uses and not turn to mush. And if all the washing dries your hair out a bit, well, just take it like a pilgrim and shrug it off, or bring some conditioner, or hair oil, or keep your hair in a buff/hat/bandana/ponytail for the duration. Or let it all hang out as it is. Or cut it.
And if you try one and it doesn’t work for your hair the way you were hoping, don’t bin it, bring it anyway and use it to do laundry?
After all that, the bar currently in my shower soap dish at home is the Eco Warrior bar, being put through its paces as a shampoo and body bar for travel. My favourite travel choice so far has been the Ethique Professor Curl, I still have a few! – which is lemongrass scented, dries well and is moisturising for long days in the sun and wind. It works well with my shampoo bar bag, which I can hang in the shower. When I am staying put in the same room, I will also pack a small solid conditioner to keep my hair happy. For caminos I’ll bring the hair oil, decanted into a tiny bottle as a little goes a long way.
In short: I love shampoo bars and am pretty certain I will never buy another plastic bottle of shampoo again. Still on the lookout for a good one for when my Ethique runs out, though the Eco Warrior made my hair surprisingly sleek with no oil or conditioner. I have also heard good things about Kitsch and L’Occitane hair bars, but if you have a different favourite, let me know …
Somewhere Slowly 