The Coconut Shampoo Bar: a creamy wash for hair that feels dry

Some clients sit down in my chair and tell me, almost apologetically, that they cannot get a comb through their hair after washing until they have used half a bottle of conditioner. Their hair is not damaged beyond help. It is just being washed with something that takes more out than it puts back.

That is the hair I had in mind when I made the Coconut Shampoo Bar. It cleans properly, but it is creamier and more conditioning than a standard wash, so hair comes out feeling soft rather than squeaky.

What it is and who it is for

The Coconut Shampoo Bar is a 100g soap free solid shampoo with a creamy lather and a soft coconut scent, with a hint of chocolate in the background. It comes with a shampoo bar bag.

It suits:

• normal to dry hair that feels rough or tangled straight after washing
• thick or wavy hair, which often needs a softer wash to stay smooth
• coloured, lightened or heat styled hair, where the lengths lose moisture more easily
• anyone who finds the step from shampoo to conditioner a battle with knots

If your hair is fine or your roots get oily quickly, the French Green Clay Shampoo Bar will suit you better.

What is inside, and why I chose it

Sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI). The main cleanser, made from plant fatty acids. It gives the creamy lather this bar is known for and cleans without the tight feeling that soap can leave.

Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate (SLSa) and cocamidopropyl betaine. Two more mild cleansers. SLSa boosts the lather, and betaine, which is partly plant derived, softens the whole wash. Together the three cleansers give a thorough but gentle clean.

BTMS (behentrimonium methosulfate). This is what makes the bar conditioning. BTMS is a conditioning ingredient normally found in conditioners. It is drawn to the parts of the hair that need it most, helps the lengths detangle and leaves them feeling soft as you rinse.

Cetyl alcohol and stearic acid. These give the bar its creamy texture and firm shape. Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, not a drying one, and it also helps hair feel smoother.

Cocoa butter. A rich plant butter that leaves the lengths feeling softer. Only a little is needed in a shampoo, and that is what I use.

Glycerin. A humectant, which means it draws moisture towards the hair. It is one of the simplest ways to stop hair feeling dry straight after washing.

Panthenol (provitamin B5). Panthenol helps hair hold on to that moisture, so it feels softer and looks shinier.

Coconut fruit powder. Real coconut, finely ground. It adds to the soft coconut scent.

Citric acid. Used in a small amount to adjust the pH of the bar, so the formula is balanced for hair.

Fragrance and preservative. A blend of coconut and chocolate fragrance oils gives the scent. Because a bar gets wet every time you use it, it also contains a gentle preservative system (gluconolactone and sodium benzoate) to keep it safe.

What makes it different: a conditioning cleanse

Most shampoos are built only to clean. Conditioning is left entirely to the next step. In this bar I have combined mild cleansers with a conditioning ingredient, so the lengths start softening while you wash.

You will feel the difference when you rinse. Instead of hair that squeaks and tangles, it should feel slippery and easier to work your fingers through. For shorter or finer hair, you may find you need less conditioner afterwards. Longer, thicker or lightened hair will still benefit from a conditioner on the ends, but the job is much easier.

Because it is soap free, it also rinses clean in hard water, without the dull film that old style soap bars could leave behind.

How to use it

1. Wet your hair thoroughly with lukewarm water.
2. Glide the bar over the top of your head two or three times, or lather it between your hands.
3. Massage the lather into your scalp with your fingertips. Leave the lengths alone at this stage.
4. Rinse, letting the lather run through the lengths on its way out.
5. Condition the mid lengths and ends if you need to, then store the bar in its bag.

My tip from the chair: shampoo is for your scalp, conditioner is for your lengths. Most tangles and dryness I see come from scrubbing the ends with shampoo. Concentrate the lather at the roots and let the rinse clean the rest. If your hair is thick or wavy, wash it in two sections, front and back, so the lather reaches the scalp properly without you rubbing the lengths.

What it is free from, and why

This bar contains no SLS or SLES, no soap and no silicones.

That is not because those ingredients are dangerous. It is because I wanted a wash that feels gentle on hair that is already prone to dryness. Mild cleansers suit that hair better. Leaving out silicones means nothing builds up on the lengths over time, so the conditioning you feel comes from the formula itself and rinses away cleanly.

Looking after your bar

Let it dry between washes. Hang it up in its bag, or keep it on a draining rack or in the aluminium Shampoo Bar Box, and never leave it sitting in water. A bar that dries properly lasts far longer.

Try it

If your hair feels dry, rough or tangled every time you wash it, the Coconut Shampoo Bar is a lovely place to start. It pairs well with the Chocolate Conditioner Bar for everyday softness, or the Deep Conditioning Conditioner Bar if your lengths are lightened or very dry.

You can see the full ingredients list on the Coconut Shampoo Bar product page. If you are unsure which bar suits you, send me a message.

Eliz, colourist and founder of ECBEAUTYLAB