The French Green Clay Shampoo Bar: my pick for oily roots and fine hair

“I washed it this morning and it already looks greasy by the evening.” If you have oily roots, you will know how frustrating that is. Clients tell me they have tried washing more, washing less, piling on dry shampoo and skipping conditioner altogether, and their hair still looks flat by day two.

Oily roots are often paired with fine hair, and fine hair shows oil faster than anything else. The strands are slimmer, so the same amount of oil coats more of each hair and pulls the roots down. That is why the French Green Clay Shampoo Bar is the one I recommend for both.

What it is and who it is for

The French Green Clay Shampoo Bar is a 100g soap free solid shampoo with a soft green colour and a fresh lavender and rosemary scent. It comes with a shampoo bar bag.

It suits:

• oily roots, including roots that go flat or greasy by the next day
• fine hair that loses volume quickly and does not like anything heavy
• normal hair that is washed often and needs a light, fresh clean
• oily roots with drier ends, as long as you condition the lengths only

If your hair feels coated from styling products or dry shampoo, you can alternate this bar with the Detox Shampoo Bar for an occasional deeper clean.

What is inside, and why I chose it

French green clay (montmorillonite). This is the heart of the bar. French green clay is a mineral clay that absorbs oil, which is why it has been used in skin and hair care for so long. In a shampoo, it helps lift excess oil from the scalp during the wash, so your roots feel fresher and lighter afterwards.

Sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI). The main cleanser, made from plant fatty acids. It gives a creamy lather and cleans the scalp well 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, makes the whole wash feel softer. Together they give a thorough clean, which oily roots need, without being harsh.

Abyssinian oil. One of the lightest plant oils I work with. I chose it because a shampoo for oily roots still needs to look after the lengths, but most oils would weigh fine hair down. Abyssinian oil leaves the ends feeling soft without heaviness.

Guar gum. Taken from the guar bean, guar adds slip, so your fingers move through wet hair more easily and the lengths are less likely to tangle as you rinse.

Lavender and rosemary essential oils. These give the bar its clean, herbal scent. It is the kind of fresh smell that suits a wash for oily hair.

Water and a preservative. A little water helps bring the ingredients together while the bar is made, and a gentle preservative system (gluconolactone and sodium benzoate) keeps the bar safe, as it gets wet every time you use it.

What makes it different

A lot of products for oily hair work by stripping as much oil as possible. That can leave the scalp feeling tight and the ends dry, and hair often looks frizzy and flat at the same time.

This bar takes a different approach. The clay does the oil absorbing at the scalp, the cleansers are mild, and there is a small amount of a very light oil for the ends. The aim is roots that feel clean and light, with lengths that still feel soft.

It is also a very simple formula, with just ten ingredients. For fine hair, that matters. There is nothing in it designed to coat the hair, so it rinses clean and leaves your roots with as much lift as they naturally have.

How to use it

1. Wet your hair thoroughly with lukewarm water.
2. Glide the bar over your hair two or three times, or lather it between your hands.
3. Massage the lather into your scalp with your fingertips, focusing on the roots and along the parting.
4. Leave the lather on your scalp for about a minute before rinsing, so the clay has time to do its job.
5. Rinse well. Apply conditioner to the mid lengths and ends only, keeping it away from the roots.
6. Store the bar in its bag so it can dry.

My tip from the chair: the biggest cause of greasy looking roots I see is not the shampoo, it is conditioner and oils creeping up to the scalp. Hold your hair in a low ponytail with one hand and apply conditioner below your hand only. Rinse it out with your head tilted forwards, so it runs away from your roots. And when you blow dry, start at the roots and lift them with your fingers before you work on the ends.

What it is free from, and why

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

For oily roots and fine hair, leaving out silicones makes a real difference. Silicones are not harmful, but they can collect on fine hair over time and make it look flat and heavy, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid. Mild cleansers matter too. A wash that is too harsh can leave the scalp feeling tight and dry, and a gentle clean is far more comfortable when you wash often.

Looking after your bar

Let it dry fully between washes, hung up in its bag, on a draining rack or in the aluminium Shampoo Bar Box. Never leave it sitting in water.

Try it

If your roots look flat or greasy by the next day, or your fine hair never seems to hold its volume, the French Green Clay Shampoo Bar is where I would start. Pair it with the Chocolate Conditioner Bar on the ends for a light, everyday finish.

You will find the full ingredients list on the French Green Clay Shampoo Bar product page. And if you are not sure whether it is right for you, send me a message and I will help.

Eliz, colourist and founder of ECBEAUTYLAB