Long time no see! Turns out, getting a master's and feeling absolutely uninspired due to seasonal depression really doesn't fair well to keeping a blog but, alas, I'm back, or at least trying. I had a whole plan to write a few posts during January, but it really felt like the least interesting and least inspirational month ever, as January usually does. But, even so, it did give me an idea: every month I'd like to post a change I've made in my life towards living a more sustainable life and, February's change (which really started in September) was moving on to solid shampoo.

So, first things first, what is solid shampoo? The name speaks for itself, solid shampoo is, as it says, a solid version of your regular shampoo, usually made with natural and environmentally friendly ingredients, think hand soap for your hair. Its best characteristic though, is the fact that it usually comes in a recyclable or biodegradable packaging, if any at all. Solid shampoo is lauded for being gentler for your hair whilst having minimal impact on the environment and being very travel-friendly.

Like I did when I first bought my shampoo bar, you might be wondering, how the hell do I use it? It's simple really, simply wet your hair thoroughly and then lather it directly into your hair. Once there is enough foam, and trust me, there is, lay the bar aside and scrub was you usually do. Also, you should follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse to balance out the natural pH of your hair, you can read my post about it here: An ACV Rinse to Rule them All.

There is also something to know about how to keep it. First of all, keep it out of the shower stream, if you keep it in the shower try to keep it as far away as possible from the water. I keep my bar in a little Tupperware box which I keep in the bathroom cabinet and, when I need it, I bring the Tupperware to the shower, use my shampoo and let it dry out before putting it away again. 

Onto my actual experience and review, I bought my first shampoo bar on September 16th from a local store in Caldas da Rainha, Poção Mágica. Poção Mágica was founded by Sandra Martins, after developing a serious interest in medicinal plants and essential oils, Sandra found herself longing for natural cosmetics and hygiene products. Poção Mágica is all about bio cosmetics, locally handmade in small batches, using all natural, sustainable and eco-friendly ingredients, without using preservatives, artificial dyes or synthetic aromas. 

My first bar, as per recommendation, was a for regular hair, the horsetail and henna bar to help with oily roots and dry ends. The first time I used it my hair felt pretty clean but unlike any other shampoo I ever tried (and different often feels wrong), I had a really hard time using it as I thought I needed to lather it up on my hands and then use the foam to wash my hair, which proved itself almost impossible. I did use ACV afterwards but my hair still felt heavy.

The next day I had to wash my hair again, it still felt weird but it looked a lot better and cleaner than it did the first time, although I skipped the ACV rinse. By the end of next day it still felt and looked okay. September 19th, had to wash it in the morning, September was a very hot month and I was getting used to the shampoo, so nothing was different, had I been using a regular shampoo I would still washing it as frequently. By the 21st it still felt okay and I kept it until the 24th. Skipped the ACV rinse again, so my hair felt like rubber which meant I had to wash my hair again two days later, this time the rinse was mandatory. By the time my hair was dry it felt clean, healthy and it was super easy to brush.

By now I'm on my third bar, although I've moved on to the nettle and neem one which is specifically for oily hair. Every shampoo bar lasts me around two to two and a half months and I can go up to three days between washes, which might not seem like much to some of you but it's absolutely groundbreaking for me. I only use the rinse once every two weeks, as my hair tends to feel heavy and greasy if I use it every time, but my hair always feels soft and shiny. All in all, I'm an absolute convert and I can't recommend the change (and the brand) enough, so much so that my brother's girlfriend bought herself a nice stock of it to take to Norway and is already in love with it.

Let me know if you've tried solid shampoo before and what your thoughts are on it.