For a long time, it’s been my mission to switch from shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles to solid, low-waste shampoo bars. But I wasn’t happy about sacrificing beautiful hair, even for the planet.
There’s something about a bad hair day that sets you up for disaster, and it’s hard to give up a favourite brand.
Imagine my joy when I met Zoe, zero waste entrepreneur and owner of some of the longest, lushest locks in Somerset.
There’s a woman, I said to myself, who’s found a shampoo bar that works.
Zoe sells Beauty Kubes from her zero waste market stall, The Naked Pantry, and I couldn’t wait to give them a try.
The solid shampoos I’ve tried in the past have left my hair dull, stiff, and coated in weirdness. Not these.
Effective & ethical
These little kubes are a novel take on solid shampoo. You bring one to the shower or bath with you, crush it in your hand, and mix it with a little water to make a paste. Smooth this into your hair, and lather and rinse as you normally would. Repeat if you need to.
The Beauty Kubes brand is as squeaky-clean as your hair will feel. Their shampoo is biodegradable, sulphate free, synthetic fragrance free, synthetic preservative free, organic, and vegan-friendly.
I love these things. They’re a revolution. My hair has its natural shine back, plus a healthy dose of bounce.
What’s it like to use?
I use the Beauty Kubes shampoo for oily hair, which has a wonderfully zingy, uplifting scent of lemongrass and leaves my hair feeling clean and manageable. I also steal Jim’s shampoo and bodywash for men sometimes (I like to know if the guys are getting a good deal, too). It works brilliantly and the scent is rich and spicy.
What about conditioner?
I don’t need conditioner, but I do benefit from an apple cider vinegar rinse every now and then. This isn’t because the kubes leave a coating on my hair. Far from it.
Turns out that the shampoos we’ve been using all this time – even the natural ones – can change the pH of the scalp. This brilliant post on Coconuts and Kettlebells explains the benefits of apple cider rinses for hair.
ACV isn’t intended to strip away the build-up you sometimes get on your hair from nasty chemical shampoos or solid shampoo bars. It’s meant to help restore the natural health of the head and hair.
That’s why I’m enjoying the combination of solid shampoo that works (finally!) and an occasional apple cider vinegar rinse to help me get my hair health back.
And in case you’re wondering, the smell of vinegar doesn’t linger in my hair. I can even use it in the morning before work (in fact, I’m using apple cider vinegar on my skin, too).
Overall verdict?
This brand rocks. Their plastic-free mission is close to my heart, and their products leave me with beautiful hair. Finally, solid shampoo that works!
If you’re struggling with plastic free shampoo, give them a try. And don’t forget to try an apple cider vinegar rinse, too. Beauty Kubes are great for festivals, camping and travelling – perfect for plastic free spirits! Bravo.
Have you tried Beauty Kubes? Let me know!
I have just used them for the first time and they are amazing! What I’m wondering is how do these work so much better than bars?
Hi Natalie,
So great that you tried them! I don’t know, but I wonder if it’s the clay. They really are the best. I recently got talked into trying yet another bar… it was awful! Kubes all the way <3
Keep me posted!
Ellen x
Heya, I have medium length hair and really want to help with the plastic around the world but I’m thinking if I should buy conditioner aswell??
Thanks x
Hey Arianna,
The good news is that Beauty Kubes do conditioner – the bad news is I haven’t tried it yet! Recently, I’ve been using Faith in Nature liquid shampoo and conditioner which I buy from shops that offer refills (I couldn’t source Beauty Kubes for a while and I had to use refillable shampoo in the interim – but when these run out I think I’ll change back to BKs, and try their conditioner, too).
You could try the shampoo before you run out of the conditioner you’re used to using, just in case? With a stash of your old conditioner handy, you could rescue your hair if you need to. The shampoos on its own was fine for me most of the time, but I did try an apple cider vinegar rinse once or twice, too.
Best of luck with it – and please let me know how it goes if you do give it a try!
E x