Time to Retire That Water-Filled Shampoo Bottle?
Whenever I get to talk to someone about choosing to be a little more eco-friendly, I, like most refillery owners, talk about making small changes. There's no reason to go home and throw out all the things you already own. That's just creating even MORE waste and defeats the purpose altogether. You've likely been using the products you currently have for years, and there's no harm in finishing what you already own first.
You've spent your hard-earned money on it, so before you go through your cabinet and TOSS out everything you've ever known, start with something you're already out of.
One of my favourite first swaps to suggest to people is a shampoo bar.
But not just ANY shampoo bar. It has to be the right one.
We've tried many of them. It's one of the top items companies send us hoping we'll stock their products in the shop.
If you've been with us for a while, you probably know that Mat and I are VERY picky about what products we carry. We like to try things out first and make sure it's something we'd actually use before we try and convince you it's the best alternative to whatever you're already using. It's why we only carry one brand of shampoo bars.
Yes, we've tried a couple of other options in the shop, but only one has stood the test of time, and that's the line from Upfront Cosmetics, out of Nackawic, New Brunswick. They've actually been with us since our very first days as an online-only store, long before we ever had a booth at Crossroads Market.
But why Upfront Cosmetics?
First, these aren't just a bar of soap you wash your hair with. They're properly pH-balanced for your scalp and hair. Our scalps need a pH between 4.5 and 5.5 to stay healthy, and traditional bar soap sits up around 9 to 10, which is part of why regular soap can leave hair feeling dry, tangled, or stripped. Upfront's bars are actually formulated for that lower range, closer to what a liquid shampoo would be, not a bar of hand soap.
Second, they suds up nicely with just a few swipes of the wet bar through wet hair in the shower, even with Calgary's hard (and I do mean HARD) water.
Third, each bar replaces 2 to 3 standard-size bottles of salon-quality shampoo. That's not a random number either. Upfront has told us directly they measure this in bottles rather than washes, since everyone uses a different amount each time they wash.
$17 vs. $26–$39
One bar of Upfront is $17. A comparable bottle, similarly sulfate-free, similar core cleansing ingredients, from a well-known brand like Native, runs about $13 for 487ml. Let's say you grab that bottle from your big-box store behemoth of choice, you know the one. Upfront says one bar can replace 2 to 3 of those bottles, which puts the equivalent liquid shampoo somewhere between $26 and $39. The ingredients actually doing the cleaning are nearly identical between the two either way: coconut-derived Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine, in both. So you're not just skipping the plastic bottle. You're paying less for it too.
There's another piece of this math that doesn't even show up on the price tag: what you're not paying for in the first place. Liquid shampoo is mostly water, often 80% or more of what's actually in that bottle. That's water Native, or any bottled brand, has to source, bottle, and then pay to ship, in a heavy plastic container, all the way to a store shelf. Upfront's bar skips all of that. It's essentially the same active, working ingredients as a full bottle of shampoo, just without the water weight added in to bulk it out.
That matters two ways. Environmentally, it means a fraction of the fuel spent hauling product around, since you're not shipping water across the country, and no plastic bottle left over at the end of it. Economically, it means this isn't a "concentrated formula" premium in the marketing sense, where you pay more for less packaging. Upfront simply isn't charging you for water they never had to move in the first place, which is a real part of why the bar can cost less than the bottle, not more.
So that's the math. But what about the actual experience? How much do we love it?
Here's some of what you've had to say about the shampoo bars:
"Love this shampoo bar. It lathers easily and has a gentle, clean scent. It is our favourite shampoo bar and we have tried many!" — Colleen G.
"Love the creamy lather, and so moisturizing for dry hair!" — Carole E.
"I love the smell and the lather. My hair feels great." — Melissa P.
Oh, right, these reviews reminded me that Upfront also makes Conditioner Bars. Think of them like lotion for your scalp, they leave hair feeling silky and smooth. Also plastic-free, obviously. And you all have plenty to say about those too:
"I really like this conditioning bar, it's the only conditioner I use! It's also great for travelling." — Melissa V.
"This conditioner leaves my easily-tangled hair soft and comb-able! It has a fresh, pleasant scent, and the bar lasts for a long time." — Meighan D.
"This is the only conditioner bar that has worked for my hair! Doesn't feel heavy and leaves my hair feeling smooth." — Hannah K.
Since we're already here, I've grabbed Mat to give you some science-y stuff to nerd out on 🤓
Mat's Corner
You'll see "sulfate-free" on a lot of shampoo bottles these days, but it's worth knowing what that's actually protecting you from, and what Upfront uses instead. The two most common sulfates in conventional shampoo are SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), both petroleum-based, both very good at creating a big foamy lather, which is a big reason they're still everywhere.
Upfront's bars use something different: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, or SLSa. It sounds almost identical to SLS on the label, but it isn't. SLSa is coconut-based rather than petroleum-based, and its molecules are actually much larger than SLS's, which makes it far harder for your skin to absorb and far less likely to cause irritation. You still get the lather you expect from a shampoo, just without the harsher trade-off.
SLSa isn't even doing all the work on its own. Upfront pairs it with two other plant-based surfactants, cocamidopropyl betaine and sodium cocoyl isethionate, the same coconut-derived cleanser mentioned earlier when comparing it to Native. Together, that's three plant-based surfactants working in the same bar, all chosen specifically because they clean well without compromising your hair or skin the way traditional sulfates can.
— Mat
So I've had a lot to say on shampoo bars, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes here. One thing I still haven't mentioned is that we carry a WHOLE bunch of luxurious formulas in both the shampoo and conditioner bars, each with its own scent profile, so whether you need something for a specific hair type or you're just after a scent that feels fresh and invigorating, or warm and cozy, there's likely a bar in there for you.
You can check them all out at the link below, or reach out and I can help point you in the right direction.
TL;DR
(Too long; didn't read)
- One bar replaces 2 to 3 bottles of liquid shampoo, for $17 versus $26 to $39
- You're not paying to ship water across the country, because there isn't any
- Sulfate-free, pH-balanced for your scalp, works even in Calgary's hard water
- We've carried this exact brand since our very first days online
Small changes, one bar at a time.
Shawn + Mat
