AD/ Gifted | We’ve all heard a lot about shampoo bars – reduce waste, use less plastic and use up every bit of product without wondering how much is left in there when we can no longer squeeze more out in the shower. Sounds fantastic, right? But I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels like using a shampoo bar is the most alien concept. A bar on my hair??? My skin is too dry for the average bar on my hands, shampoo bars are scary. Or at least that’s what I thought. But I’ve recently been trying the Calm Bar from Disruptor London, and it’s managed to change my mind.
My experience with shampoo bars so far
I loved the idea, as alien as it sounded at first. But I wasn’t joking about my hands and bar soaps. And I have extremely sensitive skin, my scalp flakes and itches if there’s even a tiny bit of an ingredient in a product that my skin doesn’t like. My experience of shampoo bars so far has been poor. I’ve tried a couple designed for delicate scalps in the past that have felt good for the first wash or two, but they never failed to make my scalp or hair feel extremely dry after continued use. I’d just about given up hope that the bar was for me, but after reading the ingredients list on Disruptor London’s bars and seeing several of the things I look for in traditional liquid shampoos, I decided to give bars one more try.
Who are Disruptor London?
Disruptor London is a relatively new brand, having only launched in 2021 with a few very simple goals; ingredient transparency, no plastic, and responsible consumption. They currently offer four shampoo bars and two storage solutions. The range is small, but with quality ingredients, it should be easy enough to find what you’re looking for.
The Range:
- Balance – Revitalises, cleanses and rebalances
- Calm – Relief for sensitive skin and scalp
- Detox – Clarifying, exfoliating and brightening
- Flake Free – For dry itchy scalp, dandruff, or flakes
All bars are cruelty free and vegan, and can be used to shampoo, condition, shave, cleanse your face and/ or beard (can’t say I’ve tried that one). A 50g bar is £9 (40 washes) and a larger 100g bar will set you back £17.
Having a product that claims to do that much feels too good to be true. We’re so used to having an overcrowded shelf with a few options for everything, how can one bar replace all that?
First Impressions
Well, mine arrived a couple of days before I was due to take a trip and decided to test that theory. Bold, I know, but I packed my wash bag with one mini bottle of liquid shampoo (just in case), a shower oil and my calm bar, and not a single other body care/ shower product. Zero regrets.
The bar lathers just enough for you to feel like you’re getting a good wash, but not too soapy that it’s drying. I’m used to sulphate free shampoos, so I wasn’t expecting a huge amount of foaming, and the bar lathers more than my regular shampoo. My hair felt fresh and clean without being stripped, a real rarity when I travel and experience different water, and had an average amount of volume too.
Moving forward, there was no flaking or itchiness developing after a few uses and it quickly became one of my favourite beauty discoveries of 2023.
As for shaving, I typically use an oil, so opting for the bar was very unfamiliar territory. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. Again, dry and sensitive skin, so using anything new is always a worry. But it was so quick and easy, and my skin wasn’t irritated at all. I do prefer how my skin feels with the oil, so I’ll be sticking with the bar for my hair alone when I’m at home. However, next time I travel, I’m packing my little bar and a body oil and I know I’ll have everything I need.
Have you ever tried a shampoo bar? I think I’ve been converted.
Until next time,
Sophie
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