Four of the best solid shampoo bars

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We love shampoo bars! And switching from bottled shampoo to bars of shampoo is a quick and easy way to reduce your use of plastics and help beat plastic pollution.

Shampoo bars are brilliant for travelling too as they take up less space and weight than conventional shampoo bottles, with no risk of spillages.

They also tend to last a long, long time – so can be excellent value for money.

Getting used to solid shampoo can take some time – but stick with it. Many liquid shampoos leave a build-up of chemical residues on the hair, and strip the hair of its natural oils. To counter this, the scalp reacts by secreting excess oil. It takes a while for your scalp to stop doing this when you switch to a natural shampoo – so your hair may not feel at its best for a week or too.

But once your hair has adjusted to the lack of chemicals it should settle down – in fact you may find that you don't need to wash your hair as frequently as you used to. Allow up to two weeks for your hair to adjust – your scalp will thank you!

There are plenty of solid shampoo bars on the market – you may need to try a few before you find one that suits you.

Here are four of our favourite shampoo bars.

Simply Soaps Hemp Hair and Body soap   £3.35

You get a rich, creamy lather using very little water with this bar, so it's great for camping or other situations when water supply is limited. The healing hemp helps soothe skin and is kind to damaged hair, and the bar smells quite neutral – so it's ideal if you don't like strong fragrances or have sensitive skin. Simply Soaps has excellent eco credentials – it's a carbon-neutral company, using green electricity and testing products only on humans. The simple packaging is biodegradable with a card insert and compostable wrapper.

Friendly Travel Soap Hair and Body Bar   £2.62

The luxurious blend of lemongrass, lavender, tea tree and peppermint oils create a refreshing fragrance that provides an invigorating start to your day. As well as leaving hair soft and shiny, it works as a body soap, and creates a lather that's suitable for shaving – so it's perfect for travel. It's naturally moisturising, and doesn't dry out skin or hair. Free from SLS, parabens and palm oil – and also vegan cruelty-free.

Hatton Handmade Soaps shampoo bar   £5

This Rosemary and Tea Tree shampoo bar can be used on face, hands and body too, so is ideal for travelling. Made with natural ingredients – including scalp-friendly base oils – it lathers well, leaving hair clean and soft. All Hatton Handmade soaps are hand cut and hand stamped, giving each bar a pleasing, unique appearance, and they are vegan-friendly. And the plastic-free packaging is as minimal as possible – the bars are wrapped simply in tissue paper, and delivered in a recyclable Jiffy bag.

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Dr Bronner's All-one Pure-Castile Bar Soap   £6.49

These generously sized soap bars are certified Fair Trade, and made with organic oils. It can be used to wash hands, body and hair, and produces a rich, foamy lather that's kind to skin and leaves hair soft and clean. Available in nine different scents, including almond and lavender. Wrapped in 90% post-consumer recycled paper from Living Tree Paper Co.