Solid Shampoos and Conditioners, Do They Live Up To The Hype?

If you know me you will know that I am terrible at packing light. It’s not the clothes that cause the issue it’s all of the hair and body products. I end up thinking that all of them are absolutely crucial. As I don’t usually bring a heat tool to curl or straighten my hair, I’ve usually got two to three products for scrunching along with a hairspray and a nice smoothing serum. On top of that I’ve got my big bottles of shampoo and conditioner to lug around. I’ve even succumbed to bringing a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner to save space which ends up leaving my thick, frizzy, dry hair even more dry and brittle.

There has been a lot of talk lately about solid shampoos and conditioners and whether or not they really work. I’m not the type of person to just jump right in, purchase a solid shampoo and conditioner and then head off for a few months. I like to know that what I am bringing with me is going to really work and that I won’t be regretting it two weeks down the road.

I went into my local Lush store meaning to get a gift for my friend’s birthday. I came out not only with her gift but with two bath bombs for myself, a solid shampoo, a solid conditioner, and a tester for some other hair product. As soon as I got home I jumped in the shower to give my new products a go.

Let me tell you, I was skeptical. I really didn’t think I was going to like the shampoo or the conditioner. I have fairly long, very thick, dry hair that is naturally between a wave and a curl. If I leave it to go wild it will look like a lion’s mane. A poofy, frizzy, fluffy mess flying around my head. Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight. So I really didn’t think that these solid options were going to work.

The solid shampoo I got is this pretty blue one called Seanik. Seanik has two different types of seaweed that is supposed to leave you with soft hair and help care for your scalp, sea salt for body and shine, lemon oil for even more shine, and mimosa and jasmine fragrances to keep you smelling yummy all day long. I was really impressed with the Seanik solid shampoo. It lathers up really easily and I was able to get lots to really work into my hair and it smells great!

I am a conditioner fiend. I use a lot of conditioner on my hair and I was really nervous about getting enough off of the solid conditioner bar. I bought Lush’s solid conditioner called Jungle. I didn’t love it. I found it really difficult to build up enough of a creamy lather for my hair and I could barely tell that it was there! You know that lovely soft, silky feeling your hair has when you’re washing out the conditioner? It’s my favorite feeling ever and this didn’t have it. I was so disappointed but as my hair dried it felt much softer than usual! So it must work. It took a bit of getting used to as the function of the conditioner while in the shower is so much different than a liquid conditioner, but I’ve grown to like the feeling of my hair afterwards. You just have to get over the absence of that lovely conditioner feeling.

When you buy these products you also get a complimentary container to keep them in. Would I use these while traveling? Absolutely! Next time I pack my bags I am definitely going to be swapping my liquid shampoo/conditioner for the solid alternative. I’m actually going to continue using these in my day to day life as well. While I probably won’t continue using the conditioner once it’s gone, I will gladly buy the shampoo again and again. I am really happy with the shampoo. They both leave your hair smelling like you’ve just been to the salon and they take up much less space in my backpack. Also, there’s no more fear of having my shampoo bottle open up and explode all over my bag(this has happened every single time I’ve brought liquid shampoo traveling). Overall, I liked the solid shampoo a lot more than the conditioner but I was impressed with both and am definitely bringing both on my next trip!

Not only that but apparently you can get 80 to 100 washes out of one solid shampoo or conditioner! That is a lot considering how small they are!

What do you think about solid shampoos and conditioners? Have you ever tried them?