Solid beauty products are made without adding water to the core ingredients - think shower gel versus bar of soap. Not only do they save water, solid products require fewer chemicals than water based products and allow for friendlier packaging which means they are kinder to your skin and to the planet. Here are a few reasons why we should ditch the bottle and embrace the bar...
1. BYE BYE BOTTLE
They are a very simple way to reduce the environmental impact of your beauty regime by cutting down on unnecessary (and often non-recyclable) plastic packaging. NZ based Ethique believes they’ve already saved over 40,000 bottles from going to landfill and that’s just one small, relatively new company. That's impressive.
2. THEY SAVE (LITERALLY) TONNES OF WATER
They save an astonishing amount of water - around 75% of shampoo and 95% of conditioner can comprise of water. Lush UK claims to save 1.3 million litres of water a year from selling shampoo bars globally. Wowser.
3. No need for NASTIES
When you take the water out of products, you don’t need the preservatives and stabilizers to keep mold away, which means less nasty chemicals being absorbed through our skin, and into our environment.
4. THEY'RE easily portable
They save valuable space (and weight) in your bag, especially important when you’re travelling. Plus they don’t leak when you’re moving around (we've all experienced the shampoo/perfume/deoderant suitcase explosion).
5. THEY SAVE YOU MONEY
Because they are super concentrated, solid products last longer meaning it’s an efficient way to buy beauty products.
Convinced solid might be worth a go? Here are a few products to get you started. None of these products are tested on animals.
THE SHAMPOO / CONDITIONER: ETHIQUE
Full disclosure: this was my first time using solid shampoo and conditioner. I suppose I was slightly skeptical about these products - I loved the concept but assumed there had to be a trade-off in quality. If there is a trade-off, I certainly can’t find one. I tired the St Celments Solid Shampoo Bar (NZD $22) and Wonderbar Solid Conditioner Bar (NZD $25). The Shampoo Bar quickly lathered into light fluffy suds that left my hair feeling clean and fresh, without feeling stripped. The Wonderbar Solid Conditioner Bar was soothing and rich, and my hair felt controlled and glossy after I dried it. Plus the fragance is great - my hair was left smelling softly of coconut oil, cocoa butter and vanilla. I’m a convert! Don’t forget to check out their other products which look and smell good enough to eat like the Lime & Ginger Body Polish and Gingersnap Face Scrub Cubes.
Find their full range of solid goodness at ethique.co.nz
THE CLEANSER / SERUM: LUSH
Lush’s Dark Angels Face and Body Cleanser has black sugar and charcoal which gently exfoliates and absorbs excess oil to leave oily and acne-prone skin feeling fresh. You just dampen your skin, mix some of the cleanser in your hand with water, massage the paste into your skin, and then rinse off. The charcoal paste made my skin feel super smooth and fresh, it’s a really deep cleanse. The only small downside to this product is that it’s messy due to the charcoal content - make sure you use in the shower so you can easily remove the final remnants of black.
Dark Angels Face and Body Cleanser NZD $19.50 / 100
Lush’s Full Of Grace Serum is really beautiful. It’s so nourishing but fairly light considering it’s full of essential oils. This solid facial serum is made of murumuru and cupuacu butters to hydrate skin, rose oil to relieve irritations, plus portobello mushrooms for a vitamin/antioxidant hit. Just rub the serum bar against your hands, it starts melting to a silky oil immediately. Apply to your face for a soothing treatment. Ideal as a night moisturizer, or day/night moisturizer for dryer or older skin. Works well under makeup.
Full Of Grace Facial Serum NZD $19.90 / 200g
If you’re reading this in NZ find them at lushnz.com, otherwise at lush.com
THE FRAGRANCE: PACIFIC PERFUMES
New Zealand company Pacific Perfumes makes solid fragrances from a base of jojoba, sweet almond oils and beeswax. Essential oils and fragrance compounds are added to make some seriously beautiful fragrances that are gentle and quite different from other commercial fragrances. Liv loved the Pacific Goddess which is described as “soft and intensely rich, full of spicy yet delicate vanilla extracts”. I really loved the frankincense-y vibe of the Simply Paradise from the artisan range, and the musky tropical sweetness of Hello The Coconut. The fragrances are sophisticated and won’t leave you smelling like an incense store. Their packaging has a really interesting story too, the beautiful little wooden pots are made from entirely eco-sourced wood and have a won international awards.
Pacific Perfumes Solid Fragrances
Pacific Perfumes Solid Fragrances
Find the entire range at pacificperfumes.co.nz.
Have you tried any of these or other solid beauty products? Let us know what you think!