The Ethical Traveler

Let’s talk hair for a minute.

Washing your hair while traveling can be difficult for so many reasons:

Shampoo is hard to pack.
Shampoos in other countries are different and the bottles are in a different language.
Water in other countries can be very different from what you’re used to at home.
Shampoo bottles are one-use plastic.

So many issues for such an everyday task. Lucky for you, I have a simple solution:

Shampoo and Conditioner bars.

Here’s why they are so great:

No chemicals! Always check your ingredients, however most shampoo bars are made of much more environmentally and human-friendly ingredients.
No plastic! No bottle, no problem.
No liquid! You can essentially bring an entire bottle of shampoo and conditioner in your carry-on, for all my anti-stowed luggage friends out there.
No shopping! Each bar is equivalent to a full bottle of shampoo and conditioner, so chances are you won’t have to do any second (or third, or I-can-barely-say-hello) language shopping.

Shampoo and conditioner bars have made packing for travel so much easier for me! They are lightweight and I know I won’t run out of shampoo on trips, even if I’m leaving for several months at a time. I always make sure to buy bars made of natural ingredients (which is most of them), so I don’t have to worry about rubbing unpronounceable chemicals into my scalp that the jury’s still out on their safety for.

When attempting to cut down on single-use plastic, many people don’t think about their toiletries. Where do all those empty bottles go? As much as we like to think that they’ll be recycled, the reality is the majority end up in the landfill. This is even more of a problem when traveling. Not every country has a robust recycling program, if they have one at all. Using shampoo bars completely side-steps that problem!

My Favourite Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

There are so many brands to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start! I always suggest doing your own research.

Julie’s Picks:

Happy hair washing!