We tried it: How do you use Peach shampoo and conditioner bars?

Shampoo and conditioner bars are liquid hair cleansers in the form of solid soap bars. Zero-waste shampoo bars are an easy way to transition into a responsible beauty routine because they’re biodegradable, don’t use plastic packaging, and they're made with less water than liquid shampoo and conditioner.

Most hair shampoo bar brands, including Peach, are free from the toxic ingredients that end up in our water supply — instead, these bars are vegan, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and made from natural ingredients that promote hair health.

Shampoo bars aren’t just better for your hair and the environment — they’re also easier on your pocketbook. One bar lasts as long as two 8.5-oz bottles of regular shampoo or conditioner — and with around 9 million tons of plastic entering the landfills every year, the environmental savings of bar shampoo are pretty significant, too.

Anyone who’s worshiped at the altar of Queer Eye knows that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a common ingredient in conventional shampoos, is the same stuff used to degrease car engines.

SLS and other harsh chemicals, like parabens and phthalates, strip hair of its natural oils and sebum, which makes your locks look clean but actually contributes to a dry, itchy scalp and brittle tresses.

Peach’s eco-friendly shampoo bars are great because they use sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, a gentle cleansing agent derived from coconut and sustainable palm oils that produces a delightfully sudsy lather and cleanses your hair without stripping the sebum.

When you make the switch to shampoo bars, the oils in your hair are left intact, so your locks might look more stringy than usual while your sebum production adjusts back to a normal level. Use a dry shampoo to combat greasiness and keep your hair fresh between washes.

My curls were soft, defined, and grease-free after the first use. (iI only I handled break-ups that well!) If your hair isn’t so keen on the shampoo bar, give it a few days before you curse my name for convincing you to try them — hair that’s been overwashed with conventional products for a long time might need up to two weeks to adjust.

To get the most out of your Peach bars, store ‘em on a soap dish or shampoo bar holder that won’t get hit with a ton of water or steam when the rest of the household takes a shower.

The ideal soap holder promotes water drainage and airflow, but if you notice your bar is getting a little soft, set it on the bathroom counter to dry out once or twice a week to keep it in its prime.

I have fine, curly hair that straightens up if I look at it wrong.

Like all curly-haired folk, my biggest worry when trying new products is that they’ll mess up my hard-won ringlets. So I tried ‘em when I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be — just in case.

But I’m happy to report that the Peach volumizing shampoo and conditioner bars did not ruin my hair. In fact, I had much better results with Peach bars than with the other new thing I tried this week — self-tanner.

Peach bars, on the other hand, gave me a great lather that was easy to apply and left my hair feeling clean without being hella dry. The conditioner made my locks super soft which, I admit, I really didn’t think was going to happen, and both products had me smelling fresh and citrusy.

And the volume my curls achieved — just look at that hair! Dolly herself would be writhing with envy.

About the author: Mackenzie Sanford is a writer and musician feeling the tingle in the Midwest. She's been writing for Grove since 2020.