Solid Shampoo Bars
How to Choose the Right Solid Shampoo Bar
Thinking about making the switch to solid shampoo but not sure which bar to choose? You’re in the right place.
Our handmade solid shampoo bars are created in small batches using carefully selected plant-based ingredients, with each recipe paired with essential oils and botanical additions to suit different hair types and washing routines.
Whether your hair tends to feel dry, becomes oily quickly, needs a little help with frizz or you’re simply looking for a great everyday shampoo bar, we’ve put together this guide to help you find your match.
Which Solid Shampoo Bar Is Right for Me?
Here’s the quick version:
Dry or thirsty hair → Lavender & Peppermint
A refreshing but gentle choice for normal to dry hair.
Oily or combination hair → Bergamot & Charcoal
A clarifying bar with activated charcoal, ideal when hair tends to become oily or feels weighed down by product build-up.
Dry or flaky-feeling scalp → Turmeric & Lemongrass
A bright, citrusy bar with turmeric, created with scalp care in mind.
Normal hair or frequent washing → Spiced Orange
A warm, uplifting everyday option and a great place to start if your hair doesn’t have any particular concerns.
Fine hair or hair that becomes greasy quickly → Rosemary & Eucalyptus
A fresh, herbaceous bar containing French green clay, ideal for hair that benefits from a thorough cleanse.
Still deciding? Read on to meet the full collection.
Meet Our Solid Shampoo Bars
🍊 Spiced Orange
Best for: Normal hair & frequent washing
Warm, spicy and wonderfully uplifting, Spiced Orange combines Sweet Orange, Clove and Cinnamon essential oils to create a rich citrus fragrance with a warming twist.
Designed as a great all-rounder, it’s particularly suited to normal hair and frequent washing. If you’re new to solid shampoo and aren’t sure which bar to choose, Spiced Orange is a great place to start.
Choose this one if: you want a versatile everyday shampoo with a warm, citrus-spice fragrance.
💜 Lavender & Peppermint
Best for: Normal to dry hair
A beautifully fresh combination of Lavender and Peppermint essential oils, balancing soft herbal lavender with the cool, invigorating aroma of peppermint.
This bar is a lovely choice for normal to dry hair and creates a creamy lather for a refreshing everyday cleanse.
Choose this one if: your hair tends towards the drier side or you love fresh, herbal fragrances.
🌿 Turmeric & Lemongrass
Best for: Scalp-focused care
Fresh, bright and citrusy, Turmeric & Lemongrass combines Lemongrass and Lemon essential oils with turmeric powder.
Created with scalp care in mind, this uplifting shampoo bar is a good choice when your scalp tends to feel dry or flaky while still giving your hair a thorough cleanse.
Choose this one if: scalp care is high on your list or you love bright, zingy citrus fragrances.
🖤 Bergamot & Charcoal
Best for: Oily, combination or frizz-prone hair
Fresh Bergamot is blended with Black Pepper and Basil essential oils, while activated charcoal gives this bar its distinctive dark colour.
The charcoal makes this a particularly good choice when hair tends to become oily or feels weighed down by styling products and everyday build-up.
Choose this one if: your hair gets oily quickly, you’re prone to product build-up or you prefer a fresh, clarifying wash.
🌱 Rosemary & Eucalyptus
Best for: Fine hair or hair prone to oiliness
A fresh, herbaceous combination of Rosemary, Tea Tree and Eucalyptus essential oils, paired with French green clay.
French green clay makes this a great option for fine hair and hair that tends to become greasy quickly, while the essential-oil blend gives it a wonderfully fresh, clean aroma.
Choose this one if: you have fine hair, your roots become oily quickly or you love fresh herbal fragrances.
Why Choose a Thistle Soapery Shampoo Bar?
Plant-Based Ingredients
Our shampoo bars are handmade using carefully selected plant-based ingredients to create a rich, creamy lather that effectively cleanses your hair without the need for a bottle of liquid shampoo.
Essential Oil Blends
Each bar has its own carefully chosen blend of essential oils, giving the five varieties their distinctive fragrances — from cooling peppermint and lavender to fresh rosemary and eucalyptus or warming spiced orange.
That means you can choose according to your hair type and find a fragrance you’ll actually look forward to using.
Less Packaging, More Shampoo
Switching from bottled shampoo to a solid bar is a simple way to cut down on bathroom packaging.
Choose your shampoo bar in simple recyclable paper packaging or add one of our reusable aluminium travel tins — particularly handy for holidays, swimming, the gym or keeping your bar protected while travelling.
How to Use a Solid Shampoo Bar
Using solid shampoo is easy, although it can take a couple of washes to find the method that works best for your hair.
1. Wet your hair thoroughly with warm water.
2. Wet your shampoo bar and either rub it between your hands to create a lather or gently glide the bar over your wet hair.
3. Massage the lather through your scalp and hair as you would with liquid shampoo.
4. Rinse thoroughly with clean, warm water.
5. Repeat if needed. Depending on your hair type and how much product build-up you have, your shampoo may not produce as much lather on the first wash. A second wash usually produces plenty of bubbles.
6. Follow with conditioner if your hair needs a little extra TLC.
How to Make Your Shampoo Bar Last Longer
The secret is simple: let it dry.
Solid shampoo bars last much longer when they’re allowed to dry thoroughly between washes. Avoid leaving your bar sitting in water or on a surface where water collects.
A well-drained soap dish is ideal at home. If you’re using one of our aluminium travel tins, allow the bar to dry before putting the lid back on whenever possible.
Solid Shampoo Bar FAQs
Which solid shampoo bar should I choose?
with your hair type or what you’d most like from your shampoo.
For normal or frequently washed hair, try Spiced Orange. For normal to dry hair, start with Lavender & Peppermint. If your hair tends to become oily or suffers from product build-up, try Bergamot & Charcoal. For fine hair or oily roots, Rosemary & Eucalyptus is a great choice, while Turmeric & Lemongrass has been created with scalp-focused care in mind.
And if fragrance is more important to you than hair type, that’s absolutely fine too — choose the one you’ll enjoy using!
Do solid shampoo bars actually lather?
Yes. Our shampoo bars create a proper creamy lather, so switching to a bar doesn’t mean giving up the bubbles.
If your hair has a lot of product or oil build-up, you might find that the first wash doesn’t lather as much. Rinse and shampoo a second time and you’ll usually notice a much richer lather.
Do I need conditioner after using a shampoo bar?
That depends entirely on your hair.
Some people are perfectly happy using shampoo alone, while dry, long, coloured or tangle-prone hair may benefit from following with a conditioner.
How long does a solid shampoo bar last?
This varies depending on your hair length, how frequently you wash it and how you store your bar.
Keeping your shampoo bar dry between washes will make a big difference to how long it lasts.
Can I use a solid shampoo bar every day?
Our bars are designed for regular use, although how often you need to wash your hair will depend on your individual hair and routine.
If you’re a frequent washer and aren’t sure where to start, we’d recommend trying our Spiced Orange bar.
Can I travel with a solid shampoo bar?
Absolutely — it’s one of our favourite things about them.
Solid shampoo is compact, easy to pack and there’s no bottle of liquid shampoo to leak into your luggage. Our reusable aluminium tins are particularly handy for travelling.
Just try to allow your bar to dry before replacing the lid.
Is solid shampoo difficult to switch to?
It doesn’t need to be.
Using a solid shampoo bar is very similar to using liquid shampoo once you’ve got used to creating the lather. Some people prefer rubbing the bar between their hands first, while others find it easier to glide the wet bar directly over their hair.
Try both and see which works best for you.
Ready to Find Your Shampoo Bar?
Whether you’re looking for something fresh and herbal, bright and citrusy or warm and spicy, there’s a Thistle Soapery shampoo bar waiting to find a place in your bathroom.
Shop our complete Solid Shampoo Bar collection and find your favourite.
Not sure where to begin? Use our quick guide above, choose the bar that sounds most like your hair — and go from there.