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Shampoo bars are great for the planet – and your hair – but often come with a hefty price tag. So when we heard Morrisons had become the first UK supermarket to launch own-brand bars, we knew we had to try them.
The Morrisons bars, which are part of its Nutmeg range, can last up to 30 washes and cost a pocket-friendly £3. Anyone who uses shampoo bars knows this is a hell of a lot cheaper than others – like the £8 you pay for Lush ones.
They’re also vegan, plastic-free and packaged in fully recyclable cardboard cartons. Two members of the HuffPost UK Life team tried out the bars – with slightly differing results. Here are our verdicts.
The reviewers 💁♀️:
Rachel Moss, Life reporter: never uses shampoo bars, and has long, thick straight hair.
Amy Packham, Life editor: always uses shampoo bars, and has fine, wavy hair.
The non shampoo bar user
‘The bars hold their form when wet and don’t turn to slippery mush’
Rachel Moss, Life reporter
“I’ve been meaning to try a shampoo bar for a while, but, I’ll be honest, laziness has trumped eco-desire and I simply haven’t got round to visiting the likes of Lush or ordering one online. Being able to grab one at a supermarket during my usual shop for just £3 is, therefore, a major plus from the off.
“The first thing I notice about the bars is the smell. They’re both delicious. A creamy, rich coconutty scent fills the room before I even open the packaging.
“The bars are both surprisingly easy to use. They hold their form when wet and don’t turn to slippery mush – as I’ve read some other shampoo bars do. They do require a fair amount of rubbing to produce enough lather to coat my long, thick hair, though, and this means my morning shower takes longer than usual (not so great for saving water, huh?).
“Sadly, the conditioner doesn’t leave my hair with the usual silkiness.”
“Sadly, the conditioner doesn’t leave my hair with the silkiness of my regular Garnier product and my Tangle Teezer has to work overtime. Once the knots are cleared, I give my hair it’s usual rough dry and leave mother nature to do her thing. My hair dries SUPER straight and feels quite heavy. Some might like this, but I prefer my hair lighter and bouncier, with a bit of movement. It smells glorious, though – I keep picking up strands to have a whiff throughout the day.
“Would I use it again? I think it depends on my plans. On days working from home, when I barely see anyone, amazing smelling hair that happens to be a bit flat works for me. But for dinner out with friends, I’ll stick with traditional shampoo that gives me more va-va-voom.”
The shampoo bar user
‘I don’t think I’ve ever had a bar that’s smelt this good’
Amy Packham, Life editor
“I converted to shampoo bars a few years ago in a bid to reduce my plastic use (and after reading a good review). I’ve tried a fair few since then – Lush being one of the best, but also the most expensive. I’ve typically found it hard to find them on the high-street, which can be a pain, and resort to buying online. It’s frustrating when a small bar can be almost five times the price of a bottle.
“Rachel’s right, the bars smell incredible and the scent fills my bathroom cabinets. The size is pretty decent – bigger than your standard Lush one – and I enjoy the ‘S’ and ‘C’ carved into the bars to differentiate the shampoo and conditioner (they’re different colours, too, so that helps).
“The shampoo bar lathers up in my hands quite easily, but when I rub it in my hair, I need a little more to cover it all.”
“The shampoo bar lathers up in my hands quite easily, but when I rub it in my hair, I need a little more to cover it all. That’s the difference between this and the more spenny bars – you can do a few rubs of the bar on your hand and it’s enough to cover your whole hair. This takes a little more, but doesn’t bother me too much. The conditioner lathers up easily (or maybe I just used more) and that wonderful scent is still there.
“I have shoulder-length hair, but it’s quite fine so I don’t often use conditioner as well as shampoo. When I wash and dry my hair after using both, it feels glossy and silky and has more volume than usual. I’m so impressed! I don’t see any difference from this to my normal shampoo bars – in fact, my hair is a little softer because I’ve used the conditioning bar, too. And it smells amazing.
“I’m a convert and will happily save my pennies and use this going forward – I just need to find my nearest Morrisons.”
Made in Scotland, Morrisons Nutmeg Shampoo & Conditioner Bars are available in-store now for £3 each.