Best bar conditioner for fine hair?

August 22, 2023 9:29 AM

I recently got Earthling Co bar shampoo and conditioner to give them a try (trying to eliminate single-use plastics) but am not happy with the conditioner and am looking for alternatives.

The shampoo is OK (it lathers fine but it's hard to evaluate how well it's doing otherwise because the conditioner is so bad). The conditioner is hard to apply (to get enough on my hair to even tell it's doing anything I have to run it directly on my hair over and over) and my hair feels greasy after about a day rather than the 2 days I am used to. I have very fine hair that gets pretty dry at the ends, but my scalp can get greasy. At the moment my hair is not colored but I plan to get some dye done at the end of the month, so presumably sulfate-free products would be best.

Anybody found a good brand of bar conditioner or any kind of conditioner that does not come in plastic packaging?

posted by joannemerriam to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Best answer: I like the Dip solid shampoo and conditioner bars. I’ve only used the rose matcha tea scent but I have fine hair and I love how it looks after using. They have multiple other scents and offer travel size bars if you want to test before committing to the large size.
posted by rdnnyc at 11:28 AM on August 22, 2023

Best answer: Can't help with conditioner bar recommendations because I have wavy-to-curly fine hair, but I do know that there's a company (Everist) that sells shampoo and conditioner concentrates in aluminum tubes. No personal experience, but the reviews seemed positive when I was making lists of low/zero waste hair care products to try.

As a general recommendation for bar conditioner use, I find separating my hair into top and bottom layers using a claw clip makes it easier to apply more evenly. Many swipes are needed.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 12:12 PM on August 22, 2023

Best answer: I like Hibar, specifically the one for volume. I don’t find that I actually need conditioner very often with it (same hair type). I’m uncertain whether you would like the corresponding conditioner or not.
posted by Comet Bug at 3:26 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I tried the Hibar conditioner bar and it was disappointing (I think I used Maintain). I am also in search of an alternative to plastic bottles of conditioner for my fine, thick, straight hair
Some bar shampoos (Side eye at Trader Joes) are very drying and mean that I need to use a lot more conditioner so I think starting with a good shampoo is important. I've found that my current favorite bar shampoo (Vunella Argan Oil) is very moisturizing and maybe I don't need much conditioner with it, so it might play well with a bar.

I've been curious about the Meow Meow Tweet conditioner powder. They also have a conditioner bar.
Earthhero has a number of conditioner bars, conditioner in metal containers, and refillable conditioner bottles available.
posted by arachnidette at 5:31 PM on August 22, 2023 [1 favorite]