Welcome to StarBars! (Part 1)

It all started with laundry detergent. Two years ago, I looked at the big plastic bottle of laundry detergent on top of my washing machine (I have a stackable apartment size washer-dryer set so all the detergent sits on top.) My husband and I went through a few of these big bottles a year. And when I got to the bottom of the detergent, it was so hard to wash out the bottle before recycling it. Suds everywhere. I really hated those bottles. That’s when I started thinking there must be a better way to wash things without so much plastic. 

Well of course there is. I started buying powdered detergent from a little start up laundry company that just came in a bag. It was so much better. And at the end of the soap, I just had a little bag and a cardboard box to recycle. 

That’s when I started looking around at my bathroom. I’ve always disliked liquid soap and body wash that comes in those plastic containers, so we’ve been using bar soap exclusively for years. But then I looked at all the bottles of shampoo and conditioner in my shower.

I have terrible hair - it’s super fine and fragile - so I had been buying all different things to try to get it stronger and less breakable. I had the biotin shampoo, the argan oil shampoo, some deep conditioners, a tube of stuff for heat styling protection; lots of containers! And my hair still was so fragile. After brushing and blow drying I swear it seemed like half of it was in the brush and the other half was in the sink. Plus, the part in my hair was really pronounced. And I’m pretty sure I had a thin spot in the back that I had to try to cover up when I put my hair in a ponytail. Like practically a bald spot! And I’m a lady! Super embarrassing. 

Between the plastic bottles and my hair not looking very good anyway, I started wondering if there was a way to find shampoo in bar form. I had tried washing my hair with soap a few years before while camping and it was an absolute disaster. Whooooo-eeeee talk about a frizzed out, dry, crackly mess. So I was definitely not looking for that experience again. I was hoping for shampoo without the water or bottle. 

For the rest of the story go to Part 2….