Last year I tried Hairstory’s New Wash Shampoo after seeing some Facebook ads for it, and whoa, our review really resonated with our readers! So when I saw ads for The Earthling Co. bar shampoo, I knew I wanted to buy it and give it a try too.
Note: The Earthling Co has added sulfate-free shampoo bars, however I tested the standard bars for this review.
This post is from our Damn You, Social Media Ads series, in which we buy and try the products showing up in our social feeds. Some purchases may generate a small affiliate commission to support our team at no additional cost to you, so thank you!
Our honest review of The Earthling Co Bar Shampoos
What’s special about Earthling Co Bar Shampoos?
The primary appeal is the fact that there is no packaging — other than the 100% compostable box and paper bag it ships in. As someone who’s trying to make more eco-friendly choices for my family, this is a big benefit. The next one: the ingredients. Like the “safer” ingredients I was looking for in Hairstory shampoo, these Earthling Co’s bar shampoos tout no SLS, fillers, silicones, parabens or preservatives. They’re vegan, cruelty free and palm-oil free.
On top of all that, one bar (about 3 oz) is supposed to last up to 80 washes and (bonus!) can travel with you through TSA checks.
But how does it work? I tried it for a week, and here’s what I found after a few washes.
First, about my hair…
First, let me tell you a little bit about my normal hair routine, so you can get a good basis for comparison to your own hair.
My hair is just below shoulder-length and falls somewhere between wavy and curly, tending toward frizzy. It’s about as natural as it gets — it’s never been dyed and I use very few products on it besides the occasional spritz of hairspray or dry shampoo.
Recently I’ve been using Pantene shampoo 3-4 times per week, and I’ll use conditioner about once a week. I usually let my hair air dry, and once a week or so I use my straightening iron to get out the frizz. Lately it’s been feeling a little more greasy than usual, so I’ve been supplementing with dry shampoo about twice a week between washes.
Photo © Kate Etue for Cool Mom Picks
Related: Is The Ordinary skincare and makeup good, considering it’s so cheap? We tried it to see.
What is a bar shampoo and how do you use it?
If you’ve never tried a bar shampoo, it looks kind of like a soap, as you might imagine.
The Earthling Co. shampoo bars use lemon juice, lemon powder, essential oils, cocoa butter and coconut oil to clean and moisturize your hair, and you can choose from seven different scents, ranging from a woodsy “sweet sandalwood” scent to bright “citrus sun,” and a light and airy “simple fresh” scent.
When I hopped in the shower for my first shampoo, I was doubtful about how well it would lather up and wash, but OMG. That lather! I rubbed the bar directly on my wet hair a few times, then lathered it in my hands for a few seconds and used them to gave my hair a vigorous wash. My hair was full of soapy lather. Like, the kind where you can create sculptures out of your hair.
Two thumbs up for lather.
When I rinsed it out, my hair had that squeaky clean feel. I’d equate it to how my hair feels after using a deep clean shampoo that’s meant to strip your hair of product buildup.
After I washed it, I used The Earthling Co conditioner bar, but only on my ends. (That’s how I use my regular conditioner as well.) I held the ends of my hair in one hand, rubbed the bar on with the other, then ran my fingers through. It felt creamy and rich and washed out easily.
On first use, I was 100% satisfied with how well The Eartling Co. soap lathered up and how clean my hair felt after washing. It smelled fresh but not fragrant — I bought the Citrus Sun scent and it was mild during the shampoo, but really has no scent to it after I rinsed it out.
Related: An honest review of Function of Beauty custom shampoo and conditioner
How my hair looked after using Earthling Co. bar shampoo
After One Day…
After the first wash with the bar I just towel-dried my hair and let it air dry the rest of the way. My hair has a tendency to have a lot of big volume when it air dries, and this wash was no different. It wasn’t heavy or dirty feeling.
The next morning, my hair still felt clean and full — not weighed down. I was able to go without washing my hair that morning, and it still looked fresh. I styled it with a flat iron mid-morning, and it took the heat well without losing body.
After One Week….
After one week, my hair still felt clean and bouncy, without too much buildup. It didn’t feel like any heavy products were weighing it down or making it greasy. In fact, while sick with the flu that week, I felt like my hair actually looked good! (That was a win, considering how I felt that week, ugh.) And while it does seem maybe a tiny bit frizzier than normal, I’m chalking that up to the endless rain and humidity we’re experiencing right now around Nashville.
However, If your hair frizzes with it, please let us know! (In which case you might need the Color WOW Dream Coat anti-frizz treatment that I tested. You should see the before-and-after pics!)
The verdict on Earthling Co. bar shampoo
I am now a 100% convert. The promise above? Absolutely accurate.
In fact, I just went back and ordered 3 more bars. That way, I can stock up for the future and save on shipping. (Tip: they offer some great discounts on bundles at Amazon, or when you sign up for their emails on their site.)
I love that the shampoo is bottle-free, not only because it helps the environment, but because it’s just simpler to use. Also — and this isn’t a big thing but I like it — my shower itself feels more minimalist and streamlined, with just three bars of soap along the shelf, and no bottles to tip over into the shower or out on the floor.
but most of all, I love what it did for my hair. Hey, I bought it again, right?
You can find a variety of scents of The Earthling Co. bar shampoo on Amazon for around $15.99/bar on sale, plus discounts for multiple purchases.
Compare this with my experience trying Green Ablutions bar shampoo
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Also from our Damn You, Social Media Ads series, in which we buy and try the products showing up in our social feeds:
Hairstory New Wash shampoo
Function of Beauty shampoo and conditioner
Ohora at-home gel manicure kit
The Original Makeup Erasers
Bombas socks
Glossier Balm Dot Com
THINX period underwear
Ruggable rugs
Inkbox Semi-Permanent Tattoos
Etee reusable food wraps
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Thanks for doing this review. All the other online blogs only tried the same few brands (that contained a lot of chemicals) and I was wondering about this brand. I ordered a few and am excited to try them out! Keep up the eco-friendly/low waste posts!
I’ve been using only their conditioner because I still have one shampoo bar from another company I’m going thru but I cannot wait to be finished so I can switch to using solely Earthling hair products. I’ve never seen such happy hair, even others have noticed, and I had been desperately needing a trim. But it seriously saved my dry hair. My hair feels so soft and has a nice shine now (and I hardly use other hair products to help with that, just a tiny bit of serum after a straight iron sometimes) and that sandalwood smells AMAZING and holds for days. I only wash my hair about 3x’s a week and I’ve noticed a vast improvement in just a couple washes. Love Earthling!!?
Thanks so much. Just tried it for the first time! We will see.
I have been using Earthling for about a year now. People are constantly asking me how I keep my hair so white and silky. And I tell them about Earthling. I am a convert. Bonus is environmental!
So glad to hear this! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Do you need to use any of the “purple” products? My hair is totally white. I’m paranoid about keeping it the pretty white it is and avoiding the dingy yellow I’ve heard about.
I confess that I do use Loreal purple once per week. It has all natural ingredients as well but there is that plastic bottle.
I recently bought the Vanilla shampoo and conditioner bars! Absolutely amazing. Like she said, the shampoo lathers wonderfully!!! And it really cleans my hair also, literally it squeaks when I’m running my fingers through it to rinse it. I wasn’t a fan of the Conditioner bar at first but after a few uses, I have gotten used to it. It works wonders as well. I feel like my hair is more shiney. I get more complements since I’ve switched to Earthling Co!!
I love this product. I’ve been using it for about a year. I can’t believe how long my hair stays clean. When I brush it out after washing, there are virtually no tangles, totally unbelievable, yet my hair is not at all greasy. I love that i can travel with it with no concerns. I also love the soap just as much. I feel so clean!
Where is your product manufactured?
Hey there! We don’t make this shampoo, but you can click through to ask Earthling Conony production questions you have about their shampoo. Thanks for reading!
Hi,
I’ve this before really would like to try. Can I get them in stores like Homegoods or any stores that carry them?
thanks so much for all the testing and reviews! can’t wait to try!
I’m on my 2nd bar and I can now go 1 extra day before washing if I need too. I have oily scalp. I’m in need of a shampoo that will help with the bumpy scalp. This doesn’t do that. Do you have one that does?
My only complaint about he shampoo bar is I’ve dropped it in the shower and it’s now in bits and pieces. It doesn’t set in water. I keep it dry. Now it’s hard to use. I’m not one that can afford to trash it.
Get one of their soap bags. You can throw bits and pieces in and use it to lather it up until it’s all gone.
Sounds like you used the sulfate containing version of the bar soaps (big lather). Could you do a separate review for the sulfate-free bars? I’m curious to know how well those work.
Thanks for your informative reviews.
Did you purchase the sulfate free bar or the normal kind? I see on their website they have two options.
I have used both the original and sulfate free. Both lather and clean very well. Very pleased.
Love the shampoo bar, it cleans so well and I use a lot less than regular shampoo cause it lathers so well and I can rub it on problem spots that are hard to cover with regular shampoo. I only need to wash my hair once a week or less!
I am curious about how it compares to shampoos from other earth friendly companies who use natural ingredients like aveda. Anything’s gotta be better than Pantene ???
Thanks for your comments. I just received my bars today and I’m going to try it out.
Like you I wanted to streamline my products. I love the Wrapper the Products came in and also the type of envelope they were mailed in
Thanks for letting us know! I hope you love it.
Can it be used with color treated hair?
Hi Cheryl: From their FAQ
Yes, you can! We absolutely understand that you need a gentle shampoo that doesn’t strip or dry out your hair. Because our bars do not contain sulfate-surfactants, they are generally gentler on bleached and color-treated hair than normal shampoos.
Moreover, our ingredients, such as marshmallow root extract and jojoba oil, will help moisturize, detangle, and strengthen your hair — all while promoting healthy new growth. Many of our customers with color-treated hair have had success with our bars leaving their hair silky smooth!
Do you have a product similar to purple shampoos for bleached hair to keep the brassiness down?
Hi
I saw your advertisement about your soap bar shampoo.. I heard it helps hair loss. My question I would like to try it but I also dye my hair
Do you have one that helps color or hair dye.
Hi Sue, we don’t make Earthling – we just reviewed it. Because they don’t include many of the ingredients that can diminish color-treated hair (parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, salt) they do state that it’s safe for dyed hair.
Hi Sue
You may have heard about Humby Organics – I had seen ads for both and that was the difference for me. The hair loss after covid and with aging – UGH – there is a quiz on their site for your particular needs. I am in no way saying anything negative about Earthling my friend uses it and I looked into it as well.
I have been using the citrus earthling shampoo , conditioner & body bar and I love it so much I gave away all my other products. I would love to see them come out with a body lotion bar you can use in the shower but I am thrilled with the product. Tip on frizzy hair before I towel dry my hair I rub the conditioner bar through ghe ends then towel dry and it works great!
After reading the reviews, no one has mentioned hair loss and whether or not this product actually helps with that. Can you comment?
I purchased both shampoo bar and conditioner bar because I heard the same claim. My hair fell out even faster than using junk shampoo. I don’t know if it is the added friction from rubbing the bar on my hair, but I was rather heart broken by losing even more hair.
Can I use this bar shampoo on dyed hair? Does it matter which scent?
So how do we know that you’re not getting free product or some kind of kick back from this company for giving them a good review? Like so many of these online products that usually turn out to be garbage but their advertising sure suckers you in to “buying” the great product, I wonder how trustworthy are the supposedly unbiased reviews.
I can’t help but be skeptical of everything nowadays on the internet and social media.
LOVE that you are asking this question, and wish more people would. Since 2006, we’ve been known for honest reviews and careful curation, long before there were relationships between brands and bloggerscontent creators. We are transparent about products we receive for free, we are transparent about affiliate links and brand relationships, and sometimes we don’t like the products we try at all, and we tell you about it. Even if our commenters disagree! https://coolmompicks.com/blog/2019/02/23/hairstory-new-wash-shampoo-review/
In this case, we purchased the products for Kate to try with our own money, as indicated. And for what it’s worth, an Amazon affiliate commission on this product is 3%. If you purchase one, we earn 56 cents. Hardly worth blowing our own reputation for 56 cents, though other creators may feel differently. – Liz, former Editor-in-Chief
I am interested in knowing if the Earthling Co bar shampoos have been proven to reverse hair loss. I am in my early 70’s. My hair is shoulder length and I occasionally have it highlighted. I have been using Humby Organics since November 2024. I have not seen any improvement with their bar soap. I am willing to try this product if others have seen valid improvement in hair regrowth. If so, which bar should I purchase?
In addition to all of the other comments about how wonderful these bars are, The Earthling Company has fantastic customer service! I’ve had a couple order mishaps and they promptly and politely corrected them as soon as I contacted them!