The Pros and Cons of Garnier Shampoo Bar

Author:
S.P. Murphy
Updated:
Apr 1, 2023

Garnier Whole Blends released their a shampoo bar for different types of hair
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In the Summer of 2021 Garnier released their Whole Blends shampoo bar in the United States. In Europe this product is named Ultimate Blends.

They released four products in the range that was released in the United States but five products were released in Europe. Each shampoo bar is for a different hair type.

Dry/Damaged Hair – Restoring Honey Treasures Shampoo Bar
Normal Hair – Hydrating Coco & Aloe Vera Shampoo Bar (Sulfate Free)
Fine to Normal Hair – Softening Oat Delicacy Shampoo Bar
Weak Hair - Strengthening Ginger Recovery Shampoo Bar
Dry/ Dull Hair – Marvelous Oils Argon & Camellia * (Only in Europe)

The Garnier Shampoo bar is shaped like a teardrop, not square or rectangle like most shampoo bars.
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The shampoo bar comes in a cardboard box which is recyclable and has the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) symbol which means that it was ethically, legally and sustainable sourced.

Garnier state that their products are also silicone free and 100% vegan which means that there isn’t any animal derivatives or by products in the actual product.

They also claim that this product is 97% biodegradable which means that the products used to make the shampoo bar will break down naturally with water and it will not impact the environment negatively.

They also state that this shampoo bar is 94% plant based which means that is contains natural or organic ingredients.

On their website they also mentioned that the honey and beeswax that they use in this product is sustainable sourced and in 2021 they were the corporate sponsors of The Bee Conservancy. The Bee Conservancy supply bee habitats for Honey Bees and Native Bees.

If you don't want to buy the special aluminum tin for the soap, you can store it in a soap container once it is dry.
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How to Store Your Garnier Shampoo Bar

If you purchased the shampoo bar when it was released it came with a specially designed aluminum storage container that was shaped exactly like the shampoo bar. The aluminum storage tin has a lid and air holes in the bottom to allow the shampoo bar to dry naturally.

However, it seems to be out of stock everywhere so a soap container with a lid will also work. But let the shampoo bar fully dry before you store it in the container.

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Instructions on how to use a shampoo bar.
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How to Use Garnier Shampoo Bar

Ensure that your hair is thoroughly wet.
Next wet the shampoo bar so it starts to foam. You can rub the shampoo bar directly onto your hair. You can, if you wish rub the shampoo bar between your hands, but less product is wasted if your rub it directly onto your scalp.
Next rubs it at the front, sides and back of your scalp.
Once this is completed set aside the shampoo bar and start massaging your hair with your fingertips to remove dirt and grease from your scalp.
When you feel that your hair is clean, rinse your hair with water until all the shampoo is removed.
You can use the matching conditioner if you wish, but that only comes in a bottle.

Pros of Using Garnier Shampoo Bar

It is easy to use and can be held in your hand. If you had children who won’t hold still or someone had issues with gripping items, they might have less difficulty lathering the soap between their palms or rubbing the shampoo bar onto their hair.
You will find that if you have short to shoulder length hair, then you can get away with using no conditioner. It’s easy to comb your hair out with a large tooth comb and you won’t find many tangles when brushing it.
When you have cleaned and rinsed your hair you will find that it is clean but not course or rough after using the shampoo bar.
You can go two days between washing your hair before it will start getting greasy again.
When you blow dry your hair even with a brush and only using heat protector, you hair feels light, and has some bounce in it.
The shampoo bar is 97% biodegradable which means it breaks down and decomposes in an environmentally friendly manner.
Once your hair is dry, you will smell the scent from the shampoo bar for a few hours.
When you rinse your hair after using it, you won’t notice any film left behind which can happen with some brands found in health shops.
When you rub it directly onto your wet hair, which is how they tell you to apply it, you will notice that it lathers up really well and that you can get a lot of shampoo from a small amount of rubbing.
If you backpack or camp or are a frequent traveler, it is travel friendly. You can pop it in the case they sell for the soap or use a soap dish and it won’t leak or break.

Cons of Using Garnier Shampoo Bar

You need to look after it. Unlike a bottle of shampoo where you close the lid and put it back on the self, with a shampoo bar, there is a bit more to caring for it.
You also cannot store it on the shelf in your shower. If the shampoo bar continues to get wet, then it starts to dissolves and you are wasting the product.
It needs to be set aside to dry and then stored in a container. The container that they sell for the soap bar is aluminum and has air holes in the bottom of it. But you can also use a soap dish container.
It is a bit pricey if you don’t purchase it whilst it is on discount or special offer and a 2 ounce (60g) bar is selling for around $8.50 on Amazon.com and Walgreens. In Boots UK it costs £11.00, while Superdrug are selling it for only £7.99
They state on the box that it will last for up to two month or 40 washes. But again, depending on your hair length and your frequency of usage, I don't think you can really rely on that figure. So don't purchase this shampoo bar thinking it will last two months because it probably won't.
If the instructions on the product tell you that it will last for around two months, we must assume that the effectiveness as well as the scent will probably have worn away by that timeframe. So you would really need to commit to using the product on a continuous basis to get your money’s worth.

Overall Review

Price: The Garnier Shampoo bar varies between retailers. It fluctuates from $8.50 to as much as $11.00 depending on where you purchase it. That is quite expensive for a bar of shampoo when you can purchase a 400ml bottle of shampoo in your supermarket for less than that.

Ingredients: There are a lot of natural ingredients in this product and Garnier claim that it is vegan friendly and also biodegradable. They do mention in their website that there are no animal derived ingredients or by-products in the products and that the honey and wax used is ethically sourced.

Fragrance: They don’t seem to list the method or ingredient on how they developed the fragrance for the shampoo but they do mentioned that ingredients were sustainable sourced on the back of their packaging. Also you can still smell the scent on your hair a few hours after washing it.

Residue: When I used this product it didn’t leave any residue behind in my hair. When I rinsed my hair after it felt very clean, soft and smooth. My hair did not feel like there was anything still in it and when it was dried it looked shiny and clean.

Application: To use this product, you wet your hair, wet the shampoo bar and then rub the shampoo bar onto your hair. It lathers up really well and you do feel that it is doing a good job of cleaning your hair. When I used it, I get away with two days between washing and that is without using any dry shampoo in between.

Conclusion

If you are interested in using more sustainable products and helping the environment, then this might be an alternative product for you. Their cardboard packaging is FSC approved and recyclable. Again, this product won’t suit everybody but for travellers or people with arthritis, it might be a great alternative.