All About Ethique

Ethique was started in a science lab in 2012 by the founder, Brianne West. She started making shampoo bars as an alternative to the 80 billion plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles thrown out globally each year.

Since then, Ethique has grown from being made in a small New Zealand kitchen to a full-fledged international beauty brand.

To date, Ethique has stopped over  6 million plastic bottles from being made & disposed of into landfills.

All Ethique products are:

• Plastic-free
• Plant-based
• Cruelty-free
• Sustainable
• Longer lasting than traditional products

If you’re not sure what product is right for you, their website has a handy feature that, after you answer a few questions, will help find the bar that is right for you.

Giving Back

Ethique donates 20% of its profits to charity every year. These include conservation, animal welfare, and environmental groups.

They have even adopted an orangutan (Monti), a slow loris (Lily), and a tiger (Langka), which their donations each month help take care of. 

Ethique also works closely with cooperatives to responsibly source their coconut oil, moringa oil, cocoa butter, babassu oil, and cupuacu oil. By working with cooperatives, Ethique is supporting their communities, and helping them protect their environment by paying fair prices for their products.  This helps ensure fair and equal wages for all employees and minimal waste in the process.

first impressions

I ordered the Ethique hair sampler package from Amazon.  Included is three shampoo bars and two conditioner bars.  I personally loved the packaging, it is a vibrant green on the outside and the inside has descriptions of the shampoo under each bar. And the shampoo bars are in the shape of cute little hearts.

I decided to order the sampler because I wanted to try as many types of bars as I could, without committing too much. I mean the bars are pretty small, so they only lasted a month or two each.

I also liked that the packaging had a bit of a coating on it so it allowed me to put the bars back in the box after each use. I did not order the holder Ethique sells, and I did not want the bars to waste away in the shower, so this was a good alternative.

packaging

As I just mentioned, I really like the packaging the sampler came in. It is informative and useful. There is a description of every soap in the sampler on the box.

Here are the descriptions of the shampoo and conditioner bars:

1. Frizz Wrangler

Coconut, coconut and more coconut – Perfect for dry, frizzy hair

Swipe bar down wet hair several times from root to tip. Lather shampoo well, then rinse.

2. Health Kiwi

Kiwifruit, neem & kananja oils help soothe & calm irritated scalps.

Swipe bar down wet hair several times from root to tip. Lather shampoo well, then rinse.

3. St Clements

Orange & lime oils to cleanse & refresh.

Swipe bar down wet hair several times from root to tip. Lather shampoo well, then rinse.

4. The Guardian

Coconut, cocoa butter, and crushed limes for a smooth & lush look.

After shampooing, swipe bar down your hair from root to tip. Massage in, then rinse.

5. Wonderbar

Made with coconut & cocoa butter, this bar is truly wonderful.

After shampooing, swipe bar down your hair from root to tip. Massage in, then rinse.

The package also states the shampoo bars are:

• Palm oil free
• Cruelty-free
• Vegan
• Certified B corporation
• Packaged in compostable packaging
• Made in New Zealand

My Opinion

I have been using these for quite a few months, in fact, I ordered them back in October 2019. As you can tell by the pictures, I only have the two conditioner bars left. So, the shampoo bars lasted about one month each. Given that this was a sampler pack and the bars are not that big, I think that they lasted a good amount of time.

Before I get into whether or not I liked the shampoo bars, I would like to give a brief description of my hair. It is thick, undyed, wavy, and around shoulder length.

Here’s the thing. I really wanted to like this product. I did. I like the company philosophy, its natural ingredients, the packaging, everything. Except for the product itself. I found that the shampoo bars did not lather very well, nor keep my hair hydrated. Even using the frizz wrangler shampoo bar, I found that my hair was dry and frizzy.

I also found that the conditioner bars did not condition very well. As mentioned, I found my hair was really quite dry, and even in the shower, my hair did not feel smoothe after using the conditioner bars.

As much as I wanted to like Ethique shampoo bars, they just did not work for my hair, unfortunately.

But it’s not all bad, let’s get into some likes and dislikes.

Likes

• Ethique is a great environmentally friendly company
  • sustainably sourced, simple ingredients
  • donates to charity
  • genuinely trying to make the earth a better place
• Sampler pack is a good way to try their different products
  • packaged in a compostable package
  • informative
  • doubles as a storage area for in-use bars
• Cleaned my hair well (able to go days without shampooing)
• Lasted a good amount of time (approx. one month)
• No plastic bottle!

Dislikes

• Did not lather well
• Did not condition well
• Hair was dry and frizzy
• Shower storage is difficult (probably will have to purchase holder)

alternatives

I love shampoo bars and prefer them to any other type of shampoo. This is because there is no plastic and way less waste with shampoo bars. My favorite shampoo bar to date is J.R. Liggett’s Original Formula shampoo bar. It is lightly scented, lathers really well, and keeps my hair clean for days. You can check out my full review here.

Recap

I love the company, Ethique, and what they are doing for our environment by making sustainable, ethical, environmentally friendly products. I, however, did not like the shampoo bars for my hair. They did not lather well, the conditioner bars did not condition well, and my hair was dry and frizzy.

All that being said, this was MY experience with these particular shampoo bars, yours might be different. I would recommend that you read more reviews and then decide whether or not you want to try these bars.

I will not be ordering any more shampoo bars from Ethique, but I will be trying some of their other products like their face and body bars. I still want to give them a chance because I thoroughly believe in the message and concept they are promoting.

What is your experience with Ethique shampoo bars (or other brands)? Let me know in the comments below.

Cheers, and have an awesome day!