Low Waste Hair Care: How to Find Products That Work For You

Interested in trying out plastic free or low waste hair care but don’t know where to begin? This post will help you navigate your options so you can find the perfect fit for your hair type and needs!

This post contains affiliate links.

Benefits to Low Waste Hair Care

There are quite a few benefits that come from switching to low waste hair care!

• Products can be a lot easier to travel with.
• Less plastic is involved.
• Eco-minded brands tend to focus on using non-toxic ingredients, so you avoid harsh chemicals and endocrine disruptors.
• You save waste from going into a landfill.

The beauty and cosmetics industry wasn’t exactly set up to be the most sustainable. Consumers are starting to realize that all of these tiny bottles of products really add up, and big brands are starting to change to improve their footprint and shift with market demand for better options. This post includes a lot of smaller brands that are all around “Sustainable Kay approved” for their sustainability efforts, ingredients, and ethical standards.

Low Waste Looks Different For Everyone

Making swaps to more eco-friendly products looks different for everyone. What works well for someone else might not work the best for you, and that’s okay! No one can be a “perfect environmentalist” or actually create “zero waste”, hence why you see the term “low waste” throughout the site. When it comes to sustainability, it’s about making efforts that challenge you but are realistic to what works for you.

Find What Works For Your Hair Type

There are hair care solutions that are low waste for every hair type. The market has really opened up and it’s been nice to see so much variety out there! For those looking to try out the products I currently use, my hair type is fine, straight, and long. Formulas in a bar or liquid can vary depending on your hair type, so you can always use that to help you make a decision on what to try.

Find What Works For Your Lifestyle

Just like when you’re looking at investing in other beauty products, you want to consider if it’s the right fit for your lifestyle and preferences. Some things to ask yourself are…

• Will this work with how often I wash my hair?
• Can I travel with this easily?
• Do I care about the scent that much or do I just want something that works well?

One thing to keep in mind is to not get frustrated if you try something and hate it. Low waste hair care can be very different depending on the formula and application process, so sometimes there’s a trial and transition period! If you stick to my recommendations below, you really shouldn’t have to search too far to find a great option.

Bar & Package Free Hair Care Options

Bars are the best option to go for if you’re looking to avoid plastic completely. There’s no packaging or water involved, so they’re perfect for travel and don’t take up much space. There are an abundant number of shampoo and conditioner bar options out there nowadays, so here is a curated list of some of the best options on the market that are “Sustainable Kay” approved.

Viren Apothecary Shampoo Bar

This bar is made by my cute gal pal, Morgan, who owns Viren Apothecary. I feel that this bar works great for all hair types. Morgan is a curly-haired girlie who uses this bar herself, while I have straight hair and enjoy using it! 

Fave Features:

• Lathers well and rinses clean (meaning no weird residue left behind)
• Adds volume and shine
• Hair feels clean and soft once it’s dry
• Available in unique non-toxic scents

HiBAR Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

HiBAR has really expanded its line of hair bars over the past couple of years. They offer a wide range of options for every hair type, and they use clean ingredients. Their moisturizing conditioner bar is the one that I personally use and love for my hair!

Fave Features:

• Lathers well and rinses clean
• Many options (I love the moisturizing ones for extra softness)
• Hair feels extra soft and silky after rinsing and drying

Other Bars To Mention

Notice Hair Co
This brand is a new-to-me brand that I discovered at my local refill shop. They have a ton of options depending on hair type, and they even have a quiz on their website so you can find the perfect match. I recently tried their Stimulator set (for fine, thin hair) and I love the way my hair feels with both the shampoo and conditioner. Clean ingredients and plastic free packaging!

You can use code SUSTAINABLEKAY20 on their website for a discount!

Ethique
One of the first bar brands I ever tried! Absolutely love Ethique. Great company with amazing values and bars for all hair types. I’d recommend trying one of their hair sampler packs to start out, and if you find one you like, then you can look at getting the full size. I love when brands offer trial sizes. You can check out my faves from them in my Amazon storefront.

Quick Tips for Using Hair Bars

• How you lather matters. When using bars, try to lather the bar directly onto the area where you want the product rather than lathering it into your hand first. This helps the product actually work. For shampoo bars, I focus on my scalp, and for conditioner, I focus on the ends. Also, make sure to wet your entire head first before going in with a bar.
• Invest in a stand or lift for mess-free shower storage. Bars shouldn’t be left in the direct stream of water, and they also need to dry off when you’re done. This preserves the life of the bar and keeps it working nicely. Many brands offer containers or lifts with drainage. If you don’t already have a lift, one that I recommend is this one. I’ve also seen people DIY their own with rubber bands and a small container before.

Refillable Hair Care Products

Over the last few years, I have seen more brands jumping on the train to try to make things more sustainable, and in my opinion, a refill system is one of the best ways to do that. Below are two refillable options that work really well.

Liquid – Plaine Products

My top pick for refillable liquid hair care is hands down Plaine Products. I don’t ever see myself using another liquid hair product again. It’s that good! When you need a refill, all you do is order new bottles. You send the empty aluminum bottles back to the company using the label they give to you in your order, and you reuse the pumps over and over. Bonus points if you live near a refill shop that carries it in bulk! Shoutout to Greenlife Trading Co.

Fave Features

• Gentle, yet effective formula that works for all hair types
• Non-toxic formula
• Refill program is easy to use and I can refill locally

Waterless Powder – Modern Kind Shampoo

Modern Kind is a newer brand that launched this past year. Before trying their powder shampoo, I didn’t know much about powder products on the market. The idea with powder products is that there’s no water involved, so you get a really concentrated version of the product while water is conserved as a resource.

Fave Features:

• Concentrated formula (A little goes a long way!)
• Great natural scent
• Convenient for travel
• Refill program is easy to use

DIY & Homemade Hair Care

I can go into more detail about this topic in another post, but DIY-ing anything is a common trend within the low waste realm. It is a great way to reduce waste, save money, and become more self-sustaining by using things you might already have in your home!

One possible downside to this is that the products you make at home don’t always work as well as the ones in the store. That’s because the ratios of the ingredients are not always correct to give you the effect you’re looking for. DIY hair care is a little safer to play around with than DIY skin care, so if you wanna try creating your own solution, I say go for it! Pinterest is a great place to look for recipes.

Things that I DIY:

• Conditioner Spray – I actually got this DIY hair hack from my mom yearsss ago. I use this as a heat protectant, defrizz, and detangling spray. It’s literally just a little Plaine Products conditioner and water in a spray bottle. When people ask me for the secret to my long hair, I always say it’s this + genetics.
• ACV Hair Rinse – Apple cider vinegar rinses have become more popular, and I swear by them for getting rid of product build-up and softening hard minerals. This is a must if you have hard water! All it is is ¼ cup of ACV and 1 cup of water. Usually, people do it as a once-a-week treatment, but I like to keep mine in a spray bottle and use a few healthy sprays every time I shampoo.

Hair Products That Come in Eco-Minded Packaging

This might seem like a general thing to mention, but it definitely needed a spot in the guide. Many companies are hopping on the train to change their packaging to a more sustainable option. It’s a great starting point for companies looking to up their sustainability game.

Another reason to mention this category is that transitioning to products that come in better packaging is a great starting point for consumers. If you’re new to low waste living and you aren’t quite ready to try a shampoo bar yet, maybe there’s a product that’s similar to what you already use that comes in slightly better packaging. Below are some examples of more eco-friendly packaging options that you might see brands using.

Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic (or PCR) – This is one of the most common things you might see. Whenever a company says “Our packaging is made of recycled bottles!”, this is what they’re talking about.

Aluminum – Can be easily recycled.

Glass – Can be easily repurposed.

Paper Shower-Friendly Bottles – Bonus points if the container is compostable, but regardless, this can be a better alternative to plastic.

Regardless of what a brand says their products are made of or packaged in, it’s important to be aware of greenwashing. Companies often lie about their sustainability efforts due to lack of regulation, so if you are ever unsure, do some research first (and soon you can read my post on greenwashing to learn how to be an expert at spotting this!).

Products I Use That Come in Eco-Minded Packaging:

Lovesong Beauty Weightless Leave-In – This is an ultra-lightweight leave-in conditioner that comes in glass. If you’re looking for a new leave-in to try, this one is great for all hair types.

Odele Air Dry Styler – This air dry gel is another lightweight hair styling option that works great for adding softness and reducing frizz. Odele packages their products in PCR materials.

Verb Ghost Oil – I wouldn’t say this is the “cleanest” product ingredient-wise, but this oil does wonders for my hair, and it also comes in PCR packaging.

To Wrap Things Up

Low waste hair care and beauty in general has really taken off, and I can only see things improving. There are tons of options out there, but this post should have laid out everything you need to know about the different products on the market.

I definitely plan to write more posts on the best low waste and non toxic hair care products! There are tons of other products and brands that didn’t make it into this one. If you want to see more of what I use, check out my Instagram (:

What Do I Do Next?

Now that you’ve read this post, you hopefully have a better idea of low waste hair products that will work for you! Many different options are available nowadays for all hair types and lifestyles, so finding something that works for you can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be hard!

If you liked this post feel free to share it with your friends! What kind of hair products do you use? And are there any other low waste options you would add? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

~ Kayla