J.R. Liggett's Shampoo Bars

These homemade shampoo bars only use natural oils, originating from a recipe found in an old New England cookbook. Without the use of harmful detergents, hair feels smoother, shinier and clean – those that use the bars swear they don’t even need a conditioner. 

Each component used in the shampoo bars is biodegradable, from the lather down to the paper wrapper. Because the bars are solid and lightweight, they travel particularly well: through airport security, camping, or anywhere where you don’t want liquid shampoo spilling all over your stuff.

Anything liquid that lathers, for the most part, carries harsh detergents that strip away moisture from the skin. Detergents such as sodium laureth sulphate (SLS) and diethanolamine (DEA) are used by companies because they clean quickly and rinse off just as fast. They add more chemicals to make the shampoos rich and foamy, which offers no other benefit other than making the consumer feel like the product is ‘working’. Artificial fragrances irritate the scalp, accelerating the absorption of dubious substances into the bloodstream. Not to mention all of these drying agents found in detergents need to be counteracted with even more artificial conditioners, shaking up a powerful little chemical martini on your head.

J.R. Liggett's shampoo bars are made with olive, coconut, and castor oil, then saponified with lye – a formula that cleans excess oils and dirt from your hair without stripping it of its natural moisture. The shampoo bars come in six varieties: tea tree & hemp oil, herbal formula, original recipe, ultra balanced, jojoba & peppermint, and a special formula for damaged hair. None of these have the slightest trace of harmful detergents. The bars are completely vegan with no animal products or animal testing.

Wet hair thoroughly. Lather up the bar of shampoo and gently rub on scalp. Close eyes and inhale the sentimental earthy fragrance. 

Long-time users swear they don’t even need a conditioner afterwards.

Each shampoo bar contains olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, sodium hydroxide, and spring water, but different varieties offer different benefits:

Herbal Formula Made with rosemary, lavender, and cedarwood, the bar is subtly fragranced like a walk in the woods.

Tea Tree and Hemp Oil Also contains almond oil, which works well for a dry, itchy scalp. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and stimulates hair growth. Hemp oil has essential fatty acids that feed your hair. This formula is also known to have good results on those suffering from psoriasis.

The Damaged Hair Formula Contains vitamin E, aloe vera and almond oil. Good for those with chemically treated hair, or for and anyone trying to get through those dry, winter months.

The Jojoba and Peppermint Gentle and refreshing, the bar also contains almond oil to moisturize and soothe the scalp.

The Ultra Balanced Formula contains jojoba oil and almond oil and is unscented. Jojoba oil is the closest to our natural hair oil, so it normalizes your hairs moisture and maintains its balance. It also digs deep into the hair follicle, cleaning it out and letting the hair do what comes naturally, with no build up to get in its way. 

In 1985, J.R. Liggett, discovered an old recipe for a true soap in a New England cookbook – one that simply uses olive oil, coconut oil, and castor oil. These oils are mixed with sodium hydroxide, otherwise known as lye, a compound first invented by Muslim chemists in the 7th century by leaching alkaline from wood ashes. This natural cleaning chemical was mixed with olive oil by soap artisans from the 18th and 19th centuries in France to clean and moisturize the skin and hair. The Liggett’s saponification process combines oils, lye, and spring water to set these raw ingredients into a shampoo bar.

J.R. Liggett’s solid shampoo bars are handmade and packaged by hand in New Hampshire.

Read the Label: Detergents, The Ecologist
When it Comes to Shampoo, Less is More, NPR 
Body Soap, Kaufmann Mercantile Blog

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