Get Started
Written by Grove Collaborative

We tried it: How do you use Peach shampoo and conditioner bars?

Last Updated: August 23, 2021

Shampoo and conditioner bars are the hottest eco-friendly beauty trend these days, but do they measure up to conventional shampoo and conditioner from the bottle? Grove writer Mackenzie Sanford tried our Peach Shampoo and Conditioner Bars on her fine, curly hair and is here to tell you all about it — for better or worse.

JUMP TO SECTION

Peach is a line of eco-conscious beauty products that puts the focus on making self-care fun, fresh, and 100% plastic-free. Their colorful collection of natural shampoo bars, face soaps, body soaps, and deodorants are all made in small batches using high-quality ingredients for an artisanal experience that’s as sustainable as it is accessible.


Peach’s shampoo and conditioner bars come in three shades — pink for moisture, green for strength, and orange for volume. I chose the volumizing shampoo and conditioner set because, as Dolly Parton once said, “the higher the hair, the closer to God,” and I couldn’t agree more.

What are shampoo and conditioner bars?

Shampoo and conditioner bars are liquid hair cleansers in the form of solid soap bars. Zero-waste shampoo bars are an easy way to transition into a responsible beauty routine because they’re biodegradable, don’t use plastic packaging, and they're made with less water than liquid shampoo and conditioner.


Most hair shampoo bar brands, including Peach, are free from the toxic ingredients that end up in our water supply — instead, these bars are vegan, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, and made from natural ingredients that promote hair health.


Shampoo bars aren’t just better for your hair and the environment — they’re also easier on your pocketbook. One bar lasts as long as two 8.5-oz bottles of regular shampoo or conditioner — and with around 9 million tons of plastic entering the landfills every year, the environmental savings of bar shampoo are pretty significant, too.

Shop Peach shampoo & conditioner bars

A plastic-free volumizing shampoo & conditioner bar set formulated for fine, flat hair to invigorate the scalp and bring volume and fullness to lifeless strands.


This set has a plant-powered, tailored formula to lift and amplify fine and flat hair, giving strands major body from root to tip. Infused with scalp-invigorating hibiscus oil and other volume-boosting ingredients, it promotes keratin production and brings fine, flat hair back to life without any added weight.

Shop Peach hair care

Become a Grove member

Wondering who Grove is, what types of products we offer, and how to get a free gift set when you sign up? Learn more about flexible monthly shipments, customizing your shipment, and joining millions of happy households — no monthly fees or commitments required.

Learn more

How do you transition to shampoo bars?

Anyone who’s worshiped at the altar of Queer Eye knows that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a common ingredient in conventional shampoos, is the same stuff used to degrease car engines.


SLS and other harsh chemicals, like parabens and phthalates, strip hair of its natural oils and sebum, which makes your locks look clean but actually contributes to a dry, itchy scalp and brittle tresses.


Peach’s eco-friendly shampoo bars are great because they use sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, a gentle cleansing agent derived from coconut and sustainable palm oils that produces a delightfully sudsy lather and cleanses your hair without stripping the sebum.

When you make the switch to shampoo bars, the oils in your hair are left intact, so your locks might look more stringy than usual while your sebum production adjusts back to a normal level. Use a dry shampoo to combat greasiness and keep your hair fresh between washes.


My curls were soft, defined, and grease-free after the first use. (iI only I handled break-ups that well!) If your hair isn’t so keen on the shampoo bar, give it a few days before you curse my name for convincing you to try them — hair that’s been overwashed with conventional products for a long time might need up to two weeks to adjust.

How to use shampoo and conditioner bars

Use Peach bars as often as you’d use shampoo and conditioner from a bottle. Whether that’s everyday, once a week, or once a month is up to you and your bathing habits.


If you don’t normally use conditioner, feel free to skip it — Peach has a moisturizing shampoo soap bar (with a coconut lavender scent — ooh la la) that’s perfect for folks who need only a lil’ hydration.

Lather, rub, repeat

Here’s a handy dandy step-by-step on how to use shampoo and conditioner bars.


Step 1: Wet your hair in the warm shower spray.


Step 2: Get the shampoo bar nice ‘n’ wet, then work up a lather in your hands. Note that the conditioner doesn’t lather, but it’s easy to tell you’ve got enough in your palms.


Step 3: Rub your hands through your hair, gently working the product into your scalp and down to the ends. I found that I had to repeat this step a few times to get full coverage.


Grove tip: If you have long hair, you can rub the bar directly on your hair to get full coverage.


Step 4: Rinse the shampoo out, and repeat steps 1–3 with the conditioning bar. I leave the conditioner in while I shave my bod, but if you need an exact time frame, 3–5 minutes should do the trick.


And for my fellow visual learners, allow me to present you with an educational Instragram reel.



And make your entire shower routine au naturel with our picks for the best natural and organic body washes.

How to store shampoo and conditioner bars

Peachy clean

To get the most out of your Peach bars, store ‘em on a soap dish or shampoo bar holder that won’t get hit with a ton of water or steam when the rest of the household takes a shower.


The ideal soap holder promotes water drainage and airflow, but if you notice your bar is getting a little soft, set it on the bathroom counter to dry out once or twice a week to keep it in its prime.

Check out my top picks from Grove for storing your shampoo bars

Peach shampoo and conditioner bars: Before & after

Before: Will Peach bars jack up my curls?

I have fine, curly hair that straightens up if I look at it wrong.


Like all curly-haired folk, my biggest worry when trying new products is that they’ll mess up my hard-won ringlets. So I tried ‘em when I didn’t have anywhere I needed to be — just in case.

After: Wham, bam, volume, ma’am!

But I’m happy to report that the Peach volumizing shampoo and conditioner bars did not ruin my hair. In fact, I had much better results with Peach bars than with the other new thing I tried this week — self-tanner.


Peach bars, on the other hand, gave me a great lather that was easy to apply and left my hair feeling clean without being hella dry. The conditioner made my locks super soft which, I admit, I really didn’t think was going to happen, and both products had me smelling fresh and citrusy.


And the volume my curls achieved — just look at that hair! Dolly herself would be writhing with envy.

The verdict: Shower thoughts

What I disliked about Peach shampoo and conditioner bars is that it’s hard to gauge how much you’re using, and continuously lathering the bars in your hands is a bit tedious.


While I love the smell, which Peach calls a “let’s-play-hooky Wild Honey scent,” I actually think it smells more like oranges than wild honey. Given the brand name, I was hoping for peaches, but either way, the smell is divine.


I’ll definitely continue using shampoo and conditioner bars. They work just as well as their liquid counterparts, and I love how easy they make it to have a completely plastic-free shower routine.

About the author: Mackenzie Sanford is a writer and musician feeling the tingle in the Midwest. She's been writing for Grove since 2020.

Shop More Peach

Read more from Grove

Join thousands of happy customers creating a healthier home. Get started to select your free welcome set!
Claim My Offer