EcoBar Review: Is It Worth the Buy?

We’re all living in a day and age where we experience the harsh effects of climate change. There is a lot of talk about how we can each do little things here and there to make sure that we reduce our contribution to making the situation worse. One example of helping to reduce our carbon footprint is trading in our liquid soaps and shampoos with bar soaps that function as shampoos and conditioners. They say that by using bars, usually just wrapped in paper or in light cardboard boxes, we avoid the plastic packaging that comes with using liquid soaps and shampoos. Some have also said that the production of liquid shampoos and conditioners also uses up more water compared to bar soaps (which makes sense since they are liquid). It may not seem like much, but as they say, a little bit goes a long way. Because of that, I decided to give the concept a try by buying products from Ecobar PH (which you can opt to buy in a box or simply wrapped in paper). 

I looked around various online stores to see the kind of products available in the market. Comparing prices, reviews, and whatnot before choosing where to make my purchase. There are surprisingly a lot of promising eco-friendly local brands, but I found out that Ecobar PH had travel-size versions of their products, so I thought that was a good place to start. Smaller sizes meant I could try the product without committing to the brand right away. If the product ever disappointed me, it was only a small item and it wouldn’t cost me much. Luckily for me, the products that I bought from Ecobar PH turned out to be good and I ended up buying the regular-sized products after I used up the travel-sized ones.

Travel Size EcoBars (Note: Feminine Wash has only one size)

Which items did I try out? I bought the Thickening Shampoo Bar plus the Repair and Nourish Conditioner bar. When I found out that they also had the eco+Biome Prebiotic Feminine Bar, I bought that too.

Bars unwrapped (Top to Bottom): Feminine Wash, Conditioner, Shampoo

Honestly, I was skeptical about how long the bars would last considering their size. For the shampoo bar, I would say that the travel size lasted me around 12 washes, which is close to what they said it would. They said it’s 30-70 washes for regular, the travel size is half that and I have long hair, so I guess that is accurate. I probably could have made the shampoo last longer, but I really wanted to have a good lather, which took a while to make. It probably isn’t supposed to lather too much but I couldn’t help it! 

For the conditioner bar, I’d say that it also lasted as long as the shampoo bar, maybe even longer. Conditioners don’t necessarily lather so I didn’t use it up as much as the shampoo bar. It felt a little weird to use though because I felt like I wasn’t applying anything to my hair, but I could feel the conditioner’s effects after I rinsed it. 

The feminine bar doesn’t come in a travel size, but it is smaller than the regular shampoo or conditioner bar. Slightly larger than their travel-size versions too. So far, I haven’t used that one up so I’m guessing that it lasts two months or so for that small bar.

Regular sizes

Surprisingly, the shampoo, conditioner, and feminine bars do not get mushy after use, unlike some bath soaps I have tried. I like it because it means I get more use from the product than having most of it melt into my soap dish. I am liking my use of these bars so much that I’m considering buying those soap-saver bags so that I can easily use those smaller pieces later when the product is about to run out. 

All the bars have a light scent because of their ingredients but not to the point of it being overpowering. I’m not sure if the thickening shampoo is helping to thicken my hair but it has given it more of a bounce and volume, which is nice since my hair is usually very flat and limp. The conditioner is a surprise for me because I didn’t think that a conditioner bar would work, but it really does. I had previously bleached my hair and it had become dry, brittle, and damaged and I love how soft my hair feels after using this conditioner.  As for the feminine bar, it felt weird using a bar after using a liquid version for all my life but so far, so good.

Would I buy these products again in the future? Yes, I would. And I have. I am still thinking of trying other brands but considering how effective and how affordable Ecobar products are compared to others, this would have to be my go-to products from now on. I’m currently considering giving their other products a try since I recently found out that they also have face and body wash bars too.

As someone who has bought my fair share of shampoos, conditioners, and feminine washes that are packaged in plastic, I know that using these bars may seem too little, too late. I know all the plastic I’ve used for washing my hair alone has had a significant impact on the planet and I’m just doing what I can to make up for that: I get to help make things right (in my own little way) while getting to use a good product at the same time. I hope that everyone else can do the same.