Smallflower Shambar Shampoo And Conditioner Review

Back in August I was a guest on Smallflower’s “Tea Time” podcast with “The Q Brothers” to talk about shaving.  After the podcast they asked if I would be interested in trying their new shampoo/conditioner bar, Shambar, and of course I said sure.  Here are my thoughts on Shambar.

Shambar

This Shambar is not the Peruvian soup but rather a shampoo bar (with three different versions) that also includes a conditioner.  From the Smallflower website:

From the family behind Smallflower.com comes Shambar! A new 2-in-1, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner in one concentrated bar.

The Hydrate bar is best for textured and curly hair. Hydrate transports you to a waterfall in the tropics where you’re treating your hair to a double-duty, volumizing and moisturizing blend of mango butter & manuka honey that will keep curls bouncy and full of life.

Ingredients: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Water, Glycerin, Fragrance, Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride (Plant), Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides, Honey, Lauryl Lactyl Lactate (Plant), Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate.

The Awaken bar is best for increasing scalp circulation and those experiencing hair loss. Your scalp, roots, and strands will bounce back to life with the fresh scent of spruce needle oil and circulation-boosting nettle.

Ingredients: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Water, Glycerin, Fragrance, Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride (Plant), Organic Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Powder, Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Lauryl Lactyl Lactate (Plant), Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate.

The Soothe bar is best for sensitive scalps. Nutrient-rich burdock, the cooling sensation of mint, and the calming scent of jasmine flower will be a treat for your tresses.

Ingredients: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Water, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Glycerin, Fragrance, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Disunfloweroylethyl Dimonium Chloride (Plant), Arctium Lappa Root Powder, Sunflower Seed Oil Glycerides, Lauryl Lactyl Lactate (Plant), Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Paeonia Albiflora Root Extract.

Shambar replaces two 18oz single-use plastic bottles. Experience the future of sustainable hair care.

My Experience With Smallflower Shambar

I’ve been using Shambar for a while now.  I tried the Hydrate bar first.  The first thing I noticed is how little product is needed: I can use just a few rubs of the bar on wet hair and use my hands to build a great lather in no time!  Although Smallflower promotes this as “volumizing and moisturizing” I think moisturizing is the real benefit.  My hair was clean of course but it seems like my scalp is less dry compared to other shampoos.

As you might expect from the description above, the scent is mildly citrus and sweet.

Then I tried Awaken.  Again, very little product is needed to build a great lather on the hair.  As an older gentleman (ahem…) I’ve been experiencing thinning hair over the years so Shambar’s comments about addressing hair loss piqued my interest.  And it does seem to work like other thinning hair shampoos I’ve used.  Hair thickening shampoos work by giving the illusion of thicker hair, by making each strand of hair thicker and reducing the amount of space in between strands of hair.  The addition of Shambar’s conditioning ingredients gave it a boost as well.

The spruce needle oil scent is mild and kind of fern-y and almost minty.  Think Christmas tree.

Finally I tried Soothe.  Like Hydrate and Awaken, Soothe just needs a few rubs on wet hair to build a voluminous lather.  I don’t have a particularly ‘sensitive’ scalp so I can’t really address that aspect, but as a shampoo and conditioner it worked well.  I get all mint and no jasmine for the scent, but it’s mild in any case.

In the end I have settled on the Awaken version of Shambar.  It seems to work best for my circumstances.

Conclusion

I think Smallflower’s Shambar shampoo and conditioner bar is a great product from several different perspectives.  There are different versions for different needs, it is quite concentrated so it will last for a long time, and it is very “eco friendly” as it does not come in a plastic container.  I like the concept and the product.

Have you used Smallflower’s Shambar?  What do you think of it?  Leave a comment below!