Shampoo bars have come a long way from being the niche, eco-friendly alternative tucked away in health food shops. Today, they can rival packaging-heavy bottles of the best shampoos and conditioners, promising salon-worthy results while dramatically cutting down on single-use plastic. Better still, many rival the best sulphate-free shampoos for the curly girls among us, using gentler cleansing ingredients that leave hair feeling clean without stripping away moisture.
Of course, swapping a bottle for what looks suspiciously like a bar of soap can feel like a leap of faith. But don’t be fooled by appearances. In 2026, you’ll find shampoo bars packed with nourishing oils, butters and plant-based cleansers designed to suit every hair type, whether you’re dealing with curls, colour-treated lengths, excess oil or dryness.
Because they’re highly concentrated, they also tend to last far longer than traditional liquid formulas, making the upfront cost easier to justify. After testing a wide range of shampoo bars on different hair types, these are the ones that have earned a place in my shower caddy for the foreseeable.
Read more: 10 best dry shampoos, tested
The best shampoo bars of 2026 are:
- Best overall – Eco Warrior deeply nourishing shampoo bar: £5.50, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for afro hair – Okiki Skincare olive oil and neem shampoo bar: £8.50, Okikiskincare.co.uk
- Best for curly hair – Only Curls curl cleansing shampoo bar: £9.60, Onlycurls.com
- Best fragrance-free shampoo bar – Grüum hår shampoo bar, fragrance free: £6, Gruum.com
- Best for dry and coloured hair – Earth Kind bergamot and sage shampoo bar for dry and coloured hair: £7.50, Iamearthkind.com
Read more: 8 best purple shampoos, tested
