Frequently Asked Questions

The plastic-free movement may be new to you but don't worry, others have been in your shoes. We've answered a lot of questions about our products, how to use and a lot more. Here's a collection of some of our most asked questions.

Using HiBAR: Hair Care

  • How long does one HiBAR last?

    It really depends on the length and thickness of your hair and how often you wash. We like to be conservative on this, rather than overpromise, so we say that a HiBAR shampoo bar lasts AT LEAST as long as a 24oz plastic bottle, and our conditioner bars last as long as atleast 32oz plastic bottle.

  • Will my hair lather with a bar?

    Yes! Apply HiBAR shampoo bars directly to your very wet hair, massaging into your scalp and roots until you feel a good lather. (Fun fact: lathering is not really a measure of how a shampoo is working.) Rinse thoroughly.

  • How to hold your Hibar. cup the base in your palm. lean the long side against your fingers. Apply the bevelled top to your hair.

    If you have samplers?

    Place puck in your hands or hair until you get a good lather.

  • How to condition - make sure your hair is very wet. apply to mids and ends until you feel a light slip between your fingers. let it soak in for a few minutes before rinsing.

    Another tip:

    For longer hair, use a wooden comb.

  • HiBAR shampoo bar or conditioner bar travel pouch.

    How do I store HiBAR?

    Just the same way you'd store a bar soap in your shower - dry, away from direct water. And we designed HiBAR so it can sit upright, helping it shed any moisture. You can also checkout our HiBAR accessorry area for products to store your HiBAR shampoo and conditioner bars at home or on the go!

    HiBAR Shower Lift

    HiBAR Travel Pouch

  • Shampoo bar sitting next to conditioner bar to show the color difference between the two.

    How can I tell between the shampoo and the conditioner?

    Having no packaging makes it a bit more difficult. The shampoo bar is typically lighter than the conditioner bar. There are also a few more hints. The shampoo bar is more opaque, mottled in texture and has a little "s" at the bottom. The conditioner bar is more translucent, smooth in texture and has a little concave hole in the bottom.

    When in doubt you can always reach out to customer service and they will help you figure it out!

  • Does HiBAR have a shelf life?

    Good question. Our bars are natural, so we recommend that they be used within 12 months or so, provided they're being properly stored. (Though they can certainly still last longer than that!) However, we’re always looking for new and improved formulas, so this can change as ingredients change (we're looking at hopefully extending this timeframe soon!) Hopefully that helps!

  • What if I don't like HiBAR?

    Well, we'd be sad. We will try our best to help your troubleshoot and make sure you have the right formulation. And also, we have a satisfaction guarantee for products bought from our website. Please reply to your order email to get the process started. Simple as that.

Hair Care: Which HiBAR shampoo or conditiner bar is right for you?

  • For colored hair.

    Great news… all our products are color-safe! So look for the bars that are right for your underlying hair type.

  • Dry hair that can get frizzy and dull.

    Our Moisturize Shampoo and Moisturize Conditioner bars have rice protein to fortify your hair. If you’re washing often, try skipping the occasional wash and treat only with ourMoisturize Conditioner.

  • Dry scalp that sometimes gets flaky.

    We'd recommend our Soothe bars, specially formulated with willow bark extract (a natural source of salicylic acid) and kukui nut oil to help calm itchy, flaky scalps. For less persistent issues, choose the HiBAR that’s right for your hair. (All our shampoos are made from a gentle surfactant that is less drying to your skin.) Then, as you’re washing, make sure you exfoliate, giving your scalp a thorough massage with your fingertips.

  • Oily hair that I feel I need to wash often.

    Oily hair can come from life stage (younger people tend to have more active oil glands in their scalps) or even from washing too often. Look into either our Maintain or our Moisturize bars. The maintain shampoo will definitely cut back on the oiliness, and you can always finish off with a Moisturize Conditioner to add back some hydration.

  • Hair that’s oily at the roots but dry at the ends.

    We’d recommend either our Maintain bars or Moisturize bars, depending upon how often you wash. For more regular washing we’d start with the Moisturize shampoo bars, but make sure you give your scalp a thorough fingertip massage while you wash. If you’re washing more like every four or five days, try the Maintain Shampoo bar, and concentrate your washing to your roots (and, again, give your scalp a good working over with your fingertips.) In either case, for conditioning, concentrate the application of the conditioner bar on your middle and ends.

  • Curly or wavy hair.

    You're in luck. Our Curl bars are salon-quality, Curly Girl Method friendly, and designed to make for gorgeous curls, twirls, kinks and coils. Formulated specifically for types 3 and 4 hair. Curl has Babassu Butter and Pracaxi Butter to lock in moisture and define shape. You might also look at our Moisturize bars. Like all our bars they're Curly Girl Method friendly, and a great option if your curls simply need a bit extra hydration.

  • Hair that gets progressively more dry.

    We've found our conditioner bars are excellent at co-washing. That is, once in a while, don’t shampoo at all, just use one of our conditioner bars. They each contain a tiny bit of surfactant, so they do have some cleaning capability, but not enough to interrupt with the conditioning process.

  • Fine hair that looks a bit thin.

    Look at our Volumize bars. They contain rice proteins and Vitamin B to give more body and bounce to thin or fine hair.

  • Hair that takes on a lot of styling products like gels or oils.

    Throw in a regular treatment with our Maintain Shampoo and Maintain Conditioner. They clean gently but thoroughly, to get rid of any build up.

  • Hair that doesn't fit any of these categories.

    There’s nothing wrong with mixing and matching products. For example, having a Maintain Shampoo bar on hand for an occasional deeper cleaning can work wonders. Experiment with how often you wash. For example, sometimes, oily hair can be the result of TOO MUCH washing!

Common HiBAR Hair Care Ingredient questions:

  • What's the difference between HiBAR and soap?

    Soap and shampoo are chemically very different. Soap is pretty bad for your hair. HiBAR is genuine salon-quality shampoo and conditioner bars, just like the good stuff you use right now, only with the water removed. Because there's already water in your shower, right?

    To break it down further our shampoos and conditioners are well-balanced - both are a 5.7 pH. The one exception is the Soothe shampoo that sits at a 3 pH - which is why we recommend using it as needed to help with itchy, flaky scalps, but not as an everyday shampoo. Soap's pH? 9-10!

  • What does HiBAR smell like?

    We use a blend of essential oils and other plant based ingredients to give HiBAR a gentle citrus aroma. It's just enough to give your shower a refreshing feel, but not so strong that it's going to cling to your hair. NOTE: Because the fragrance is from essential oils, the aroma is strongest when the bar is first removed from the packaging, and will soften as the bar is left out in the open.

    Here is the list of our essential oils: Lime Peel Oil, Orange Peel Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Grapefruit Peel Oil, Ginger Root Oil.

  • Is HiBAR vegan and gluten-free?

    All of our products are vegan except for the Maintain and Soothe set, which ontain a trace amount of honey. All formulas are gluten-free!

  • Does HiBAR contain sulfates, phthalates, parabens, or silicones?

    No, none of the above.

Common Face Wash Questions:

  • How were these bars formulated? 

    In developing these natural skin care products, we took a high end gentle amino acid-based face wash formula meant for a bottle, meant to be a liquid, and worked with it for over a year to make it a solid bar. 

  • Do your face wash bars contain fragrance? 

    No, all 3 facial bars are fragrance-free. Based on our studies we discovered that most users did not want a fragrance in their face washes. 

  • What is the pH level of your face wash?

    The pH is between 4.5 and 5.5, matching your skin's pH level.

  • Can I use Renew as a daily face wash?

    Renew is a gentle exfoliating skin care face wash. It is recommended to be used a few times a week, just as you would any exfoliating face wash. 

Common Deodorant Questions:

  • Why isn't this natural deodorant working? 

    For some people, when trying a natural deodorant for the first time there can be an initial detoxing phase while the body expels toxins as it becomes accustomed to the aluminum-free, paraben-free ingredients. Additionally, body chemistry can play a big role in whether a natural deodorant is effective. For some people, certain scents work, while others don’t. We would recommend sticking with it but trying a different fragrance. Please feel free to reach out to customer service for more information.

  • Does your aluminum free deodorant contain baking soda?

    Yes, but the baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is less than 5% of the entire formulation.

Other Environmental Factors:

  • Is ALL HiBAR packaging recyclable?

    Yes. Our packaging is made from SFI (Sustainable Forest Initiative) certified paperboard and is 100% recycable. And we use plant-based inks. Our shipping materials are also either compostable, recyclable or biodegradable, including any packing tape or product protection. We even use compostable pallet wrap. If it arrived in plastic, it did not come from us!

  • Where is HiBAR made?

    HiiBAR is made and shipped from the same facility in St.Paul, Minnesota by people who care.