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.
General Questions:
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How long does shipping take?
Processing Time: 24 hours to ship on business days (excluding weekends/holidays)
Delivery Times (USPS):
- Midwest: 1-3 days
- California & Seattle: 4 days
- Virginia: 3 days
- Hawaii: 3-4 days
On Large Orders (5+ items):
- Ships via UPS (1-2 days faster than times above)
International:
- Canada: 2-3 days via UPS
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How long does one HiBAR last?
HiBAR shampoo bars provide the equivalent of at least a 24 oz bottle of liquid shampoo. Our conditioner bars last even longer, equivalent to a 32 oz bottle of liquid conditioner or more.
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Does HiBAR have a shelf life?
HiBAR products are made with natural ingredients and have a recommended shelf life of 12 months when properly stored. However, they may remain effective beyond this timeframe.
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How do I store HiBAR?
You store HiBAR the same way you'd store a bar soap in your shower - dry, away from direct water. We designed HiBAR so it can sit upright, helping it shed any moisture.
You can also check out our HiBAR accessorry area for products to store your HiBAR shampoo and conditioner bars at home or on the go! -
What if I don't like HiBAR?
Well, we'd be sad 🥲
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.
We will also try our best to help you troubleshoot and make sure you have the right formulation. -
I have an order issue. Help!
Contact UsOur team is here to help! Please click the chat bubble in the bottom right of your screen, or use the link below to open a chat with us!
Using HiBAR: Hair Care
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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 at least 32oz plastic bottle.
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How to hold your HiBAR
Cup the base in your palm.
Lean the long side against your fingers.
Apply the beveled top to your hair! -
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!
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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!
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Another tip:
For longer hair, use a wooden comb.
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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.
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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 check out our HiBAR accessorry area for products to store your HiBAR shampoo and conditioner bars at home or on the go!
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What if I don't like HiBAR?
Well, we'd be sad. We will try our best to help you 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.
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Can I use Repair as my daily shampoo/conditioner?
Click to Shop Repair Shampoo & Conditioner SetYes, our Repair set is designed for everyday use, improving hair’s health and strengthening with continued use.
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Who should use the Repair Hair Care Formula?
Repair works best for those with damaged hair or hair that needs extra TLC. We recommend for hair that is damaged due to coloring, heat tools, bleached, or even from swimming.
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How does the Repair Formula repair your hair?
Our bond technology in Repair strengthens hair bonds to help restore and protect hair by boosting the internal structure. The high-end complexes help to seal the hair cuticles, and to smooth and strengthen damaged and brittle hair.
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Why is the Repair Formula at a higher price point?
Click to Shop Repair Shampoo & Conditioner SetRepair is the first formula to join HiBAR’s new elevated hair care line. The high-end complexes in the bars are the real deal, and these luxurious ingredients lead to a higher price point. The conditioner also doubles as a leave-in treatment before or after shampooing, for those with very damaged hair.
Hair Care: Which HiBAR shampoo or conditioner bar is right for you?
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For colored hair.
Great news… all our products are color-safe! So look for the bars that are right for your underlying hair type.
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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 our Moisturize Conditioner.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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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!
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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.
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Is HiBAR vegan and gluten-free?
All of our products are vegan except for the Maintain and Soothe set, which contain a trace amount of honey. All formulas are gluten-free!
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Does HiBAR contain sulfates, phthalates, parabens, or silicones?
No, none of the above.
Common Face Wash Questions:
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How were the face wash 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.
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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.
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What is the pH level of your face wash?
The pH is between 4.5 and 5.5, matching your skin's pH level.
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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:
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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.
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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:
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Is ALL HiBAR packaging recyclable?
Yes. In fact it's compostable as well. And we use plant-based inks. Our shipping materials are also either compostable, recyclable or biodegradable, including any packing tape or product protection. If it arrived in plastic, it did not come from us!
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Is HiBAR compostable?
All our products are compostable and biodegradable.
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Where is HiBAR made?
HiBAR is made and shipped from the same facility in St.Paul, Minnesota by people who care.