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This is my detailed review of The Earthling Co. shampoo and conditioner bars, and a comparison with another well-known, plastic-free shampoo option – HiBAR.
It’s been exactly one year since I published my first shampoo bar review. (Which was actually the first of all my sustainable product reviews!) While I’ve added a few brands to my original review, none had swayed me from my favorite – until this spring.
So I’m declaring a new winner in my ongoing battle for the title of Best Shampoo Bar. And the award goes to… The Earthling Co.!
[Want more? Here’s my 2023 review of Viori shampoo bars – the first brand that might actually be tied with Earthling, in my book.]
What’s to love about Earthling shampoo bars? They smell great, lather up a storm, are reasonably priced, completely plastic-free, vegan, carbon-neutral…
Blah, blah, blah.
I could go on, but first let me say that none of those sustainability credentials – or even my thoughts on the actual product – are why I’m calling Earthling’s The Best shampoo and conditioner bars.
I think they’re “The Best” because – after a year of trying – Earthling Co.’s bars are the ones that have persuaded more of my friends and family to switch from bottles to shampoo and conditioner bars.
Speaking of friends & family, check out my very first gift guide, with my favorite, most gift-worthy ideas from small, sustainable companies, including Earthling Co.!
You can use any link in this post for 15% off at The Earthling Co.!
NOTE: In the previous version of this review, I shared a discount code (tiltedmap15) for 15% off. THAT DISCOUNT CODE IS NO LONGER VALID! However, you’ll still get the same Earthling Co. discount automatically by clicking through any link here.
A year of going Plastic-Free! (and dragging my friends along with me)
Let me start at the beginning: It was spring of 2020, and I still considered myself pretty much exclusively a travel blogger. But since I couldn’t write much about travel at the time, I decided, while in quarantine, to try writing about plastic-free products. (I do have a master’s in Sustainable Business & Energy, so it wasn’t that far-fetched, as 2020 career pivots go.)
So I started testing the waters as a plastic-free product reviewer.
And HiBAR’s little, green, cone-shaped, shampoo bar was my gateway drug.
I loved everything about it: The beautiful packaging. The fresh, citrusy smelling suds. The fact that my hair looked great without using anything from a plastic bottle.
After trying other brands (including Ethique, byHumankind, 100 Senses, Habitat Botanicals and others) and being mostly underwhelmed (especially in the conditioner bar category), I wrote a blog post reviewing them. And I went on evangelizing for HiBAR in real life, starting with my cousin Mary in Maui.
Her super thick hair soaks up lots of Hawaiian sun and salt water, and she told me she had trouble finding shampoos and conditioners that were moisturizing enough (bottle or no bottle).
“I know EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED!” I said, and confidently sent her a HiBAR Moisturize set.
Mary shares my hatred of plastic and my zero-waste ambitions, so I thought it would be a slam-dunk.
But she was… Not impressed. (I believe she used the phrase, “What’s the point?”)
She said the HiBAR shampoo didn’t lather well. (I thought it did.)
She said the conditioner bar didn’t transfer much product to her hair. (I thought it totally did!)
Instead of giving up, I tried again. This time, I sent her The Earthling Co. shampoo and conditioner bars – the only other brand I’d tested that I liked as much as HiBAR.
So you can imagine my satisfaction when I saw this message:
I’ve since sold several other real-life friends on Earthling Co. bars, and a year into this plastic-free project, after a whole mess of product reviews, here’s what I’ve finally learned: No matter how much research I do, no matter how many things I test, not everyone will like what I like.
That might sound obvious, but it took me a few failed conversions to drive it home.
[Related: If you really, really can’t get on board the shampoo bar train, I recently reviewed a new plastic-free option: concentrated shampoo and conditioner in aluminum packaging.)
Full Review: Earthling Co. vs HiBAR Shampoo & Conditioner Bars
Even though I’ve accepted that you might completely disagree with my assessment, I can’t help but at least try to keep you from buying more unsatisfactory stuff that will just sit in your medicine cabinet unfinished. So here are some crowd-sourced details on the differences between my two favorite bar brands, HiBAR and Earthling Co.:
Head to Head (Scents, Formulas & the Basics)
Last Year’s Champ: Minnesota-based HiBAR makes four different formulas for different hair types: Moisturize, Volumize, Maintain, and Soothe. (I’ve tried them all except Soothe. Maintain is the one I’d order again – a basic, cleansing classic.) They all have a light, citrusy scent that I love, and the Moisturize bars come in a fragrance-free option.
Stats: 100% plastic-free, mostly vegan, no animal testing, gluten-free.
The Challenger: Nevada-based The Earthling Co. makes just one formula each for shampoo and conditioner, with six scent options (plus unscented).
Stats: 100% plastic-free, vegan, no animal testing, gluten-free, member of 1% For The Planet, certified carbon-neutral.
The Match-up: I think Earthling’s conditioner is most similar to HiBAR’s Moisturize formula, but a little less heavy-feeling. Their shampoo feels like something between HiBAR’s Maintain and Moisturize formulas.
Related: HiBAR now makes plastic-free face wash bars, too! I reviewed them in another post, along with a few other brands.
Earthling Co. vs HiBAR: Shampoo Bar Comparison
Mary basically condensed this review of the Earthling Co. bars into one message:
I agree with everything she said, except that I thought “the other brand” I made her try (HiBAR) was just as good! (However, I did send her HiBAR’s Moisturize formula – because of her salt water hair issues – and it doesn’t lather quite as easily as their Maintain shampoo.)
And the Earthling shampoo bars do lather really well (better than any of the others I’ve tried), making them really quick and easy to use.
(Photo courtesy of Earthling. ©TheEarthlingCo. and ©LoraWagener.)
Mary’s “amazing” smelling Earthling bars were the Vanilla Coconut scent, which I also really like. It’s a sweet, warm, tropical scent. I’m also a big fan of the bright, fruity Citrus Sun scent, and the strongly minty Simple Fresh. But with six scents, there’s something for everyone! (Plus an unscented option.)
If you’re looking for a dude’s perspective, here it is:
(For the record, shampoo bars are definitely all gender-neutral, but it never hurts to know they’re guy-approved, too.)
Earthling Co. vs HiBAR: Conditioner Bar Comparison
After trying at least half a dozen brands, I can say confidently that most conditioner bars are really unsatisfying. You wet them down and rub them through your wet hair over and over and… barely feel any product on your strands. (As Mary said about her HiBAR.)
But I don’t have any of those usual complaints about HiBAR. For me, HiBAR was better and easier to use than most brands – but I do think Earthling’s conditioner bar, is in a class of its own. It feels richer and thicker than even a liquid conditioner. (Which makes sense, if you think about it – a solid conditioner doesn’t have the extra water of liquid conditioners.)
It’s easy to use, rich and moisturizing, without being as heavy as HiBAR’s Moisturize conditioner, which weighs my hair down a little bit. But the Earthling bars still leave it intensely smooth and shiny.
If you’re specifically looking for a very light conditioner, you might want to try HiBAR’s Volumize or Maintain bars – but I do find them harder to apply than the Moisturize conditioner formula, or the all-star Earthling Co. conditioner.
Ingredient Comparison
The ingredients in Earthling’s shampoo and conditioner bars are almost identical to HiBAR’s – with the major exception that Earthling Co. uses a lot of organic ingredients, while HiBAR does not.
But the similarities just highlight how small differences in formulas can make a big difference in the product. You can’t always read a label and know whether something is going to work for you (or for someone else).
Both Earthling Co. and HiBAR meet these standards (which I consider the bare minimum for sustainable beauty products):
- Free of parabens, silicones, fillers, phthalates, preservatives, and sulfates (including SLS, or sodium lauryl sulfate, a known skin irritant that’s in lots of products to create foam).
- Cruelty-free. (Meaning they don’t test on animals.)
- Vegan. (Except for HiBAR’s Maintain and Soothe bars, which contain traces of honey. And some of Earthling’s other products contain beeswax, but their hair care products are vegan.)
- 100% plastic-free, down to their paper-based packing tape, and printed with plant-based ink. (Earthling Co. says their recycled paper packaging is actually home compostable, too.)
But that same list applies to almost every other product I’ve reviewed!
So here are what I see as the biggest differences between HiBAR and Earthling Co., beyond the actual bars:
Where HiBAR beats Earthling Co: Being Pretty
I don’t mean that to sound too dismissive – HiBAR deserves credit for just being so darn good-looking, both in terms of packaging and the unique tree-shaped design of their bars, which stand up tall in your shower.
Based on presentation alone, HiBAR might make a better gift than Earthling bars, simply because their packaging and bar design are so visually unique and stunning. Unless the person you give HiBAR to hates it. Then, not such a great gift. But HiBAR is still one of my favorite shampoo bars, so I don’t think that’s too likely. (Just don’t give it to my cousins.)
Where The Earthling Co. beats HiBAR: Sustainability Credentials
This is what should tip the scales in favor of Earthling, if you’re still not sure where to start.
In addition to Earthling Co. using mostly organic ingredients where possible (meaning, for their plant-based ingredients), they have two meaningful certifications that HiBAR lacks:
- Earthling Co. has always offset all carbon emissions from their shipping, plus now they’ve also become a certified carbon-neutral company through Climate Neutral! (A very well-respected certification. They’re joining some of my favorite, famously-sustainable brands, like Allbirds shoes, and Wolven yoga & athletic wear.)
Here’s the logo to look for:
A note about shipping: Yes, Earthling Co. does ship globally, but all orders ship from their HQ in Reno, Nevada, USA. Sending small packages around the world is pretty inefficient, but if you can’t find a local brand you like, at least all shipping emissions from Earthling are carbon-offset.
- Earthling is also a member of 1% For The Planet, another badge I always look for. It’s easy to check: Like with Climate Neutral, almost every company that’s a member puts this logo in the footer of their website:
That means Earthling Co. donates 1% of their sales to environmental non-profits. (That’s 1% of gross revenue, not just 1% of profit after expenses.) There’s more about how it works here, and you can search for companies that are members here.
Lots of companies participate, including Earth Hero, and some that are more surprising – everything from banks to breweries, and other products I recommend, like these purifying water bottles that I’ll be reviewing soon, and my absolute favorite (and sustainable) chocolate company.
One More Lesson Learned for Going “Zero-Waste”
In addition to the earth-shattering idea that not everyone agrees with me, this latest round of testing has made one more idea clear.
For anyone else working toward plastic-free: Don’t stop at the first eco-friendly version of a product you try.
It takes experimentation to find better, more sustainable products that use less plastic and that you actually like. They might not be the first ones you try (or even the ones your favorite blogger tries).
Have you ever tried a liquid shampoo or conditioner that you just didn’t like? Probably, but did you conclude that the problem was the fact that it was liquid? Probably not.
So if you try one shampoo bar brand and aren’t convinced, try another! (But first, give it at least a week or two. Your scalp might need time to adjust to the more natural formulas that most good bars use.)
Remember, I’ve been at this for a year, officially. (At least I’ve been writing about it for a year.) Previously, I’d occasionally picked up shampoo bars from health food stores, but was always disappointed. So even without counting those initial failures, but counting brands and individual formulas, I’ve tested dozens of shampoo and conditioner bars.
Getting rid of the plastic in our routines is a process, so don’t expect it to be perfect as soon as you start. (If you check out my entire work-in-progress, less-plastic routine, you’ll notice the imperfection!)
Have you tried shampoo bars from either The Earthling Co. or HiBAR? Or another brand that you love (or hate)?
If so, PLEASE let me know what you think! I’m truly, unreasonably curious.
Remember, any link in this article will automatically apply a discount of 15% off on anything from The Earthling Co.! (Along with hair care, they also make other skin care bars, and kitchen supplies.)
And if you try HiBAR, you can use the discount code TILTEDMAP10 for 10% off when you order from Earth Hero.
Shopping Options:
Earthling Co.’s products are only available directly through their website.
HiBAR’s website is here, but otherwise I link to Earth Hero and suggest ordering HiBAR from them, because they’re one of the best sustainable retailers on the web.
(Why do I say so? Like Earthling Co., Earth Hero is certified carbon neutral, a member of 1% For The Planet, and ships completely plastic-free. Plus they’re a B Corp. Very few companies meet all those standards.)
Another good option is to order HiBAR from Grove Collaborative, a certified B Corp retailer that’s working toward having zero plastic packaging in any of the products they sell by 2025.
Note: It’s because of those sustainability practices that I’m an affiliate of Earth Hero, as well as The Earthling Co. and Grove, and can offer discounts for the first two! Ordering through these links will let me earn a commission from your purchase – at no extra cost to you (actually, quite the opposite!). That’s really all there is to know, but for details, see my privacy policy.
Want more shampoo bar options?
Here’s my 2023 review of Viori shampoo bars (the first brand that might actually be tied with Earthling, in my book), plus several other brands I’ve reviewed and compared.
This page includes some affiliate links. These recommendations for carefully chosen companies and products let me earn a commission if you decide to buy anything through them – at no additional cost to you! For more info, please see my Privacy Policy. Thank you for your support!
Are the earthling co. Shampoo bar and conditioner 100% organic free of harsh toxic chemicals.
Hi May,
Almost all of Earthling’s ingredients that grow out the ground are organic (so everything that can be organic). I believe there’s one oil in their shampoo formula that isn’t organic.
And while “harsh and toxic chemicals” can be a tricky category to define (what’s considered harsh to one person might be perfectly acceptable another person), I would say that their bars are very gentle and very well-formulated and definitely non-toxic!
Hope that helps!
Ketti
Thanks for this review! I was researching different shampoo bars…never heard of The Earthling Co so I’m definitely going to give this one a try! Love finding another eco-minded person out there!
You got it! Hope you enjoy them. 🙂
Ketti
Hey there. Just wanted you to know that the link does not give a discount. Even after I put items in the cart, no discount.
Is there a code?
Hey Bettina,
Thanks for reaching out about this. I just double checked, and you have to actually add the items to your cart and then click “checkout.” You should see the discount applied there, on the page where you put in your shipping address.
Please let me know if this works for you!
(And FYI, there used to be a code, but I had problems with it being posted on spammy discount sites, which is against my terms with Earthling. So they made it so that the discount now just applies automatically through the links.)
Thanks!
Ketti
Hi! The information you gave is great. I’ve been using Booda Organics bar soap which is for body & shampoo. I love the company and ingredients. It leaves my hair soft and I don’t use a conditioner; gotta love the one step! My only problem is my hair is very fine and I’m used to using volumizing shampoo. My hair looks soft and pretty but weighed down with the Booda bar. How was your experience with HiBar Volumize? Earthling Co looks more up my alley but I really need help in the volume department. I’m curious to know your thoughts. I do recommend Booda Organics for their bar soap for body and shaving (and hair, if you have different hair than mine). Also they have great chapstick that comes in paper tubes! I keep the “naked” or “mint” in my purse for my lips and the “cocoa” for on the go hand moisturizer. <3
Hi Lindsae,
Thanks so much for the tips! I love hearing about new brands to try, so I’ll definitely have to look into Booda Organics. 🙂
Let’s see, I have lots of thoughts for you… First, the all-in-one that I use when traveling is the Ultimate Body Bar from 100 Senses. Love the convenience, as you mentioned, and it’s definitely not very heavy in the conditioning department (despite the fact that say it replaces conditioner, too), so it might not weigh down your hair. I wrote more about it in my other shampoo bar review.
I have really thick, wavy hair, but my mom has fine hair and doesn’t use conditioner for the same reason as you – so I roped her into helping with my testing. 🙂 She tried the HiBAR Volumize, and found it almost too volumizing. It definitely didn’t weigh her hair down, but made it sort of puffy and almost frizzy. And for some reason it doesn’t lather well. (I tried it too, along with the Maintain and Moisture bars, and strangely the Maintain is the only HiBAR that I found easy to lather up with.)
So now she’s been using the Earthling shampoo bar without the conditioner and liking it! It seems to be a good middle ground.
I hope some of that helps! Thanks again for the suggestions, I’m going to look them up. Keep in touch and let me know if you have other questions!
Ketti
I like Hibar maintain, but I don’t like the shape of the bar. I am still on my first conditioner bar, and starting the 3rd shampoo bar! I was thinking about trying Earthling because of the bar shape.
Hi Sally,
Oh that’s interesting, I actually like the shape of the HiBARs. But I guess they do get a bit wobbly as you use them down. Please let me know what you think if you do try Earthling Co.! I’m always curious about these things.
Keep in touch! 🙂
Ketti
I currently use Fox island trading Co. Shampoo bars and while I love them, I do feel like my hair is a bit dry compared to when I used Shampoo and Conditioner. I also have an issue with dandruff in the cold weather and if i don’t wash frequently, every couple days(I washed my hair apx once a week when I used traditional shampoo and conditioner), then I get dandruff.
I’d love to hear you input on the fox island trading Co shampoo bars… and do you have any input on earthling shampoo bars as far as dandruff?
Thanks so much.
Hi Pam,
All good questions! I haven’t used Fox Island bars, but I did look at the ingredients and they’re very different from Earthling, or anything else I’ve tried before. I also haven’t had dandruff, but I will say that I remember noticing lots of comments on the Earthling Co site from people saying it helped with dandruff. I find their bars very moisturizing, without being excessive, and personally, I can go longer between washes with Earthling bars vs many others I’ve tried.
That’s one thought I had about the Fox Island ingredients — they seem very heavy on oils and butters, which I know can sometimes backfire. (The scalp gets overloaded with moisturizers and overcompensates to balance it out. Just a thought, but that could be the issue you’re having with them.)
Or, for some other options that are moisturizing, but might not be as overkill as Fox Island, I really like Everist (a nice compromise between bars and regular, liquid shampoo & conditioner, which I reviewed here), and Hibar makes a nice moisturizing set, as well as a sensitive skin/dandruff specific set that might be good for you.
Hope that helps! Keep in touch, and do let me know if you find something that works for you! 🙂
Cheers,
Ketti
I’m definitely going to give Earthling a try… I’ll let you know.
Thanks so much!
You’re so welcome! Can’t wait to hear about it.
And just so you know, they’re an affiliate partner of mine, so if you click through any of the links on my site to Earthling, I’ll get a small commission. That’s part of how I’m able to run this little business, so I do appreciate if you click through a link! 🙂 (And I have a blog post about how all that works coming up soon, because I get tons of questions about it!)
Thanks and have a good week!
Ketti
Awesome I’ll be sure to do that.
🙂
I have tried a couple shampoo bars but they felt like they left a lot of residue. Then I changed to prose. I like the fact it came on glass at least. It has helped my husband’s scalp but made mine itch.
Last week I ordered 3 different bars to try. I committed to trying each for one week straight. The first to arrive was Earthling. I absolutely love it! My hair and scalp feel amazing.
Super zero sample is still in the drawer so I haven’t tried it yet. Ant thoughts on this brand?
I also ordered Ethique which hasn’t arrived yet. I liked their story about the company and ingredients.
Thanks so much for your reviews.
Nancy H
Hi Nancy, those are great questions and thanks for getting in touch! It sounds like your on the same path as me with all the testing. 🙂
So glad you loved Earthling! They remain pretty much my favorites, too. And Super Zero is actually my runner-up favorite! They do everything right, as far as I can tell, sustainability-wise. I also like how many different formulas they have for different hair types. I’ve used their all-over bar (this one – shampoo & body wash) which I really like for the convenience and use for travel. (Although honestly, I’m not sure what the difference is between the shampoo bar and a shampoo + body wash bar. I’m actually going to drop them an email and ask them about this.)
And I’ve also used their bars for blonde and silver hair and those are quite nice, too!
But my favorite product I’ve used from them is actually their body balm bar! I’m usually not a fan of those, but this one has a really nice feel to it (actually feels moisturizing, and not sticky or tacky). And it comes in a very nicely designed bamboo box with a cool sliding lid (very easy to use and good looking, and of course refillable). That also keeps the bar from getting dusty or grimy from sitting out, as other lotion bars I’ve used have always done.
Finally, I also love how Ethique does business! They are really the original brand in this space, and do so much right (employee rights, organic and Fair Trade ingredients, cardboard packaging before it was cool, etc.) But unfortunately most of their products just really didn’t work for me. I found their shampoos didn’t lather much at all, their conditioners didn’t feel like they transferred anything to my hair, their deodorant just didn’t work, and some of their face wash bars made me break out. (I did like one of their face wash options though – I think it was called Super Green.) Anyway, that was just my experience. I wrote more about some of those products in this review.
And as for glass packaging… I’m a little skeptical, unless it’s refillable. (Like the skincare brand I wrote about that really does glass right.) It’s good that it’s not plastic, but it’s so much heavier that the shipping weight causes a lot more carbon emissions than shipping lighter plastic. I actually thought about reviewing Prose (I think they offered to send me some products) but I decided against it for that reason.
Anyway, that was a long response but hopefully it’s helpful! If you want to keep in touch, I’d love if you get on my email list (not very frequent, I promise! Usually about 2x month. 🙂 )
Cheers!
Ketti
Thank you for your great reviews! I’ve always been interested in green products and am excited to try Earthling. I’m Hawaiian with hair like your cousin just not as thick. Have you tried any soap bar recipes? I would love to also make my own someday.
Mahalo
Aloha Leila! You’re so welcome, I’m glad you’re finding the reviews useful. 🙂
But no, I’m afraid I haven’t ever tried making my own. I’ve always just been excited to find companies like Earthling that make good products without plastic — haven’t ever been much of a DIYer. Good luck with the recipe search though, and I hope you love Earthling! Keep in touch!
Ketti
I find it so interesting to see the differences in opinion! I have very fine hair that gets greasy easily but dry on the tips. I’ve used HiBar a couple of times now and it was love at first use. I love the shape to “paint” my hair with it and I shampoo twice to get a good lather and love how silky the conditioner leaves my hair without weighing it down. I considered earthling co. for a long time but found HiBar at my local grocery store and went for it and it was a great price vs. Earthling Co.
My only concern was if HiBar was nontoxic but hearing that ingredients between the two are fairly similar is nice to hear.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion for going plastic free!
Hi Amanda,
Sorry for my late reply, your comment slipped through my radar! I really appreciate your feedback, and I’m so glad to hear you’ve found something that works for you!!
It’s kind of funny, HiBAR was one of the very first plastic-free products I reviewed here (almost three years ago!) and while I’m writing about lots of other types of products now, too, I’m also currently working on two MORE shampoo bar reviews of different brands! (Viori and Superzero.) It’s a topic that just keeps being fun, and I love how it’s sort of a “gateway drug” for going plastic-free for so many people!
Thanks for being here and keep in touch! 🙂
Ketti
Hi! Thanks for the post! I originally tried hibar moisturizing formula years ago, and never felt like I could get the product onto my (very thick) hair. I gave up for a while and am trying again now. I have sample sizes of Ethique, and while I like their moisturizing shampoo bars, I’m having challenges applying their conditioner bars (I feel like it’s taking me much longer to shower, which isn’t exactly eco friendly). I also actually really like the Earth, Love, Beauty 2-in-1 bar, both for its budget price and for how it lathers. Unfortunately it wasn’t moisturizing enough for my hair on its own. I’m excited to try Earthling Co bars! I wasn’t to let you know though, that I also can’t get the discount link to work. I went all the way through to the payment page and no discount showed up. Just wanted to let you know! Thanks again for your insights!
Hi Kate,
You’re so welcome! I’m glad you found the review useful! Sounds like we’ve had the exact same experiences with both HiBAR and Ethique – interesting! Thanks for the tip on Earth, Love, Beauty, too – they’re new to me, so I’ll have to look them up! I also just wrote a review of Viori bars, which I’ve been using for a couple of months and really loving. If you’re interested, that one’s here.
And thanks a lot for letting me know about the discount code with Earthling – I’ll reach out to them and see what’s going on, and when I hear back I’ll reply to this comment again to let you know. Be in touch soon!
Thanks,
Ketti
Hi again, Kate! I heard back from Earthling, and they said they’ve fixed the code so that it should apply the discount automatically now. Please do let me know if you find it’s working or not!
Thanks again for the head’s up!
Ketti