Meet the Best Shampoo and Conditioner Bars for Curly Hair

If you’re a curly girl, you know what a difference the right (or wrong) hair product can make. Drying shampoos are the absolute enemy of your curls, but clean beauty bars may hold the perfect answer. The best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair will bring bounce, volume, moisture, and shine to your luscious coils. 

So what are the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair? Today, I’ll show you! 

I’m B.O.B, and I work every day to bring you the best clean, plastic-free, high-performance beauty products made especially for you. Natural, nourishing solid beauty bars that will help you fall in love with your locks in a whole new way. 

If you’re a firm believer in co-washing or no-poo shampoo, you might be wondering if shampoo bars can actually work for curly hair. So let’s have a chat. 

By the end of this article, you’ll know for sure what the best shampoo bars for curly hair are, in fact, an absolute gift to your curls. AND you’ll know exactly what to look for in the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair - so you can purchase and experience them for yourself! 

Do shampoo bars work for curly hair?

Before we talk about the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair, It’s time for a disclaimer. Not all shampoo bars are created equal. You cannot expect to purchase any solid beauty product and have it work wonders on your tresses. 

So do shampoo bars work for curly hair?

Absolutely - if they contain the right ingredients. 

When you have curly hair, it’s important to steer clear of harsh sulfates and drying alcohols, as these can strip the much-needed moisture from your curls. 

You also want to avoid waxes and silicones, which will coat your strands in build up that weighs them down, makes them dull - and can only be washed off with sulfates. 

If you want the best shampoo bar for curly hair, you need to find one that is free from all the ingredients above. But that doesn’t mean you need to avoid alcohol altogether. 

There are fatty, moisturizing alcohols out there that are curly-girl approved. These include:

• Cetyl alcohol
• Cetearyl alcohol
• Stearyl alcohol
• And Lauryl alcohol

Instead of drawing moisture out of your curls, these alcohols draw water INTO them - helping to trap in the moisture your curls crave. 

So now you know what alcohols to look for in the best shampoo bars for curly hair, but what other products should you steer towards when shopping for the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair?

Let’s take a look at the most magical and nourishing natural oils and butters that will transform your tresses. 

The best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair 

There is a LOT of research to be done into ingredients for the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair. But girl, I’ve done it for you! 

I spent years perfecting the formula for my beauty bars, and searching for the most spectacularly nourishing fruits and plants from Amazonia - so that I could create the very best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair for you! 

These are ZERO-plastic, water-free, natural beauty bars that are 100% curly-girl approved. And if you don’t believe me, you can pop the ingredients lists into Curlsbot to make sure! 

Here are the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair - courtesy of my collection. 

The Moisturizing Shampoo Bar from B.O.B

Move over standard shampoos - this is the best shampoo bar for curly hair right here! It’s filled with moisturizing ingredients to help your curls look their very most vibrant - with not a drying product in SIGHT. 

Here are ingredients I use in my Moisturizing Shampoo Bar that make all the difference for your curls: 

Phytokeratin

We all know about the impressive benefits of keratin your hair. 

But did you know that there is an ethical alternative to animal-based keratin? It’s called phytokeratin, and is a complex of amino acids derived from soy, corn, and wheat. 

Phytokeratin has all the same properties and benefits as traditional keratin. It helps rebuild the internal strand structure of your hair, while repairing external damage at the same time. This makes your hair strong, smooth, and healthy and reduces any frizziness.

Buriti oil

Coming from Brazil, I’m of the opinion that the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair contain buriti oil. 

Buriti is a type of palm tree native to Brazil, and we call it the “tree of life” for a reason! We’ve been using buriti to benefit our skin and hair for centuries. 

Why?

Buriti oil is the richest natural source of beta carotene. Beta carotene isn’t just good for your eyes - it’s also great for your hair. 

Your body turns beta carotene into vitamin A, which encourages the glands in your scalp to make more sebum - protecting your hair from drying out. 

In addition to beta carotene, buriti oil is rich in vitamins C and E. Studies show that vitamin C may have anti-aging benefits for your hair and skin. Vitamin E, on the other hand, is deeply nourishing, and protects against UV rays and the effects of heat styling. 

In fact, buriti oil has about twice the vitamin E content as argan oil. SUCH a high amount of vitamin E that we use buriti oil as sunburn protection in Brazil! 

All the nourishing vitamins and minerals from buriti oil can help prevent split ends, detangle your curls, control frizz, and add a glossy shine to your hair. Who knew a shampoo could do all that!? 

Shikakai oil

As if buriti oil weren’t enough, my solid shampoo bar also contains shikakai oil. Shikakai is rich in vitamins (C, A, E, and K) and antioxidants that make your hair shiny, improve the texture, and provide a “curl memorizer” effect. 

Shikakai is also full of saponins. The latin root “sapo” is what the word “soap” comes from, and while there is no soap whatsoever in shikakai, it does lather like one. This gives you a gently foamy formula without the need for any soaps or sulfates. 

It will cleanse away impurities without stripping your hair and scalp of natural oils. 

Shikakai even has antifungal properties, so it’s a natural way to get rid of any dandruff issues. 

With shikakai, buriti, and phytokeratin, my Moisturizing Shampoo Bar is absolutely perfect for curly hair - but what hair routine is complete without some conditioner?

Now it’s time to introduce the best conditioner bar for curly hair. 

The Curl Definer & Leave-In Conditioner Bar from B.O.B

I know I’m biased, but I think my Curl Definer & Leave-In Conditioner Bar is the best conditioner bar for curly hair. I can back that up too! 

Those lovely ingredients I listed above? You can find them in my conditioner too. It’s full of phytokeratin and buriti oil to nourish your hair - but that’s not all. This 2-in-1 product works overtime with mango butter and pracaxi oil to help your curls be the silkiest they’ve ever been. 

Mango butter 

Mango butter is made by extracting the fat from a mango pit and cold-pressing it. This butter has natural emollient properties similar to shea butter or cocoa butter, but it has much higher amounts of fatty acids like oleic acid (omega-9) and linolenic acid (omega-6). 

The fatty acids in mango butter lock moisture into your curls, and improve the strength and shine of your hair. Mango butter is also rich in vitamin C and E, which as you read above, can help with anti-aging and UV protection. 

Even though mango butter is incredibly moisturizing, you don’t need to worry about it being greasy. Mango butter is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog your hair follicles. Instead, it creates a healthy environment for proper hair growth. 

Pracaxi oil 

Pracaxi oil (pronounced “pra-ca-shee”) is made from a canopy tree that grows in the Amazon. Pracaxi contains one of the highest concentrations of behenic acid, a fatty acid that protects and hydrates your hair. This makes it ideal for thick, curly hair that tends toward the dry side. 

Pracaxi oil not only moisturizes your curls, it strengthens and protects your curls too. It can protect against sun, pollution, and chemicals, as well as water and keratin loss. 

BONUS: The Curl Defining Hair Mask from B.O.B

You aren’t really getting the full-on hair care experience if you haven’t tried a hair mask. But I’ve got your back on this one. My Curl Defining Hair Mask is specially formulated to moisturize and define your beautifully curly strands.  

Goodbye frizz, hello definition! 

Best yet, you can use this hair mask in three different ways. Aren’t you curious? 

Get the most out of shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair

Now that you know all about the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair (and even the perfect hair mask bar), let’s make sure you get the most out of those gorgeous ingredients. 

It’s easy to learn how to use a conditioner bar or shampoo bar, but it can take a little practice. 

You first need to wet your beauty bar and rub it gently with your hands to spread some product on them. 

Next, you can run your hands (or the bar!) through your hair. For a shampoo bar, you can focus more around the scalp, and for a conditioner bar, just on the lengths of your hair. 

You will need to take extra time to portion and twist your hair to make sure you’re reaching all of it with the product. 

Then, you rinse! It’s as simple as that. 

Just make sure you store your beauty bars in a dry location with good airflow. Otherwise, they can get soggy and stick to surfaces, and you’ll lose some product in the process! 

After plopping your curls to relieve excess moisture, you can even use my Curl Definer & Leave-In Conditioner Bar again. That’s what makes it the best conditioner bar for curly hair! Just run some product over those curls and they will stay beautifully defined and moisturized.

Natural beauty bars are one of the best things you can add to your curly girl routine. They are full of beneficial vitamins and nutrients for your hair, and completely plastic-free, which makes them great for the environment too! 

Once you get your hands on the best shampoo and conditioner bars for curly hair, there will be no going back.