The Rundown
​
Best Overall:
Lush Cosmetics Montalbano Shampoo Bar at Lushusa.com
It’s great for regular-to-oily hair types, and the citrus scent is a perfect wake-me-up.

Best for Dry Hair:
Soap for Goodness Sake Babassu Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar at Soapforgoodnesssake.com
Quench dry hair with babassu oil, which comes from a tropical palm tree and contains antioxidants.

​Best for Fine Hair:
Lush Cosmetics Flyway Hair Shampoo Bar at Lushusa.com
Hand-harvested sea salt helps add volume and texture to hair, and lemon oil cuts grease.

Best for Itchy Scalps:
Ethique Heali Kiwi at Walmart
This bar is formulated with calming oatmeal, coconut oil, neem oil, and karanja oil to help soothe scalps.

Best for Dandruff:
Superzero Shampoo Bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp at Superzero.com
Key ingredients that fight dandruff in this shampoo include tea tree leaf oil, rosemary oil, and extract from ziziphus joazeiro bark.

Best for Color-Treated Hair:
Love Beauty And Planet Shampoo Bar at Walmart
If you're looking for something that will be gentle on your color-treated hair, consider this heart-shaped bar.

Best for Natural + Curly Hair:
HiBar Volumize Shampoo & Conditioner Set at Amazon
HiBAR’s Volumize Shampoo is designed to help curls hold their shape while minimizing frizz, and many reviewers agree.

Best Shampoo and Conditioner:
Wildland Organics The Super Bar at Wildlandorganics.com
This bar is great for anyone who wants a minimalist approach to bathing, or to save space in a tiny bathroom.

Best Overall:
Lush Cosmetics Montalbano Shampoo Bar
The Montalbano bar has become part of my daily morning routine, and can be used without conditioner. It’s great for regular-to-oily hair types, and the citrus scent is a perfect wake-me-up. The vegan formula includes rosemary and green olives for added shine.

Lush’s shampoo bars are beloved by many Treehugger staffers, but the best one for you depends on your hair type. One of Lush's bars can replace up to three 250 milliliter bottles of liquid shampoo. If you shop in person you can get it with zero packaging, or if you order online, Lush shampoo bars usually come packaged in a small paper bag. 

Best for Dry Hair:
Soap for Goodness Sake Babassu Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar
This bar from Soap For Goodness Sake doubles as a body soap, and gets top marks from the Environmental Working Group, which independently rates the safety of product ingredients. This shampoo uses babassu oil, which comes from a tropical palm tree, is moisturizing and contains antioxidants. It has a gentle coconut fragrance. 

Soap For Goodness Sake offers two packaging options when shipping their bars: paper or compostable glassine. 

Best for Fine Hair:
Lush Cosmetics Flyway Hair Shampoo Bar
The Flyway bar is another Lush shampoo bar that gets rave reviews from the Treehugger team. One staffer reports that this bar makes her “super-fine hair super-soft.”

The Flyway shampoo bar has organic cocoa butter and calming chamomile oil that’s great for dry or sensitive scalps, while hand-harvested sea salt helps add volume and texture to hair. The sea salt also adds to a scent that’s fresh and beach-y, and lemon oil cuts greasy buildup. 

Best for Itchy Scalps:
Ethique Heali Kiwi Shampoo for Dandruff or Scalp Problems
Treehugger writer Katherine Martinko took a number of Ethique's products for a spin, and found that these shampoo bars deliver effective cleaning in plastic-free packaging. If you suffer from an itchy or easily irritated scalp, then the Heali Kiwi shampoo bar may be right for you.

This bar is formulated with calming oatmeal, coconut oil, neem oil, and karanja oil to help soothe scalp issues as well as dandruff. As the name would suggest, it has a fruity fragrance. Ethique also donates a portion of its profits to environmental charities.

Best for Dandruff:
Superzero Shampoo Bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp
After a month of using Superzero's Shampoo bar for Flakes and Itchy Scalp, Treehugger's tester noticed fewer flakes, and overall thought this bar worked great. Key ingredients that fight dandruff in this shampoo include tea tree leaf oil, rosemary oil and extract from ziziphus joazeiro bark (an evergreen tree native to South America). The formula also includes avocado oil and shea butter to help sooth the scalp.

Superzero's products are shipped without any plastic, and come in a recycled paper box. As a member of 1% For The Planet, the company also donates to non-profits that work to fight plastic pollution and protect marine wildlife.
 
Best for Color-Treated Hair:
Love Beauty And Planet Murumuru Butter and Rose Shampoo Bar
If you're looking for something that will be gentle on your color-treated hair, consider Love Beauty & Planet’s Murmuru Butter and Rose Shampoo Bar. Its cruelty-free, paraben-free, silicone-free, sulfate-free, and dye-free. Plus, it is full of beautiful ingredients like Bulgarian rose petals and Amazonian murmuru butter which will give your hair a glossy “I just went to the salon” feel.

Although some shampoo bars can be hard to find at your local supermarket, Love Beauty and Planet products are carried by many national drugstores and big-box retailers.
 
Best for Natural + Curly Hair:
HiBar Volumize Shampoo & Conditioner Set
For those with curls, regular shampoo may lead to frizz, flattening or unwanted poofing. HiBAR’s Volumize Shampoo is designed to help curls hold their shape while minimizing frizz, and many reviewers agree. The featured ingredients include African dates and Vitamin B5. It’s free of sulfates, silicone and phthalates, and it’s safe for color-treated hair. 

This product may also work for people with natural hair in search of a shampoo bar. Ariel Sahar, the low-waste YouTuber, did a full review of this product on her natural curls and was happy with the results.
 
Best Shampoo and Conditioner:
Wildland Organics The Super Bar
This multitasker can be used as a shampoo, conditioner, body bar and for shaving. This shampoo bar is great for anyone who wants a minimalist approach to bathing, or to save space in a tiny bathroom. The majority of the all-natural ingredients are certified organic, and its scent is a blend of sage, bergamot, and palo santo. The Super Bar is packaged in post-consumer recycled paper. 

Although Wildland Organics' products do not have a third-party organic certification yet, the company is in the process of applying for certification and holds all of its ingredients to an organic standard. Wildland Organics also donates 1 percent of all sales to protect wilderness areas in the United States.

The shag has long been the epitome of rock n’ roll aesthetic – casual, sexy and effortless. In 2021, however, this choppy, layered look from he ‘70s and ‘80s is making a comeback as the year’s most convenient cut. 

Globally, people have been unable to visit their hairdressers regularly, and many are looking for a style that’s low maintenance without sacrificing texture. Enter: the shag, an easy, messy style you can embrace as the triplet to loungewear and no-makeup makeup. And the best part is that a shag can be stretched out for months since it’s built around hair’s natural texture.  

“The typical features that make up a shag hairstyle include choppy, disheveled ends, layers around the crown and lots of texture,” explains Sam Ashcroft, creative team member at Brooks & Brooks, London. “The modern shag is choppy and has lots of texture but doesn’t make you look like everyone in an ‘80s hair metal band.”

The secret of the shag’s success is that it’s fantastic in any length and works on fine and thick, curly and straight hair. But as Ashcroft cautions, too many layers and the style can appear overly choppy and dated. “The key to getting this haircut right and bang on is the fringe. Get the fringe right and the haircut will always fall into place.” 

When it comes to color, there are endless options because a shag has so much movement and texture. Coppers and redheads will naturally look amazing with this cut. For others, the goal should be to create dimension, so hair contouring, or a money piece can really bring the style to life. Even a gentle touch of color on the fringe can be effective for mixing the retro and modern aspects of this trend.  

​Shags are a playful style by nature, but for those who want to adopt the rebellious side of this cut, Ashcroft says to go pink. From pastel rose to vibrant pink, a flash of bold color will turn heads.

Per the Oxford English Dictionary, "bangs" as a term for the fringe of hair lying over the forehead originated in the stables. Horses' tails were sometimes allowed to grow to a certain length, and then were cut off in an even, horizontal trim called a "bangtail." Racehorses were sometimes called bangtails. And Green's Dictionary of Slang suggests "bangtail" actually originated in Scotland, not the US. "Bangtail" was first applied to human hairstyles as early as 1844, but the OED cites the first use of "bang" as 1878. "Bang" meaning "abrupt or sudden" has been used in English since the late 18th century; more details here at Grammarphobia:

Q: Why does the word “bangs” refer to a fringe of hair cut straight across the forehead?
A: The use of “bangs” (or “bang”) for that short fringe of hair originated in the US in the 19th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
But the usage has its roots in “bangtail,” an equine term seen on both sides of the Atlantic. So let’s start our investigation in the stables.

The word “bangtail” is defined in the OED as “a (horse’s) tail, of which the hair is allowed to grow to a considerable length and then cut horizontally across so as to form a flat even tassel-like end.”

The dictionary notes that the term has also been used in Australia for cattle with tails cut that way, and in the US as slang for a horse, especially a race horse.

The earliest citation for “bangtail” in Green’s Dictionary of Slang is from a Scottish journal, suggesting that the term may have first reared its head in the British Isles.

Green’s cites an 1812 issue of the Edinburgh Review that mentions a stud horse named Bangtail, but the name surely came from an even earlier use of the term.

Through a Google search we found a comic British story about fox-hunting, published in 1851, in which “bang-tail” appears least seven times in reference to tails as well as horses.

The story, “Turning Out a Bagman,” by a writer signed “B.P.W.,” is about two London greenhorns who are on vacation and want to hire a pair of hunters.

​The showily groomed horses they hire are called “bang-tails,” and are described as having “such flowing bang-tails as at once stamped them in the eyes of our friends as ‘out-and-out’ thorough-breds.”

The story is chockfull of slang (like “bagman” to mean “fox”), which may explain the repeated use of “bang-tail” instead of “horse.”

Apparently it didn’t take long for “bang” to graduate from horse tails to human hair.
We found an 1844 travel book, Revelations of Russia by Charles Frederick Henningsen, that mentions a man’s hair cut “somewhat in the fashion of a thorough-bred’s ‘bang-tail.’ ”

In another travel book we came across an 1849 entry that describes a woman whose hair was braided in back and “cut in bang style” in front.

The OED’s earliest citation for the human usage is from a letter written in 1878 by Frances M. A. Roe, author of Army Letters From an Officer’s Wife: “It had a heavy bang of fiery red hair.” (The “bang” was on a face mask in a shop window in Helena, in the Montana Territory.)

Another American, William Dean Howells, also used the word in his book The Undiscovered Country (1880): “His hair cut in front like a young lady’s bang.”

A Google search turned up a plural reference in an 1883 article from the New York Times. A Catholic priest, lecturing Sunday school children, “condemned the fashion of wearing ‘bangs’ in severe terms.”

A matching adjective (as in “banged” hair) and verb (to “bang” or cut the front hair straight across) also emerged in the 1880s, according to citations in the OED.

Here are a couple of examples: “He was bareheaded, his hair banged even with his eyebrows in front” (from the Century Magazine, 1882), and “They wear their … hair ‘banged’ low over their foreheads” (from Harper’s Magazine, 1883).

So it would appear that the verb “bang” (to cut hair straight across) emerged after the hairstyle and not before, unless there are earlier verb references we haven’t found.

That still leaves us with a question: Why did “bang” mean bluntly cut?

Both Green’s and the OED indicate that since the late 1500s the verb “bang” has meant to hit or thump, and the noun “bang” has meant a blow or a thump.

And “bang” has been used adverbially since the late 18th century, the OED says, to mean “all of a sudden,” or “suddenly and abruptly, all at once, as in ‘to cut a thing bang off.’ ”

Since the bangs on a person’s forehead, like a horse’s banged tail, end abruptly—you might say with a  “bang!”—perhaps the word is simply a case of creative English.

A collection of humor pieces, Wit and Humor of the Age (1883), takes the creativity a step further. In a story by  Melville D. Landon, one chambermaid asks another “if she banged her hair.”
​
“Yes, Mary,” the first chambermaid says. “I bang my hair—keep a banging it, but it don’t stay bung!”

​A Short, Uneven History of Bangs
From Cleopatra to Kate Moss, a journey through some of history's greatest bangs.

The survey polled 2,000 men, where 20% said that if they could bring one popular hairstyle from a bygone decade back into fashion, it would be the ’80s mullet, ‘90s ‘curtain bangs’ (15%) and the 2010s undercut (10%).

OnePoll conducted the survey on behalf of Sport Clips Haircuts.
​
“While we’re seeing a lot of longer hairstyles in our stores, the truth is that styling men's hair, no matter the length, can be more complicated than it may seem,” explains Stacia Kelley, Sport Clips artistic director and stylist. “Longer hair still requires regular trims, shaping and home maintenance with high-quality products, such as conditioners to avoid breakage or light-hold texture creams that can give the hair some weight and tact.”

Top Five Best-Looking Hairstyles for Men

1. Undercut           3.18
2. Curtain bangs   3.15
3. Shag                 3.11
4. Pompadour       2.97
5. Long/Man bun   2.94

Top Five Celebrity Hair Inspirations for Men

1. Jason Momoa             40.10%           
2. Harry Styles                36.45%
3. James Dean                35.20%
4. David Beckham           35.00%
5. Drake                           31.75%

​from BeautyLaunchpad

One in Five American Men Want the Mullet to Be Back in Style, According to Survey 

Fifty-five percent of men surveyed admitted they want to change up their look but are afraid to try something new

It's synonymous with parties for a reason: one in five American men are ready for the mullet to make an official comeback.

In a survey of 2,000 men, 20% said that if they could bring one popular hairstyle from a bygone decade back into fashion, it would be the classic '80s mullet, followed by '90s "curtain bangs" (15%) and the 2010s undercut (10%).

But even those polled admit that the infamous bi-level look isn't for everyone; in a ranking of various hair trends, respondents found undercuts, curtain bangs and the '00s "shag" haircut to be more universally flattering 'dos.

And even though 39% of men have dabbled in adding highlights to their hair — making it the most popular color technique among those polled — it was also the least-liked hair trend of the entire survey, ranked just under the infamous "frosted tips" look.

It's not surprising that men have tried out some fads they ended up hating later; 55% admitted they want to change up their look but are afraid to try something new, while another 47% don't know what hairstyles would look good on them.

However, of the two-thirds of men who've experimented with a hair trend they were later embarrassed by, only a third said they regretted it afterward.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Sport Clips Haircuts, the survey also revealed that men are experiencing a lot of similarly intense emotions about their post-pandemic haircut.

Not surprisingly, "relief" topped the list for 36% of men, while 32% also described themselves as "excited."

During the shutdowns and social distancing measures of the COVID-19 pandemic, 75% of men chose to forgo professional hair maintenance.

One in four men instead tried cutting their hair themselves — despite the fact that 55% don't think they do a good job at self-cuts — while 27% enlisted the help of a friend or family member.

With the increase of social distanced safety protocols and vaccine distributions, however, men are rediscovering more options for hair care.

Of the half of respondents who've already visited a barber since the pandemic first began, 85% cited it as a positive experience, with 27% describing it as "amazing."

In fact, one in three respondents said getting a new haircut makes them feel "smarter," while one in four admitted to feeling like "a better person" afterward.
​
Twelve percent even said they feel more inspired to ask for a raise after a haircut.

We know, we know…everyone is getting tired of thinking about and talking about and hearing about the pandemic. But it’s still a thing and it’s still affecting our daily lives and our behaviors – in particular, our hair! Sport Clips Haircuts recently talked to 2,000 men in the United States, and 32 percent said that before the pandemic, they had their hair cut by a professional every two to three weeks. Fast forward to 2021, and 24 percent of the men cut their own hair at home last year. I mean, we all remember how terrible those corona cuts were, right?

It just goes to show that you should leave the haircutting to the pros – like the stylists at Sport Clips. Now that things are almost, pretty much back to normal, more than half of the men we talked to have made their way back to their favorite stylist or barber and the majority say they had a “good” experience on that first visit back. In fact, most reported feeling “relieved” to finally get that first post-lockdown trim.

And then there were the guys – 22 percent of them, in fact – who chose to let their hair grow out. Those long, luscious locks may seem easy to maintain, but they require more care than most guys realize. “Long hair requires regular trims, shaping, at home maintenance with a quality shampoo and conditioner to avoid breakage, and an appropriate styling product,” explains stylist Brittany Fitzgerald, a Sport Clips Artistic Team member and North Texas Area Coach.

For others, emerging from lockdown and kicking of 2021 has them ready to try a new style, but a majority of the men surveyed said they were “afraid” to try something new because they don’t know what kind of style or cut would look good on them. Are you sure you can rock the long Jason Momoa locks? Do you have the right face shape to pull off Harry Styles’ look? This is where the expertise of a stylist can really help. “Your stylist can look at your face shape, your hair texture, and figure how to style or cut around a cowlick to make sure you get a haircut that flatters you best,” says stylist Dorian Curtis-Likens, Sport Clips Artistic Team member and Area Coach. “Stylists can also help you establish a new look with a routine of regular trims and the products that will help you confidently style and maintain your cut when you leave the store.”

Ultimately, a haircut should make you look good and feel good. Most of the men surveyed said they have a “surge of confidence” for four-to-six days after a fresh haircut. Many of them say they feel better about themselves and some even say they feel “smarter.” We’ll take their word for it on that one.
​
Men who shared their opinions in the survey conducted by One Poll ranged in age from 18-56+, varied in relationship status and were from all parts of the United States.

SportsClips

How Nadia Stacey Master Revamped Cruella De Vil's Iconic Hair For 2021
​
Set in 1977 London, the hairstyles worn by leading actress Emma Stone and the other cast members in the upcoming movie "Cruella" were heavily influenced by the punk movement of England during that time.

Is there a more iconic hairstyle than Cruella De Vil’s?

The Disney villain of 101 Dalmatians fame is the focus of Disney’s upcoming movie “Cruella,” which gives the audience a deep dive into her backstory. Set in 1977 London, the hairstyles worn by leading actress Emma Stone and the other cast members were heavily influenced by the punk movement of England during that time. 

Hairstylist Nadia Stacey Master (@nadiastaceyhairmakeupdesign) used a variety of HASK products to transform the cast and revamp Cruella’s showstopping black-and-white locks. Here, she shares her approach to the movie’s hairstyles and the trusted HASK products she reached for to achieve the head-turning looks. 

1. What was the inspiration behind the hair looks and overall hair design/approach?
The film is set in 1977 in London. The punk scene was big, Vivienne Westwood had opened her first store on The Kings Road and fashion was changing. I wanted Emma Stone’s character to be influenced by this scene. A kind of creative chaos in the look. I also had to create over 10 different styles alone for Emma and I needed to sometimes hint towards the shape or style of the original Cruella because she has a lot of fans.

2. Tell us about the process you went through to develop the looks for the lead characters?
Each character needed a strong silhouette, something synonymous to them. Emma Stone’s character is more of a punk and influenced by that fashion whereas the Baroness—Emma Thompson—has perfected her look in the 1950s/60s, so it meant that we had a whole range of styles to draw from. Naomi Donne, a personal [makeup artist] to Emma Thompson created exactly what I wanted for the Baroness and developed all these different styles based around a theme. Lots of pulled back, not a hair out of place, sculpted styles while Cruella has a wildness to her look. You have to think of the character, who would they reference for their look, who would inspire them?

3. How important was it for the actors to be on board with your vision to carry out the various looks? What Did Emma Stone think/say when she saw your vision for the first time?
It’s absolutely vital they like, and more importantly feel right, in your creations. It’s they that have to feel the character as a whole and believe in the look. Emma is fantastic to collaborate with, she has strong ideas but is equally very open to any of my ideas and willing to try so the madder the looks became, the more she was up for it. We had such creative free rein from our director Craig Gillespie too, so it meant I could really try and push the boundaries. 

4.  What was your favorite look to create?
There are so many, and they are all so varied so it’s hard to choose a favorite. There is one which is based on the 18th century Marie Antoinette style—that seems crazy for Cruella but that’s the kind of creative freeness I had. The black and white sides are styled up towards the classic shape but then it goes off to the side and the shape changes; everything I did, I wanted to put a twist on it. I do love the bob shape with the bangs too. That feels very punk to me.

5.  How do you ensure actors’ natural hair is taken care of under wigs?
We have to prep the hair underneath with a product that will flatten and slick the hair down to make it as flat as possible, so I like to use conditioners or masks because I think the hair is benefitting all day under the wig.

6.  How did you ensure the wigs/hairpieces used for natural looks stayed looking natural?Any tips for styling wigs?
All the wigs are real hair, so you have to treat them as such. If I was putting in rollers or using irons or any styling implements, I would always use a heat-protecting spray like the HASK Keratin Protein 5 in 1 Leave in Spray. It helps protect and keeps the hair conditioned and smooth for styling.

How do you look after wigs on-set?
Depending on the style, some were heavily sprayed with hair spray to set them, but generally, I like to keep the hair free to move, which I feel if you are trying to give the appearance of real hair. It must move like real hair, it makes it more believable, so in that case, I like a lightweight spray that will smooth out and control without being too heavy.

How did you keep hair color bright and healthy?
I think preparation before styling is key. It’s the maintenance of keeping hair in good condition before you even think about styling that will make it healthy and shiny so it’s all about the shampoos and conditioners and masks you use.

7.  Did you have to dye any of the actors’ hair during filming and if so, which HASK products did you use during the process and why? Were HASK products great to prep hair before dyeing? Do they help keep dyed hair vibrant?
We didn’t dye anyone’s natural hair, but we dyed wigs and hairpieces and because the hair is so treated previously it can dry out very quickly the same as over-processed hair. For me, the lifesavers are the HASK hair oils because they are so absorbing so they don’t sit heavy in the hair. Also, the macadamia one smells incredible!

8.  What were the biggest challenges/issues styling hair on-set of this film, and how did you overcome them?
We had three black and white wigs for the whole shoot for Cruella and over 10 different designs and because of the fast pace of the shooting schedule I had to style these three wigs over and over again, so they were in and out of rollers, hairpieces added to them, they really went through it! There are also many stunts and action sequences, so we needed products that would hold the styles. I also had nearly 100 different cast members with multiple looks so to look after Emma Stone full time and design all those looks was a challenge!

9.  Which HASK products would you recommend to keeping hair healthy that has had either a lot of product (like hairspray) or heat tools?
I like the Tea Tree Shampoo and Conditioner to take out any impurities but also keep the hair soft and conditioned but again weightless and not heavy with the product. I also love the Tea Tree 5 in 1 Spray to heat protect as the styling begins again.

10. What was the most memorable moment of being on the set of the film Cruella?
​There are so many to choose from and the film has so many iconic moments, but I think nothing will beat seeing Emma as Cruella for the first time. All those weeks of prep and seeing her in full hair and makeup was amazing. 

Read the rest of the interview here >>>