As many of you probably know by now, I’m always the first person to test everything we make.
Before any bar leaves our workshop, it usually spends some time in my own bathroom. I like to see how it behaves day after day — how it lathers, how it feels on the skin or hair, and whether it truly does what I hoped it would do.
But it’s not just testing.
I simply use the same products we make, every day. There isn’t a special batch for my family or something “better” kept aside. What we send to our customers is exactly what we use at home as well.
In fact, my family usually ends up with the off-cuts — the little pieces left from cutting the bars.
A Small Surprise
Last weekend, I tried washing my hair with our Bastille shampoo bar for the first time.
I was honestly surprised.
There were lots of bubbles — real foam, soft and lively. I didn’t expect that from a bar made mostly with olive oil and babassu oil. But what stayed with me more was how my hair felt afterwards.
Clean, but soft.
Light, but not dry.
Over the past few days, I went back to using our classic Castile olive oil soap for my hair — something many of you already do. As always, it felt very gentle and creamy.
But today, after dyeing my hair, I washed it again with the Bastille shampoo bar.
And I can say this: wow. A big wow.
Why Babassu Oil Makes a Difference
This is actually the first time I’ve made a Bastille shampoo bar using babassu oil together with olive oil in the formula.
Olive oil is still the heart of the bar, but adding babassu brings something interesting to the lather.
Of course, it isn’t as creamy as a bar made with 100% olive oil. Castile soap will always have that silky, lotion-like lather. But the Bastille bar creates more bubbles and foam, which makes it feel easier to wash through the hair and scalp.
Many shampoo bars on the market use coconut oil as the main ingredient because it produces strong cleansing and lots of foam.
Coconut oil belongs to a group often called lauric oils, which are very good at cleaning. But in higher amounts they can sometimes feel a little strong and strip the hair or scalp.
Babassu oil behaves very similarly in soap — creating beautiful bubbles and good cleansing — but it often feels softer and milder. You still get the foam, but with a gentler touch.
A Note About Our Coconut Shampoo Bars
By the way, our coconut shampoo bar is also a little different from most.
Olive oil is still the main ingredient, supported by nourishing butters and oils. So even though it contains coconut oil, the bar is balanced to keep the hair soft rather than stripped.
Recently, many customers have written asking when our coconut shampoo bars will return. I know they are loved, and we will make them again.
But while you’re waiting for your favourite coconut shampoo to come back, I thought I would share this Bastille shampoo bar I’ve been experimenting with — especially if you’re curious about using shampoo in a bar.
A Quiet, Simple Routine
This Bastille bar doesn’t have any added fragrance — just the quiet scent of the oils themselves.
When the hair dries, it simply feels clean, light, and soft. Nothing overpowering. Nothing lingering too strongly.
If you enjoy a little scent in your hair, you can always add it afterwards — a touch of perfume, or a little of our hair oil or hair balm with lavender, rosemary and sage.
I usually wait until my hair is almost dry, then take about a pea-sized amount of balm, warm it between my palms, and gently smooth it through the ends.
Sometimes I run my fingers lightly through the lower part of the hair and near the scalp — not too high, so it doesn’t look oily.
With natural shampoo bars, I’ve also found that the hair doesn’t really need to be combed while it’s wet. I usually just let it dry naturally, or use a hair dryer if I’m in a hurry.
After the hair has dried, you can comb it if you like.
Often the hair settles quite naturally on its own.
Just enough to soften the hair and leave a faint herbal scent.
Small rituals like this are often the nicest part of the routine.
Warmly,
Amy
The Australian Olive Oil Soap