LUSH Montalbano Shampoo Bar Review: An Easy Plastic-Free Swap

Hey earth muffins! One of the easiest swaps you can make during Plastic Free July is to start using shampoo bars. Instead of plastic bottled shampoo, these bars come with absolutely no packaging! I’ve tried many different shampoo bars over the years. Personally, I really like the bars from Lush; but, many brands are starting to offer these as an alternative to bottles. 🧼 This is the third shampoo bar I have tried from Lush, so I thought it was fitting to write a review for you all. Let’s get into my Montalbano shampoo bar review!

What I Love About the Montalbano Shampoo Bar

Obviously the first thing I love about this shampoo bar is that it is sustainable! There are so many good reasons to choose bar products over bottled, especially since it often means there is no plastic packaging involved. Lush sells these shampoo bars with no packaging in the store. If you have to order them online, they are shipped with water-dissolvable packing peanuts. It is so much fun to watch them dissolve in the sink! If you are looking to reduce some of your plastic in the bathroom during Plastic Free July, swapping to a shampoo bar is a great idea!

I absolutely love the color of the Montalbano shampoo bar. It is bright yellow, which adds a great pop of color in my shower. I appreciate that this color also doesn’t transfer to my tub when I use the product. When using certain shampoo bars (namely the Jumping Juniper bar from Lush), the color will stain the tub a bright color. While this can easily be removed with some scrubbing when I clean the bathroom, I enjoy that this bar doesn’t leave a bright yellow mark in my shower!

This Montalbano shampoo bar review would be incomplete if I didn’t mention the smell – it is amazing! The shampoo bar has a nice lemon citrus scent, but it isn’t overpowering. When I was using the Honey I Washed my Hair bar, the scent of toffee/honey was super strong in the bathroom. While it smelled really good, I personally am one for more subtle scents. According to the Lush website, there is also rosemary in the shampoo bar. But, you don’t really get much of that when smelling the bar. Citrus is definitely the overwhelming scent!

The Montalbano bar is meant to boost shine, add subtle volume, and cleanse your scalp. I think it definitely does those things! My hair feels super soft after using this shampoo, and it definitely has been adding some extra volume to my naturally curly hair. I recently got my first post-pandemic haircut, and I chopped off a ton of my hair. This shampoo bar has been great in keeping it healthy! In terms of cleansing, I have psoriasis on my scalp which often results in extra grease…. I think this shampoo does a nice job of reducing grease too.

What Could Be Better with this Shampoo Bar

The first con to this Montalbano shampoo bar review would have to be the big chunks of dried citrus in the bar. On each side, there are big dried pieces for decoration. While it looks pretty, it just seems like a waste to me. Those dried citrus pieces could be used for something else! Plus, it makes it more difficult to lather up with the bar. Once the pieces fall off, it seems like they could also clog your shower drain. I personally have been saving them to put in the compost bin! 😊

Along with the dried pieces of citrus, the bar itself isn’t as smooth as other Lush shampoos I’ve tried. I’m not sure what gives it a rough texture, but it is definitely not as smooth. I typically like to lather up the bar in my hands before applying to my hair. But, the texture of the bar makes it easier to just lather in my hair directly. Not a huge con to this product, but I wanted to mention it!

Lastly, to close out this Montalbano shampoo bar review, I noticed more dandruff than usual when I first started using this bar. As mentioned above, it is supposed to cleanse the scalp; so, it was probably just doing its job with my psoriasis! But, I wanted to mention it just in case you are prone to having dandruff already. You might want to opt for a different bar.

Final Thoughts on the Montalbano Shampoo Bar

Overall, I think the Montalbano is a good shampoo bar to try! Lush has a really nice selection of shampoo bars to choose from. Especially during Plastic Free July, there is no reason to not try out a package free option. This bar smells great, looks pretty in the shower, and works! While there are huge chunks of dried citrus on it, don’t let that deter you from trying it out. What shampoo bar have you been using lately??

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