Kate Assaraf, our NJMOMpreneur of the Week, has cared about the planet for as long as she can remember, and she knows that almost no one changes their habits long-term if it feels like a sacrifice. Her business, Dip Sustainable Hair Care, is a beauty brand with attitude that promotes sustainability by manufacturing hair care products that are so great you’d choose them over top salon luxury brands anyway — the fact that they’re plastic-free is just a perk. Yes, her business is a beauty brand, but more than that, Kate sees it as a way to do small, meaningful things that make the world a better place.

While designing products around these three principles was surely no easy task, DIP managed to do it somehow. Today, it offers a complete line of products for all hair types, textures, colors, and use cases, all with varied and delicious fragrances that have become the favorite of many. The company is also completely transparent when it comes to its products’ composition, offering a complete list of ingredients it uses and the why.

Small businesses that are environmentally driven are gatekeepers, preventing chemicals like phthalates, plastic and heavily greenwashed goods into their products and front doors. They cast an intentionally small net, while big businesses are comfortable casting a broader, less conscientious net in order to capture a larger customer base. Most small stores have a strict vetting process before placing sustainable products on their shelves, including the way they're received, whereas big box retailers often operate with an entirely different set of values and mandatory shipping policies to receive plastic wrapped pallets of goods.

Dip Hair Care Bars: Though only one year old, Dip is charging into the shampoo and conditioner bar space with flair and grit. The company was founded by Kate Assaraf to provide an eco-friendly shampoo bar with salon brand performance. Dip’s premium hair care products are meant for all hair types — with the company leaning on the expertise of its chemist (whose name remains undisclosed) who has been formulating salon grade hair care for more than 36 years. (In some circles, the bars have been compared to Olaplex for its color-safe care and ability to liven up dull hair.)

This is not only my favorite conditioner bar, but my favorite conditioner — period. I am not fussy with my hair, so I tend not to notice subtle differences between formulas, but even I noticed how much better my hair felt and looked after using this conditioner and the corresponding plastic-free shampoo. So soft and SO much less frizzy, even when I let it air dry. Supporting a small biz with something I have to buy anyway? Yes, please.

"The real idea behind promoting refill stores is to expose people to the mindset of buying better, buying less and shopping small, whether they believe in it or not. I believe that it will slowly make them understand the importance of sustainable shopping and spending. I also want to ensure that we push people through the doorways of their nearby refill stores so that their doors don't close forever due to competitive online monopolies," said Kate Assaraf, Founder of Dip sustainable hair care while commenting on her mission.

Kate Assaraf's entrepreneurial journey continues to be an inspiring example of sustainable entrepreneurship. It also highlights the significance of a humanistic approach to entrepreneurship to maintain the balance between sustainability and profitability.

The historic fundamentals of the beauty industry—filling formulas with ingredients natural and not, encasing them in alluring packaging, shipping products to consumers and retailers around the nation or globe, and attempting to do more and more of all three—aren’t designed to minimize impacts on the earth. Kate Assaraf knows that—and she’s willing to break with the usual ways of doing business in the beauty industry to bring her plastic-free haircare brand, Dip, closer to sustainable ideals she believes beauty brands should strive to achieve.

This is not only my favorite shampoo bar, but my favorite shampoo — period. I am not fussy with my hair, so I tend not to notice subtle differences between shampoo formulas, but even I noticed how much better my hair felt and looked after using this shampoo bar and the corresponding plastic-free conditioner. So soft and SO much less frizzy, even when I let it air dry. Don't be deterred by the price. My partner and I are three months into our first bar and there is still PLENTY of life left, so do yourself a favor and try it yourself!

The best thing you can do is be as authentic as possible for your customers, so they know that they are shopping for more than your products, they are voting for the type of business they want to see in the world. The people who buy Dip are so incredible and engaged with the brand, and that comes from a mutual respect for them as customers. There would be no “Dip” without them, and I remember that in every interaction I have.

Our pick? Dip’s ultra-nourishing shampoo and conditioner bars. In addition to performing at the level of top salon brands, they last virtually forever—which means purchasing less, wasting less, and spending less. As a bonus, they have multiple uses beyond cleansing and conditioning hair (which is another clever way to prevent excess). For example, the conditioner bar also works as shaving cream, a leave-in treatment, or a detangler.

Whether your Secret Santa recipient has pin-straight tresses, a 4C hair type, or something in between, this eco-friendly gift will help them achieve Beyoncé-level locks. The plastic-free shampoo bar, which is formulated for all hair textures, is packed with salon-grade ingredients thought to encourage hair growth, such as green tea, ceramides, passion fruit oil, and alma oil, according to the brand. Just wet the bar and your hair, massage it onto your scalp, rinse, and repeat for healthy, squeaky clean locks without the waste.

Absolutely, beauty brands can encourage less consumption. Dip is living proof of this. I think the “Shark Tank” glamorization of owning a beauty business, making it huge and scaling it into oblivion is slowly going out of style. Encouraging less consumption is the main crux of Dip as a brand, and so far, it is working. The consumer thirst for buying less is catching on as the ugly backstories of manufacturing waste, greenwashing or exploitation are starting to bubble to the surface.

Dip appeals to its online shoppers on its website to "abandon their carts and support their local stores." It also helps customers to find their nearby local store through a store locator facility on its website. This unusual gesture from a premium brand reiterates its commitment to promoting and supporting small local businesses and refill stores.

I’ve been a long time convert to using solid shampoo and conditioner bars myself and I would be hard pressed to recommend you a cooler solid hair care brand than Dip! Their packaging is fun and colorful, and their brand messaging is refreshingly honest and direct.

“You know that feeling when you find a pair of jeans that fit perfectly?” she asks. “And then you tell all of your girlfriends? That’s how I believe people shop, and it’s why I don’t spend money on digital marketing,” Kate explains. “I just think it’s way cooler that new customers find out about Dip from our community members instead of just another lather video on Instagram.”

The prices for plastic-free haircare brand Dip’s paper packaging have jumped 30%. Founder Kate Assaraf has chosen to absorb the increase out of worry her customers might balk at heightened prices. Assaraf placed a big bulk purchase order for Dip’s merchandise in a bet that inflation will persist and mitigate out-of-stocks in the summer, a peak selling season for the brand. “I’ll be running on fumes for a little while hoping that it’ll pay off later,” she says. Assaraf had to deal with out-of-stocks for two weeks during Earth month, another busy time for Dip, and is aiming not to repeat that experience.

What was more challenging than you expected when you first started Dip? Getting people to understand why I wanted to use my brand to support small stores. I truly believe that people will start refilling & switching to plastic free options as they become more exposed to them. I don't care if people understand, I can sleep at night knowing I am happy with my decision to drive people to stores like yours and not Target or Amazon.

I want to introduce you to the Dip family, your new best hair friends. As you know, I am continuously on the lookout for naturally healthy, sustainable products that are good for you, and the environment. And ways to support other small, women-led businesses. I’ve tried many bar shampoos / conditioners and just didn’t love them, that is until, Dip showed up at the party! Dip is an absolute treat for your hair, wrapped up in plastic free, recyclable paper packaging.

When it comes to sustainable haircare, Dip dips deeper. In their own words, Dip is “an environmental awareness company parading around as a damn good personal care company* *(not the other way around)”. How do they do this? Their products are made to last a “very long time”, and the brand promotes purchasing at local stores that carry Dip bars instead of buying online to reduce the cost and environmental impact of shipping.