General FAQs
FAQS
Why are you more expensive than the other bar shampoo & conditioner brands?
One full sized Dip conditioner bar alone can save you over $200 (personally I save over $500) if you're switching from pricey salon brands like Oribe.
Of course you started with this question! The way we see it, there’s a choice to make when creating a product:
- See the competition and their prices, make sacrifices to build a product to satisfy that price.
- Build the product of your dreams without cutting corners, and price it accordingly, hoping that people will pay for superior performance & integrity in the supply chain.
We went with #2, and we are okay selling less because of it.
By the way, our 4 oz Shampoo bar is one of the largest on the market & can replace 3 bottles (we think more) of ultra pricey salon shampoo; and our Conditioner & After Swim Detangler bar can replace 6+ bottles of luxe salon conditioner.
How long do the bars last?
This is a tricky question, because there are so many variables. Not everyone uses the bars the same way, stores them the same way, applies the same amount of pressure, has the same amount of people using them...and of course hair type, texture and length factor in.
Generally:
- Mini shampoo: 2 weeks to 6 weeks
- Mini conditioner: up to 3 months
- Full Sized Dip Shampoo Bar: 1 to 5 months
- Full Sized Dip Conditioner Bar: 6 - 14 months
Sorry we can't be more specific, but PLEASE do not press the shampoo into your head when using it. It lasts so much longer when you let it glide over your hair like an air hockey puck.
Why is your free shipping minimum so high?
Because shipping isn’t free and we’d rather you shop in a store anyways. Not only does it reduce carbon footprint (shipping is a big one) but it also drives traffic to shopping small which we’re all about!
How am I supposed to store these?
Dry is the key.
- When in your shower: store them on a coaster (check out our accessories page for ideas)
- When traveling make sure they’re never in an air-tight container! (We also have a solution on its way for this)
- Try our shower rack-- it's durable & packs flat so you can bring it with you everywhere
I have flat, non-porous tiles and I can't get the rack to stick to them...HELP!
- First, make sure you clean both the rack & your wall. It won't suction to a dirty wall.
- Next: Sometimes the dial shifts during transit so try turning the dial left a few turns to loosen it and then mount it to your wall.
Is it me or is my conditioner changing colors?
It is.
Since we don’t bottle our product there’s certain ingredients that yellow when exposed to air. There’s no harm or reduction in performance due to this, just a science thing that happens.
How do I use the bars on my hair?
We are glad you asked, so we wrote directions per each hair type, visit our Hair Types Page for directions specific to you!
My bars broke & I'm both mad and devastated! What do I do?!
Oh man, we feel you! Here is our guide to broken bars.
Are the bars "Reef Safe"?
When it comes to hair and body care, Reef Safe is a marketing term because it is supposed to refer to Sunscreen ingredients. Calling our bars "Reef Safe" would be like bragging that a potato is gluten free. The term just doesn't apply--but for peace of mind we will say, our bars do not contain any of these ingredients from the HEL List:
- Any form of microplastic sphere or beads.
- Any nanoparticles like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide.
- Oxybenzone
- Octinoxate
- 4-methylbenzylidene camphor
- Octocrylene
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
- Methyl Paraben
- Ethyl Paraben
- Propyl Paraben
- Butyl Paraben
- Benzyl Paraben
- Triclosan
What is the pH of the bars?
Ooh, only a real hair person would ask this question so we have a little writeup about how we get the pH from a solid bar here.
The idea of rubbing a bar on my head weirds me out--will this break my hair at all?
OMG. You're not alone. In fact, we feel you so hard on this one. Our shampoo bar is specifically formulated to glide over hair and use as little pressure as possible. The less you press, the better the lather!
The conditioner bar naturally glides over hair--there's no friction there, just silky smooth tresses.
Why isn't Dip active on Facebook?
We believe in both privacy and free time and Facebook tends to steal both of those from some good people. We secured our name so someone else can't take it & catfish our brand....and so you can shop freely on Instagram.
We prefer our time outdoors and off screen whenever possible so we’re keeping our online presence to Instagram & TikTok and our offline presence to beaches and among trees.
You can still share us on Facebook though, we just don’t want to be on it ourselves.
Do you really want us to shop small?
Yes, in fact our founder is quoted in this article about it before even starting this brand (she was the co-founder of a brand called NOAP at the time):
Small businesses are the heartbeat of any community. Please prioritize shopping there.
Are you vegan?
No but our products are :)
Are the products cruelty free, vegan, & sulfate and silicone free?
Yes! We are all those things but so is almost everybody else now so we don’t think it’s worth constantly telling you. It’s like going to college and bragging to everybody that you can read.Wait a second, doesn't Squalane come from the fatty acid in Shark livers?
Ooh! You know your stuff! But we know it better: our Squalane is actually derived from Olives so baby sharks can keep doing whatever they do do do.
I use really really gorgeous luxe expensive hair products, and I doubt this will work for me.
That's not really a question but we will say this: these bars are made with the same ingredients that make those hair products so great. Just no plastic, and no water. Our founder was a former Pureology and Oribe junkie so that's where she started with performance.
Will I go through the dreaded bar detox stage or adjustment period with my hair?
Nope. Who has the time?! Dip was made for hair snobs, by hair snobs. Our shampoo bar was formulated so you don’t need to do any of those weird bar shampoo hacks to stop waxy build-up: no ACV rinse, no lemon juice rinse, no beer rinse. There is no super-greasy-detox stage (which we heard can go on for 4 months).
Just really great hair right away.
Will I need to supplement the conditioner with coconut oil every once in a while?
Nope! This stuff is the real deal. No weird hacks needed on the conditioner either.
Does the shampoo lather?
Yes, it’s pretty sudsy—we wanted to preserve that experience of using liquid shampoo so we made lather a priority.
Something you should know: the shampoo bar must be "primed" before first use--which basically means that it needs to be roughed up a little first between your hands to get the lather started.
The LESS YOU PRESS the better your lather!!! So don't rub it hard on your precious locks!
Will this rip out my hair like some shampoo bars I’ve used before?
Yikes! No. This is real shampoo, not soap being passed-off as shampoo (as some other bars are).
Also...see above. These new shampoos were made to lightly "ice-skate" over your hair, not break it!
Is it really salon quality?
We know so, we tested it on stylists and they all loved it. BUT when we talked to a distributor about possibly putting our bars into the salons they said these exact words: “you made it last too long, salon products need a much faster consume-rate to be considered.” Until salons are open to selling less, we probably won't sell them there.
Oh well, their loss. We really are cool with selling less—it was important to us that the bars last you a very long time.
I’m new to the game, and I prefer baby-steps. Which bar should I try first?
Conditioner! We all know conditioner is the work-horse of the shower anyway. Put our conditioner to the test on your: thin or thick or straight or curly or dry or oily or any combination hair type.
Without water in the bar, you control how it conditions. You can leave in extra as a styling product or spot check your ends with the bar. You’re really the captain of your ship here.
We made minis so you can try them without a huge investment. We must warn you though: the experience of using a larger conditioner bar is just better, so if we've convinced you--go all in with a larger bar.
I really want to be eco-friendly, but will I look “eco-friendly”?
AKA as if you walked out of the woods and not the salon? We are here to prove that eco-friendly no longer has a “look”. We like to think of ourselves as eco-fancy.
Why don’t you talk more about the plastic crisis?
Because it isn’t inspiring — We think constantly berating people over plastic doesn’t inspire them to change.
You know what does? Giving them something better that saves them money and makes them look amazing—so that is where our focus lies.
Are you sulfate free?
Yup!
Are your shampoo & conditioner color safe?
Yup!
Are your shampoo & conditioner keratin safe?
Yes!
Are your bars pH balanced for hair?
Yes! Want more details on pH? Click here to hear it straight from our chemist
I don't shampoo every day, can I still benefit from your shampoo bar?
Yes! In fact, we suggest every day shampoo-ers to take a break every once in a while. We wanted to solve the problem for people who train and had no option in the plastic free market.
What’s so special about the shampoo?
We made the shampoo for people who don’t want to make the choice between a good hair day & a workout, a full beach day & dinner plans. We are a team that likes to get outside every day, shower—and still look good.
Why don’t you have cool shapes?
We chose a shape that was easy to hold, hard to drop, and easy to store. We wanted to give you flexibility on creating your own storage options in case you didn’t want to invest in our accessories.
If you do put the conditioner in at tin: please make sure you let it dry completely before enclosing it. We suggest having a hole in whichever vessel you choose to avoid the funk of a wet bar left shut in :)
Is it safe for the whole family?
Yes, to our knowledge and the knowledge of our chemists-- but it is not “tear-free” so keep off of children under 2. We use it on our own children (ages 3 & 5) and bath time is so much easier because you can control where the product goes.
Do the products work in hard water?
Yes!
Do you have synthetic fragrances in your products?
Short Answer: Yes—and we understand why people don’t want synthetic; but not all synthetic fragrances are created equal. We went above & beyond to create beautiful & sophisticated fragrances that met Credo’s Clean Beauty Standards.
Also, when you dig a little about essential oils, they are also not all created equal—some, even organic, are cold pressed with pesticides & allergens, and we just couldn’t get down with that.
Also, while you're here-- the pressure on farmers to homogenize land for single crops and create larger yields to meet market demands are the opposite of sustainability. If science can create a fragrance responsibly without known allergens and without any farming--it is a win for us.
If you're looking for only essential oils in a brand, literally every other brand does it that way. They might be better for you...or you can opt for fragrance free :)
Do you offer fragrance free?
Yes! On our Shampoo and our Conditioner & After Swim Detangler Bars.
Are you palm oil free?
So far, all of our products are Palm Oil free except the Shampoo. We tried many substitutes for Palm Oil but none of them performed the way it did—so we did the next best thing and made sure the Palm Oil we sourced was sustainable.
We are aware of the deforestation that devastates the rainforests for the demand for Palm Oil and we didn’t take the decision lightly to put even sustainable Palm Oil in. There are plenty of shampoo bars without it but they just didn’t stop us from going back to the plastic bottle. We hope you appreciate our honesty on this one.
Are your products made in the USA?
Our bars are all proudly designed, made, and poured here in the USA.
Our accessories are designed in the USA but made overseas; we tried to source them here but then found out they were made overseas anyway! Manufacturing is weird.
I’ve been burned by these eco-friendly bars before, and they don’t work for me. Can I buy a sample size first?
We have smaller sizes but they’ll still last you a very long time, we don’t call them samples here though. Shop our mini dip!
Why don’t you have exciting colors for the bars themselves?
Oh man, we are so glad you asked. Bright fun colors come from micas—once we dug into the supply chain of how they were obtained, we said no thank you.
Ok, I’m sold….but I really don’t like when soap sticks to the tiles and gets all gross. How should I store the bars?
General rule of thumb: store them "high & dry". The bars need to dry on all sides and out of the direct stream of water.
We are making coasters and a shower rack to solve this problem for you. (These things take time so stay tuned!)
I don’t want to buy your accessories until I know I love my bars— what can I do to protect my first set?
We get it. If you’re thrifty and just starting out:
- a mason jar lid with some rubber bands will do the trick.
If you’re thrifty AND fancy:
- a seashell with some pretty hair ties around it will also work.
Do you really want us to buy less?
Yes, we have dipped out of the mainstream sales tactics and decided to focus on being an environmental company disguised as a beauty brand.
We want you to buy less everything: clothes you barely wear, food that sits in the back of your fridge, daily coffee in disposable cups.
Are they TSA friendly?
Absolutely. Make your journey easier with our cute travel tins (coming soon!).
Are you cruelty free?
Yes.
I’m an influencer, can I connect with you guys?
You can, but you won’t get any special treatment. One follower or one million we’re treating everyone the same and we won’t pay you to say you like our product.
I'm a content creator, can I connect with you guys?
Please don't solicit us unless you have tried the bars and love them. We have ZERO interest in connecting with someone looking for free products for UGC.
We get 15 - 200 emails a day from people asking for free stuff. We always say no.
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Hair Type Questions:
How can the conditioner possibly work for all hair types?
Several sessions of trial & error will get you there. We obsessed over the formulas--and our chemist has formulated hair care for 36+ years and has multiracial members of his family so we didn't stop iterating until our bars worked for everyone.
I’m a swimmer, and spend a LOT of time in chlorinated water. Will this help protect my hair from build up and damage?
Yes! Bring your After Swim & Detangler conditioner with you to the pool, dunk the bar in water and run it down your wet hair.
Until we have our travel cases ready: your best bet is to wrap your conditioner bar in a terry cloth towel and put in your bag. Easy peasy.
I am a surfer and spend a LOT of time in salt-water. Will this protect my hair from brittleness & breakage?
Yes. This was a big mission for us. Our founder loves to surf (poorly) and could spend all day in the ocean. Since she was a teenager she has always lugged conditioner with her to the beach to protect her hair. This is annoying, especially because when bottled conditioner gets hot in the sun, it gets watery and gross, and then doesn’t really work. The conditioner bar has a high melting point so it can live in your beach bag and keep its integrity.
#beachhairdontcare has never been a thing for us. Beach hair, cares a lot...is more our style.
I am not a surfer, will I look like I'm trying too hard if I have this on the beach?
Newsflash: the sun hits surfers and you at the same rate if you're outside :) These bars are for everyone who loves the water, whoever they are.
I have long hair and it’s dry on the bottom, oily on top, and kinda stringy—will these bars work for me?
Yes!
I have thick, coarse, mixed hair - will these bars work for me?
Yes—we have had a few customers change from Ouidad to our bars. The conditioner will have a bit of a learning curve: if you have a lot of hair you need to section it off and coat each bunch. Remember to apply the wet bar directly to wet hair! Once your hair is coated, massage it all together, leave it on for a few minutes if your hair is really dry, and then rinse out. The first time is the worst time, once you get the hang of it & develop your own way of applying, great hair awaits.
You can leave some of our conditioner bar in your hair as a styling product too.
I air dry my hair, will this work for me?
Oh, most definitely.
I blow dry my hair and curl it will these products work for me?
Yes! And our conditioner has a heat protectant in it.
Will my hair feel “squeaky clean” and/or stripped of its oils?
Hasn’t happened yet. We made sure that both our shampoo & conditioner bars were nourishing and our shampoo was especially designed so it doesn’t ever give you that “overwashed” feeling.
Is it good for grey hair or will it make it brassy?
Grey hair is our favorite. Our bars will make your hair silky smooth with zero brassiness. Disclaimer: if you have porous hair and live in a pollution heavy environment that makes your hair prone to brassiness, you might need a purple color-depositing shampoo or conditioner.
Is it good for oily hair?
Yes!
Does it work for curls? I mean, really curly curls?
YES.
Are these Curly Girl Method friendly?
We DO NOT endorse their no-shampoo method; but have found that our conditioner especially works well on all types of curls, even tight curls. (those are links to real people who use dip)
I have damaged, bleached blonde hair and other bars have made my hair coarse and brittle so I always go back to my salon brands. Will this work?
Yes! We got you! (and we understand you!)
Does it work on extensions?
We have something special just for you. Our secret sauce. It’s an enzyme spray that works to clean your hair and extensions. ***COMING SOON!!!!***
Will this make my scalp itchy?
We have only heard the opposite so far. We tested on a few itchy scalps and they said our bars alleviated that for them. We can’t guarantee anything (and are not allowed to make the claim) but we hope the integrity of our ingredients works for you, too.
I have an oily scalp & dry ends, is there a way to spot-clean my scalp?
Yes! That is one of the major benefits of using a bar—you really have a lot more control with how you use it. (Okay, so this is actually the owner’s problem…because she’s one of those long haired people who never gets a trim.)