"I was blown away." 12 women tried the plastic-free shampoo and conditioner bars for every hair type.

Raise your hand if your beauty routine is complicated and sometimes a little… exhausting. Well, ditto. 

Unfortunately, there's that pesky saying though: if you want something in life, you got to work for it. Whether it’s smooth lines, hydrated skin, or hair so luscious that even Shrek’s Prince Charming gives you an envious side-eye.

But I’m also here to argue that there’s a beauty in the simplicity of things. Why can’t our hair feel hydrated, nourished and healthy without having to dedicate ourselves to a few hundred steps every second or third day? Well, my friend, I’m here to tell you that it can. And for the third of the price point, too. 

Let me introduce you to the KOi range of Shampoo and Conditioner Bars. Coming in two different variations — Green Tea & Cucumber, and Ginger & Lemongrass — the bars are formulated with natural ingredients that gently care for your hair. They're also free from any parabens, silicones, artificial fragrances or colours. The ingredient list also boasts argan oil, ginkgo extract and karanja seed oil to help support healthy, vibrant hair. Sounds pretty darn dreamy.

To see if they’re actually that good, we got 133 women from our You Beauty Panel to put the KOi Green Tea & Cucumber Shampoo and Conditioner Bars to the test. The results? 70 per cent of panelists said they’d recommend them to a friend.

Here’s what else some of them had to say.

Ashley, 29: "So much less wastage."

"I absolutely loved these shampoo and conditioner bars! Pleasantly surprised with just how well they cleaned my scalp. I'm used to using thick hair masks almost every shower, so I was worried the conditioner bar wouldn't do too much, but wasn't I wrong?

"There is also so much less wastage not only in the plastic packaging components, but in the actual product compared to typical shampoo and conditioner bottles. They also smell beautiful, and the scent wasn't too strong or overbearing."

Brooke, 38: "So easy to use."

"I really liked both the shampoo and conditioner. I was pretty amazed as I had never used these types of products before, but they left my hair so clean and soft as well. I also found them so easy to use — I was really impressed."

Emily, 42: "My hair was so nourished and easy to comb."

"These products are actually really good! Initially, I was unsure as I have fine hair and usually need extra body shampoos. However, I was so pleasantly surprised.

"My hair was so nourished and easy to comb. I wash daily as I go to the gym each morning and I actually have managed to stretch my routine out to every second day because it’s so clean and nourished."

Herjot, 28: "I loved the bar style."

"I loved the KOi Shampoo and Conditioner Bars. The shampoo is easy to lather and felt it cleaned my hair without being too stripping.

"Considering it is a hydrating hair range, I was so pleased that my hair didn't feel weighed down or oily after use, which is a problem I get with other traditional hydrating shampoo ranges. My hair felt nice and soft after use.

"I also loved the bar style. They would be great for a holiday trip instead of liquid products."

Image: Supplied.

Andie, 27: "The scent is nice and refreshing."

"I really liked the eco-friendly aspect of these bars. I was super impressed with how the shampoo bar cleaned my hair and the scent is nice and refreshing."

Clementine, 26: "It is so hydrating."

"Overall, I was SO happy with these products! I have always wanted to try shampoo and conditioner bars for environmental reasons but previously had bad experiences with 'cleaner' shampoo and conditioners as they are never quite conditioning enough. 

"However, I was super impressed with how conditioning these both were." 

Tanya, 27: "I will definitely be repurchasing."

"Love the product! It has a great smell to it and leaves my hair feeling silky clean. It's sustainable which is difficult to get at the local supermarket."

Image: Supplied.

Lisa, 44: "Worked really well on my dry and coarse hair."

"I was skeptical about this product having never tried shampoo and conditioner in a bar but I was pleasantly surprised! This worked really well on my dry and coarse hair and even better, I felt comfortable using it on my children too. 

"I also liked the fact that it had minimal packaging and the smell was lovely and fresh."

Linh, 39: "I was actually quite surprised with how clean my scalp was."

"I thought the shampoo and conditioner bars were going to dry out my scalp, but they didn't. I was quite surprised with how clean my scalp was and how my hair wasn't dry.

"It also didn't give me an itchy scalp. When I tend to use supermarket brand shampoo and conditioner, my scalp freaks but with KOi it didn't."

Anya, 26: "I love the sustainability aspect."

"I really liked the products. They were easy to use, effective and I love the sustainability aspect. I was especially impressed how well the shampoo bar lathered.

"I was pretty surprised with how hydrating it was as most shampoo and conditioner bars leave my hair feeling super dry."

Image: Supplied.

Emily, 40: "I was blown away."

"These products were significantly better than what I had hoped for. I was blown away by how successful the whole experience was.

"The things I liked most were how space-saving the products are, the environmental impact and how I can control exactly how much product I use."

Georgina, 34: "They made my hair feel strong and hydrated."

"Overall, I enjoyed using them. As a first time shampoo and conditioner bar user, it did take a while to get used to washing my hair in a different way but they made my hair feel strong and hydrated. I also loved the natural smell."

To get healthy and vibrant hair without parabens, silicones, artificial fragrances or colours, shop KOi Shampoo and Conditioner Bars exclusively at Coles. 

Feature Image: Supplied.