As someone who travels often, I’m always looking for anything that makes packing easier. I think I have the packing clothing part down, even if I tend to take too much. But I often struggle with the toiletries and wash items. I have a great bag I’ve used for several years now – it’s just a matter of what to put in it.

The problem is I will overstuff this compact carrier with bottles that will sometimes explode, possibly because of air pressure from flying, but it also may be due to living at 6000-feet-plus in elevation, especially when I’m coming back from low elevation to home. It’s no fun to open my bag, find a sticky substance covering everything else and take everything out to do a thorough cleaning. At some point, I want to find a better way to take toiletries and not risk having to do another mop up. This happened on my recent trip to California's Tri-Valley.

So, thanks to the New Hampshire company, J.R. Liggett, I might have found a solution – at least with shampoo and conditioner. I received samples for both, as well as a travel kit including two different formulas of smaller-bar shampoo. Another thing I appreciated was their adherence to ingredient integrity with botanical products and a “less is more” guiding principle.

Founder Jim Liggett stated, “We are not a flavor of the month trend followers; we are trend leaders. We set out to do what’s right – for our customers and for the planet…[no] extraneous ingredients, no synthetics, no plastic and no shortcuts.”

Shampoo

What I also appreciate with J.R. Liggett is creating their products using a natural approach. I currently use Aveda, which also purports to take an all-natural philosophy. It mostly does, but since they are larger company, not all of what they do follows this ideal.  For instance, the rosemary and mint shampoo had substances I cannot pronounce and don't know what they are. What I was looking for when using this shampoo was 1.) How well does it cleanse and smell and 2.) How does my hair feel after I use it? Also, I must admit I was a bit skeptical with a bar used as shampoo, but I think that’s because I’m used to having it in liquid form.

I received the regular sized herbal formula, which had just a slight hint of herbs and nothing overpowering. On first impressions, it personally smelled clean. I could read and understand each of the ingredients: olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, vitamin E essential oil, rosemary, lavender, cedar wood, petitgrain and lemon. Trying the shampoo in the shower, I lathered the bar in my hands, then scrubbed it on my head for cleansing. It worked just as well as regular shampoo, without the often-overwhelming scent they have. I certainly could use this as an alternative to Aveda.

Conditioner

J.R. Liggett’s conditioner comes in a slightly smaller form because it’s “super-concentrated,” as its packaging insert says. It’s also meant to be long-lasting and according to the information, the equivalent of a 32 oz. bottle of regular conditioner.  This bar has similar ingredients, with cocoa butter, argan oil and some others which allow hair to be shiny and soft. Another notable feature is the wrapping around the bar is eco-friendly, with no chemical treatments or waxing. They also do not implement any animal testing or unethical use of animal products.

Like the shampoo, the conditioner bar has a slight scent from herbal ingredients. Unlike conventional conditioners, however, there isn’t a creamy substance that comes from the bar. It’s a simple imparting of a treatment that will nourish hair and make it feel incredible soft and manageable after rinsing. I wasn’t sure if I was using it the right way, but I followed the directions to the letter, and it seemed to work just fine.

Travel Kit

I won’t say too much about J.R. Liggett’s travel kit, other than it holds four minibars of shampoo that fit into its own zippered pouch. My kit came with two bars of the original formula and two of the jojoba and peppermint, as well as a small plastic tray to keep soap dry in the shower. I will take one of these on my next trip, so I won’t have to worry about my bottle exploding all over and making a mess. What I might do is buy another conditioner bar to take along with the shampoo bar.

If you want to try J.R. Liggett’s shampoos, they are available at most online stores. Just type in their name into your search browser, and you’ll find any number of sites to buy from. The scents come in original, herbal, moisturizing, coconut and argan oil, jojoba and peppermint and tea tree and hemp oil. I wholeheartedly recommend it, especially when you travel and don’t have a lot of room in your bag.