What people ask us.
The questions we get most often, answered plainly. When we cannot back an answer up, we say so.
The format
What exactly is a solid bar?
It is the product without the water. A liquid shampoo is 80 to 90% water, so a bottle is mostly water that you pay for and carry home. A bar is the concentrated formula. It meets the water in your shower, which was already there.
Does it lather?
Yes, and also in hard water. A concentrated bar usually gives more lather than you expect. Two or three rubs are enough.
Can I take it on a plane?
Yes. It is not a liquid, so it does not go in the carry-on liquids bag, and it cannot spill inside your luggage.
How many washes does it last?
It depends on the length of your hair, how much you rub it, and above all how you store it. A bar left under the water goes much faster than one that drains and dries between uses. That is why we would rather talk to you about the dish than give you a number we have not measured.
The formula
What is a syndet?
It is short for "synthetic detergent": a blend of gentle, plant-derived cleansers in a concentrated solid bar. Unlike traditional soap, which is alkaline and drying, a syndet lets us formulate to the natural acidic pH of your skin and hair (between 4.5 and 5) to clean thoroughly without disrupting your natural barrier.
What pH are they?
Our bars sit between 4.5 and 5. Your hair lives between 4.5 and 5.5, and your skin between 4.1 and 5.8. The point is to stay inside that range instead of taking you out of it.
It says "cetyl alcohol". Will it dry me out?
No. It reads oddly on a label, but it is a fatty alcohol, the kind that softens. It has nothing to do with the alcohol that evaporates and dries you out.
Why no parabens?
Because we choose gentler and safer alternatives. Although our bars contain no added water, they stay in contact with shower moisture. To protect against bacteria and fungi without traditional parabens, we use Cosgard, a gentle broad-spectrum preservative approved for clean, natural cosmetics.
And no sulfates?
None either. We clean with gentler surfactants, so the bar takes the day off your skin and hair without stripping the oils they make themselves.
Are they vegan?
Some are and some are not. The formulas differ between products, so instead of a brand-level seal we mark it product by product. Every product page carries its seals and its full ingredient list.
Use and care
Where do I find the instructions?
On each product page, under "How to use it". The steps for a shampoo are not the steps for a conditioner, so every product carries its own instead of one generic routine for the whole catalog.
How do I store it?
Dry, somewhere it can drain. A dish with drainage, out of the direct spray. A bar sitting in a puddle softens and wears down sooner. A bar that drains between uses lasts much longer.
Does shower steam ruin it?
Steam is not the problem. Standing water is. Keep it somewhere that drains and gets some air, and it handles a humid bathroom without trouble.
Will it feel different at first?
It might, and it is worth knowing why. Many shampoos leave a silicone layer that feels smooth instantly. Without that layer the first washes feel different, and what you are feeling is your own hair.
What should I do if the bar breaks when it gets small?
This is completely normal. As the bar thins out with use, it can break into small pieces. Do not throw them away: wet the pieces with a little warm water, press them together with your hands to fuse them back, and let them dry on a draining dish. You can also press the leftover piece directly onto your new bar in the shower to merge them and use every last bit.
Who it is for
Can the whole family use it?
Yes. It is personal care for healthy skin and hair, formulated to the pH of both, so you do not need one bar per person. If someone at home has a known sensitivity, the full ingredient list is on every product page so you can check it first.
What if my hair is colored?
We are not going to promise you anything about color, because we have not measured it. What we can tell you is what is in it and what is not: no sulfates, an acidic pH, and the full list on every product page so you can check it with whoever colors your hair.
Payments and security
Is it safe to shop at abani?
Yes. All transactions are securely processed through Stripe with bank-grade 256-bit encryption and PCI-DSS Level 1 certification. We never store your card data on our servers.
Which payment methods do you accept?
We accept credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and cash payments at OXXO convenience stores across Mexico powered by Stripe.
Still wondering about something?
If an answer left you halfway, write to us and we will answer. The questions that repeat end up on this page.
Write to us at hola@abani.mx
Every figure on this page comes from somewhere. You can check the sources: What backs us up