Congratulations on starting on your low-waste, plastic free, hair care journey! You won't regret it, and neither will your hair. I love my shampoo bars, my hair is so healthy and my scalp has never been less angry (IYKYK...)
Shampoo bar
Some people find they have a transition phase in switching to a shampoo bar. This is because bottled shampoo is a very strong soap and shampoo bars are much milder. Your scalp produces oils to counteract the effects of shampoo so when switching to a milder shampoo you might find that you have a short period of adjustment until your scalp is used to producing less oil. Don't worry it doesn't last long, and not everyone experiences it. If it concerns you, my tip is to start using your bar before you run out of bottled shampoo so that you can either do time about with your bottle and bar and then wean off it, or you can just do a clarifying shampoo every few washes.
Using the bar:
Get your hair good and wet! Lather up the bar in your hands (it'll take longer the first time to lather) then when you've got a good lather up rub the bar directly onto your head. Top tip, focus on only using 1 side of the bar rather than the whole cube. I rub it on my scalp in big circles then down the lengths of my hair in the direction of growth - ie root to tip. Add a bit more water if needs be and lather up. Then give it a good rinse. I've always shampooed my hair twice but you don't really need to.
Conditioner bars
As with the shampoo bar, work one side until you see product coming off onto your hands then either work the conditioner on your hands through the ends and middle of your hair, or apply straight with the bar. The conditioner doesn't need to be left in for any length of time, you can rinse it straight out. Unlike the shampoo bars you don't need to wean onto the conditioner, you can swap it for your bottled stuff straight away or even use it with bottled shampoo.
You can, and should, use your normal styling products and methods.
Don't worry if you don't get the hang of them immediately. You've been using a certain type of product your whole life and these are different. I definitely wouldn't go back to bottles now, I'm converted! Feel free to drop me a message if you've got any questions at carolyn@venusinstars.co.uk or through Instagram @venus_in_stars