Gorge Local — In Business: Locally handcrafted bar shampoo, conditioner serves as sustainable, plastic-free alternative

“I do a batch of shampoo and then a batch of conditioner, so I’m using different molds,” she said. “I pour a batch of shampoo and while it’s hardening, I do a conditioner. And while that’s cooling, I can wash everything out again.”

It takes some shuffling, but she can make 100 in a day. Her dream, however, is to find investors and a manufacturer who will do the work for her — so she can concentrate on creating more formulas for skincare products.

“Now that I have a formula, I want to be able to farm it out to another manufacturer,” she said. “But it’s such an unusual process that I’ve had a really hard time finding someone who will do it.”

Martin created the formula for her bar shampoos and conditioners herself, by trial and error (“Kind of error and error,” she joked), about two years ago, with help from her husband Ron.

“My husband’s a chemical engineer,” Martin said. “He has a master’s in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering.

“It was great — like, spreadsheets and formulas and amounts. And we did testing on how much of each ingredient we needed, the maximum usage of each ingredient and how much you need to make it. And then, I wanted a portable formula.”

She’s no stranger to creating her own businesses. When she came to Hood River in the 1990s, she opened a bagel shop, first on the Heights and later downtown. After she sold it, she started growing basil in a greenhouse — with Ron as her business partner — eventually becoming the main supplier for Pacific Northwest Whole Foods locations.

And when they sold that business, Martin began to look for something new.

The idea StarBars came to her in bits and pieces — the problems she had with her own hair never growing past a certain point due to damage and a desire to create a plastic-free, sustainable product. Both the shampoo and conditioner contain all-natural ingredients, including extracts and botanicals, that rejuvenate each strand. You can get about 70 washes per bar, which Martin said is comparable to about two plastic bottles’ worth.

It even comes in a recyclable cardboard box (the artwork was created by a friend) and a 100% recycled paper mailer. Different colored stickers differentiate between the formulas: Strength (for all hair types), Protect (for dry, delicate or color-treated hair), Clarity (for extra cleansing or oily-type hair) and Freedom (color and fragrance free). First-time customers receive a free soap dish, handmade by an artisan in Portland from end pieces of wood.

Martin credits the Small Business Development Center in The Dalles and the Mid–Columbia Economic Development District for helping get StarBars off and running — everything from what size and shape the bars should be to funding to create a website. As of now, the bars are primarily sold via her website, www.star-bars.com.

It’s not difficult to switch to bar shampoo and conditioner — there are no special instructions. You can create a lather on your hands or rub it directly on your hair. Ditto for the conditioner, though it does not lather. It can be used on any hair type. And it can be stored in the shower on its wooden tray.

“There’s nothing confusing about it,” Martin said. “It’s super easy and super straightforward. It just replaces what you have now.”