A Love Note to Dip
It was a quiet January in 2022, just a couple of months after we opened. I was in the shop, and Kate, from Dip, reached out through Instagram to chat about her solid shampoos and conditioners. I thought I had been done with trying solid hair care bars because none of the ones I had tried worked for me. They didn’t just not work, they made my hair feel either super dry or coated in wax. My scalp would also inevitably start itching too. I was ready to give up on solid hair care altogether. Which would have been difficult since we are a low waste shop.
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t super excited to try yet another bar when Kate asked, but their website was so fun and inspiring, I said yes to testing them out. Wow! So happy I did!
How Dip Hair Care Found Its Way Into Refill Mercantile
Our first order landed in the shop in February, 2022 and has become one of our top 5 selling brands in the shop and hasn’t dropped from that spot. To date, we have sold over $70K in Dip products in our little shop.
If you’re curious, our top-selling scent is coconut almond, then rosewater jasmine. We didn’t start off with the entire line, and we didn’t need to in the beginning. But as Dip got more popular online and their store locator started sending folks to us, we quickly brought in all of them!
Why Our Customers Keep Coming Back
The sales were happening. Our customers were so thrilled to find a luxury-level solid hair care bar, and once they found out how long it lasts, that “luxury price” made a lot more sense. These bars LAST! Rob and I both use the full-size shampoo bar daily, yes, we wash our hair daily, and these are formulated to be gentle enough to do this or strong enough to handle the once-a-week washer. One full-size shampoo bar will last us 3-4 months.
The full-size conditioner bar, nicknamed the overachiever for a reason, will last just me about 20 months. Just think of not having to buy conditioner every year and a half! The conditioner bar will last most folks about a year. The mini conditioner bar lasted me about 5 months of daily use when I first tried it. Totally worth every penny!
What Customers Say About Dip Shampoo and Conditioner Bars
My hair has never felt better! I am not the only one who says this. Customers also say this. Check out the reviews on the conditioner bars! And those are just the ones online. I’ve had customers come in with very dry, over-processed hair, and once they started using the shampoo and conditioner bars, their hair started feeling soft again. One of my more memorable responses was a woman who came in with super thick curly hair and took the leap and tried Dip. She came back in the next day, walked in, and very excitedly said: “Dawna! Check out how amazing my hair looks!!”
Another customer loved the Dip conditioner bars so much she bought minis for all of her “mermaid” friends she swims with. When I get a super excited customer, it’s so fun to message Kate and let her know how much people love her products!
Why These Shampoo Bars Are Worth the Hype
Wondering if the shampoo bars get as much love? They sure do!! We have had so many people buy them for their friends and family, and they will always sell them to another customer in the shop when they get the chance.
The Environmental Impact of Switching to Solid Hair Care
If we all swapped our bottled shampoo and conditioner for refillable or solid options, we would save 550 million empty shampoo bottles from the waste stream per year, just in the United States. All this without compromising effectiveness or ingredients, and think of how many people would be walking around with GOOD hair days every day!
More Than a Product: Why We Love Working With Dip
Dip isn’t just a brand selling amazing, solid hair care, they are a small operation, and we, as retailers, have the ability to reach out any time and get a real person. When I scrolled back through the messages in Instagram to find when we first chatted, it took a loong time! There are that many messages with Kate.
It was rather fun to reminisce! She would send articles where she mentioned refill stores and even directly mentioned us, like this one in Beauty Independent. When I told her about things we were doing locally, she cheered us on. She came and did a Dip event at the shop with her hubs Jonathan. We chatted about real-life events happening. Cheered each other up and chatted about how they, as a brand, could help refill stores. Who else does this??
Building Community Through Refill Stores
Dip is our biggest cheerleader, and we are so here for it! From them comparing us to record stores being cool, to them not competing with us on Amazon, to Dip trips to celebrate and gather refill store owners, to creating the most incredible marketing, to messages on Instagram and text…I feel so supported by Dip.
Last year, I was invited to NY to meet up with the Dip team and 20 other refill store owners. It was amazing! We have a great group of refill store owners here in the bay, but getting to know more across the country was incredible! We are such a niche concept, it feels amazing to be able to chat with other about pain points and successes. I know I can reach out to any one of them for advice and they would respond without hesitation. It’s pretty special to be a part of this group of people who all carry Dip, and all say how much it has helped their shop.
the NY trip!
This year, I was invited to Nashville, TN, for a meetup with Dip, Hibar, and Plaine Products with 30 other refill store owners. These ladies, yes, all female owners, are the most incredible people! We got to chat directly with them, ask questions, and learn more about behind the scenes. These opportunities aren’t something many other brands would even consider.
the TN trip!
Why Brands Like Dip Matter
I’ve said it before, and I will continue to say it. “If makers didn’t create amazing low waste products with clean ingredients that are effective, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.” We are so thankful people take that super scary leap to create something so amazing that it ticks all of those crazy difficult boxes to make a unicorn product we feel confident selling.
If you’re a fellow refill store reading this and are on the fence, let’s chat. If you’re a potential customer wondering if this is worth the hype, let’s chat more.
This isn’t a sales pitch, it’s a love note to Dip for doing what they are good at… making amazing products that fit everyone’s lifestyle and supporting small businesses.
Are you ready to Dip? Check out their store locator for the nearest local shop! If you don’t have one, then go ahead and order direct or from us.
FAQs:
Are Dip shampoo bars good for color-treated hair? YES! Literally all hair types and treatments.
Do Dip shampoo and conditioner bars work as well as bottle shampoo? Heck ya! There is a slight change in habit but once you use these, you won’t go back to bottles.
Can I use a liquid shampoo with the Dip conditioner bar? Yes, this is one way to take the first step if you’re hesitant to swap everything out at once. The conditioner bar will change your life.
My kids get tangles all the time, is the Dip conditioner bar good for this? YES! Oh my goodness we have so many parents get the mini Dip conditioner bar for their littles specifically to detangle their hair.
How do I help keep my Dip shampoo bar and Dip conditioner bar lasting longer? Pro-tip, keep it dry in between uses and use less. Seriously, you don’t need much.
Does Dip also offer other products? They sure do! They make shampoo bars and conditioner bars, in full size and mini for travel, body wash bars, face wash bars, hair and body dry oil in starters and refills, enzyme cleansing spray in deadstock bottles for in between washing, travel cases because these are perfect for travel, their shower wall mount system which is an absolute game changer to keep the bars dry, and some merch and accessories. We carry their shampoo, conditioner, body wash bars, dry oils, travel cases, and enzyme spray. Grab the merch and other accessories direct from them!
Is Dip completely plastic-free? Yes! With solid bars, you get to ditch even the plastic pump. Solid hair care is the most sustainable option, with our water-free liquid refills as a close second. Healthy hair without plastic bottles for the win!
