Tessa, age thirteen, and Davia, age ten, are sisters from the West Coast that share many interests: from their love of animals to traveling around the world. They also love the environment and were stumped when they found out that there wasn’t a chemical-free and inexpensive shampoo bar on the market. So, what did they do? The sisters DIY-ed their own bars, of course! From shampoo and conditioner bars to dish detergent, these young entrepreneurs began selling their products to their community, and most recently online. With their up and coming company, Sustainabar, these sisters are saving the earth, one bar at a time. 

Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves?

Both: We are sisters who live in Albany, California. We both play soccer and love animals -- especially cats and dogs. We also love traveling. Last summer, we went to Spain, France and Andorra. Being from the Bay Area, we have participated in many marches and school walkouts. We have participated in the Women's March, Black Lives Matter (when Davia was a baby, on dad's shoulders) and a climate change walk-out.

What is Sustainabar? How was it started?

Both: We are very environmentally conscientious, so we wanted to give the Lush shampoo bars a try in order to be kinder to our planet. However, we found that there were more cons than pros to this product: each shampoo bar is $12 each, it contains a ton of chemicals, and it didn’t work on our hair that well. We wondered if we could make our own shampoo bars for cheaper with all-natural ingredients. After doing lots of research on the DIY soap-making process and with the help from our mom, we made our first bar. Sadly, it was a flop. Too much coconut oil. With more trial and error, we finally found a recipe that worked for us. 

Tessa: Sustainabar is a brand that focuses on using all natural ingredients that promote sustainability, as well as being an affordable option for everyone. Our mission is to replace plastic bottles with less wasteful bars. Instead of buying bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and dish soap, we are making bars of concentrated product that does the same thing. 

What is your process of creating your shampoo bars? What are their ingredients?

Both: For the Almond and Honey shampoo bars (our most popular bars), the ingredients are: coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, apricot kernel oil, shea butter, beeswax, filtered water, lye, and essential oils.  We mix all the ingredients with our mom's help and make a hot-process shampoo soap that contains extra oils/butters to condition hair and mix with a stick blender. The bars are poured into molds and ready in an hour. 

Why did you choose to make plant-based products? 

Tessa: Chemicals aren't good for the planet - or for our hair. 

What bar do you love the most? Or, which one would you recommend to try?

Tessa: We love the Almond shampoo bar the most. 

Davia: The smell of makes me feel like I want to eat it!

How are your bars packaged? Are they waste free?

Both: We use all recycled materials, from old cardboard boxes to newspapers, for packaging.   

What is the biggest challenge you've experienced with Sustainabar? 

Tessa: The first time we tried to make the bars, my mom mixed the lye in an aluminum pot and the pot melted! Yikes. There were fumes everywhere! After that, we learned to use tempered glass to stir in the lye ingredient. 

How about your biggest achievement?

Tessa: Selling out out of our bars at my middle school craft fair in an hour! People were really excited about the concept. One of my first customers was my grade school principal! 

How else do you practice sustainability?

Both: At home, we save water, compost, eat our leftovers (mom makes us), and recycle. We try to avoid plastic and wash out our ziplock bags and reuse. Thrifting is a HUGE one, and we like to buy used clothes on Depop! We also grow a vegetable garden, and participated in a beach clean-up with Girl Scouts.

Anything else you would like to share? 

Tessa: Our world is in a climate crisis, and we need to radically change our lifestyles. I'm afraid my kids won't live in a sustainable environment if we don't do something now. We inherited this mess and we need to fix it now. By using Sustainabar’s shampoo bars, you can ditch a bottle, buy a bar and help save our planet! 

Davia: Greta Thunberg is a great role model. My favorite quote from her is “You are never too small to make a difference”, and that has really inspired both my sister and me to make a positive impact on our planet. 

Sustainabar shampoo bars are now available for purchase on their website. 

A portion of their sales are donated to homeless shelters in the California Bay Area. 

Follow Sustainabar on Instagram and Pinterest. 

Interview by Laura Matusheski