When you are in the hair styling business you need top quality equipment to get you through the day. Whether it is hair cutting and styling tools or the right shampoos and conditioners, etc. You need the best to make sure your business thrives.
There is no way you can trust your business to inferior products. The same attitude goes for portable hair washing bowls. You need the best even if you think the equipment is not as important as other tools.
Using the best even when the tool is insignificant says a lot about you and your business attitude. What follows is a review of the 5 top portable shampoo bowls on the market today.
To find out why we think it is the best, just continue to read our review. Being aware and switching to the best equipment available is great advertising for you and your business.
Reviews of the Best Portable Hair Washing Bowl
Ranking | Brands | Adjustable | Castor wheels | Editor's Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Yes | No | ||
#2 | Yes | No | ||
#3 | Yes | No | ||
#4 | Yes | No | ||
#5 | No | No |
One of the important items you need in a good portable hair washing bowl is adjustability. You cannot service your customers very well if the bowl does not adjust to their stature.
This bowl not only adjusts in height. It also adjusts in angle. You can make sure that your customer’s head is position just right and not causing them any discomfort as you shampoo and conditioner their hair.
Its feet are designed to remain still as you work. This stability helps keep your customer comfortable and relaxed. When your customers are relaxed you can work a lot easier and faster.
A drain hose is attached so you don’t have a mess to clean up when you are done. The water drains right where you want it to go. Made from polypropylene and metal, you get easier clean up and can keep the bowl germ and bacteria free.
Takeaways
- The light weight is a big plus and it is easy to adjust to fit your different customers. Also cleaning the basin is not that difficult
- The lack of wheels is troubling but fixable. There is no sprayer attachment to rinse hair and the drain hose should be upgraded to a better quality
The ABS composite construction materials keep this portable shampoo bowl lightweight and easy to move. You can also clean it up easier and faster keeping germs and bacteria away from your clients.
The metal telescoping pole is not hard to adjust to meet your client’s stature. Just turn the knob and lift or push down. Then the bowl itself is adjustable so you can find the right angle to keep your customer comfortable.
Measuring 20 x 19 x 9-1/2 inches in size, you get a lot of room for your client’s head and the water you need to shampoo their heads correctly. The adjustment ranges between 39 inches and 55 inches.
The 60” drain hose is 1 ¼” in diameter. This allows the sink to drain without clogging. A rubber plug keeps the water inside till it is time to drain it out. For stability reasons, no wheels are attached to the portable shampoo bowl.
Takeaways
- The height adjustment works well as does the 60” drain hose, though that could be longer. The deep basin aspect was also good.
- There were some leaks around the plumbing connections which were not good and the bowl itself may be a little difficult to adjust. We also found that it may not work for tiny people.
#3. eMark Beauty Tilting Shampoo Bowl (Best Portable Shampoo Bowl with Water Source)
This shampoo bowl mounts to your wall. It may not be as portable as the others, but it can be installed and removed quickly if needed. Th wall mount provides extra stability and security for both you and your clients.
What makes it special is its gel neck rest. Instead of a hard surface, your customers get the flexibility and comfort of gel supporting their neck. The rest of the sink is made from easy to clean and durable ABA plastic.
Its hot and cold water faucet allows you to make sure the water temperature is just right for your customers. It also comes with a spray washer to rinse your clients’ hair a lot faster and more thoroughly.
To protect you against any loss of small personal items, there is a professional hair trap. This lets the hair and water escape but not your jewelry, etc. It is one of the best portable shampoo bowls with water source.
Takeaways
- The unit has a good hot and cold water faucet with a thorough spray rinse. Then the gel neck impressed us.
- The drawback is that while small it is not really portable, and the ABS plastic may be a bit weak. We also found that the plumbing hardware was not top quality.
Since people do not come in the same size, it pays to have an adjustable portable shampoo bowl on hand to meet their needs. This bowl can adjust both in height and in angle making it easier for you to wash hair.
To keep the weight down and making this bowl easy to maneuver, it is made from injected molded plastic. You should still be able to clean it easily enough and make sure germs and bacteria are strangers.
The hose extends up to 7’ in length allowing plenty of range to position the shampoo bowl. Also, the bowl measures 19 by 20 by 10 inches in size. This gives you plenty of room to shampoo your client’s hair.
For stability, the bowl and stand sit on top of 5-star shaped legs and 5 feet. The lack of wheels does not remove the portable nature of this bowl.
Takeaways
- The 7-foot hose is very handy as is the deep bowl size. The complement the deep design of the bowl
- The construction material seemed a bit weak and the lack of lockable wheels makes this a little inconvenient to use. Also, the neck rest may not accommodate large neck sizes.
There are those times when a portable hair washing bowl will not fit the situation at hand. Your clients are either restricted to their beds, in a wheel chair or recovering from surgery and so on. They can’t bend the right way to use a traditional portable shampoo bowl.
This inflatable version saves you a lot of trouble. Once inflated and put in place a chin strap keeps it secure and tight against your customer’s neck. This prevents mess and leaks.
Its interior channels direct the hair and water towards the drain making clean up a lot easier. Two breaths and it is ready to go. Plus, it is easy to deflate, making storing and transport easy. The lightweight, under 8 ounces, does not put a strain on your customer’s neck or head.
Takeaways
- The overall design as it makes storying and transporting very easy. Its lightweight and the channels help cleaning easier.
- There was still a good chance of leaking. Plus, it is not puncture proof and may not be strong enough.
How to Choose the Best Portable Shampoo Bowl
Not every portable shampoo bowl is right for every person or situation. But there are basics aspects that you need to make sure you can shampoo hair correctly. To help you get the right hair washing bowl for you, here are a few are questions you need to ask yourself as you shop:
- Situation - will the bowl work for those complicated situations where your customer cannot get out of bed or their wheel chair? Will it accommodate special circumstances like surgery patients, injured people and as well as healthy people of all sizes?
- Stability - is the base and feet or wheels stable enough for you to work easily while keeping your customer comfortable?
- Drain hose - is the drain hose long enough to meet yours and your client’s needs?
- Adjustment - do you get enough height and angle adjustment to keep your customers comfortable?
- Durability - is the bowl made of strong construction material that will not crack at the wrong time? Will the material stain when you color someone’s hair?
- Bowl size - not every head is the same size. Will the bowl feet all head sizes comfortably?
- Weight - is the bowl easy to move about even though it has no wheels?
- Space - will the portable shampoo bow fit inside your working space without making the area to tight to move in?
- Price - keeping costs low is important but you do not want to sacrifice quality for a low price.
The Benefits of Using a Portable Shampoo Bowl
You may not think about it but there are some benefits that come with using a portable hair washing bowl:
- Clean-up: with the drain hose there is less mess to clean up after you are done.
- Convenience: due to their portable nature, you can put the bowl out of the way when not in use. Then they are lightweight enough to move into position when needed.
- Flexibility: you can drain and use these bowls just about anywhere you want. They also go in the car to meet your house bound client’s needs
- Comfort: they keep your customer comfortable and happy.
- Maintenance: very little repair work is needed
Some issues
It is probably because there are not a lot of people buying these portable shampoo bowls that we had trouble finding a few different styles. We could not find any suitable or top best examples for the following categories: portable shampoo bowl with water tank, portable shampoo bowl with water source, and portable shampoo bowl for kitchen sink.
If you are looking specifically for these versions of the best portable shampoo bowls then you may be out of luck. We would advise you to look for an alternative like the 5 examples mentioned in our review.
When you can’t find what you want, you deal with it and adapt.
A Few Final Words
When you are looking for a good shampoo bowl to use in your hair styling business, it pays to go with the best there is. You do not need any surprises. Nor do you need them to break at the wrong time.
When you go shopping for one of the best portable shampoo bowls make sure you know all the situations you will need it in and make sure you get the one that meets all those circumstances.
While expensive bowls are not always perfect and cheap ones are not always bad, make sure the price you pay is within your allotted budget. You want a good bowl for the right price.
One thing is for sure, when you want to have a good reputation as a hair stylist, you cannot cut corners and buy inferior tools. Even something small like portable hair washing bowls need to be the best of the best. That way you can build your reputation and gain more clients.
As for the winner of this round-up, it was a difficult choice. There were some great products on review, but one stood out for its adjustment range, its construction and its overall top-quality design. The winner is TheBarbr Adjustable Hair Washing Bowl. The only drawback to this product is that its drain hose is not quite as good as the others.
