Most people who use this bar stop using bottled shampoo. That is the pattern. They try it once, their hair comes out cleaner than expected, and the plastic bottles disappear from the shower. Pine tar is the base. Peppermint essential oil and tea tree essential oil are mixed in, both doing specific work on the scalp. The peppermint is Oregon Willamette Valley sourced. The scent the three together produce is mild and clean, noticeably different from other pine tar products, which tend to announce themselves. This one does not. You get the benefit of the pine tar without smelling like you borrowed your grandfather's medicine cabinet. It lathers more than people expect from a bar. It rinses completely clean. No residue, no build-up. Customers tell us they reach for it for dry, flaky, and irritated scalps. Some use it exclusively for years. "Best shampoo I've ever used. No build-up, rinses cleanly and completely and has a smell that is pleasant but not overpowering and is not perfumy." — Herb J., verified buyer