# Oatmeal in a shampoo and body bar?



## narnia (Jan 2, 2016)

A friend has requested a shampoo / body bar with oatmeal.  Is this a practical thing?  I would think that the oatmeal would get into the hair and make it difficult to shampoo....


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## Obsidian (Jan 2, 2016)

I would soak some oatmeal in water then strain the pieces out and only use the water. All the goodness of oatmeal without the bits


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## narnia (Jan 2, 2016)

Hmmmm...that's an idea!  I will be using GM, so I guess I could soak it in the milk...

Would something like "colloidal oatmeal" whatever that is...(I have seen them use it in some Youtube vids) be so fine as to not get all caught up in the hair?


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## Obsidian (Jan 2, 2016)

colloidal oatmeal is very fine but I've not used it so I don't know what it would be like. You could try some in a small batch, if it doesn't work on hair at least it would be ok for body.


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## Susie (Jan 2, 2016)

I would not suggest colloidal oatmeal for a shampoo.  While it is tiny pieces, it is still oatmeal pieces.  I, too, would use the oat milk method.


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## narnia (Jan 2, 2016)

Susie said:


> I would not suggest colloidal oatmeal for a shampoo.  While it is tiny pieces, it is still oatmeal pieces.  I, too, would use the oat milk method.



Yeah...doesn't sound practical to have oatmeal pieces in shampoo, does it?  That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure.

I did a google search and the only shampoo bar that actually used oatmeal in it was a dog shampoo.

I don't know how I would soak the oatmeal in frozen goat milk that is to be added to lye....  I suppose I could soak the oatmeal in GM, remove the OM and then freeze the GM.  Would this then be called, "oatmeal-infused GM?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Jan 3, 2016)

Also, a general bar for hair and body is likely to be bad at one or the other - or both! For my short hair I can use a body bar on my hair, but for people with longer hair it would be terrible. 

A shampoo bar is not really a body bar. You can use it as such, but then it is still a shampoo bar that just happens to be used as a body bar. 

I would infuse first and freeze after, for ease. But as to what to call it - just tell your friend that you infused it when you give it to her. No matter what you 'call' it, you'll still talk to her about it when she gets it (explaining about the acid rinse, for example) so you can just tell her


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## Susie (Jan 3, 2016)

narnia said:


> Yeah...doesn't sound practical to have oatmeal pieces in shampoo, does it?  That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure.
> 
> I did a google search and the only shampoo bar that actually used oatmeal in it was a dog shampoo.
> 
> I don't know how I would soak the oatmeal in frozen goat milk that is to be added to lye....  I suppose I could soak the oatmeal in GM, remove the OM and then freeze the GM.  Would this then be called, "oatmeal-infused GM?



I would soak the oats in water, and use that as "oat milk" in place of GM.  If something goes awry in the soap and you have oat milk with GM, then a whole new recipe, it gets difficult to figure out what went wrong.  

If you absolutely must have both, I would use the powdered GM  mixed in with the oils.


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## narnia (Jan 3, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Also, a general bar for hair and body is likely to be bad at one or the other - or both! For my short hair I can use a body bar on my hair, but for people with longer hair it would be terrible.
> 
> A shampoo bar is not really a body bar. You can use it as such, but then it is still a shampoo bar that just happens to be used as a body bar.
> 
> I would infuse first and freeze after, for ease. But as to what to call it - just tell your friend that you infused it when you give it to her. No matter what you 'call' it, you'll still talk to her about it when she gets it (explaining about the acid rinse, for example) so you can just tell her



I've been using my GM shampoo / body bars on my hair and body (I have below shoulder length hair) and then use an all natural conditioner afterwards.  I've never used an acid rinse.  My hair looks and feels so much better than with any liquid shampoo that I have used, so I don't understand why it would not work for some people.  My skin feels great, too. 

I have straight Asian hair, so maybe it works well for my type of hair.  My DH is Caucasian and it works great for him, too, without any conditioner.  Very shiny and full of body.  So, personally for us, we have not had any issues with using shampoo/body bars.

BTW...the friend is a male, so no long hair involved.  He wants to be able to shave with it, too.


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## cmzaha (Jan 3, 2016)

I would use Hydrolyzed Oats in a shampoo bar. Hopefully you are making a true shampoo bar and not Soap. Shampoo is surfactant based not lye based soap. Sorry but eventually your hair will show effects of using soap, maybe not this year but give it time. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/hydrolyzed-oats.html


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## cinnamaldehyde (Jan 3, 2016)

What about just using oat milk?  You could do oat and goat together if you're really wanting to use GM?  You'd save yourself a step by using oats that have already been milked 

In my experience, the soothing benefit of the oats comes from using colloidal oats (I grind my own).  I'm not sure you'd want a soothing ingredient in a shampoo bar, or the little oaty bits.  Which brings us full circle to just using oat milk.

I find a lot of times people are... placated/comforted/placebo effect(ed) by knowing that their requested ingredient is in the soap, whether or not it retains it's therapeutic/herbal/aroma properties after saponification.

(Actually now that I think about it, "Oat & Goat" is a great name for a soap!  I make a lot of beer soaps... a "Goaty Oaty Stout Soap might be next on my to-do list!)


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## narnia (Jan 3, 2016)

cinnamaldehyde said:


> What about just using oat milk?  You could do oat and goat together if you're really wanting to use GM?  You'd save yourself a step by using oats that have already been milked
> 
> In my experience, the soothing benefit of the oats comes from using colloidal oats (I grind my own).  I'm not sure you'd want a soothing ingredient in a shampoo bar, or the little oaty bits.  Which brings us full circle to just using oat milk.
> 
> ...



Very cute!!  OR..."Oaty Goat Milk Soap."


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## Arimara (Jan 3, 2016)

cinnamaldehyde said:


> What about just using oat milk?  You could do oat and goat together if you're really wanting to use GM?  You'd save yourself a step by using oats that have already been milked
> 
> In my experience, the soothing benefit of the oats comes from using colloidal oats (I grind my own).  I'm not sure you'd want a soothing ingredient in a shampoo bar, or the little oaty bits.  Which brings us full circle to just using oat milk.
> 
> ...



That sounds great to me! The stout soap I mean.


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## Nostalgicgranny (Jan 5, 2016)

I use my oatmeal milk and honey soap on my dogs.  The colloidal oats don't leave bits in their fur.


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## cmzaha (Jan 5, 2016)

cinnamaldehyde said:


> What about just using oat milk?  You could do oat and goat together if you're really wanting to use GM?  You'd save yourself a step by using oats that have already been milked
> 
> In my experience, the soothing benefit of the oats comes from using colloidal oats (I grind my own).  I'm not sure you'd want a soothing ingredient in a shampoo bar, or the little oaty bits.  Which brings us full circle to just using oat milk.
> 
> ...


I am curious what you use for grinding your oats, and if a grain mill will grind as fine as colloidal oats. Colloidal oats practically dissolve they are so fine. I know my very expensive burr grinder that grinds coffee to a powder will still not grind oats as fine.


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## narnia (Jan 5, 2016)

My thinking had been that colloidal oats could not be ground at home.  I thought that it was too fine for any kind of home equipment.


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## Obsidian (Jan 6, 2016)

What about baby oatmeal? It should practically dissolve to nothing.


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## shunt2011 (Jan 6, 2016)

I've used baby oatmeal and it worked out fine.  Though, I ususally just grind regular oatmeal to a powder in my coffee grinder.


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## narnia (Jan 6, 2016)

So many wonderful ideas!!


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