Shampoo bar base

dixiedragon · Oct 27, 2016

So I succumbed to the dark side - I went to Lush. (blame doriettafarm). I'm totally in love with the shampoo bar and wondering if anybody has found a base for them that they like? Chemistry Store has one - any thoughts?

I looked at Swiftcraftymonkey's blog on it but that's a bit intimidating!

DeeAnna · Oct 27, 2016

I looked at "Honey I washed my Hair" http://www.lushusa.com/hair/shampoo-bars/honey-i-washed-my-hair/05563.html

The main ingredient and syndet cleanser in the bar is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). They have also included small %'s of sweet orange oil, bergamot oil, and limonene -- all three can act as degreasing agents as well as add fragrance.

I'm sure the bar smells amazing, but, boy, I think that formulation would be drying and potentially irritating to the scalp. At least it would be for me if I used it on my hair, based on my experience with SLS shampoos in the past.

I would think you could go to the Chemistry Store or other supplier of syndets and buy SLS, melt it with a bit of beeswax for thickening and a nice fragrance, and end up with something similar.

Susan's recipes are more complicated, because she's trying to formulate a shampoo bar that's not irritating or overly drying to the scalp and hair. Although I appreciate that, I also agree with you that it's intimidating. Not so much that it would be hard to make, but that it requires ingredients I don't have already. I figured out what it would cost to buy ingredients for a small batch of syndet shampoo bars a la Susan. The cost turned me off, especially since I have no idea if I'd even like the shampoo bar.

dixiedragon · Oct 27, 2016

I have somewhat dry hair - very very straight and I wash my hair every other day. Fairly long - it's a few inches past my shoulder blades. I've been using my Lush bar - the Honey I washed my hair one - for about a week. No irritation, not drying. I did condition it last night but I usually condition once a week anyway. So far I've been very pleased!

I would love to try Susan's recipe but like you said - SO MUCH stuff and I have none of it! I wish somebody sold a kit that would let me make a pound or two to try.

dixiedragon · Oct 27, 2016

http://www.chemistrystore.com/Melt_Pour_Soap-Crystal_SS_Shampoo_Bar.html

INCI List:

Aqua
Glycerin
Sodium Stearate
Sorbitol
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Sodium Chloride
Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
Titanium Dioxide
Stearic Acid
Lauric Acid
Pentasodium Pentetate
Tetrasodium Etidronate
Plolyquaternium 7 (conditioning additive)
Aloe Vera Leaf Juice Powder
Sodium Benzoate

From what I have read, sodium laureth is gentler than sodium lauryl.

shunt2011 · Oct 27, 2016

I tried the one from Rustic Escentuals. It made my hair feel crappy. I have shoulder length naturally curly color treated and abused hair. I too have considered trying Susan's but not cost effective at all to order everything.

This is the ingredients on that one.

Glycerin, Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Polyquaternium 7 (a conditioning additive), Aloe Vera Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate.

Dahila · Oct 27, 2016

I make one tweaked, so no SLS in mine. I tweaked Susan's one. It is very gentle
ere's what I consider to be the basic recipe for making a shampoo bar...

50 to 65% powdered surfactants I use DLS mild
10 to 26% liquid surfactants mine cocobeataine and bioterge AS-40
2 to 7% bar hardener like stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, or sodium lactate (liquid)Cetyl alcohol
1 to 3% emulsifiers (usually e-wax, but BTMS would double duty here)Bmts-50
2 to 7% conditioning agent like Incroquat CR or BTMS also Bmts-50
2 to 3% butters - shea, mango, cocoa Cocoa or mango I do not like shea butter
1 to 2% hydrolyzed proteins 2% of Oat protein next time I will try silk
1 to 4% silicones - dimethicone at 1 to 2%, cyclomethicone at 1 to 2%
.5 to 2% panthenol
1 to 2% fragrance or essential oils
0.5% to 1% preservative

No scalp itching, hair nice soft and shiny

doriettefarm · Oct 27, 2016

I recently started experimenting with shampoo bars so I'll have to give you one out of my next batch. My recipe is also a tweaked version of swift's and very similar to Dahila's except I use a combo of SCI & SLSA for my powdered surfactants.