First syndet shampoo bars

[BLKTea]

Yes i did get a solid conditioner sample. I think its sent is something close to honey and cherry's i kind of like it. I have made a solid conditioner before, but i used a Super simple recipe just to try it out.
15 gm (30%) Cocoa butter
15 gm. (30%) BTMS 50
10 gm. (20 %) Cetyl alcohol
10 gm. (20%) skin-safe oil - I used castor and avocado

All though my friends and i do like this recipe. I feel like the sample i got in the kit makes my hair feel much softer.

 

[cmzaha]

I don't know what kind of butter was used in the kit but it was softer so was probably shea.
Here is a question, can these be mixed with water and made into a liquid?
If I try, I would guess I'd need a preservative for water based formula?

Have not a clue, but you could re-melt them and add in some emulsifier. BTMS is nice if you have some since it adds conditioning, or any ewax should toughen them up. It will make it a little harder to kick up lather so if you have any powdered surf you could add some in. I have not tried making liquid from them but if you try I would use a preservative for water

 

[cmzaha]

I'm a rank noob soap-maker and just, this weekend, made a small syndet shampoo bar batch from scratch – SCI > SLSa >> Other ingredients. Mine ended up nowhere near as pretty as yours, but they do smell delightfully lavender.

I found the initial melting phase (SCI) very slow until I added some of the beta coco liquid to the SCI. Providing a liquid phase clearly helps the solid materials melt.

I did not wear a face mask and found both the dust and the fumes a little discomforting. While I had visions of those inhalants stripping off my lungs’ surfactants I seem to not have suffered any problems.

My final bars, actually hemispheres, ended up with scattered small pearls of imperfections which I suspect are tiny remaining unmelted, or resolidified, SCI. The final product, although not very pretty, is already popular with the family (wife and teens of both genders) as it clearly cleans very effectively … and, well, lavender! Next attempt I plan to increase the conditioning / moisturising aspects, and make sure I have some liquid in the pot to start with … and wear a mask. Other next attempts include CP-soap ‘shampoo’ bars, but that’s an entirely other issue.

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The attached picture shows two of my 'bars', one cut in half using a knife. The rough face you see on the two halves is the top, upper surface, from when they were in the mould.

The small pearls were un-melted SCI. It is very very difficult to melt. I use SCI powder and melt it with the surfs and oils. I know Susan at Swiftcrafty says to melt with just the surfactants but it will melt better with oils added.

 

[Obsidian]

Have not a clue, but you could re-melt them and add in some emulsifier. BTMS is nice if you have some since it adds conditioning, or any ewax should toughen them up. It will make it a little harder to kick up lather so if you have any powdered surf you could add some in. I have not tried making liquid from them but if you try I would use a preservative for water

I have some silky e wax and powder SLSA, what % of each should I use? I would definitely like them tougher. I tossed a sample in some water, just to see what it might be like but I suspect I'll like the bar better.

 

[cmzaha]

I have some silky e wax and powder SLSA, what % of each should I use? I would definitely like them tougher. I tossed a sample in some water, just to see what it might be like but I suspect I'll like the bar better.

I usually start with around 5% of each and go from there. Remember you will kill the effectiveness of your preservative. I always add more preservative since it is a wash off product. Lotion would be another matter

 

[soap1daze]

This was Super easy and super quick. I tried a bar today and my hair feels great!

View attachment 27353

BLKTea did you use your own recipe or the kit for these? They look really smooth!