Help finding a good Shampoo & Conditioner bar recipe

[em_england17]

Hey everybody,

So I just started doing research to make shampoo and conditioner bars and it all seems so confusing to me with possibly requiring a hair mask, vinegar rinses, etc. you'd have to do as well. Does anybody have any recommendations, tips, or great recipes I can try?

I also just bought some tallow that I was hoping to use in a recipe.

I found this recipe and was wondering what anyone thought?

Water as percent of oil weight: 35%
Superfat: 6%

Avocado Oil: 30%
Castor Oil: 10%
Olive Oil: 40%
Shea Butter: 10%
Soybean Oil: 10%
- infused with chamomile in all the oils except shea butter.
- added 1 tbsp of sugar to water for added bubbles

 

[AliOop]

The majority of folks on SMF don’t use soap on their hair, as it can be disastrous.

However, some members have had very positive experiences and have shared recipes in other threads. You might try using the search bar (near your avatar at the top of the page) to search for “shampoo bar” or “hair soap.”

 

[Cindy D.]

I do use soap on my hair. Every time I try syndet bars I react. I'm actually allergic to some of the ingredients. I keep the cleansing numbers really low, mine is about 10 in soap calc. I see you're is 0 for cleansing, I'm curious how it will be. I did notice they are still cleansing at the lower numbers. I infused rosemary and several other herbs into castor oil, added silk, pantothenic acid pill crushed, colloidal oats and keep the super fat at 6%. I tried adding citric acid but once day I had a small cut on they finger and that shampoo bars with citric acid strung like crazy, I haven't used citric acid since then.
I rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar, but there is only one brand that I can use, Vermont Village. No one has ever said my hair smells of vinegar after it's dry. If my ends get dry or it's hard to comb, I put just a tiny bit of lotion on my hands, rub it in and then run my hands through my hair.

 

[Nakia]

Your recipe looks great but consider lowering superfat to 2-3%, increasing castor oil to 15-20% for more lather and replacing some olive oil with tallow for a harder bar!

 

[AliOop]

Your recipe looks great but consider lowering superfat to 2-3%, increasing castor oil to 15-20% for more lather and replacing some olive oil with tallow for a harder bar!

Castor oil doesn't create lather. It only stabilizes the lather produced by other fatty acids. Tallow does contain some cleansing/lathering FAs, so I agree with the recommendation to add some of that.