How is this for a basic shampoo bar recipe?

[Susie]

I don't know why castor oil in shampoo bars works. Takes a long time to harden up, but when it does, it makes a superb shampoo bar. My current 'poo bar is from Good Earth Spa, and it has 24% castor oil. It is a really good bar.

 

[inkyfingers]

I've made shampoo bars twice (two different recipes) now, and have found them to leave a waxy residue on the length of my hair. My roots end up very clean, but the length gets very waxy, and more I wash it, the waxier it gets. Does anybody else have this issue with shampoo bars?

 

[seven]

waxy? not as far as i know. my hair did need a couple of weeks period for the transition from commercial shampoos, but after that it's fine. i use a very low superfat (3 max).

 

[inkyfingers]

I've been no 'poo since November 2013, so I'm not sure how long of a transition period I would need. I followed the suggestions in this thread a few months ago to make my bars, but I made them 5% superfatted, so I'll make the next batch 3% and see what happens. Thanks for the suggestion.

I ended up at a long hair forum when I researched 'shampoo bar waxy residue', and they had a discussion on this very topic because hair can't get very long if it's in bad shape - the people in that forum take very good care of their hair. The general conclusion was to wash roots only, and leave the length unsoaped. This does make sense, because my roots are always clean, but the length (down to my waist) gets beyond disgusting, way worse than when I washed my hair with aloe gel and honey once a week. I find this technique interesting because the laws of gravity will make bubbles run down the hair length. I can't even begin to think of how to get shampoo in the roots and keep it off the length.

 

[Obsidian]

What is the cleansing number of your shampoo bars?

 

[inkyfingers]

avocado 30%
castor 10%
rice bran 40%
shea butter 10%
hemp 10%

superfat 5%

hardness 22
cleansing 0
conditioning 73
bubbly 9
creamy 31
iodine 101
INS 83

 

[Obsidian]

You might be getting the greasy feeling from not having enough cleansing in your bars. I recently added 5% coconut to my bars and it really helped with the filmy feeling.

 

[scottief]

Shampoo Bar

I got this recipe from a friend. We made it and it's super soft. After 2 months its alot harder. My mom loves it. Heres the recipe. Can you tell me what you would change on it or if you like it.

Castor oil 33%
Palm oil 13%
Coconut oil 23%
olive oil pumice 26%
sweet almond oil 5%

Added 2.5 Tsp Lavender Eo
14oz water
Lye 6.87 oz
Super fat @5%

What could I do to harden it up a bit more? Thanks for your help.

 

[tcarlin]

Adding more coconut, Palm, tallow, hard butters (shea, cocoa, mango), or even beeswax will give you a harder bar. Have you tried running it through soap calc?

 

[tcarlin]

I've made shampoo bars twice (two different recipes) now, and have found them to leave a waxy residue on the length of my hair. My roots end up very clean, but the length gets very waxy, and more I wash it, the waxier it gets. Does anybody else have this issue with shampoo bars?

I have this issue because I live where we have VERY HARD water. You can try adding sodium bicarbonate or borax to your shampoo bars at trace (cp) or after cook (hp). You can also add ACV to your shampoo bars which will help bring them in the pH range that you want for hair products.

 

[Susie]

You can not add an unspecified amount of ACV to shampoo bars to bring the pH down. You will break the soap back down to fatty acids and lye solution. You can, however, use 1 oz ACV in 8 oz water to rinse your hair to bring the pH down.

That high amount of castor oil is helping the bars stay soft and sticky. If you drop the castor to 25% or lower, and up the palm that much, it would help some.

 

[tcarlin]

Actually you can add ACV to a poo bar. I wouldn't have thought it could work either but this lady pulled it off. I have made her recipe and it worked well. I'll include the link if you'de like to review her work.

http://lizardladysoapinfo.blogspot.com/2014/06/so-you-want-to-make-bar-of-shampoo.html?m=1

Here's another way to do it using citric acid.

http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/cold-process-soap/sudsy-shampoo-bars/

I agree ACV works for most people but I tried it for months without success. My hair is way better without the ACV rinse and I prefer the sodium bicarbonate or borax in my shampoo bars better. That's just what works for me. Everyone is different, especially the hair and scalp can be difficult to find a formula that works for everyone. I think the problem might be her water. That's why I suggested the SB or Borax in her soap to help "soften" the water.

 

[Yami]

I make my shampoo bars in PVC. I've tweaked and tweaked my recipe and am the most happy so far with very low coconut, lots of avocado, lots of castor, a little Shea, and the rest tallow. I have a batch of beer bars curing I'm really anxious to try that has no coconut. I use rosemary essential oil - I've put it in my last 3 or 4 batches and really love the smell. Also, and this is purely anecdotal and not scientific fact, but something in my shampoo bars is helping with hair loss. There's not nearly as much hair in the comb, on the vanity, and on the floor as before. I'm not the only one to notice this and a couple of my aunts have proudly shown me fringes of new hair growing like a new set of bangs. I can't be sure, but I think it's the rosemary essential oil that is responsible.

Chicklet, Could I possibly get your shampoo bar recipe from you please? I have hypothyroidism and have been losing hair a lot due to that. I would really like to try making your soap to see if it can help me if you don't mind.
Thank you very much,
Annette

 

[Obsidian]

This thread is three years old, chicklet isn't active here any longer.
Here is another thread on shampoo bars. It's really long but worth reading http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946&

 

[soap1daze]

How did this recipe compare to the one Lindy shared? I can't find the shampoo recipe Lindy shared is there a convenient link to that?

 

[Yami]

This thread is three years old, chicklet isn't active here any longer.
Here is another thread on shampoo bars. It's really long but worth reading http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946&

Thank you very much

 

[randycoxclemson]

My recipe (been using it over a year now) is:

25% Coconut
20% Castor
20% Olive
10% Canola
10% Palm
10% Avocado
5% Jojoba

SF = 5% Lye concentration 30%

I use beer as the base liquid rather than water and usually crack a couple of egg yolks into it along with a couple tablespoonfuls of yogurt.

It's not slimy and builds up fine lather (I probably put sugar in my last batch, too). I do spray on a diluted ACV rinse.

 

[penelopejane]

How did this recipe compare to the one Lindy shared? I can't find the shampoo recipe Lindy shared is there a convenient link to that?

Use the link above in obsidian's post and on the first post you'll find a link to Lindy's recipe. Read the whole thread as there is info about the recipe further in. Also info about CP soap damaging hair.

 

[Bubbly]

I infuse my Olive oil in my shampoo bar with henna. I use a milk nut bag to filter out the henna powder from the olive oil. Makes for a very conditioning shampoo bar and turns the oils a beautiful mossy green. The shampoo bar I make is cold process. I also use a vinegar rinse after shampooing.

 

[jmaddox]

Catherine McGinnis of YouTube’s Soaping 101 has posted a shampoo bar recipe. Here it is:
41.45% Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
29.15% Coco Sulfate Noodles
11.95% Cocamidopropyl Betaine
5.95% SLSA
2.45% BTMS 50
1.95% Shea Butter
1.05% Fragrance
1.25% dl-Panthenol
.65% Stearic Acid

The first four ingredients are surfactants. They provide a lot of lather and cleansing properties. SLSA is a great additive for folks who have hard water. BTMS-50 is a conditioning emulsifier. It helps all the ingredients stabilize (not separate). Catherine used shea butter in her recipe because she said her hair soaked up the oil. She must have dry hair. Dl-Panthenol moisturizes, adds volume and improves damaged hair. The stearic acid was added to make her bar harder.

Soap bars have a ph that is way too high for hair but perfect for skin-around 8-10. The ingredients above and others like them are perfect for hair because they create a bar with a much lower ph-around 5-7. Use the soap bars on your hair for a prolonged period and sooner or later you will have a head of straw!

The first three ingredients are derived from coconuts. Some people have a skin sensitivity to SLSA. Panthenol is a form of vitamin B5. Keep in mind that people can be allergic to anything. Just because something is “natural” it still might not be good for you. After all, as Kevin Dunn says, poison ivy is natural, but you wouldn’t want to bathe in it!