I need a simple shampoo bar recipe please!

[Ives]

I want to try out soap making, and I also want to try out using shampoo bars for washing my hair. I don't know how much I'll like either, so I'm looking for a recipe with just a few ingredients, so I don't have to spend lots of money on this 'experiment'!

I found this recipe, but have been told it has so much castor oil it will be sticky:

· 24 oz. coconut oil 23.97fl oz /681ml
· 38 oz. olive oil 40fl oz/ 1136ml
· 24 oz. castor oil 23.97fl oz /681ml
· 12 oz. sodium hydroxide
· 32 oz. spring water


Could I just alter it in a lye calculator by lessening the castor oil?

 

[Bubbles Galore]

You can put it into SoapCalc or whichever one you use and alter the castor oil to suit yourself. :wink:

 

[judymoody]

CP shampoo bar recipes often have high castor because it provides good stable lather.

CP shampoo bars don't work for everybody. The pH in CP soap is too high (around 8-10). In my experience, my hair felt great after washing and by the end of the day felt like dirty straw. A scientific explanation for why this is so may be found here:

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2 ... ampoo.html

Good luck, I hope they work for you. If not, Swift's syndet solid shampoo and conditioner blog entries contain a wealth of information.

 

[sunnyone]

i use herbs to clean with....in the blog it mentions clay. clay is good to absorb oil but shouldnt be used regularly. using herbs my hair stays clean for days and doesnt get oily at all any more. i havent used shampoo on my hair in eons...hair is not alive and has a low ph...using things with a higher ph will make your hair much less healthy

try no poo

crystal

 

[soapbuddy]

I hope it works for you. I can't use handmade soap on my hair. It does much better with syndet bars.

 

[Zhuliya]

Hi!
First of all, I think your recipe has a little too much coconut oil too, you should use much more olive or other "rich" fats (in my opinion). Also, I use CP soap as shampoo and like it a lot - but always follow it with an acid rinse, vinegar or lemon juice.
I'm curious to know about the herbs though... sunnyone, what herbs do you use and how do you use them?

 

[carebear]

oh, and I recommend starting smaller - say about 2# of oils in your batch.

 

[agriffin]

I hope it works for you. I can't use handmade soap on my hair. It does much better with syndet bars.

Ditto, don't work for me. Syndet bars do.

 

[Ives]

i use herbs to clean with....in the blog it mentions clay. clay is good to absorb oil but shouldnt be used regularly. using herbs my hair stays clean for days and doesnt get oily at all any more. i havent used shampoo on my hair in eons...hair is not alive and has a low ph...using things with a higher ph will make your hair much less healthy

try no poo

crystal

I've been no-pooing for almost 2 years and it doesn't work well in winter (I use baking soda and then acv, or just water.) That's why I wanted to try shampoo bars. But this herb thing sounds interesting, how do you do it? Off to google syndet bars!

Tweaked the recipe in a soap calc, how's this look?

Castor Oil 6oz 15.00 % inrecipe
Coconut Oil 12oz 30.00 %
Olive Oil 22oz 55.00%
Total Weight 40

 

[carebear]

In the winter I no poo, using conditioner. the bs/acv thing didn't work for my dry dry hair and scalp.