Marta Tarallo’s Book- Question

[AAShillito]

I recently purchased Marta Tarallo’s book Botanical Soaps. She is a huge proponent of a zero waste lifestyle and utilizing all natural skin care recipes. She has straightforward basic recipes, all beautifully photographed. What I purchased her book for was the hair care reSocipes and natural cosmetic recipes using oxides. My shampoo bar question is this - so it is a bad idea to use lye based soap on your hair. But her recipes ( and most of what I’ve found online) are full of “chemicals”.? See attached. so is the reasoning behind making your own shampoo bars just so you know everything in it. I can buy everything. from Amazon and could make at least 30 bars for what I spend at Lush buying theirs. So give me your ideas ?

 

[AliOop]

I had many of the same concerns about shampoo bar ingredients, esp since I am one of the minority who can use regular soap on my hair - but it strips out the hair color that takes so much time to put in, so I don’t use hair soap anymore.

Anyway, I ended up researching the solid shampoo ingredients on EWG and coming to peace with using them. And I do love how they work on my hair, and creating less plastic waste, too.

 

[AAShillito]

I had many of the same concerns about shampoo bar ingredients, esp since I am one of the minority who can use regular soap on my hair - but it strips out the hair color that takes so much time to put in, so I don’t use hair soap anymore.

Anyway, I ended up researching the solid shampoo ingredients on EWG and coming to peace with using them. And I do love how they work on my hair, and creating less plastic waste, too.

Thank you! I was looking at the threads in here and saw that etsy DIY shop referenced alot. Going to do some figures and costs. I'm hoping I can do this cheaper myself and tweak for my family's hair. Because every bar I buy is at least 10-12 dollars

 

[AliOop]

I think you can do it a lot less expensively than that! The initial investment can be steep, but you can make a ton of product with all that you buy.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Anyway, I ended up researching the solid shampoo ingredients on EWG

Not that I am looking to delve into shampoo bar making but just wondering what "EWG" stands for.

 

[Carly B]

Not that I am looking to delve into shampoo bar making but just wondering what "EWG" stands for.

My guess is that it stands for Environmental Working Group, Environmental Working Group – Know your choices | Environmental Working Group

I'd never heard of them before but it's pretty interesting. You can go down a lot of rabbit holes....

 

[AliOop]

Not that I am looking to delve into shampoo bar making but just wondering what "EWG" stands for.

Environmental Working Group. Their site is EWG.org is a good place to research ingredients for studies on toxicity, etc.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

But her recipes ( and most of what I’ve found online) are full of “chemicals”.? See attached.

True. I bet you were disappointed? I would be.

She is a huge proponent of a zero waste lifestyle and utilizing all natural skin care recipes.

Hmmm. I wouldn't call that recipe "all natural". Let me explain.
There are two types of shampoo bars discussed on SMF -- Lye-based aka "soap" and "Syndets" (Synthetic/Detergent) Bars. I would call that recipe a syndet.

I'm hoping I can do this cheaper myself and tweak for my family's hair. Because every bar I buy is at least 10-12 dollars

The reason I started making soap was because my favorite DHC Mild Face Soap, 3.5 oz, kept going up in price. It was $12 a bar when I first learned to make my own -- a lye-based transparent soap -- before I knew how tricky making transparent soap was! LOL

Since then, I've made many different kinds of soap and I've used whatever bar was in the shower to wash my hair with no negative effects. It is important to rinse with increasingly cool water until it's as cold as you can stand it, to remove any soap residue. Then follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse to restore the acid mantle of the scalp.
Here's a link where you can learn more.

EVERYTHING ABOUT SHAMPOO BARS

I also learned to make lye-based Hair & Body Liquid Shampoo. Both the Shampoo Bars and the Liquid Shampoo cost far less to make than the top-of-the-line commercial Shampoos you can buy off the shelf.

so it is a bad idea to use lye based soap on your hair.

This is just me, but I've never had a bad experience shampooing with any of my soap bars or liquid shampoo but I had good mentors. There are some SMF members who have lost their hair because of it. I imagine they didn't get the sound advice found in the link above.

PS: I never understood the reasoning behind making a Syndet Bar or Shampoo when they are readily available at the store and cheaper than buying the ingredients and trying to create one on your own.

 

[AAShillito]

True. I bet you were disappointed? I would be.

Hmmm. I wouldn't call that recipe "all natural". Let me explain.
There are two types of shampoo bars discussed on SMF -- Lye-based aka "soap" and "Syndets" (Synthetic/Detergent) Bars. I would call that recipe a syndet.

The reason I started making soap was because my favorite DHC Mild Face Soap, 3.5 oz, kept going up in price. It was $12 a bar when I first learned to make my own -- a lye-based transparent soap -- before I knew how tricky making transparent soap was! LOL

Since then, I've made many different kinds of soap and I've used whatever bar was in the shower to wash my hair with no negative effects. It is important to rinse with increasingly cool water until it's as cold as you can stand it, to remove any soap residue. Then follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse to restore the acid mantle of the scalp.
Here's a link where you can learn more.

EVERYTHING ABOUT SHAMPOO BARS

I also learned to make lye-based Hair & Body Liquid Shampoo. Both the Shampoo Bars and the Liquid Shampoo cost far less to make than the top-of-the-line commercial Shampoos you can buy off the shelf.


This is just me, but I've never had a bad experience shampooing with any of my soap bars or liquid shampoo but I had good mentors. There are some SMF members who have lost their hair because of it. I imagine they didn't get the sound advice found in the link above.

PS: I never understood the reasoning behind making a Syndet Bar or Shampoo when they are readily available at the store and cheaper than buying the ingredients and trying to create one on your own.

Thank you for all the awesome advice

 

[AliOop]

PS: I never understood the reasoning behind making a Syndet Bar or Shampoo when they are readily available at the store and cheaper than buying the ingredients and trying to create one on your own.

Syndet shampoo bars at the store are significantly more expensive than anything I make at home - as in 5x to 10x the cost, depending on how I formulate them.

Plus, many commercial syndet bars and liquid shampoos have very questionable ingredients that are not well-rated on EWG, or that make my face break out, or make my head itch horribly. Most of them are so strongly fragranced that they give me horrible headaches, as well. The liquids come in wasteful plastic bottles, too.

In contrast, the syndet ingredients that I've purchased are very mild, have decent ratings on EWG, do not make me break out, do not give me headaches, do not make my head itch, and result in far less packaging waste.

Thus, the reasons people make syndet bars are the very same reasons that many of us make our own soap: we get to customize the ingredients to have a tailor-made product that works better for us than anything we can purchase at the store - for a much lower price. Plus we get to have fun making them!

And unlike bar soap, the syndet bars don't strip the henna coloring out of my hair, which was the reason I took the leap. And now I'm glad I did!

 

[Janewoc17]

I’ve been looking into making syndet bars, but am finding the process to be a bit overwhelming in terms of the chemistry, and the cost. I signed up for swiftycraftymonkey…. And read for hours and hours, decided on a recipe (allergic to sls, prefer vegan, have curly hair that needs all the moisture) and then freaked out at the cost of ingredients. I can’t quit figure out cost breakdown. This novice needs some words of wisdom from her more experienced soaping elders (soap years, not calendar years). Does making syndet bars at home cost a fortune? I feel like every time I find a new way to save money, it costs twice as much. Looking to reduce all the plastic as well.

 

[AliOop]

I’ve been looking into making syndet bars, but am finding the process to be a bit overwhelming in terms of the chemistry, and the cost. I signed up for swiftycraftymonkey…. And read for hours and hours, decided on a recipe (allergic to sls, prefer vegan, have curly hair that needs all the moisture) and then freaked out at the cost of ingredients. I can’t quit figure out cost breakdown. This novice needs some words of wisdom from her more experienced soaping elders (soap years, not calendar years). Does making syndet bars at home cost a fortune? I feel like every time I find a new way to save money, it costs twice as much. Looking to reduce all the plastic as well.

I had the same exact experience. And yes, it was quite an investment to buy all the products that I needed to get started. But the reality is that I'll probably never need to buy more ingredients again, as long as I'm just making bars for myself. And in the end, getting a solid shampoo that works for my hair was worth the cost to me.

Maybe you can find someone geographically close to you who would like to share the initial purchase with you. That would lower the initial costs and perhaps increase the fun if you make them together.

 

[Misschief]

I recently purchased Marta Tarallo’s book Botanical Soaps. She is a huge proponent of a zero waste lifestyle and utilizing all natural skin care recipes. She has straightforward basic recipes, all beautifully photographed. What I purchased her book for was the hair care reSocipes and natural cosmetic recipes using oxides. My shampoo bar question is this - so it is a bad idea to use lye based soap on your hair. But her recipes ( and most of what I’ve found online) are full of “chemicals”.? See attached. so is the reasoning behind making your own shampoo bars just so you know everything in it. I can buy everything. from Amazon and could make at least 30 bars for what I spend at Lush buying theirs. So give me your ideas ?

That particular shampoo bar recipe is pretty basic and the ingredients are mild. Purchase them in minimum quantities and you'll still get a fair number of shampoo bars and you'll be able to customize them for your specific needs.

FWIW, I've been using the DIY shampoo and conditioner bars for about 3 years and love my hair. It has never looked better, felt better or been as healthy.

 

[amd]

But her recipes ( and most of what I’ve found online) are full of “chemicals”.?

Everything is a chemical. I think the main point is to know, control, and minimize the amount of chemicals you expose yourself to. I tell my customers that following the advice "if you can't pronounce it don't use it" is really bad advice, it's better to understand what the chemical is, what it is used for in formulations (as some times that also gives insight to how much is present, is it a big chunk or just a tiny chunk?), and look for products that have short ingredient lists.

Looking at the recipe, I wouldn't be concerned with any of the ingredients. SCI and CAPB are derived from coconut fatty acids - while you can't go out and pick them off a tree, they aren't made from something completely unfamiliar either.

 

[Janewoc17]

I had the same exact experience. And yes, it was quite an investment to buy all the products that I needed to get started. But the reality is that I'll probably never need to buy more ingredients again, as long as I'm just making bars for myself. And in the end, getting a solid shampoo that works for my hair was worth the cost to me.

Maybe you can find someone geographically close to you who would like to share the initial purchase with you. That would lower the initial costs and perhaps increase the fun if you make them together.

Thank you AliOop! I just recently bought bottles of shampoo and conditioner and just feel annoyed that I put more plastic and pumps in my life. I will go ahead and give syndet bars a try. Then to settle on a conditioner bar. Oh my poor brain! Chemistry! Math! I can do this?!! Not interested in selling, just for family and me.

 

[maryloucb]

I love the idea of making shampoo and conditioner bars, but I have no interest in going down the syndet rabbit hole, so I will purchase from someone else!

 

[Janewoc17]

I love the idea of making shampoo and conditioner bars, but I have no interest in going down the syndet rabbit hole, so I will purchase from someone else!

What kind of hair do you have? Maybe I can make extra. How much does one charge for shampoo and conditioner bars? I find the quantities complicated to cost out, and then I've no idea how long a bar lasts.

 

[AAShillito]

I had the same exact experience. And yes, it was quite an investment to buy all the products that I needed to get started. But the reality is that I'll probably never need to buy more ingredients again, as long as I'm just making bars for myself. And in the end, getting a solid shampoo that works for my hair was worth the cost to me.

Maybe you can find someone geographically close to you who would like to share the initial purchase with you. That would lower the initial costs and perhaps increase the fun if you make them together.

Yes the cost for the DIY just using a quick Amazon search was around 200. But then I figure I can get 50 bars ( or more) out of it which is basically at least an 8 year supply for my family ( haven't looked at conditioner bars yet )
And I just spent like 30 bucks on 2 ethique bars for our upcoming trip. It's crazy

 

[Janewoc17]

Yes the cost for the DIY just using a quick Amazon search was around 200. But then I figure I can get 50 bars ( or more) out of it which is basically at least an 8 year supply for my family ( haven't looked at conditioner bars yet )
And I just spent like 30 bucks on 2 ethique bars for our upcoming trip. It's crazy

Wow! I figured around $120 at Lotioncrafter’s… plus more for the conditioner bars…and now I need polysorbate 80 to make Zany’s oil cleanser

 

[Zany_in_CO]

This novice needs some words of wisdom from her more experienced soaping elders (soap years, not calendar years). Does making syndet bars at home cost a fortune? I feel like every time I find a new way to save money, it costs twice as much. Looking to reduce all the plastic as well.

Thank you for making my point for me. FWIW: With the growing number of members who promote them, I'm thinking we need a separate forum specifically for SYNDETS -- recipes, how to formulate and where to buy ingredients.

and now I need polysorbate 80 to make Zany’s oil cleanser

Haha. At least PS-80 has many uses and a long shelf-life so it won't languish on the shelf for very long. I keep it handy in the laundry room to remove oil stains from tee-shirts.

FUN WITH POLYSORBATE 80

ETA: PS-80 actually makes a mild shampoo for scalp issues and as a "pre-shampoo clarifier" to remove product build-up all by itself with no additives.