Not sure if this is gross, but...

[DiddlyO]

I have been doing a lot of reading about soap, silk, shampoo bars etc.. And I'm quite prone to experimentation...

I'm on my fifth or so batch of soap and thought I would try a shampoo bar. So ambitiously, I thought I would make it with beer as the liquid. While reading I discovered people are using silk to add proteins and ... silkiness?

I got thinking, and this is the part that might be gross - why can't I use human hair? It's the right protein, I have plenty on hand, and it is strictly for my own use.

So I tried it. I used my daughter's lovely 8 year old hair harvested from her hairbrush and added it to my beer lye. It really stank! My shampoo bars are in the Pringles mould now and it looked like it gelled straight away, which is another odd thing, but might be because it is mostly avocado oil which I don't have a lot of experience with, being the ambitious noob that I am. The essential oils are stinky too - rosemary and tea tree at 3%.

Is there any hope for this batch or will it be too stinky and gross to use?

 

[user 12568]

The soap likely gelled quickly due to the addition of beer (the sugars in the beer increase the heat, which in turn encourages gel). I'm sure the soap will be fine to use,... but I'd be too grossed out to use it myself. Human hair in soap is a little too 'Fight Club' for my taste.

 

[DiddlyO]

I think I'm most worried about the smell - does beer soap usually stink while you're making it? What about silk soap? If it does, does the smell hang around after the soap has cured?

 

[newbie]

I recently read about people using their dog's hair in soap, dissolving it in their lye water. THey didn't say if they could tell it was different in the finished product.

Silk doesn't make soap smell. I don't know if the hair burned a little, which would stink. No idea if it would stick around but my guess would be no.

 

[Obsidian]

Beer soap does stink a bit but it will fade as it cures. I've never had silk smell when I've used it.

 

[DiddlyO]

I'm relieved that the beer stinks. It was stout too, so very 'beery' smelling anyway. I will update. Still not sure about the hair. Part of me says it's the perfect thing to use for a shampoo, part of me says it's just wrong.

 

[AustinStraight]

This makes me wonder what would happen if you added gelatin to soap. I've heard of it being used in hair masks to adhere between the small cracks in your hair & make it smooth.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I have to admit, I love the idea of human hair in a shampoo! It is a wee bit "Eye of newt", but a lot of soaping seems to have a touch of magic involved.

 

[seven]

Beer soap does stink a bit but it will fade as it cures. I've never had silk smell when I've used it.

^^^
same here

 

[ilovedoxies]

I totally agree with what the other posters have said.

Just curious....What benefit is the human hair supposed to add to the soap? Does it completely dissolve?

I've used tussah silk and although I liked it, I can take it or leave it. I think it could be a great additive to a shampoo bar because the bars I've used left my hair feeling a little rough.

Beer soap is great and it makes a rich lather. It does smell when you add the lye and will look discolored while you're blending. It will even out and look nice.

 

[AustinStraight]

I think the added hair is supposed to smooth tiny holes in the hair shaft, kind of like getting fillings in your teeth except for your hair. I know you can get liquid keratin treatments for your hair, I wonder if this is like one of those...

 

[DiddlyO]

Yes, that was my thinking- all of those protein additives in shampoo that use this or that protein, why not use actual hair for hair protein? It did dissolve completely, but the bar is coloured by the beer and maybe the hair too. It doesn't smell so bad now. You can just smell the rosemary and tea tree. Not convinced it will be my favourite shampoo, but at the very least I will use it on the kids to keep headlice away!

The shampoo is the round bar.

 

[heather s]

I've seen people on here use human milk for their baby soaps - using your daughter's hair for the proteins for your own use doesn't sound gross at all! I would do two very small identical batches - one with the hair and one without to see if you notice a difference

 

[Sinful7]

I'm all for trying new things! Please let us know if you can feel a difference when using this soap. And yes when I've made beer soap it has been stinky at first, but as previous posters have said it does down quickly

 

[DiddlyO]

I'm all for trying new things! Please let us know if you can feel a difference when using this soap. And yes when I've made beer soap it has been stinky at first, but as previous posters have said it does down quickly

Well it's going to be a while before I try it - I just made it. And, I've not used shampoo bars before so I don't really have a whole lot to compare it with. In the meantime though I will make Genny's shampoo bar and scent it with something a little nicer. I still like the idea of hair though so I might put hair in Genny's bar too. No beer next time. The smell of that bar was awful. What's a better scent for shampoo bars? (for personal use, so essential oils only, not too worried about cost, just want an awesome bar).

 

[Sinful7]

The beer scent will die down. And I like lavender or lemongrass for EO. I do have a cherry almond FO from BB that I adore for shampoo bars and lotions too.

 

[AustinStraight]

For shampoo bars, rosemary + mint sounds good. I add those oils to my vinegar rinse sometimes and it feels nice on the scalp. If you decide to use beer in a shampoo bar again, I think citrus + patchouli would complement the beer well

 

[Sinful7]

Oooh citrus patchouli sounds yummy!

 

[grayceworks]

Well, considering there are shampoos and conditioners out there with sheep placenta -- which goes past my limit on grossness, btw -- I don't think hair is a big deal. No different to me than silk, cat hair, wool, or other proteins that have been discussed lately.

 

[grayceworks]

For shampoo bars, I like a bit of tea tree oil, mixed with grapefruit EO and litsea cubeba EO and bergamot EO. I use 1 part tea tree, 2 parts each of litsea and bergamot, and 4 parts grapefruit. Smells sooooo good. a fresh happy scent.