Stupid question......shampoo & liquid soap

[NMAriel]

If shampoo is liquid and a soap, and liquid soap is liquid and a soap.....does that mean that shampoo is liquid soap? And what lye do you use for shampoo? KOH or SOH? Thanks.

 

[LomondSoap]

Potassium Hydroxide is what you want, and the process is the same for liquid soap as shampoo, I've yet to make either, still researching :?

 

[Lindy]

I use the same lye for both bar and liquid soap and so far it is working for me.....

 

[LomondSoap]

Really? All the recipes I've seen call for potassium hydrox. Interesting! I'll be quizzing you Lindy as I have loads of sodium but no pottasium.

 

[Lindy]

It started out as a recipe from a book for a rebatch soap. I decided rather than rebatching it I would HP it and then add the extra fluid. So far my shampoo works fabulous although it's not really lathery - I have ordered a sulfacant to help with lather as well as an emulsifier to help keep it from separating.

I'm like you I have a LOT of sodium and it does work from what I'm seeing. I have to say that this is an all day process and I stirred/blended/mixed the batch daily for three days. It hasn't separated in the last 36 hours though.... :?

 

[NMAriel]

Good morning everyone. The reason I'm confused is that yesterday I was researching online and a "teaching" article stated that shampoo, liquid soap, and shower gel are very close but differ by ingredients and methods. Then it did not explain that further. I've been online searching for the answer but come up with nothing, and the curioustity is killing. So does anyone know the difference. Thanks.

 

[MikeInPdx]

Most shampoos are detergent based, rather than soap. They're made by reacting petroleum and/or plant products with a strong acid solution (IIRC).

And, shampoo doesn't need to be liquid. I make a shampoo bar for my mother that's heavy on the olive and the castor and she loves it. I scent it with coconut, so it smells like a favorite shampoo of hers that was discontinued a while back.

 

[NMAriel]

Most shampoos are detergent based, rather than soap. They're made by reacting petroleum and/or plant products with a strong acid solution (IIRC).

And, shampoo doesn't need to be liquid.

My mouth was opened in a "uhhh" while reading this. I did not know that. Now I'm more curious then before in learning more. Thank you for the answer, and education.

A shampoo doesn't need to be a liquid.....uhhhh. Extremely interesting.


So what is this that I make....I read this on line and it's called soap jelly. Is it soap slurry, liquid soap or what.

I take my soap and save the shavings from cutting. After I have about 2-3 cups I pour boiling water over them, add a little borax for a grease cutter and use it as a dish soap. So is it still soap, or did I turn it into something else?

And if I did the same thing but not add the borax, would that be liquid soap? Maybe I could use it as a "shampoo" (lack of better word). Any thoughts?

 

[MikeInPdx]

What you're making is classic soap jelly. Folks used to make it up for dishes and for use in washing machines....and it still works fine for both.

It's still soap, just diluted with water so it dissolves quickly.....and....it's also known informally as "soap snot" in a lot of soaping circles.

 

[Roxy25]

what is the shelf life for shampoos ?

 

[Bigmoose]

Shelf life for shampoos.... you will likely get several opinions on this. When I make my liquid shampoos (with potassium hyd.) I do not super fat them. I guess you could say I super lye them. I figure out how much lye is needed for the oils then add 10% more. Once the shampoo is finished I neturalize the excess lye and check the ph to make sure I got it right. It makes sure there are no unsaponified oils left which would cloud the shampoo and also shortened its shelf life. This way they should last quite awhile but I can not tell you just how long.

Bruce