Syndopour shampoo syndet base testing

[SweetSoap]

I’ve made syndopour shampoo bars and am testing them now. I go through the bar very quickly. They don’t last long. Any suggestions on how to remedy that?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I’ve made syndopour shampoo bars and am testing them now. I go through the bar very quickly. They don’t last long. Any suggestions on how to remedy that?

My longest lasting bars are the ones made with base that I inadvertently heated to almost 200F before pouring. The highest melt temp I’ve found in Stephenson’s literature is 85C, 185F. Bars that I made with base melted to a lower temperature were noticeably softer (my photos and description of issues are at the top of this thread)

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I made another batch of bars just before Christmas and feel like I may have worked the kinks out of the process. the bar I’m testing from this batch is close to what I would consider perfect. For the previous batch, I overheated the base a bit and the bars were on the too hard side of things, I had to work the bar in my hands to get the lather to build and then apply the lather to my head. With the new bar I’m getting enough product directly on my hair to build lather. This bar has some slip to it.

I used this product for several months this fall and found it to be very mild. My testers have been positive and the one who tested this last batch was very enthusiastic. Her well water is as challenging as ours when it comes to making bubbles.

I changed my process this time based on some web research. Unfortunately, I managed to lose track of the link where someone suggested keeping the base covered while heating so it doesn’t dry out. Another site recommended heating in 30 sec burst at half power. I also read somewhere, probably at the link I can’t find, that this base dries out when re-heated. Just tonight I read on the Stephenson site that the base can be re-melted, but they also state that the bars should be kept sealed so they don’t dry out.

Here are the key aspects of my process:
Keep the melting container covered while heating so the base doesn’t dry out.
Heat to between 158F and 185F according to the Stephenson product guidance on their website.
To melt, heat in 30 sec bursts at 50% power in microwave, from the instructions here and they also have a linked video. I‘m still working with small batches and decided to use a water bath instead. No overshoot on the temperature this time!
I let the melted base temp reach 180F.
After the base cooled a bit, I added a small amount of ultramarine blue in just enough in 91% isopropyl alcohol to dissolve/suspend and pour the colorant into the base. I also added 1% lavender essential oil.
This batch is softer than the last one, but not overly soft or crumbly like one of my early batches.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I made another batch of bars just before Christmas and feel like I may have worked the kinks out of the process. the bar I’m testing from this batch is close to what I would consider perfect. For the previous batch, I overheated the base a bit and the bars were on the too hard side of things, I had to work the bar in my hands to get the lather to build and then apply the lather to my head. With the new bar I’m getting enough product directly on my hair to build lather. This bar has some slip to it.

I used this product for several months this fall and found it to be very mild. My testers have been positive and the one who tested this last batch was very enthusiastic. Her well water is as challenging as ours when it comes to making bubbles.

I changed my process this time based on some web research. Unfortunately, I managed to lose track of the link where someone suggested keeping the base covered while heating so it doesn’t dry out. Another site recommended heating in 30 sec burst at half power. I also read somewhere, probably at the link I can’t find, that this base dries out when re-heated. Just tonight I read on the Stephenson site that the base can be re-melted, but they also state that the bars should be kept sealed so they don’t dry out.

Here are the key aspects of my process:
Keep the melting container covered while heating so the base doesn’t dry out.
Heat to between 158F and 185F according to the Stephenson product guidance on their website.
To melt, heat in 30 sec bursts at 50% power in microwave, from the instructions here and they also have a linked video. I‘m still working with small batches and decided to use a water bath instead. No overshoot on the temperature this time!
I let the melted base temp reach 180F.
After the base cooled a bit, I added a small amount of ultramarine blue in just enough in 91% isopropyl alcohol to dissolve/suspend and pour the colorant into the base. I also added 1% lavender essential oil.
This batch is softer than the last one, but not overly soft or crumbly like one of my early batches.

Thank you @Mobjack Bay for sharing your experiences. I bought this base several months ago but still haven’t got around to trying it. I really appreciate and value your input.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@Jersey Girl I hope you will give it a try and report back

 

[Jersey Girl]

@Jersey Girl I hope you will give it a try and report back

I sure will!

 

[kathrynmara08]

Has anyone had any luck with the Stephenson melt and pour conditioner bars? I have had pretty bad results - it smells bad (even after adding essential oil), and whats worse, the conditioner does not work very well. I tried to sell these guys, but eventially had to figure out a different recipe. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong, as their shampoo melt and pour works wonderfully. Anyone have experience with this?

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Has anyone had any luck with the Stephenson melt and pour conditioner bars? I have had pretty bad results - it smells bad (even after adding essential oil), and whats worse, the conditioner does not work very well. I tried to sell these guys, but eventially had to figure out a different recipe. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong, as their shampoo melt and pour works wonderfully. Anyone have experience with this?

I love Stephenson’s melt and pour shampoo bars so far. I have thin, fine hair and get good results with no conditioner. I did not use extra oil in the conditioner bar, which may have caused it to be harder than the optimized formula since allowances appear to have been made for us to customize with additives. I agree that the conditioner base needs a fragrance to cover the scent of basic ingredients. There’s a reason why manufacturers sometimes add a cover-up fragrance in supposedly unscented products, not to be confused with fragrance-free. Did you use any additives in your conditioner bar?

The conditioner did work well, but the hard bar needed time to dissolve on wet hair. Good instructions might help the user. For me, however, my hair had more body without the conditioner. Many of our preferences for hair products come down to the type of hair we inherited in the first place.

I do think there is a market for shampoo bars and conditioner bars among people who travel and for people who want to minimize plastic packaging. Like many things, there is a critical mass in getting people to try something before it catches on.

 

[GGMA0317]

My first round of Syndopour shampoo bars are made. The short story - the bars I made today turned out perfectly, but something went awry in yesterday’s effort.

For context, Syndopour is a new melt and pour syndet base by Stephenson. There’s another thread by @earlene discussing Syndopour, here. In addition to the YT videos by Royalty Soaps and Ellen Ruth that were linked in the other thread, I found one by Sunshine Soap and Candle Company and one by the Soap Kitchen in the UK for a facial cleansing bar. There’s also a shampoo bar YT by the Soap Kitchen, here, but the list of ingredients gives a different base.

Photos up front. The long explanation of how I made them is below.

View attachment 67434 View attachment 67435

Day 2: happy, happy!
white, round - unadulterated base
green, round - green tea extract, matcha tea powder, rosemary eo
I got the idea to use the “travel size“ bee molds from the Ellen Ruth video.

Day 1: not happy, for reason explained below
pink, square - NS Queen of Hearts mica (by volume, 3x as much colorant as the other batches from Day 1), BB Wild Rose FO (I used 2%, but will use 1% the next time); I washed my hands with the lower pink bar midday today and dinged it because it was still quite soft.
lavender, square - ultramarine violet, lavandin eo
green, square - blend of green and yellow oxides, lavandin & rosemary eos, provitamin B5 and silk amino acids; additives inspired by Sunshine Soap and Candle Co.

The square bars were made yesterday and all were still a bit soft and sticky this morning, at least 18 hours after they were made. Each color was made separately as 112-150 g of base split into two cavities of the mold. The suggested limit for additives is 3%, including fragrance up to 2%. I added 2% FO or EO to each batch. The green squares have additional additives totaling 1% of batch weight. I did not count the colorants in the additives. Each colorant was suspended by adding a tiny spritz of 91% IPA, which also was not counted in the additives. By tiny, I mean a few drops, based on what I saw in the bottom of the 30 ml beaker I spritzed into. That’s except for the green bars where I spritzed twice so the B5 additive would dissolve. The instructions are to heat the base to 80C. I heated each batch in the microwave until it was about 80-90% melted and then stirred until the last of the base was melted. I was worried about overshooting the correct temp and may have been below 80C, but the base was nicely fluid each time and I didn’t bother to write down the temperature at the melted/fluid point.

Based on the YT videos by Royalty Soap and Ellen Ruth and the product information, I expected the bars to firm up pretty quickly and get harder overnight. Instead I got soft and sticky. Since I didn’t make a control bar yesterday, I figured I better do it today. For the three smaller bars I made this morning, I heated the base to 80C +/- 2C. The white ones were made in one batch and are the unadulterated base. One white bar was un-molded after an hour and was just the tiniest bit soft. The second white bar was un-molded several hours later and was firm. The round green bar is made with matcha tea powder that I counted as an additive. It suspended easily into a mixture of the other additives (green tea extract in glycerin and water, plus the EO). I removed that bar from the mold after about three hours and it’s shiny gorgeous. There’s no preservative for the tea, so I will need to watch it and do some research.

Something I did yesterday caused a problem in all three batches. The alcohol? The temperature? Both? The soft bars seem to be getting a bit firmer as the day goes on, but they’re still softer than the bars made today. Based on the photos, it looks like the square green bars with the extra 1% additives were the stickiest coming out of the mold, Perhaps the additives also played a role?

The Day 1 bar that I tried earlier today made nice lather with some good size bubbles, but I don’t think testing a soft bar is a fair test and will wait at least another day before I take one into the shower.

I love the little bee molds and I just made a small batch using them. Those look very pretty.

You should test a bar for awhile before adding oil. The formula looks like it could be gentle enough not to dry out you scalp.
If you are adding oil, I'd go with argan or jojoba.

I'm really interested in this base. I like solid shampoo bars but buying all the separate ingredients is too expensive.
Looking forward to hearing how these perform.
If you need a oily scalped, fine haired guinea pig for testing, let me know

I'm thinking of making some for my grandson. I think it will work well for short hair. I have all of the ingredients because I make shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Do you have a formula you want to try?

 

[Obsidian]

I'm thinking of making some for my grandson. I think it will work well for short hair. I have all of the ingredients because I make shampoo, conditioner and body wash. Do you have a formula you want to try?

I'm up for trying just about anything. I currently have short bleached hair

 

[GGMA0317]

I'm up for trying just about anything. I currently have short bleached hair

I mean is there a formula you would like to make that you don't have the ingredients for? I'd like to try it as well. I can't say for certain if I have everything because well I need a formula

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I mean is there a formula you would like to make that you don't have the ingredients for? I'd like to try it as well. I can't say for certain if I have everything because well I need a formula

I got lost. What kind of formula are you looking for?

 

[Obsidian]

I mean is there a formula you would like to make that you don't have the ingredients for? I'd like to try it as well. I can't say for certain if I have everything because well I need a formula

I see, you need a recipe. I thought by formula you meant for dry, curly, etc type.
This is the only one I've ever made, I did really like it
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/first-syndet-shampoo-bars.68881/#post-683583

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Ok. I was confused because @kathrynmara08 had commented on the Syndopour and Stephenson bases. I thought @GGMA0317 was looking for what to add to them.

 

[GGMA0317]

I see, you need a recipe. I thought by formula you meant for dry, curly, etc type.
This is the only one I've ever made, I did really like it
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/first-syndet-shampoo-bars.68881/#post-683583

No, I have a few formulas I just haven't made time to make them. I was thinking that if I have the ingredients I'd be happy to share them with you! But thanks anyway

Sorry about the confusion lol I rush through posts sometimes.