Hi! Please help O_O

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JBBennett

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Hello,
My name is Josh and I joined this forum to hopefully get some advice on soap making...

I am trying to make a bar shampoo and also liquid shampoo for dreadlocks.
I have tried out several companies and their soap works great, I just would like to create my own with my own scents. I have no experience making soap or shampoo..

Would anyone have any advice, which ingredients would be best and most importantly residue free? I have plenty of fragrances, have some oils like jojoba, castor, and a couple others.

Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated. I don't know where to start :neutral:

Thank you :)
 
Welcome to the forum.

Grab your search tools and look through the posts on "shampoo bars".
As I recall there is a thread on Jenny's shampoo bars" or some such that is a long but educational read.
Others will get here soon and may even post you up some links to save you the search.

Edit: here's the link.. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946&

Steve
 
Fun!
The high pH of lye soap that is so problematic for sleek hair is probably perfect for dreadlocks! Can you tell us a bit about what dreads need?

There is a lot of great information in the beginner's section. Read up on lye safety, watch some soaping videos on youtube, and when you're ready we'll help you design your first recipe. Welcome to the forum!
 
Are you looking for an "all natural" route or are you ok with synthetic ingredients? (I have "all natural" in quotes because the caustic used to make soap is never found in nature)

If you are ok with synthetic detergents (or syndets) then you might want to look into this blog.

I know nothing about dreadlocks, just confusing you with as many options as we can. ;p
 
You may want to try swiftcraftymonkey's blog for info on synthetic shampoo bars. Soap is actually bad for hair.

You say you've tried some shampoo bars that you've liked - what company made them? Do you have a list of ingredients?

Welcome to the forum!
 
I am trying to make a bar shampoo and also liquid shampoo for dreadlocks. I have tried out several companies and their soap works great, I just would like to create my own with my own scents.
Hi Josh, and welcome!

I often duplicate soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc. from ones that I've tried first and like. So, the best way we can help you to formulate is for you to post the ingredients list from the soap/shampoo that "works great" for your hair and we can go from there.

I don't use syndets (synthetics/detergents) at all for the products I make. That being said, the most important thing to remember about "natural" soaps & shampoos made from scratch take some time to get used to.
 
This is the bar that I have used in past, it is ph balanced and uses organic products.. it says it is residue free.
https://www.dollylocks.com/Tea-Tree-Spearmint-Shampoo-Bar-4-5oz-p/bar-ts.htm

I also am trying to create a liquid shampoo from mostly these ingredients. Ive found shampoo bases but I dont know whether to trust them or not.

I wouldn't put coconut oil soap on my hair (it's really drying in my skin). Some of those ingredients are going to be in such tiny amounts that any possible effect would be neglible.

There has been a lot of discussion on the board as to the effect bar soap has on hair. It works for a while then just causes the hair to get brittle and break requiring cutting right back.

I guess that's not important with dreadlocks. Read this thread it makes a really nice bar of soap that can be used as a body bar too.
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946

You can make a liquid soap/shampoo from these ingredients or from pure olive oil - see Irish lass's post on liquid soap. But you will have the same problems with hair as you have with bar soap - the pH is wrong for hair.
 
Well, judging from the ingredient list, it is a lye-based salt bar. It should be quite easy to recreate it yourself. All lye-based soap has a pH of around 9-11, and there's nothing you can really do to change that. If you want a lower pH shampoo bar, you'll need to make a syndet.

Ingredients:
Coconut Oil
Sea Salt
Castor Oil
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Grape Seed Oil
Cocoa Butter
Avocado Oil
Shea Butter
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Hemp Seed Oil
Neem Seed Oil
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Spearmint Essential Oil
Natural Mineral Color

Ingredients are generally listed from highest usage to lowest usage, so you should be able to decipher some approximations from the recipe list on how to formulate your recipe.

Coconut oil and sea salt are the main ingredients here. Some people around here make 100% coconut oil salt bars. Lots of coconut oil is important for salt bars because salt kills lather and coconut oil produces a lot of lather so they work together nicely.

You could try something like this:

70% Coconut Oil
20% Soft Oils Combination (Olive, Almond, Avocado)
5% Castor Oil
5% Butters (Cocoa, Shea)

50-100% Salt (based on oil weight)

Throw in an eensy-weensy bit of Neem into your soft oils if you wish, keeping in mind it has quite a strong smell.

Then figure out how much EOs to use for your batch size - there are calculators out there.

And I assume "Natural Mineral Colour" is mica?
 
^^^^^ Ditto. Excellent analysis and advice, Toxicon! I agree almost 100% -- all except for "It should be quite easy to recreate it yourself. " LOL So, Josh, since you've never made soap before, I think it would be best to learn the basics first by making a few small batches of soap to understand the process before tackling a salt bar (an advanced technique). Here's a link that pretty much covers it all:

LOVIN' SOAP - COLD PROCESS SOAP MAKING GUIDE
An Excellent overview of everything about making CP soap

http://www.lovinsoap.com/cold-process-soap-making-guide/

ETA (Edited to Add): I almost forgot ta warn ya... soap making is incredibly addictive, so before starting this journey you may want to kiss your dear ones good bye and get ready for a really wild, but fun, ride!
:bunny:
 
Thank you Toxicon for the help, and all others!

I am really only trying to recreate this shampoo bar and possibly modify it to my own liking.
How would all of this work? I just mix these ingredients and salt and it forms a solid?
Sorry for the newbie questions..
What kind of process would I need to go through to make the bar based on Toxicons reply?
 
Thank you Toxicon for the help, and all others!

I am really only trying to recreate this shampoo bar and possibly modify it to my own liking.
How would all of this work? I just mix these ingredients and salt and it forms a solid?
Sorry for the newbie questions..
What kind of process would I need to go through to make the bar based on Toxicons reply?

It's not quite that straightforward. Start by clicking on the link Zany_in_CO posted, that will teach you the basics of the process. From there you can work your way to the soap you want to make.
 
It's not quite that straightforward. Start by clicking on the link Zany_in_CO posted, that will teach you the basics of the process. From there you can work your way to the soap you want to make.
^^^^^ Ditto. Good advice.

Sorry, Josh, that's just the way the cookie crumbles. But I believe you can do it, and not only that, but you can be "the guy who makes soap" in your circle of family and friends. It takes time to get the knack of it, but it doesn't take long. What have you got to lose? Go for it, I say.

And to answer your question... Yes, you mix all of the ingredients and it forms a solid. And you will be able to modify it to your own liking with each batch you make.
 
I'd recommend checking out some Soapmaking 101 videos on YouTube as well and going over lye safety and making sure you have all the proper equipment as well. :) And perhaps starting with a very simple recipe to get your feet wet first.
 
Thank you Toxicon for the help, and all others!

I am really only trying to recreate this shampoo bar and possibly modify it to my own liking.
How would all of this work? I just mix these ingredients and salt and it forms a solid?
Sorry for the newbie questions..
What kind of process would I need to go through to make the bar based on Toxicons reply?


Don't forget you will need lye as well, otherwise you won't get a solid. AND you need to use a lye calculator to determine the right amount of Sodium Hydroxide needed to get that bar of soap.

I would also include the Hemp Oil if I were attempting to recreate this bar. It's a nice conditioning oil. It contributes to a softer bar, so don't add a lot of it. I'd say about equal to the amount of Neem oil if you use them both.

In this case, I believe the Grapefruit Seed Extract serves the purpose as an anti-oxident to counteract possible oil rancidity, so the proportion needs to be within the recommended amount per pound of oil. See this link for how to add it and the recommended amounts.

I really hope you find success making this soap and can't wait to see how it turns out!
 
Welcome Josh.. I am not experienced soaper but I used shampoo bar and liquid shampoo for about 4 years now. I don't have problem as long as you rinse your hair with apple cider afterwards. Here's recipe below.

Shampoo bar ( hot process ) for slightly dry hair.

30% coconut oil
45% olive oil
10% castor oil
15% sweet almond

Superfat ( add after all cook) 5%
3% jojoba
2% mango butter


Scent
Rosemary essential
Peppermint essential oil

For slightly oily hair like mine.
45% coconut oil
35% olive oil
10% castor oil
10% sweet almond

Superfat ( add after all cook) 8%
4% jojoba
2% mango butter
2% black seed oil

Scent
Lavender essential oil
Lemongrass essential oil
 
Hello! I have returned after two months after being horribly distracted by life...
I think I am ready to try making my first test batch of dread poo bars using this method http://www.lovinsoap.com/2011/06/cold-process-soap/
Using toxikons advice. I am curious if someone could help me incorporate his advice of which ingredients to use with this exact method. I am going to be renting studio space in a friend's studio to do this *do not want to use lye or clutter my small living space* so I really want to get it right the first time. Any help is greatly appreciated, I am really just hoping someone could modify the lovinsoap cold process measurements with the ingredients toxikon recommended. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
 
You have to use lye - sodium hydroxide. All the recipes above use lye they just haven't listed it.
Go to soapcalc.net put in the ingredients and amount of soap you want to make and it will calculate the amount of sodium hydroxide and water you need for that recipe.
 
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