DIY B&B (Etsy) 40% off sale

[not_ally]

@Tammyfarms, I'm not sure if my results would be helpful because we have different types of hair, mine is dry to normal with some frizziness right after washing, and those are the issues I have mostly looked to address, so take the below with a pinch of salt.

I haven't tried the hotpour recipe yet, I did buy it during the sale but haven't taken the time to do it. I'm looking forward to it, though, I hear good things and like you I'm looking forward to pouring them into cute molds, smashing the harder recipe into shampoo bar molds is difficult for me because I have problems with my hands, they never come out perfectly.

I have tried their other shampoo bar recipe, the regular/non-pourable one, and I like it, I go back and forth between that and the Humblebee white chocolate shampoo bar as my regular shampoos now (I use rice flour and rice protein in both to reduce frizziness.) The non-pourable recipe does not have adaptations for different types of hair, although you can sort of figure out how to make some choices/changes to fit (eg, I use a very light oil, abyssinian, instead of coconut to make it less heavy/oily and use BTMS 25 instead of 50 for the same reason.) To the extent that I would change anything, I find it a little drying/frizz promoting without some changes, which might be good for you since your hair is oilier.

Another issue with that recipe is that it has a pretty high amount of SCI, above the generally recommended usage amount. It hasn't caused any problems for me, but if you know that you are likely to have an issue with high levels of surfactants you should keep that in mind. If you make either recipe and want to share notes, let me know and I'll be happy to do so!

 

[BritS]

I have both of her shampoo formulations. I used the hot pour for a long time, but it drove me up the wall trying to balance between keeping it fluid enough while testing the pH. I bought her other one, and I love it so much more.

 

[Tammyfarms]

@Tammyfarms, I'm not sure if my results would be helpful because we have different types of hair, mine is dry to normal with some frizziness right after washing, and those are the issues I have mostly looked to address, so take the below with a pinch of salt.

I haven't tried the hotpour recipe yet, I did buy it during the sale but haven't taken the time to do it. I'm looking forward to it, though, I hear good things and like you I'm looking forward to pouring them into cute molds, smashing the harder recipe into shampoo bar molds is difficult for me because I have problems with my hands, they never come out perfectly.

I have tried their other shampoo bar recipe, the regular/non-pourable one, and I like it, I go back and forth between that and the Humblebee white chocolate shampoo bar as my regular shampoos now (I use rice flour and rice protein in both to reduce frizziness.) The non-pourable recipe does not have adaptations for different types of hair, although you can sort of figure out how to make some choices/changes to fit (eg, I use a very light oil, abyssinian, instead of coconut to make it less heavy/oily and use BTMS 25 instead of 50 for the same reason.) To the extent that I would change anything, I find it a little drying/frizz promoting without some changes, which might be good for you since your hair is oilier.

Another issue with that recipe is that it has a pretty high amount of SCI, above the generally recommended usage amount. It hasn't caused any problems for me, but if you know that you are likely to have an issue with high levels of surfactants you should keep that in mind. If you make either recipe and want to share notes, let me know and I'll be happy to do so!

Thank you, that’s definitely helpful. I will definitely share notes. The decyl glucoside in the pourable recipe concerns me somewhat as the PH may need to be adjusted. I have made quite a lot of shampoo, conditioner and lotion over about 5 years but never used ingredients that have a high PH and require adjusting. But, maybe that’s what my scalp needs to keep the oil away. I already have a meter so that’s a bonus.

 

[Tammyfarms]

I have both of her shampoo formulations. I used the hot pour for a long time, but it drove me up the wall trying to balance between keeping it fluid enough while testing the pH. I bought her other one, and I love it so much more.

Thanks, that also concerns me.

 

[Tammyfarms]

One more question. I have been looking at round molds as the square mold I used last time looks like it will eventually break apart leaving the corners. The dome mold I used before that broke apart leaving the edges. What are your experiences using different mold shapes? @AliOop I think I remember you mentioning you bought a press, I know that would be for the solid bars, what did you buy and do you like it?

 

[AliOop]

Hi @Tammyfarms, I bought this press from Etsy and really like it. I believe it is the same one that @Misschief also purchased. The press came with two molds of my choice; I picked a heart-shaped one for bath bombs, and the typical puck-shaped one for shampoo bars.

I haven't tried the press and puck mold yet for the original DIY B&B shampoo bars, but probably will give it a go when I use up my current batch of the hot pour bars. I have used it for bath bombs, and it makes rock-hard bombs down to the last bit of mix, even when the mix has dried out too much to press by hand in the typical aluminum spheres. Using the press also keeps my hands and wrists from getting numb/sore when making bigger batches.

For all of my shampoo bars, I do prefer a puck or disk shape as opposed to anything with sharp corners. Another option for the original B&B recipe would be a Milky Way mold like this one (one of my faves). The hard plastic stands up well to pressing the mix into it, and they also release easily.

HTH!

 

[not_ally]

@AliOop, I am now suffering from press envy. Added to router envy from @Mobjack Bay's link to her Wild Plantanica router.

@Tammyfarms, I have round, triangular and square molds from the Maker Shoppe on Etsy. So far they are working as well as any of these could for me, given how wonky my hands are. Because I have no strength in my hands I put them on the dining room table, fill them up and then lean down on them with my body weight, so far they've held up OK! But not much of a track record (four batches) so can't tell you how long they will hold up in the long run. I didn't feel like there was much of a difference in terms of shape (regarding the longevity of the mold), but again, probably not enough experience with them to comment helpfully. TheMakerShoppe - For Makers, Bakers, & Creators - Etsy

The original DIY B&B recipe does make a nice, hard, long-lasting shampoo bar, I've been using it for a couple of months, shampooing twice a week or so, and it seems like most of it is still intact. Lots of lather, as well.

ETA: @Tammyfarms, do you like your PH meter? If so, which one is it? I've only used one - in connection with making cheese, it was made/sold specifically for that purpose - and it was so expensive and so hard to use. I've bought some PH strips to use for the hotpour recipe when I get around to making it, but it seems the general consensus is that the strips don't work very well.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Hi @Tammyfarms, I bought this press from Etsy and really like it. I believe it is the same one that @Misschief also purchased. The press came with two molds of my choice; I picked a heart-shaped one for bath bombs, and the typical puck-shaped one for shampoo bars.

I haven't tried it yet for the original DIY B&B shampoo bars, but probably will give it a go when I use up my current batch of the hot pour bars. It makes rock-hard bath bombs even down to the last bit of mix, even when the mix has dried out too much to press by hand in the typical aluminum spheres. Using the press also keeps my hands and wrists from getting numb/sore when making bigger batches.

For all of my shampoo bars, I do prefer a puck or disk shape as opposed to anything with sharp corners. Another option for the original B&B recipe would be a Milky Way mold like this one (one of my faves). The hard plastic stands up well to pressing the mix into it, and they also release easily.

HTH!

Thank you, that does help a lot! I haven’t made bath bombs yet but have bought the ingredients. So many projects, so little time. . That press will probably go on my wish list, which is also long.
You confirmed the exact size I was thinking, 2” round and I love the lotus blossom. Do you think that hard plastic would work for the pourable shampoo? Is it easy to get the finished shampoo out of the mold?

@AliOop, I am now suffering from press envy. Added to router envy from @Mobjack Bay's link to her Wild Plantanica router.

@Tammyfarms, I have round, triangular and square molds from the Maker Shoppe on Etsy. So far they are working as well as any of these could for me, given how wonky my hands are. Because I have no strength in my hands I put them on the dining room table, fill them up and then lean down on them with my body weight, so far they've held up OK! But not much of a track record (four batches) so can't tell you how long they will hold up in the long run. I didn't feel like there was much of a difference in terms of shape (regarding the longevity of the mold), but again, probably not enough experience with them to comment helpfully. TheMakerShoppe - For Makers, Bakers, & Creators - Etsy

The original DIY B&B recipe does make a nice, hard, long-lasting shampoo bar, I've been using it for a couple of months, shampooing twice a week or so, and it seems like most of it is still intact. Lots of lather, as well.

ETA: @Tammyfarms, do you like your PH meter? If so, which one is it? I've only used one - in connection with making cheese, it was made/sold specifically for that purpose - and it was so expensive and so hard to use. I've bought some PH strips to use for the hotpour recipe when I get around to making it, but it seems the general consensus is that the strips don't work very well.

This is the meter I have. Sorry for the screenshot and no link, I bought it from Amazon in 2017 and it’s no longer available. This has only been used to test PH for fertilizer for plant seedlings. For what it’s worth, my husband says he thinks it works well, he added that if you aren’t using it regularly, pull the batteries as they corrode really quickly.

 

[not_ally]

Thank you @Tammyfarms!

 

[Tammyfarms]

Thank you @Tammyfarms!

I meant to add, thank you for the info on the molds. Those look like a good option as I don’t make many shampoo bars. After you press the shampoo bar, are they removed immediately so you could make several at a time? That may seem dense but the SwiftCraftyMonkey site recommends pressing bars and then freezing them for an hour. Trying to decide if I need multiple molds.

 

[not_ally]

Yes, I removed them right away. I may have left them for a couple of minutes, but only because I wanted to load the next bar into a different shaped mold to see how they came out, not because I needed to. So SCM recommended putting them into the molds then freezing them for an hour before unmolding? That makes sense, it seems like they would shrink just enough to get them to unmold really quickly and easily. I did have to push pretty hard to get them out of the mold, if I am remembering correctly.

 

[AliOop]

Do you think that hard plastic would work for the pourable shampoo? Is it easy to get the finished shampoo out of the mold?

I didn't have trouble getting the original recipe bars out of the Milky Way molds, but I do put them in the freezer as recommended. It really helps to dry them out (assuming you have a frost-free freezer). I have not tried it with the hot pour recipe; before you buy any molds for that, you'd want to double-check that the temp of the hot batter would not exceed the max recommended temperature for the molds.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Yes, I removed them right away. I may have left them for a couple of minutes, but only because I wanted to load the next bar into a different shaped mold to see how they came out, not because I needed to. So SCM recommended putting them into the molds then freezing them for an hour before unmolding? That makes sense, it seems like they would shrink just enough to get them to unmold really quickly and easily. I did have to push pretty hard to get them out of the mold, if I am remembering correctly.

The first batch I made, I was using a Milky Way plastic mold so not really able to compact them as well as you can with a press. I found that adding a bit of plastic wrap to the top allowed me to press the material in the mold pretty well. The second batch I was using a square silicone mold and pressing the material using a piece of plastic wrap. The formula is somewhat melted. It’s not nearly as liquid as the DIY B&B video shows but sticks together without being pressed too much. The instructions are to place the material in the mold, freeze for an hour or two, remove from the mold and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours before using. The ingredients are similar to those used for the DIY B&B. I’m looking forward to comparing both.

 

[Tammyfarms]

I didn't have trouble getting the original recipe bars out of the Milky Way molds, but I do put them in the freezer as recommended. It really helps to dry them out (assuming you have a frost-free freezer). I have not tried it with the hot pour recipe; before you buy any molds for that, you'd want to double-check that the temp of the hot batter would not exceed the max recommended temperature for the molds.

Great point!