New to lotions: Is a hair conditioner bar simply a lotion bar?

[Mark the Box Guy]

I've been looking all over for information on creating a hair conditioning bar, and the bulk of the information involves either ingredients that sound like a laboratory experiment, or contains advice on how to rub coconut oil or shea butter into African hair. Neither of those solutions sound right to me.

My question, I suppose, is fairly straightforward: is a conditioning bar made the same way as a lotion bar, with meltable oils and butters that are poured into a mould? Is my challenge to simply decide which butters and oils to use? Beeswax sounds a bit too odd to rub on my hair though.

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

Really? Not even a yes or no answer? Is there some manner of melting and mixing oils and butters that produces a hair bar?

I've been looking for information on how to make a hair conditioning bar for some time now (unsuccessfully), hoping that I didn't have to learn a new process or purchase new ingredients, and other than finding swiftcraftymonkey's site (which makes no sense to me at all,) I've found nothing. Is making one a closely guarded secret, similar to recipes for shaving soap and shampoo? The closest recipe I've found is a shampoo soap that conditions more than it cleans.

I understand that posting questions before doing research is not how forums work, but in this case, I've exhausted the entire web. I've searched the entire thing, and have come up empty.

 

[Kay]

I've made lotion bars. You can make them with or without beeswax. You just have to make sure you have more hard butters than soft oils. Bars like that don't require water, hence there is no need for a preservative. I've never seen or heard of a hair conditioning bar to be honest with you. I'm not sure how that would work. I can see rubbing a bar across your skin, but hair? Well, you might have just found a new fad! Give it a try...and if it works you can patient it!

 

[Mark the Box Guy]

I've used these https://www.lush.co.uk/product/241/Jungle---55g and they work very well. The ingredients seem as though it's mostly cocoa butter and alcohol. How is this much different from simply rubbing CB on my head? Wouldn't a lotion bar made up mostly of Cocoa Butter do the same thing?

 

[bodhi]

If i had the motivation, i might read the patent on that product. Alas, i dont really trust lush so im not going to bother, but you might find it interesting if you can find it. something fishy is going on there i think. Either way, its not just a solid lotion bar. There are surfactants in there too. It looks like its a very conditining shampoo of sorts.

 

[dagmar88]

If i had the motivation, i might read the patent on that product. Alas, i dont really trust lush so im not going to bother, but you might find it interesting if you can find it. something fishy is going on there i think. Either way, its not just a solid lotion bar. There are surfactants in there too. It looks like its a very conditining shampoo of sorts.

There sure would be without a preservative...
So I don't trust this either.

You could give it a try, using some hard butters, sls (surfactant in powder form) water, an emulsifier and preservative. It's really not comparable to a lotion bar.