Salicylic Acid in Syndet Shampoo Bars

[Misschief]

Let me preface this by reiterating that I'm talking about syndet shampoo bars, NOT lye based soap.

That out of the way, have any of you who make syndet shampoo bars tried incorporating salicylic acid into your bars? One of the issues my husband has is that no matter what ingredients I use, he still has dry, flaky scalp. Right now, he's using T-Gel (it stinks) which is made with coal tar and hasn't really helped a whole lot. From my reading various sources, I'm wondering if salicylic acid might be beneficial in his case.

I'd like to try incorporating it at 2% but I'm not sure of the best way to do it as it isn't easily water soluble.

Any thoughts?

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Wouldn’t it be simpler to simply trial an acne medication rubbed into the scalp to see if it works? I am assuming your husband has short hair and isn’t worried about salicylic acid damaging his hair.

Some years back DH and I discovered that taking vitamin D supplements cleared up our skin issues. So many of us live life indoors now that we don’t recognize that our body is not getting enough sunlight to make adequate quantities of vitamin D, especially as we age.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Salicylic acid is very poorly water-soluble and will need to be dissolved in a suitable solvent such as ethanol or propylene glycol before incorporating it into your formulations. The use of surfactants can also be useful.

10:1 - Propanediol or Propylene Glycol : Salicylic acid @65C

Not sure what they mean when they say "the use of surfactants..." does this mean you could essentially mix it with a liquid surfactant??

 

[Misschief]

Salicylic acid is very poorly water-soluble and will need to be dissolved in a suitable solvent such as ethanol or propylene glycol before incorporating it into your formulations. The use of surfactants can also be useful.

10:1 - Propanediol or Propylene Glycol : Salicylic acid @65C

Not sure what they mean when they say "the use of surfactants..." does this mean you could essentially mix it with a liquid surfactant??

Hmmm.. a small experiment may be in order. (I have liquid surfactants and I have salicylic acid, so.... )

 

[Misschief]

Wouldn’t it be simpler to simply trial an acne medication rubbed into the scalp to see if it works? I am assuming your husband has short hair and isn’t worried about salicylic acid damaging his hair.

Some years back DH and I discovered that taking vitamin D supplements cleared up our skin issues. So many of us live life indoors now that we don’t recognize that our body is not getting enough sunlight to make adequate quantities of vitamin D, especially as we age.

Ok, that was a bit of a head smack moment. I've already made a salicylic acid serum; he could try that on his scalp, couldn't he?

As for not getting enough vitamin D, we live in a sunny, temperate area and my husband is outdoors most days, puttering around the yard. Around here, lack of vitamin D isn't an issue, believe me. I take a Vit D supplement because I work indoors and try to stay out of the sun as much as possible but he, truly, is outdoors more than he's indoors most days.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Ok, that was a bit of a head smack moment.

Been there, done that many times!

 

[Misschief]

Hmmm.. a small experiment may be in order. (I have liquid surfactants and I have salicylic acid, so.... )

@KiwiMoose It seems that Salicylic acid does dissolve in cocamidopropyl betaine. It takes a little while but it does dissolve.

 

[Obsidian]

Let me preface this by reiterating that I'm talking about syndet shampoo bars, NOT lye based soap.

That out of the way, have any of you who make syndet shampoo bars tried incorporating salicylic acid into your bars? One of the issues my husband has is that no matter what ingredients I use, he still has dry, flaky scalp. Right now, he's using T-Gel (it stinks) which is made with coal tar and hasn't really helped a whole lot. From my reading various sources, I'm wondering if salicylic acid might be beneficial in his case.

I'd like to try incorporating it at 2% but I'm not sure of the best way to do it as it isn't easily water soluble.

Any thoughts?

I don't know about using it in a shampoo bar but has he tried T-sal? Made by the same company as T-gel but it has salicylic acid and no scent to speak of. Its the only thing that keeps my scalp issues at bay. When I use it, I let it sit and marinate for at least 10 minutes so it can do its magic and break up any scalp gunk.

 

[Misschief]

I don't know about using it in a shampoo bar but has he tried T-sal? Made by the same company as T-gel but it has salicylic acid and no scent to speak of. Its the only thing that keeps my scalp issues at bay. When I use it, I let it sit and marinate for at least 10 minutes so it can do its magic and break up any scalp gunk.

I will tell him to look for that one. Thanks @Obsidian

 

[AliOop]

My husband struggles with the same issues. The only things that help for him are rinsing his head daily with a 1:5 ACV: DW solution, and staying away from from refined sugar and refined carbs. The latter is really hard for him; you can basically track his intake by how much is flaking off his head.

Anyway, please keep us posted as to how the SA solution works for him. And thank you @Obsidian for that T-sal recommendation. We may want to give that a whirl, too.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

One of the issues my husband has is that no matter what ingredients I use, he still has dry, flaky scalp.

If he wears a hat or a ball cap all the time, it could be due to sebum/sweat buildup. In that case I would advise using an all natural product like DIY Deep Cleansing Oil It's formulated for the face but would work equally well on the scalp.

I would make a 100g batch for him to try. May work; may not. At least it won't be wasted. You can always use it as a facial cleanser. Rinses cleanly,, leaving the face feel nice and not tight.

According to the many testimonials I received over the years, straight Polysorbate 80 also works very well for sebum build-up on the scalp, You can use it between shampoos or as a clarifier to remove product build-up before shampooing.

ETA: SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for Polysorbate 80 from LotionCrafter.com. (Not toxic if used topically).

 

[Misschief]

If he wears a hat or a ball cap all the time, it could be due to sebum/sweat buildup. In that case I would advise using an all natural product like DIY Deep Cleansing Oil It's formulated for the face but would work equally well on the scalp.

I would make a 100g batch for him to try. May work; may not. At least it won't be wasted. You can always use it as a facial cleanser. Rinses cleanly,, leaving the face feel nice and not tight.

According to the many testimonials I received over the years, straight Polysorbate 80 also works very well for sebum build-up on the scalp, You can use it between shampoos or as a clarifier to remove product build-up before shampooing.

ETA: SDS (Safety Data Sheet) for Polysorbate 80 from LotionCrafter.com. (Not toxic if used topically).

Nope, not the case at all. He rarely wears hats and doesn't have oily hair.

 

[Tammyfarms]

@Misschief, I think you have mentioned before that you purchased e-zines from Swift Crafty Monkey? Do you also have a subscription to the site? I just looked and there are several posts about Salicylic Acid being used in shampoo. She also has a formula for a scalp spray. For both products, she recommends keeping the PH around 4. Since this is a subscription site I’m not sure what’s available for free and not sure how much else I should share. She does have a e-zine for Salicylic Acid which I haven’t looked at. If you aren’t a subscriber and want via me to, I can take a look at the e-zine to see if she discusses shampoo or the scalp spray. Just let me know.
I will be away from my phone for a bit as our yard is in desperate need to mowing.

 

[Misschief]

@Misschief, I think you have mentioned before that you purchased e-zines from Swift Crafty Monkey? Do you also have a subscription to the site? I just looked and there are several posts about Salicylic Acid being used in shampoo. She also has a formula for a scalp spray. For both products, she recommends keeping the PH around 4. Since this is a subscription site I’m not sure what’s available for free and not sure how much else I should share. She does have a e-zine for Salicylic Acid which I haven’t looked at. If you aren’t a subscriber and want via me to, I can take a look at the e-zine to see if she discusses shampoo or the scalp spray. Just let me know.
I will be away from my phone for a bit as our yard is in desperate need to mowing.

I'm a paid member and I have her e-zine re: Salicylic acid but I'm not seeing anything for a shampoo bar... Thank you for the offer, though. I'll keep researching.

 

[kirsten.]

Never tried salicylic acid, but I've been using urea (got it from lotion crafter) as an additive in my shampoo and conditioner formulas and it's been a game changer!!! I got the idea from an cream for eczema that worked wonders for me.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I've been using urea (got it from lotion crafter) as an additive in my shampoo and conditioner formulas and it's been a game changer!!!

https://lotioncrafter.com/products/urea?_pos=1&_sid=a075500e1&_ss=r

 

[nadsnads]

Never tried salicylic acid, but I've been using urea (got it from lotion crafter) as an additive in my shampoo and conditioner formulas and it's been a game changer!!! I got the idea from an cream for eczema that worked wonders for me.

I like the idea of urea in a shampoo. I use it in all my creams and it's great for exfoliation and making the skin really soft. In my research about urea I've often seen comments about how it needs to be in a pH of 6.2 and increases the pH over time, which can be problematic if a "buffer" isn't added. Tbh I've never known of buffers before reading all that, and I keep my creams' pH around 5-6, and use them up in < 6 months so I haven't had an issue.

Urea and salicylic acid are both keratolytic ingredients that are great for exfoliation. Another one I love adding to my creams is lactic acid, that one is easy to work with and i think I've seen it in shampoos although not as often as salicylic acid.

If the acids don't work, I'd recommend experimenting with tea tree oil as well since it's often found in shampoos and works great for soothing the skin from itchies.