Shampoo Bar Question

[SoapAddict415]

I need a shampoo bar recipe. Commercial shampoos make my scalp itch like CRAZY & theres some breakage no matter which conditioner i use. I used 1 of my CP bars & for a couple of weeks, my scalp loved it but my hair didnt, the breakage that followed was scary :shock: ! I think it was because of the high Ph.

From reading the posts about shampoo bars, I know that those soapers who have found a shampoo bar recipe, guard them closely & a lot of people have posted links to swiftcraftymonkey's blog. I am guessing that swift's recipe is for a syndet bar. Im not familiar with the majority of those ingredients.

Does anybody know if there's a way to incorporate some of the syndet bar ingredients into a CP recipe? Im still a newbie & I would prefer to work with more familiar ingredients but still be able to create a low Ph bar that wont take my hair out. Or can anybody suggest a website or books so that I can research and learn more about how to make a shampoo bar? Swift's recipe is kind of intimidating. I think its because I dont know what a lot of those ingredients are, what they do or how to use them but I would like to learn.

Thanks for any & all suggestions/comments!

 

[Loolee]

have you done a search for shampoo bar here?

I've never made a CP shampoo bar, but I know it can be done, and people love them! It does seem to be a very closely guarded secret, though, more so than any other formula.

 

[SoapAddict415]

Yes, but no recipes or even basic recipe formulation information. The recipe on swiftcraftymonkey has a cool down solution that you mix into the "melty" ingredients. I think Im going to try to add that at trace to a CP batch that contains hair friendly oils. Looking at her recipe, it looks similar to making CP soap. She also has a link posted to a basic breakdown of ingredient percentages so that you can formulate your own recipe, but without being familar as to what most of those ingredients are, idk what's what! I did find some of those items with descriptions & info on Soap Dish, so Im a little smarter today compared to yesterday!

 

[Yooper]

Here's my favorite (I've posted it before but it's still a favorite!):

4 ounces castor oil
2 ounces jojoba oil
4 ounces olive oil (pomace quality)
3 ounces palm oil
1 ounce cocoa butter
6 ounces of coconut oil

7.6 ounces water
2.617 ounces lye

(8% superfat)

I used lavender, cedarwood, and rosemany essential oils. (not much, you can barely smell anything).

It is really a nice shampoo bar, cleans and suds well, but with no "squeeky clean" feel like detergent shampoos have. I use it daily, and my husband uses it every other day.

 

[Loolee]

thank you for sharing your recipe, yooper.

If you don't mind my asking, what kind of hair do you have?

 

[SoapAddict415]

Yes, thank you very much Yooper! Have you seen the swiftcraftymonkey recipe? Do you know if I can add the cool down solution that contains pantehnol & hydrolyzed oat protein to it or any CP recipe to make it more hair friendly?

 

[Lilahblossom]

Why don't you buy a few shampoo bars and see which ones work for you? That way when you find one you like you can emulate it.

 

[Yooper]

I have "regular" hair- not dry, but not oily. I'm getting older (48) and it may be thinning, but it's neither coarse nor fine. It's short, and I can easily use the shampoo bar right on my head. One of my friends loves the shampoo bar, but she's got really long hair and has to lather it up in her hands before working it into her hair.

I don't know about adding other pantehnol & hydrolyzed oat protein- because the reason I make my own is to have as few ingredients as possible, and to be 100% natural and simple. When I soap, I only use oils, lye, water, and essential oils (and sometimes goat's milk, if I have it). Sorry I don't have an answer!

 

[Lindy]

You need to play in order to develop a recipe you like. If you don't know what an ingredient does, research it then you'll know what it brings to the party. Make small batches so you aren't wasting a lot of expensive ingredients. The ones that aren't quite perfect, use them as bath bars and keep on working it.

This is the reason that CP Shampoo recipes are such a closely guarded secret... It cost time and money to get one that gives you what you want and what your customers will just keep on buying....

And most of all - have fun with it....

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thank you everyone! All of your input is greatly appreciated!

 

[motherhues]

you may also want to try a vinagar rinse. When I was using shampoo bars (just a blend of olive, coconut and castor) I had near waist length average thickness long straight hair. I HAD to use a vinegar rinse or else I couldn't comb my hair out. I have tried bars with jojoba and sunflower and other oils, but honestly, none of them were really any better or worse. The key was an acid rinse of vinegar or lemon juice in water so that it rebalanced the ph of your hair and closed the hair shaft (long night with teething baby, please feel free to correct my info if I am wrong, it's been a while since I thought about it). The vinegar was the "conditioning" portion of the hair washing process. I really did like it. The scent of the vinegar faded when your hair dried, and it worked well. I just had more children and it became easier to use a 2 in one 10 years later, I am working on formulating my own conditioner but still love redkin's shampoo for colored hair Mine isn't colored, I just love the feel i get from that one.

good luck!!

 

[aussie]

I second the acid-rinse idea! I use a very simple soap for my hair, goats milk and oatmeal with olive, coconut, and castor oils. I have waist-length fine-but-thick blonde hair that tends to get oily on top and dry at the ends.
I only lather the hair right up near my scalp, the ends don't need it. After washing out the soap I rinse all of my hair with about 2 tablespoons lemon juice and a teaspoon of honey in a mug of warm water - all my hair gets this bit. Fortunately we have a lemon tree and a bee-keeping neighbour
A final rinse with cool water, and if I'm not in a rush for work, I let it dry before brushing.
Seems to be working fine for me! No more breakage than I had before with shampoo and conditioner. If my ends get a bit dry there are plenty of nice oils lurking around to rub in there. I find coconut works really well for me, even better than pricey jojoba.

 

[sudbubblez]

One thing that might be of interest is silicone in shampoos and hair products. I could't get shampoo bars to work untill I got all the silicone build up off my hair. It coats the hair and doesn't wash off without detergent and causes breakage as it builds up. It also blocks moisture from getting into hair. If theres silicone buildup on the hair, conditioners and hot oil treatments, whatever, will not do a thing. Its in most of all but the most expensive products because its a cheap ingredient that makes the hair feel silky and shiny.

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks for your input Aussie & Motherhues. Thats good to know Sudbubblez, thanks. How did you get the silicone build up off? Did it come off naturally over time with the use of a shampoo bar?

 

[sudbubblez]

Soap doesn't take it off. It comes off with a clarifying shampoo that has no buildup ingredients of its own. Sometiems SLS/SLeS is needed. the process can take several washes. Before I got it all out soap made my hair feel slimy stiff or sticky afterwards like it was sprayed with hairspray or there was syrup in it.. Now its nothing but soft and light after using soap.

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks! I'll have to pick up a clarifying shampoo the next time I go shopping. I switched back to a 2 n 1 conditioning shampoo. Now I'm back to the itchy scalp & my roots have kind of a Don King thing going on that not even my flat iron can help! :lolno: :Kitten Love: I guess its going thru some kind of transition.

 

[DanaR]

If you're looking for a non-shampoo-bar solution, try "Conditioner Only" washing.

Get a cheap conditioner (like V05, Suave, etc) and bring in 2-3 tablespoons to the shower. Apply to your scalp only and gently massage into your scalp.

Take a few handfulls of water and gently work those through (like you were shampooing). Do that a few more times until you get light suds and "hear" your hair squeak a little.

RINSE like mad (I gently massage for the first 10 seconds), I got for about a minute, but I'm trying to get out all the conditioner scent too. I have very fine hair, so your mileage may vary.

I've found that method to be VERY gentle on my hair. I only use a VERY small amount of shampoo one a week or so to get any buildup out.

This isn't something I came up with, I found it on LongHairCommunity's web site, and thousands have had great success with it.

If it doesn't sound like your kind of thing, just ignore.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

Ok I like the idea of a shampoo bar but what makes it different from a regular bar of soap? :?

 

[Stinkydancer]

This might be going against the grain but here goes:

CP soap is not good for your hair. It just isn't . I wanted to love it in my hair and I used it for years and would always have breakage. I stopped silicones, protein, sls, etc...my hair broke so bad that someone asked me who took scissors to half of my length...which took forever to grow. Keep in mind also I don't use any heat styling products except on rare occasions- twice a year maybe.

Syndets have a lower ph and your better off with those. Maybe a product with a light water soluble silicone like Amodimethicone which doesn't build up on hair. Hair Vitamins are great as well.
The key is to not weigh your hair down with silicones. Maybe conditioner wash or water wash on non shampoo days.
Protein is also good for hair every so often.

I know a great Syndet maker- her shampoo (sls free) and conditioner have saved my head. She also makes a great bar of soap. PM me for her info if your interested. She is also inexpensive.

Honestly- I would keep CP soap off of your hair especially with breakage.

 

[debbism]

I think thinner hair just doesn't like CP shampoo bars but my customers with thicker coarser hair just can't get enough of them so it just depends on your hair type. Syndet bars are pretty simple to make once you get your recipe down and there are some really great mild and safe surfactants to choose from.

That being said, my best recipes for shampoo bars use about 30-35% coconut or palm, 15-20% castor and the rest a light soft oil.