Shampoo recipe.

[sweetcindylou]

Hi everyone. I am looking for a CP Shampoo recipe. I have read a bit on-line and folks seem to have to try several recipes before they find one they enjoy. I thought I would ask on here. Also, which oils would you recommend? I have Jojoba oil, Almond oil, castor oil, olive oil, canola oil, crisco, virgin coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and essential oils. I would like to use the oils I already have on hand.

I have long dark hair that I find addicted to sham'poo', I have to wash my hair almost everyday because I find it to be too oily if not again, I think this is because of the addiction to shampoo even though I am using higher end salon shampoos. My hair is curly and on humid days even curlier than usual and a bit frizzy but not overly. Right now my hair is pretty smooth and frizz free as I really watch the ends and barely use any styling products.

So, if anyone wouldn't mind offering suggestions or sharing a recipe with me I would be very appreciative.

 

[lsg]

If you have hard water, you are probably not going to be pleased with a cp shampoo bar. Here is a link on how to make your own surfactant-based shampoo bars:

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=shampoo+bar

 

[sweetcindylou]

No, I don't have hard water. I live in the city and have city water. I work in a pool store and have tested so much water. My water has a high PH with low Alkalinity and Calcium, there is virtually no minerals in the water.

 

[hoegarden]

I still don't really get hard water and soft water.

 

[CaliChan]

If you have dark hair i would replace some of your water for the lye solution with coffee. It makes your hair shinier
and dont add alot of coconut oil, it can strip your hair

 

[Marieke]

I once read to avoid palm oil (which is not on your list anyway) because it's harder to rinse out. Or you could avoid shampoo and soap altogether and go "no-poo": http://www.crunchybetty.com/no-poo-to-you-too

 

[melstan775]

I'm a hairdresser here so I'm about to go off the hook on not using shampoo. Sorry but that is just gross. Your hair gets greasy and it stinks and your dandruff goes up. And no , it never gets better. You just think it does becaus you get used to it. Your bodry releases heat through your head and the byproduct of that is oil and sweat. Get it out of there o over time you will experience scalp problems and even hair loss because your hair follicles can't breathe.

For curly hair, if you are frizzy on the ends and shaft but greasy on the root, it's probably because you're not cleansing your scalp enough an not conditioning the hair enough. Keep th conditioner off the scalp, your hair oils will condition naturally. Also curly hair gets frizzy from lack of moisture. Its literally your hairlooking for moisture that causes it to frizz - the static in the air easily attaches to your hair when it's dry. If this is an ongoing lifelong problem for you try a straightener treatment, which is less harsh then a full relaxer, to reshape your curls and bring the volume in your hair under control.

 

[sweetcindylou]

I've done lots of research on-line and I really didn't want to go with the baking soad/ACV rinse, it's just not for me. I wanted a good recipe for shampoo, my hair gets washed daily and I don't think I'd go any other way. I don't have a dry scalp now, never have and don't want to start. I just want to make my own shampoo and conditioner.

At the moment I use a keratine shampoo which does an amazing job but I know the products are not healthy. My ends aren't dry and I have noticed since using this shampoo my hair is rarely frizzy anymore, in fact I have totally embraced my hair and sometimes leave it down without straightening .I wasn't looking to exclude my shampoo/conditioner regime but make the product myself.

 

[dyclement05]

So, let me begin by saying I'm a total newbie here, and I've made only one shampoo bar. That said, my hair LOVES my shampoo bar. The first few days, my hair felt really weird, especially while wet. I used a tad of conditioner just to make it feel normal again, and I was still using my straightening product (I have really curly, thick, somewhat coarse hair.) After about two days of this, I dropped the conditioner. My hair still felt a bit "weird" when wet, but I would leave it wrapped in a towel for about 5 minutes and it was a lot softer and easier to comb through. About two or three days after dropping conditioner, I dropped the straightening product. I was terrified as I dried my hair 'cause it seemed way frizzy! But once I ran a brush through it and felt how soft it was, I knew my flat iron would fix it right up. And it did. My hair is now conditioner and product free and I've been using my CP shampoo bar about 2 weeks and I have to say, my hair has never looked or felt better.

Ok, now on to what I know:
1. CP shampoo is NOT for everyone. You will likely either love it or hate it
2. The type of water you have will make a difference in how your hair reacts to the CP shampoo
3. Use hair loving oils such as Avocado, Jojoba, and even Cocoa and Shea butters
4. Focus on the conditioning factor of your CP shampoo and keep the cleansing numbers low as to avoid stripping your hair
5. Accept that it may take some time for your hair to adjust to the new shampoo
6. Accept that your hair may NEVER adjust to the new shampoo

Now, if I were going to make a shampoo bar using the oils you already have, here's what I'd likely use:
Jojoba oil, Almond oil, castor oil, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, cocoa butter, & shea butter and essential oils. (Peppermint and Rosemary EOs are AWESOME on dark, curly hair, IMHO)

Based on running a few numbers through soap calc, I'd likely do (makes a roughly 2lb batch):
Almond Oil - 2 oz (9.1%)
Castor Oil - 8 oz (36.4%)
Cocoa Butter - 2 oz (9.1%)
Coconut Oil - 4 oz (18.2%)
Jojoba Oil - 2 oz (9.1%)
Olive Oil - 4 oz (18.2%)

Distilled water 5.36 oz (an additional 3 oz of liquid, either coffee, goat's milk, or coconut milk will be added at trace. If neither is available, use a full 8.36 oz of distilled water for your lye solution)
Lye 2.81 oz

Now here's the fun bit. Heat your distilled water and dissolve 2 tsps salt in this heated water. This is to help harden your bar, as the formula as it stands will create a very soft bar. Once the salt is fully dissolved, then carefully add your lye.

Here are the numbers Soapcalc gives back:
Hardness 23.6
Cleansing 12.2
Conditioning 65
Bubbly 44.9
Creamy 44.2
Iodine 68.5
INS 124.6 (this is out of range however I've not found it to be an issue yet)

Please remember everything I said earlier: I'm a total newb, have been making soap just over 2 months, have about 15 batches under my belt, and only one CP shampoo batch.

Play with soapcalc. You have some awesome oils. Especially the jojoba. Heck, you could even superfat and add the jojoba at trace. If you want to discuss further, feel free to PM me.

Good luck!!!!

 

[Marieke]

I disagree on the no-poo issue. People have not used shampoo for thousands of years, it can't be bad to go without. And I cannot image that baking soda is worse than al those chemicals they put in shampoo. I haven't used shampoo for about 6-7 months and my hair looks and feels great.

 

[sweetcindylou]

dyclement- Thanks so much for the recipe! This looks good and offers things I am interested in; conditioning, lather and bubbly! I am for sure going to check this out and will perhaps have to give it a go. I've read that the coconut oil can be very stripping, do you find this to be an issue with that amount? Also, is this a recipe you, yourself have made and tried? Or did you alter this recipe to the oils I have on hand? You have 15 batches under your belt of what kind of soap?

Marieke- I really don't want to go soap free. I want an alternative to the nasty store bought shampoos. I have been using shampoos and conditioners that are not full of chemicals and I wanted to go 100% chemical free and make my own. I really don't want to step away from shampoo. I have a very oily scalp but ends can get dry without conditioning. I 100% am certain I want to use a shampoo bar instead of baking soda and ACV rinse. I really love the smell of shampoo and don't think I could stop myself from having good smelling hair. I am NOT saying your hair has a smell! Baking soda doesn't smell and does a good job of cleaning so that isn't what the issue is. But, I do want to have my hair smell of something.... I know I could spritz some EO into my hair but I want a shampoo bar to wash and condition with. I might consider doing a weekly baking soda/ACV treatment but to go without shampoo entirely isn't for me just yet.

 

[dyclement05]

dyclement- Thanks so much for the recipe! This looks good and offers things I am interested in; conditioning, lather and bubbly! I am for sure going to check this out and will perhaps have to give it a go. I've read that the coconut oil can be very stripping, do you find this to be an issue with that amount? Also, is this a recipe you, yourself have made and tried? Or did you alter this recipe to the oils I have on hand? You have 15 batches under your belt of what kind of soap?

You are quite welcome! I have not actually made this formulation, however it is very similar to the one I made, only I did not use jojoba oil. Coconut oil can be very stripping but in the formula I suggested it's not included in excessively high amounts and you have plenty of conditioning oils, so I really don't think it will strip your hair. (of course, I can't speak with any certainty, but I can tell you that my shampoo bar has almost twice as much coconut oil as yours and my hair is not stripped at all! it's super soft and shiny and feels very very healthy!)

As for the soap I've made? hmmm - so far it's all CP soap. Most for body, one for face, and one shampoo bar. At least half with goat's milk. One with coffee. But as I mentioned in my initial reply, only one shampoo bar, which I'm using now. I'm actually working on my second shampoo bar now, only I'm doing it HP.

Keep us posted on your experiment and good luck!

 

[melstan775]

I disagree on the no-poo issue. People have not used shampoo for thousands of years, it can't be bad to go without. And I cannot image that baking soda is worse than al those chemicals they put in shampoo. I haven't used shampoo for about 6-7 months and my hair looks and feels great.

Not true. Hair and scalp cleansing have been part of beauty and hygiene regimes as long as men have been bathin. I dont know where this stuff comes from. YOu would swear humans didn't bathe at all until 1930 given all the misinformation on the Internet. Even baking soda is a type of shampooing as it will absorb and degrease your scalp. I imagine you're rinsing your hair as well, so you don't get buildup. I can also see we've had a little bit of miscommunication; "no poo" on my understanding means nothin but a water rinse on the hair and I stand by that gross. You need to cleanse your scalp which is what you're doing, even if you're not using a commercial shampoo.

 

[Lindy]

I happen to like soap and shampoo. I also like to bath and shower. No matter how far back you want to go you will find that people have always liked to groom themselves whether is was using soapwort or other similar types of plants or soap. People have used oils and scrapers to clean their body. Perfume was invented to cover the smell of the unwashed body, which does include your hair.