Body wash & Shampoo help

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Bandaid

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Hi! I just found this interesting forum and since I'm very new in the cosmetics making industry I would like to please see if anyone can help me?

I'm very interested in creating both a liquid soap that isn't runny or watery, as well as a shampoo that works well for most hairtypes. I just have no idea where to start, after receiving all the ingredients I feel quite overwhelmed and since I'm lacking experience I just need to see what you guys would do if you had these ingredients to play with:

So this is what I have right now:

African black soap (liquid) from Coastal Scents
Castile soap (liquid) from Soapkitchenonline.co.uk
Cocoa butter
Shea butter
Tacuma butter
Illipe butter
Dried neem leaves
Dried calendula flowers
Coconut oil
Castor oil
Sweet almond oil
Apricot kernel oil
Jojoba oil
Grapeseed oil
Peppermint essential oil
Rosemary essential oil
Emulsifying wax
Yucca root powder
Xanthan gum
Arrowroot powder
Liquid aloe vera (very runny, not a gel)
Optiphen preservative
Vitamin E in sweet almond carrier

Is there anything I can do with these ingredients that won't leave a greasy residue nor dry hair and skin?


Thank you all for your help, greetings from Sweden! :)
 
I would highly recommend you check out Swiftcraftymonkey.com. She has some amazing information out there for almost anything you can imagine. Also, google is your friend, you can also search this site for more information. There is a plethora of information here alone if you search it out. I have yet to venture into shampoo but I highly suggest some research before starting. Welcome to the board.
 
Thank you so much for your quick reply! I'll make sure to check out her site. I have the impression that shampoos are the most difficult thing to make, I've been successful with body butters and solid lotion bars so far, but doing liquid shampoos and soaps without chemical surfactants appears to be very hard :(

I will keep trying! I'd be very grateful if anyone else here has any more advice!
 
I'm new to the forum as well, and can't offer much in the way of advice, but what I can say is I've been researching shampoo/shampoo bar products rabidly (is that even a word?) for my own personal use for months and it seems the holy grail. There are a few that claim success, but those 'recipes' are closely guarded, and even they will readily admit that they don't work for everyone.

Our body chemistries are all so different (look at the success of the huge and varied cosmetic industries) not to mention water quality and how it can change how a product reacts with said chemistry.

Not trying to discourage you from looking....heck, I still am, but it's definitely going to take some trial and error on your part, and even then, 'majority' of hair types might be a goal you need to consider lowering.

Might I suggest looking in the CP area for Genny's shampoo bar? The title is 'Shampoo bar-thanks Lindy'
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30946. Lots of folks have had good luck with it (including myself), and at the very least it's a good place to start. Do a google search for diy shampoo bars and/or shampoo. That'll keep ya busy for awhile and shine some light on the process.

Good luck, have fun with it, and if you find something give me a holler ;)
 
Hi, I've been away from this forum for awhile, but came across your post. Might I suggest checking out makingcosmetics.com. They have a some formulas posted. This might give you some ideas.
 
Thank you both for the tips, I loved that makingcosmetics site by the way, so inspiring!

I think I will wait a bit more with cold process soaping, right now I'm more into lotions, body butters, scrubs and products that easily can be custom scented. But I'll make sure to try that shampoo bar recipe in the future!

Do you think one could make a shampoo bar out of melt and pour soap or would the pH be a big no-no?
 
Thank you both for the tips, I loved that makingcosmetics site by the way, so inspiring!



I think I will wait a bit more with cold process soaping, right now I'm more into lotions, body butters, scrubs and products that easily can be custom scented. But I'll make sure to try that shampoo bar recipe in the future!



Do you think one could make a shampoo bar out of melt and pour soap or would the pH be a big no-no?


I haven't tried them, but found this thread here awhile back

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=10608

I also just started using this recipe and LOVE it.

http://www.thankyourbody.com/ph-balanced-shampoo-recipe/

Aloe vera and coconut milk (I use powdered), doesn't get any easier than that :)


Bostons and Boxers by design!
 
. You can make an all over wash with the black soap if it's the raw stuff. Make a heavy liquid, add the aloe, rosemarry, peppermint and a little Castor. You can also make a tea from the herbs and add that as well as part of your dilution water. Preservative is up to you. I actually use the raw black soap regularly to make a liquid so I have a recipe. I never buy the stuff on the shelves anymore, as they're cut with a surfactant and a higher percentage of water than I use. Just make sure your diluted soap is very hot when you add everything and site, or even stick blend, well to incorporate. Keep a spray bottle of alcohol handy to keep foam that forms at bay. If you have done your research on black soap, then you know what it's been known to do for hair and skin.

Edit: I just noticed yours is liquid. So long as it's water only and no other ingredients, you can just add the other stuff after you heat it up.
 

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