Cold process shampoo bars for thick hair

[Alison Bailey]

I am a newbie to soap-making, but I am delighted with my first shampoo bar. It lathers well, and gives lots of volume as well as seeming to be quite conditioning, but a few of my friends with very thick hair found it gave too much volume, and don't want to keep using it (and, as a result, some won't even try it!!) Any suggestion as to what oild to change. The recipe was approx 36% Coconut oil, 18% castor oil, 4% cocoa butter, 9% jojoba oil, 13% palm oil, 18% sunflower oil and 5% super fat.
Adice from all you experts please!

 

[steffamarie]

If you do a search on the forum, you'll find a lot of information about people's experiences with lye-based shampoo bars. Some use them with good results consistently, but many have tried them and found that they have damaged their hair. I would suggest reading some threads about other people's experiences with them before giving them away. Here are a couple I found with a quick search:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/shampoo-bars-or-not-to-shampoo-bar.60808/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/shampoo-bar-thanks-lindy.30946/

And what I searched, so you can find lots more information:

https://www.google.com/search?q=sit...69i57j69i58.6158j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[Saponificarian]

Do a search on the forum, there are many threads on CP shampoo bar.

Shampoo bar:Soapmakingforum will get you lots of info.

ETA: stefamarie and I were posting at th same time.

 

[amd]

speaking from experience with using hair soap and having thick hair: that "volume" is actually hair damage.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

SHAMPOO BARS
Many soapers make and use lye-based shampoo bars and lye-based liquid shampoo. Myself included. It's important to rinse thoroughly after shampooing, with increasingly cool water until it's as cold as you can stand it. Follow up with a vinegar rinse to restore the acid mantle of the scalp. When I first tried a shampoo bar in 2004 it took about a year for my hair to adjust to it. I even went back to OTC shampoo a few times during that year. This is typical of other soapers' experience as well. Once my hair adjusted, I've used whatever bar that we happened to be test driving in the shower without any negative effects. I now make and use my own Flaxseed Oil & Rosin Shampoo and just love the results. I don't even need conditioner.

There's good info about Shampoo Bars on the Chagrin Valley Site. Links:

Why Use A Natural Shampoo Bar?
https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/blog/posts/why-use-a-natural-shampoo-bar/

Everything About Shampoo Bars
https://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/blog/posts/everything-about-shampoo-bars/

 

[madison]

speaking from experience with using hair soap and having thick hair: that "volume" is actually hair damage.

I agree.

 

[Alison Bailey]

Thank you all so much for your comments and the helpful links. So far the people I've given bars too (whose hair is fine) really like the bar. I may try a few more recipes to compare. I can understand about soap and its high pH, but I reckon that there never was liquid shampoo hundreds of years ago so people must have used soap on their hair - though maybe not too often!

 

[cmzaha]

Even as early as the 1800's people did not wash often and did not wash their hair often. They would brush it alot to distribute the oils. You cannot compare what they did then with what the knowledge is now. During the depression some shops had to use soap or dilute their shampoo with soap for their customers and according to Cosmetologists I knew that went through those times they say the hair was not in good condition. Hair started improving greatly when decent shampoo once again became available. You cannot possible know what condition their hair was in when they would shampoo once or twice a month, if that often.

Sure fine hair may be nice and fluffy because you have raised the hair cuticle which is the start of damage. Once the cuticle raises up the high ph soap enters further into the hair shaft. It never ceases to amaze how most new soapmakers think lye based soap is answer for everything clean. Some people cannot even use lye soap

If you are giving this away to people you should have insurance and keep it current. You may have someone come back and sue you for hair damage. Look at the Wen lawsuit. Funny I find it interesting how they covered up the ingredients of the No Poo shampoo that caused the problem. It was apparently swept under the rug. I somewhat followed the case because I read the ingredient list when the product first hit the market and told my husband there was going to be a problem. It was a lye based liquid soap that caused the problem. Although it disappeared and no mention that I have found in the lawsuit. But he is paying out... I am glad to see he is having to pay out, because he had to know better

 

[Zany_in_CO]

So far the people I've given bars too (whose hair is fine) really like the bar.

The main thing to remember when using bar soap to wash your hair is to rinse thoroughly to be sure to get all the soap scum out.

It's just like homemade laundry soap -- it works well at first, but over time your whites may become dingy and even colors are somewhat stiff and have an odor. That's soap scum build-up over time. A simple vinegar rinse in the rinse water takes care of the problem.

 

[cmzaha]

Do keep in mind if you do damage your hair it cannot be fixed. Hair is dead although very resilient, so when broken there is no going back....