Raising Syndet Shampoo Bar PH

[violets2217]

So I have been making shampoo & conditioner bars for a couple month now. Needless to say I now have many shampoo bars on hand from my experiments and looking for ways to use it up. So I'm wondering if it would be possible after testing PH, re-melt and add something (a baking soda solution, maybe) to raise PH to a more neutral PH suitable for dogs' coats? I've read a 50/50 citric acid solution can help to lower PH... I've just not read how to raise PH.

 

[Quanta]

So I have been making shampoo & conditioner bars for a couple month now. Needless to say I now have many shampoo bars on hand from my experiments and looking for ways to use it up. So I'm wondering if it would be possible after testing PH, re-melt and add something (a baking soda solution, maybe) to raise PH to a more neutral PH suitable for dogs' coats? I've read a 50/50 citric acid solution can help to lower PH... I've just not read how to raise PH.

I would use surfactants that already have a higher pH. I've thought about this a little bit already but haven't made any test bars yet. I need to find out which surfactants are safe to use on dogs since their skin is so different from ours. I looked at the labels of a lot of commercially available dog shampoos but they are so secretive and aren't required to put the ingredients on the label. I do know the pH needs to be about 7.5 for dogs. I always used baby shampoo meant for humans on my dog because pretty much every baby shampoo in the store has a pH of 7 (which is supposed to make it "tear-free" but it's still too high for people's hair). I don't know which surfactants are safe for dogs but baby shampoo seemed to work pretty well.

I did ask my sister (who works as a groomer) whether she thought a solid or liquid dog shampoo would be easier to use, and she said a liquid would be easier. She hasn't yet tried a solid shampoo. I want to at least make one for her to compare.

If you just want to use up some shampoo bars, I used up my early experiments as body wash for myself. You could put them by the sinks for hand soap in the bathroom, too. I have never rebatched shampoo bars except for my very first one, and for that one all I did was scrape the very sticky dough out of the mold (it never hardened in the freezer) and mix in some more SCI and try to re-freeze it. It never did harden up. I'm not sure rebatching works with shampoo bars.

 

[violets2217]

I would use surfactants that already have a higher pH. I've thought about this a little bit already but haven't made any test bars yet. I need to find out which surfactants are safe to use on dogs since their skin is so different from ours. I looked at the labels of a lot of commercially available dog shampoos but they are so secretive and aren't required to put the ingredients on the label. I do know the pH needs to be about 7.5 for dogs. I always used baby shampoo meant for humans on my dog because pretty much every baby shampoo in the store has a pH of 7 (which is supposed to make it "tear-free" but it's still too high for people's hair). I don't know which surfactants are safe for dogs but baby shampoo seemed to work pretty well.

I did ask my sister (who works as a groomer) whether she thought a solid or liquid dog shampoo would be easier to use, and she said a liquid would be easier. She hasn't yet tried a solid shampoo. I want to at least make one for her to compare.

If you just want to use up some shampoo bars, I used up my early experiments as body wash for myself. You could put them by the sinks for hand soap in the bathroom, too. I have never rebatched shampoo bars except for my very first one, and for that one all I did was scrape the very sticky dough out of the mold (it never hardened in the freezer) and mix in some more SCI and try to re-freeze it. It never did harden up. I'm not sure rebatching works with shampoo bars.

Yep... just trying to find ways to use it up! I am using it as body wash at the moment, I just miss my soap bars! Lol! Just tossing ideas around in my head! Thanks for the input!