Shampoo and Conditioner Bars?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kaseencook

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2008
Messages
310
Reaction score
4
Location
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Does anyone have experience with shampoo and conditioner bars?

What exactially makes a shampoo bar a shampoo bar?

I have tried to use all the different types of body/hand soaps we make in my hair, but they leave my hair feeling sticky (although my skin feels great).... We use mainly canola, olive, and coconut oils with essential oils like tea tree, lavender, and eucalyptus, and additives like cocoa and cinnamon.

Are there particular oils that make a good shampoo bar? Or is it a matter or reducing the percent of super fatted oils, ours is %5-%7?

I would love to know if anyone has made some soap that makes your hair feel light and clean! Or even conditions!

Cheers! :D
 
for the most part, true soap is quite hard on the hair, regardless of which oils you choose. the pH is too high for hair and lifts the scales on the cuticle, roughening each strand, and if you have even slightly hard water then the minerals combine with the soap creating soap scum which stick to your hair. both these contribute to rough, dry, sticky hair. a rinse of water with vinegar in it can help, but for most it simply isn't enough.

some folks CAN tolerate all this though and swear by soap as a shampoo.

the best solid shampoos I've tried are actually detergent bars, and thus not far off from commercial shampoos. you can buy a detergent base in the form of flakes or something like that and use it to compose your own shampoo - solid or liquid.
 
I haven't made a shampoo bar, but I order some shampoo & soap bars from Ida @ Chagrin Valley and she briefly explains the difference Soap vs Shampoo bars if you look at the ingredients in her soaps and shampoo you'll probably get a general idea of which oils contribute to cleansing and conditioning the hair and scalp. HTH

I use some of her soaps as a conditioner (Chocolate Almond & Honey Butter bar-love these 2 bars) :D on my Twa (tween weeny afro).
 
Hi kaseen, if you are looking into making a shampoo bar, one ingredient to consider is meadowfoam seed oil (MFSO). Google it and you will find that it is excellent for adding gloss and moisture to hair without leaving the hair shaft limp or greasy.

I have not yet soaped with this, however I will be developing a shampoo bar for my daughter very soon and will definitely be including this oil. My current brand of salon shampoo and conditioner uses MFSO as a key ingredient.

Have a look at aussie soap supplies link:-

http://aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/Meadow ... -1000.html

For a supplier nearer you try:-

http://www.oilsandsoap.com.au/meadowfoa ... html?cp=86

HTH!

Tanya :)
 
I think that I have heard people using high percentages of castor oil for their shampoo bars. I personally don't care for a high percentages of castor, though, as it tends to make the soap very soft.
 
topcat said:
Hi kaseen, if you are looking into making a shampoo bar, one ingredient to consider is meadowfoam seed oil (MFSO). Google it and you will find that it is excellent for adding gloss and moisture to hair without leaving the hair shaft limp or greasy.
Thanks for the tip Topcat!! I have superfine hair and 2# of meadowfoam oil. Good project for the week. Maybe a liquid soap...................

Digit
 
digit said:
topcat said:
Hi kaseen, if you are looking into making a shampoo bar, one ingredient to consider is meadowfoam seed oil (MFSO). Google it and you will find that it is excellent for adding gloss and moisture to hair without leaving the hair shaft limp or greasy.
Thanks for the tip Topcat!! I have superfine hair and 2# of meadowfoam oil. Good project for the week. Maybe a liquid soap...................

Digit

Oh, let me know how you get on with that. My daughter has asked me to make her a shampoo bar "without all the yukky stuff in it", but I didn't think of liquid soap. Hmmm.......something ELSE new to try! :lol:

Tanya :)
 
I have a couple of different shampoo bars that I make. I like to use rice bran oil since it makesnice big bubbles. I do recommend using a bit of conditioner afterwards or a vinegar rinse......but the people who use them love them.

p.s...I'm in the land of hard water but everyone has a water softener...
 
Back
Top