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Then, I wanted to make something more complicated and started to experiment. Shampoo soap (or bar as most people call them) is one of them. Shampoo bars are so easy to travel with and take to the gym. No spilling! I really love them and do not use any commercial shampoo anymore. A bit of a shame since I had just asked my daughter to buy a rather expensive well known shampoo and conditioner in France!
It takes a bit getting used to using a shampoo bar. For one it doesn't lather much, but that has nothing to do with it's cleansing ability. I have a tendency to wash twice and it lathers much more the second time. Also, don't use a conditoner! The shampoo bar contains all you need. It leaves the hair wonderfully soft and shiny. In my experience adding conditioner makes it havy and almost greasy so I skip it, but then, I don't have dry hair.
I really have a hard time making the same recipe again because I keep getting ideas for new things. Even if I start out with a definite idea to make something, I may end up with something completely different! But I have made it a rule to religiously write my recipes down so that I have the option to make something again, if I really like it. This is one of the ones that I really like. It is the second recipe I made for a shampoo bar. Basically shampoo bars have castor oil. I had made a very basic one and this time I wanted to use Chamomile tea and do something good for the blondes in the family (my husband).
The recipe I came up with is this:
45% 315 g. / 11 oz Olive oil
30% 210 g. / 7.4 oz Coconut oil
25% 175 g. / 6.2 oz Castor oil
The liquid I used was 266 g. Chamomile tea, just brewed the normal way and cooled. I dissolved 98 g. lye in the tea and dissolved 1 tbs. honey in it before pouring it into the oils. This time I thought that a lemon scent would go well in a shampoo for blondes so scented it with lemongrass essential oil! I find that to last a bit longer than lemon EO.
I put the whole thing into my log mold, that I lined with freezer paper (bought in the US).
The result is a very nice shampoo bar. It is very soft at first and takes a long time to get to the stage that it can be cut. But when it finally does, it is very nice. My husband has used it quite a bit and I think it is his favorite now. It is not as conditioning as the egg/beer/honey combination, but I find that I like to alternate the use of my shampoo bars. I also make one that I think of as for brunettes (me) and that has rosemary extract and neem oil. I find it hard to pick a favorite, so use them all.
The photo: This is a nice shampoo bar for normal hair. That bottle I picked up at the Good S..., but it broke. And I love my
collection of natural sponges that I've bought in Florida.
Hello! I really like your blog and your whole process and thinking about soap sounds pretty similar to mine... uncanny! I mean even this beer, honey, egg shampoo bar. I have made a bar that is so similar I can't believe it. I have tried 3 shampoo bars. 1 was a disaster, left my hair greasy (never knew why - I though it was our water which is extremely hard), then the second one just didn't lather well. The great one is one with beer, honey and egg. I am just using the last bar. I love it. The strange part is it looks just like yours!! What scents did you use? When I get home (currently traveling) I will tell you what scents I used. The only thing about mine is that after it gets about half used, the middle starts to get soggy.... mushy.... do you have this same problem? Like as if it didn't cure properly? Any tips on how to improve? I want to repeat this recipe when I get home but without the "mush". I also feel strongly about only Essential Oils and only natural colour. Do you sell your soaps? Look forward to hearing from you. xo Jen
ReplyDeleteHi, lovely to hear from you. I didn't use any fragrance for the egg/honey/beer shampoo but the honey gives it a faintly sweet smell. I have given away most of them for trial, but I noticed that the last slice that I have curing has been sweating. I really try to keep them dry when in use, but I think this is very soft and a bit mushy. I think I am going to reduce the liquid in the next recipe and maybe cure it slightly longer.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should mention EO's and colour. I just wrote drafts of my next couple blogs about those subjects :)
And yes and no to the selling. I have sold a few, but I've given more away, mostly to family wanting to get feedback. But this is like a serious drug habit. You've got to start dealing to support the habit! I mean how many soaps can you go through? I have a lot of soaps and they should be used, so I need to start to market them soon. I just feel like playing with it a bit longer.
I have looked at you blog and liked what I saw. It would be great to compare notes and share experiences.