Monday, May 24, 2010

Rosemary shampoo bar for brunettes.



Rosemary has traditionally been used for dark hair and I remember using a shampoo in my youth that contained Rosemary.  So I just had to make a shampoo bar with rosemary if only for the wonderful smell.  Apparently the smell of rosemary helps memory and boy do I need that!

I have made this a few times and sometimes added a bit of neem oil to it, but this recipe is without that.  The neem oil was intended for exema in the scalp, a condition that some people in my family suffer from.  It has a very strong earthy, smokey scent that the rosemary masks pretty well.  When I use neem oil I have used about a tablespoon of it in a recipe this size.  Neem oil is also very good for insect control as in my insect spray (those mites are dead!) and for lice.  Althought I don't think the concentration in the shampoo is enough to combat lice.

Olive oil       40%    280g / 9.9 oz
Coconut oil  30%    210g / 7.4 oz
Castor oil     20%    140g / 4.9 oz
Sunflower oil 10%    70g / 2.5 oz

Water           38%    266g / 9.4 oz
Lye                           98g / 3.5 oz

5% SF.

To the sunflower oil I added Rosemary EO and added that at trace.
For colour I used the spirulina powder that I have.

I love to make teas with herbs that I grow and also infuse oils with herbs.  I do that regularly with mint and I have also used Thyme and a dying Rosemary.  I haven't had much luck with growing Rosemary so I don't have a good supply of it.  So many herbs are Mediterranean and don't like the wet weather here.  Plus, I think I must be slightly codependent because I tend to smother my plants in fertilizer and water them well and consequently torture and drown plants that prefer arid conditions.  I could buy Rosemary  at the store I suppose, but it's just not the same!  But I'm sure that this would be wonderful if made with rosemary tea and infused oils.


The photo: I bought this very ornate mask in Venice. I love masquerade balls, but my friends never wanted that back in the 70's. Now my daughters friends are always having dress up parties, but I'm not invited. Even so I lent her this to wear once.

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10 comments:

  1. Oh I just love the look & description of this one! I think I may try it... Thanks for the recipe! xo Jen

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  2. Rosemary has very benefits. The smell of rosemary can be used for boys and for boys’ attraction also.

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  3. @Jen - I have been reading that parsley give a nice green colour in soaps. Have you tried that? It might work well in this recipe.
    @Zinc Shampoo - Mmmm, that is nice to know :)

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  4. Thanks for the recipe! I'll have to try this. The one you did for blond hair did not contain sunflower oil. I would be really interested to hear what is the difference between these two bars in use? Or is there big difference since there is not much alteration to the recipe?

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  5. Oh boy! A soap to help my memory...you made my day! The soap is beautiful, too. Such a lovely color. Speaking of color, got any ideas for going-gray hair? :)

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  6. @Heidi - There is more Castor oils in the blondie shampoo bar, as well as honey. That bar is very soft to begin with and takes a long time to cure, but I love the way it makes my hair soft. This shampoo bar is quite different in feel. It probably isn't as conditioning, so it might serve as a great shampoo to use when one feels there is build up of products.
    @TheSoapSister - I know! I've just started to eat my Ginko Biloba tree! About the gray - I've stopped all colouring efforts and have the most expensive looking streaks :) But I read about using an infusion of sage (and sometimes 50% rosemary) as a hair rinse: Use 1/2 cup sage in 2 cups water and bring to simmer. Let it simmer for half an hour and steep overnight. Apply, let dry and then rinse out. Use weekly and then monthly. It should work, but I haven't tried it.

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  7. Oooo I really must try one of those, I've got a real itchy scalp at the mo and nothing seems to be helping. Also thanks for joining in the blog hop again! Lois x

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  8. oooh! Nice blog! Following you from the blog hop - please follow me as well! :)

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  9. Thanks for following the CC wednesday Blog Hop, we appreciate your support.
    The soap sounds lovely and very therapuetic too.

    ALI @ www.plansandpresents.blogspot.com

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  10. Hi there, thanks for joining in the Women Wednesday Blog Hop again, make sure you check back tomorrow to see if you have been picked for next weeks blog feature! We really appreciate the support and hope you are benefiting by getting new followers and finding lots of great blogs!
    C|C

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