Howdy adventurous makers! I was just sitting here brainstorming new ideas for the blog. I realized that we do not have a shampoo bar recipe on our blog. So that is what I am going to share with you today! I am really excited.
Finished Shampoo Bar
I have never actually tried a shampoo bar until now, but I have heard many people talk about them. Some of the benefits of using a shampoo bar are that you get to choose what ingredients you want to include. Reading the back of shampoo bottles can be daunting because the ingredients are full of long words that most of us can’t pronounce. Another plus side is that shampoo bars are great for traveling. No need to worry about leaky shampoo bottles or angry TSA people harassing you.
For this recipe, I followed our 6-5-4-1 method of soapmaking. If you haven’t heard of this method, then go check out a series Taylor did call Introduction to Soap Making. This method makes it super easy to create a fool-proof batch of soap. For this recipe, I decided to add Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone. These oils add slip and glide to help keep the hair from tangling. Dimethicone also conditions the hair and skin, so it is great for your hair and scalp! I chose to use Cabana Boys Fragrance Oil because I have a weakness for fruity smells. I think Cabana Boys makes you feel like you are sitting on the beach with an umbrella drink in your hand.
| Ingredients Hydrogenated Soybean Oil Coconut Oil Olive Oil Mango Butter Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Water Cyclomethicone Dimethicone Cabana Boys Fragrance Oil |
Equipment Scale Microwave Safe Container Spoons Pipettes |
Recipe:
| Recipe in Grams 170 grams Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 142 grams Coconut Oil 113 grams Olive Oil 29 grams Mango Butter 64 grams Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 177 mL Water 9.07 grams Cyclomethicone 9.07 grams Dimethicone 9.07 grams Cabana Boys Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in Ounces 6 ounces Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 5 ounces Coconut Oil 4 ounces Olive Oil 1 ounces Mango Butter 2.26 ounces Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) 6 ounces Water 0.32 ounces Cyclomethicone 0.32 ounces Dimethicone 0.32 ounces Cabana Boys Fragrance Oil |
Recipe in Percentages 37.5% Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 31.25% Coconut Oil 25% Olive Oil 6.25% Mango Butter Q.S. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) Q.S. Water 2% Cyclomethicone 2% Dimethicone 2% Cabana Boys Fragrance Oil |
 Weighing out the Oils |
 The Oils after Melting |
 The Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, and fragrance oil |
 The Soap after Pouring into Mold |
To make this soap:
1. You’ll want to mix the Sodium Hydroxide and water and set aside to cool. Remember that the lye goes in the water, not the water into the lye. I was told,” Do what you otter and put your chemical in the water.” Now I’ll never forget!
2. Next weigh the Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, and Mango Butter into a microwave-safe container, and heat until fully melted.
3. Make sure the temperatures of both the oils and the Lye are under 120º F before mixing. Now pour the lye solution into the oils and using an immersion blender, mix until you reach trace.
4. Add the Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, and fragrance oil. Blend until fully mixed.
5. Pour the raw soap into the prepared mold. Let cool overnight before popping the soap out of the mold.
I hope you enjoy this Top Secret Poo Bar Recipe! 😉
You might need to use an acidic rinse afterwards, like vinegar or lemon juice, as this is soap, not actual shampoo. The “long words” in an ingredient list should not be a deterrent to anyone these days, especially those of us who make soap and other products. Labelling requirements dictate that manufacturers must use INCI nomenclature for their labels. For instance, Ricinus communis might appear on a list. Most people wouldn’t know that’s just castor oil. Don’t be afraid of big words. Look them up before you decide they must be horrible ingredients. Soap doesn’t work well on my, or most others’, hair. If it works for yours, great! I make solid syndet shampoo bars.
Thanks for your comments! 🙂
Cheers,
Katy
Has anyone tried this yet? I’d love to know what testers think.
Best, Karen Harvey
Karen,
I took home a bar and tried this out for myself. After washing with the shampoo bar I definitely felt that I needed to follow up with some conditioner. I happened to have a conditioning bar laying around that I had never tried so I used that. After rinsing and drying, my hair felt amazing! I have very fine and thin hair, so the results may vary depending on what hair type you have. I could not tell you the difference between using this shampoo bar and using my fancy salon grade shampoo. If you try out this recipe let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Katy
Is this product insulated? And does it need a full 4 weeks cure?
Susan,
No this product is not insulated. After pouring this soap into the mold I allowed it to sit uncovered overnight. Then I cut into bars. For this particular soap I only let it cure for about 2 weeks. I am going to refer you to one of our previous blogs that talk about curing soaps. I think you will find it very helpful! Click here!
Cheers,
Katy
Hi Katy! I have been looking for a good shampoo bar recipe (not a syndet bar). I love the ols you chose for your recipe! But, I have no experience with Cyclomethicone or Dimethicone. I have only done a bit of research so far on what these ingredients are, and to be honest, I’m still not sure what they are made of. Can you help me out with this? The thing that’s really been on my mind is developing a CP shampoo bar using citric acid to lower the PH. I thought perhaps I could achieve the same thing using ACV. I have made a goat’s milk shampoo bar (with lots of infused oils) and am waiting for it to cure now. It has ACV and yogurt in it, and so far the PH is 8. Do you think I should have used both citric acid and ACV in my recipe? Would it be possible to make the recipe you shared, but without the Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone? Is there anything I could add instead? I apologize for the disjointed nature of my questions! LOL! My mind is all over the place at the moment, because I’m trying to figure out a lot of technical questions. Thanks for any help you can give me! 🙂
Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone are silicone oils; in other words, they are mineral oils. While cold process soap can be a shampoo bar, the problem is that soap works because it is a higher pH. If we attempt to adjust the pH of the soap, then we make it so that soap can’t clean effectively. Apple cider vinegar can be a good rinse, as can yogurt, but these are not useful additions for your soap. I think you should avoid adding high pH items to your soap and create a rinse bar or conditioner bar instead.
One thing to consider is if we apply soap to the hair, it will lift the cuticles on the hair shaft, which encourages tangling. The silicone oils are used to create less friction and grip between hair strands, which reduces tangling. Tangled hair is to be expected from soap because of the pH, adjusting the pH downward will create soap scum which clings to the hair.
Wash with higher pH, rinse with lower pH, tangle-free hair is the goal!
Curious. I try and stay away from Soy Bean so can you substitute Lard in it’s place?? I seem to have seen that substituted in another recipe using Soy.
Excellent alternatives for Soybean are Lard, Tallow, or Palm Oils.
From our Introduction to Soapmaking Day 1 post
I hope this helps!