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Shampoo Bar Recipe

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Previous Entry Shampoo Bar Recipe Apr. 19th, 2010 @ 07:09 pm Next Entry
Ok, here it is for posterity. Please note that I haven't tried these yet - I de-molded them this evening; they are still a bit mushy on top, and very oily feeling (this comes from the castor oil, I think - my bar from Chagrin Valley feels the same, only it's harder. :grin:)

This makes a 2 pound batch:

12 oz Castor Oil
4 oz Jojoba Oil
8 oz Coconut Oil
4 oz Olive Oil
4 oz Shea Butter

6 oz very very strong Chamomile tea
4.16 oz lye

Fragrance oils: Frankensence & Myrrh and Lavendar (Provence)

Notes: I only heated up the Shea Butter - the Coconut Oil was the type that is liquid up to 76* (over 76*? Anyway - it was liquid) and added it to the other oils. The oils never got above about 80* - if that much. The tea was cold when I added the lye - and it stank to high heaven! When the lye mix reached 120*, I added it to the oils - it took about 4 minutes - if that - to trace. Added the smellies...and it accelerated the trace to the point that I had oatmeal when I glopped it into the mold.

Put it in the ice chest for 10 hours, then let it sit on the table for 24. It was very sticky and hard to de-mold - the top is still slightly soft. The scent isn't exactly what I was going for - I am trying to recreate Lush's Veganese scent. This is close....but I think I need to try Patcholi and Lavendar next time. Still, it smells nice.

Once I run out of my current bar, I'll test drive one of these.
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From:ghislainedel
Date:April 20th, 2010 12:59 am (UTC)
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How did you come up with which oils you wanted to use in the shampoo bar?
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From:fiberaddict
Date:April 20th, 2010 01:09 pm (UTC)
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:giggle: I was *so* scientific! :lol: OK, seriously - I went to the oil properties chart that I posted the other day, and thought about what *my* hair needs. I have very fine, thin hair - it's prone to dryness, so I started by listing all the oils that had conditioning properties.

I then went back and said, ok, I need a hard bar, so....coconut oil (it supposedly adds dryness when in soap, so I didn't make it the #1 oil). It also gives fluffly lather, which I like. Most shampoo bars have castor oil as the #1 ingredient - it is conditioning and gives stable lather - so I decided to do that, too. The other oils add conditioning, and - surprisingly - make for hard bars. (So...I could have cut the coconut oil down even further. Huh.....I need to experiment!)

I did try a wee bit this AM. Bearing in mind our water softener is out right now, so it wasn't a totally fair comparison......looks-wise, it's almost identical to my Chagrin Valley bar - the CV is a little more translucent, mine is more creamy. It suds up the same - maybe a little bit more lather, but not a lot. My hair is clean, and soft - I did do a vinegar rinse, because my hair has felt "sticky" lately (due to the hard water, I'm sure), but that's the only difference. We'll see how it is tonight - it's up right now, like it always is.

I'm hoping this will work for Herself's hair - she's got a lot, it's thick, and it's CURLY. I mean - *corkscrew* curls, all the way down. Her hair LOVES hydration.....I want to test this out on her. I may need to try again......:darn it!: :lol:
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From:ghislainedel
Date:April 20th, 2010 08:19 pm (UTC)
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Fascinating! Thank you so much. I'll add it to my memories and give it a try sometime too. I also have fine, thin hair and my head could definitely use the conditioning. I'll have to try the vinegar rinse too since my hair hasn't been acting normal lately. I hadn't considered the water hardness though it's certainly a possibility. I should also take note to have my husband check the status of the water softener!
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