How to Make a Shampoo Bar
Making your own solid shampoo is a great way to provide a healthy alternative for your hair. Shampoo bars, lacking moisture content, don't require the same preservatives and chemicals that commercial shampoos need to keep out bacteria. Thus shampoo bars are healthier for your hair and will last longer. If you make your own, you can choose your own scents and other ingredients that will nourish your hair for its best possible look and condition.
Things You'll Need
- 3 oz. coconut oil
- 4-3/4 oz. mid-grade olive oil
- 3 oz. castor oil
- 1-1/2 oz. lye
- 3-1/4 oz. distilled water
- 1/8 oz. essential oil
- Stirring implement
- Large glass or ceramic bowl
- Rubber gloves
- Thermometer
- Plastic wrap
- Thick bath towel
- Soap mold
- Knife
Instructions
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1
Line the soap mold with plastic wrap so the finished soap will be easy to remove. Alternatively, you can coat the inside of the mold with petroleum jelly.
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2
Wearing rubber gloves, combine the lye and water slowly in the large bowl. A chemical reaction will cause the ingredients to get hot; be sure not to breathe in the fumes. Stir with a wooden spoon or other stirring implement. Once the lye and water are thoroughly stirred, set the mixture aside.
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3
Mix the coconut, olive and castor oils together and slowly heat them to about 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C).
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4
Slowly stir the oils into the lye solution. Make sure these are both at roughly the same temperature (about 100 degrees F) when you do so. The mixture will thicken and may change color. Stir the solution until you can create a trace---that is, a mark on the surface that remains for a moment then slowly fades.
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5
Add the essential oil of your choice and mix slowly but thoroughly.
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6
Pour the mixture into the prepared soap mold. Wrap the mold in a thick towel for insulation and let it sit undisturbed for one to five days.
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7
Remove the solidified soap from the mold and cut it into bars, then set the bars in an undisturbed area to cure and harden completely, usually for three to five weeks. The soap can then be safely used.
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1
Tips & Warnings
This recipe will make one pound of bar shampoo. You can adjust it to the amount you want. Coconut oil can dry the hair, so you can replace it with almond oil or jojoba if you wish. Adding two to three more tablespoons of castor oil when you add the essential oil will produce extra shampoo-like foaming when you use the finished product.
Lye, or caustic soda, can burn your skin if used without caution. Always wear rubber gloves when handling it. The soap will be safe to handle and use after it has solidified. Some essential oils may cause allergic reactions or may be dangerous to pregnant women. Do not use the stirring implement for anything other than soap making. Be sure to carefully measure all ingredients, even the water, as a slight mistake can ruin the entire batch.
