- Solid shampoo is not the same as hair soap!
- Storing shampoo bars correctly
- Make your own solid shampoo
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Conventional shampoos and conditioners often promise many advantages for our hair. Not infrequently, however, the result is quite unsatisfactory. In addition, these are always sold in plastic containers, which unnecessarily pollute our environment. Many of these hair care products still contain microplastics, which poses an additional threat to people and nature in the long run. Not to mention unhe althy ingredients like preservatives and parabens. The alternative to this is to switch to eco-friendly hair care. So, prefer high-quality natural cosmetics or even make your own hair products yourself. Today we will show you how you can easily make solid shampoo yourself. It is not for nothing that this has been an absolute trend for some time and is becoming more and more popular. Find out below what are its main benefits and how to use and store it.
Make your own solid shampoo in different shapes
Solid shampoo is not the same as hair soap!
Right away we would like to explain the difference between solid shampoo, also known as shampoo bar or solid shampoo, and hair soap. Because very often the two hair products are confused. Although both are in solid form and resemble handmade soap. But the main difference lies in the ingredients.
When making hair soap, so-called caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, NaOH) is mixed with the oils used. In this way, surfactants are produced during the saponification process, which are necessary for cleaning the hair. If you make a shampoo bar instead, you don't use the caustic sodium hydroxide solution, but mix the remaining ingredients with an existing surfactant, such as SLSA (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate).
Create unique shampoo bars with just a few ingredients
Both cases are about alternative hair care that is free from parabens, silicone and sulfate. Nevertheless, there are some disadvantages with the hair soap that have to be taken into account.
The hair soap is above all quite moisturizing and therefore for thinner, delicate hair not so well suited. Even bleached or dyed hair does not feel particularly good when washed with a hair soap, but quickly becomes stringy and dull. In addition, after washing your hair with hair soap, you must definitely use an additional acidic conditioner/rinse so that your hair does not become brittle. On the other hand, this is completely absent when washing with a solid shampoo for most hair types.
Solid shampoo foams efficiently and cleans the hair perfectly
Last but not least, the manufacturing process itself also plays an important role, namely with the DIY hair soap you have to work very carefully with the caustic soda, because it is highly corrosive and can even be dangerous under certain circumstances. In contrast, this risk does not apply to the production of solid shampoo. The finished surfactant is not dangerous for the skin and eyes. You just have to be careful not to inhale it directly, because it creates dust. A conventional face mask is a sufficient remedy.
You can create shampoo bars in a wide variety of colors and shapes
Storing shampoo bars correctly
A solid shampoo is very economical and also makes a lot of foam when washing your hair. You should first only wet it with water, rub it with your hands and work it into your hair and lather it up. You can also rub the shampoo directly into your hair and use it like a conventional soap. If desired, the foam can be left to work for a short time and then rinsed off. It is a wonderful fragrance experience that makes hair and soul happy.
Shampoo bars are very economical and easy to use
And now for storage. This is quite easy and convenient as well as using it. There are already great containers for shampoo bars on the market that are embellished with patterns or sayings. But you can also store your shampoo bar in a simple soap box or in a sisal bag made for this purpose. The only important thing about storage is that you always dry out the shampoo bars completely after showering and leave them in a dry place.
Solid shampoo lasts longer if stored properly
Make your own solid shampoo
This is more of a basic recipe for shampoo bars, which you can try out with other oils, fragrances and colors according to your own taste. For a bigger one supply of shampoo bar you will need the following…
Ingredients and tools:
- 200 g SLSA Surfactant (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate)
- 100 g shea butter ( alternatively: coconut oil or cocoa butter)
- 200 g cornstarch
- 15-20 drops of essential oil (rosemary, lavender, cedar, chamomile, eucalyptus)
- Food coloring (optional)
- dried flowers or herbs (optional)
- Silicone mold or similar for forming the bars
- Face mask
- a bowl
Extra tip: You can also use the surfactant SCI (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate), this is also very mild and perfect for hair care.
You can also use a long cake pan and slice the bars after they have hardened
And this is how easy it is done:
Put on the face mask first, because the tenside creates dust and although it is absolutely approved and harmless for natural cosmetics, it could irritate your respiratory tract. Then mix the surfactant and cornstarch in the bowl and melt the shea butter in a double boiler. Then pour this onto the powder mixture and knead everything with your hands. Knead until everything is well mixed together. Fill your silicone or baking molds with it and let the shampoo bars harden for approx. 24 hours or longer. Take these out of the molds and store them in airtight containers.
Check out how you can make a sustainable dry shampoo yourself.
The great shampoo bars are an excellent gift idea for many occasions
Let your creativity run wild when shaping the shampoo bar!
