I begin my journey into soap making almost 2 years ago. It all started when I read this post and began to understand how easy and cost-effective making my own really is!
I am by no means a soap making expert. I usually stick to pretty basic recipes and I haven’t experimented much with scents or creative designs.
Hot processed soap is the way to go for me. Cold processed takes a long time to cure and I’m just to impatient for that! (Okay…don’t freak out if you have no idea what I just said! Stay with me on this!)
Determine Your Method
There are so many recipes and soap-making methods out there. If you are new to soap making I strongly suggest you read through these super informative posts and find what will work for you. Here are just a few:
I would also recommend borrowing a few of these books from the library if you really find yourself wanting to know more:
- Handcrafted Soap
by Dolores Boone
- The Soapmaker’s Companion
by Susan Miller Cavitch
- The Natural Soap Book
by Susan Miller Cavitch
Why shampoo bar soap and not just baking soda?
What a great question! I’m so happy you asked (smile). I have found that baking soda has more of a clarifying effect on my hair. Even after a vinegar rinse, my hair is still very dry and it doesn’t feel conditioned.
I have long hair and I was so frustrated. I could hardly even brush through it. This even after a month of allowing my hair the transition away from commercially-prepared product.
I really didn’t want to be dependent on store-bought shampoo! I know about all of the nasty, toxic chemicals in it and they kind of freak my out. With more people bringing awareness to the problem, I knew it was time to commit to a change.
So I set out to create a solution!
Gather The Supplies
Alright! Here we go. It’s time to gather all of the supplies and ingredients. If you are new to soap making there is going to be an initial start up cost. But, I’m going to recommend to you the suppliers that I have found to have the cheapest prices. And the savings in the long run are huge!
Lye
I purchase lye, sodium hydroxide, online through The Soap Dish. Last time I checked I was $6.95 for a 32 oz container. This will get you through quite a bit of soap recipes and lasts a long time!
You will need to run your recipe through a lye calculator to be sure that you are using the proper amount of lye and liquid (i.e. water, coconut milk, goat’s milk, etc.). I use the recommended amount of lye for a 5% superfat soap. (Trust me, this will make more sense when you start working with the lye calculator.)
Do you really want to learn a sustainable practice? Check out this information on making homemade lye from wood ashes!
Note: Be careful when working with lye and follow all of the recommended precautions. What I’m trying to say is, I can not be held responsible for any craziness, mishaps, explosions, etc. that may happen when working with this recipe.
Oils
Shop around for the cheapest oil prices. I like to purchase from a combination of local stores, The Soap Dish, and Mountain Rose Herbs.
You can design the properties of your soap based on the oils you use. For example, use:
- Lard or tallow for a hard, long-lasting soap
- Coconut or castor oil for lathering
- Olive or canola oil for moisturizing and conditioning properties
- Cocoa butter, shea butter, and jojoba oil for a luxurious, extra moisturizing effect
Have fun and experiment!
Equipment
Most of the equipment you will need can be found in your kitchen. I do not have appointed tools for soap making simply because I use glass and stainless steel bowls and utensils. However, it would be necessary to have tools specifically for this task if you were to use wood or plastic.
See this exhaustive list of recommended equipment, tools, and molds.
Note: I do have a dedicated crock pot for soap making. It is an older model that I purchased from the thrift store for $4. The older models don’t seem to get as hot and that is a good thing.
Now on to the recipe!
Luxurious Shampoo Bar Soap Recipe
-9 ounces coconut oil
-9 ounces olive oil
-5 ounces castor oil
-3 ounces jojoba oil
-2 ounces shea butter
-2 ounces cocoa butter
-1 ounce beeswax
*Please note, all amounts are per weight. You will need to use a kitchen scale for these measurements.
-4 ounces water
-6 ounces coconut milk*
-4 ounces lye
*You could use only water, an herbal infusion, or any other type of milk.
Optional Essential Oils
-Rosemary and peppermint for dark hair
-Lavender and lemon for blonde hair
-Lime and coconut for all types
*Use approximately 0.5-1 ounce of essential oils for this recipe. Yes they are a fun addition, but not necessary.
Directions:
1. Place the water and coconut milk into a large glass measuring cup.
2. Measure out the lye by weight into a 1 cup measuring glass.
3. Carefully add the lye into the liquid and stir to combine. (Adding the liquid to the lye could cause and eruption.) Be careful, the liquid is caustic and not to be touched in anyway. The outside of the bowl will be extremely hot as well. Note: Take the necessary lye precautions with this step.
4. Allow the lye mixture to stay under a vent and cool down while you prepare the oils.
5. Measure all oils, by using a kitchen scale, and pour into a pot.
6. Warm oils and beeswax on low heat until all are melted.
7. Pour melted oils into a crock pot. Be sure the crock pot is on the lowest setting. Note: Do not allow the oils to get to hot.
8. Add the lye/liquid mixture to the oils in the crock pot and stir. Note: Any equipment the lye touches needs to be neutralized in a mixture of vinegar, soap, and water. Vinegar will neutralize the lye.
9. After a brief stir, grab your stick blender and get to work! Blend the oils, lye, and liquid in the crock pot for at least 3-5 minutes. We are working toward ”trace.”
10. Blend until the mixture becomes a thick, pudding like consistency.
11. Once the mixture is pudding-like, cover the crock pot and “cook” the soap for approximately 1 hour.
12. By the end, the mixture should have folded in on itself and it should be completely transparent. Turn off the crock pot.
13. Now it’s time to prepare the molds. I just use a standard glass loaf pan greased with coconut oil and it’s always worked perfectly.
14. Now is the time to add the essential oils (if using).
15. Spoon soap mixture into molds.
16. Allow soap to cool and harden for 24 hours.
17. Remove from mold on to cutting board and cut into 1 inch thick bars.
18. Place bars on a tray with good airflow so that they can harden further. But go ahead and use your first bar!!!
Notes
-I’m telling you, this is the most amazing natural hair product I have used! My hair is so shiny, soft, and manageable. And the real test…my husband even uses this shampoo bar soap and LOVES it!
-When showering, be sure to complete the use of this shampoo bar soap with a 1 part apple cider vinegar and 3 part water conditioning hair rinse. I like to put this in a spray bottle and spray my hair with it just prior to leaving the shower. I do not rinse it out (more conditioning that way). The smell of vinegar will dissipate once the hair dries.
-You can purchase the beeswax used in this recipe here.
If you prefer to purchase a bar of this soap pre-made by yours truly…you can do that here (thank you in advance for your support)!
I'm convinced! I'm going to make these bars as stocking stuffers… thanks!
I started using this shampoo about a week ago. I like it as it doens’t make my hair greasy or leave a film, but I think it’s drying my hair out a lot. I always rinse with acv, yesterday i used conditioner as well and my hair was still really dry. I used a hand mixer to trace the soap, and i’m worried that I didn’t do it for long enough and it didn’t actually trace? It did get thicker but maybe wasn’t pudding consistency. I also had to cook it for longer as it didn’t really fold in on itself and i had to stir it a lot at the end and keep cooking it so that it became transparent. Did I really mess the soap up and possible still have lye in it or something?
Just a thought maybe there’s too much Coconut oil in it for your hair. When I make mine I use as much castor oil as I do the coconut. Also, be sure to mix the ACV with enough water. The AVC can dry the hair and leave it feeling a bit weird at 1st, at least it did my hair. And I don’t use it everytime. I know this isn’t helpful with this batch but think about adding more castor oil to the next one you make. I love my shampoo bar, thankfully my customers do as well. If you’d like I can provide you with my recipe. Happy Soaping!
I’d love to try your recipe for the shampoo bar. I’m still experimenting, trying to find the one I like best.
Me too. Thank you kindly!
I am very excited to try this but I have a question, what is the purpose of doing the apple code vinegar/water rinse afterwards? what if you don't use that as a rinse? Also, I will be linking back to this post on my blog! I really can't wait to try it.
Apple cider vinegar needs to be diluted in water otherwise it will be too strong. how much you dilute it depends on preference and hair type and sensitivity, but just test around. The reason for this, is because sometimes shampoo bars can leave your hair feeling a little weird. ACV rinse will make your hair soft again. The vinegar will get rid of any excess oil or shampoo that you have left in your hair, and it will close the cuticle on your hair shaft, making it feel smoother and softer, giving you softer hair. It will also make your hair shiny. It is used a lot by long hair people to maintain strong and healthy hair. You can use this after your regular shampoo too. If you premix up a batch of this, and store it in an old shampoo bottle, or like Andrea in a spray bottle, you can mix it with soft water, that way if the water in your shower is hard and makes your hair unmanageable, the ACV rinse will soften this effect. If you in addition keep from heating up the water, and using cold to room temperature water in the ACV rinse, that will also help your hair cuticle close and make your hair super shiny. Good luck!
I do NOT dilute the ACV when I rinse my hair, never have. It works great and is not too strong. Without it I have dandruff and a very oily scalp. I have been doing the no-poo method for months. I am AMAZED by how awesome the condition of my hair and scalp is.
I know some people dilute it and works for them, but you don’t have to do it to see great results
Form a hair course I took, unless shampoo is Ph adjusted, it being intrinsically alkaline, as soaps are a fatty acid+alkaline catalyst, the cuticle is opened by the high alkaline Ph, and closed by an acidic Ph, like conditioner or vinegar.or lemon juice..my neighbour and i are making this bar next week..she bought it on Etsy and loved it! thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! So no conditioner (homemade or otherwise) is needed, other than the ACV mix? I get (long-hair version) Rosanna Rosanna Danna hair without conditioner so I'm a little scared. LOL
Oh, how do you apply the ACV mix? I have long hair and am trying to think of a method that doesn't involved 90% of it running down the drain.
You can use an old shampoo bottle and just spray it over your hair, or like Andrea, use a spray bottle and just spritz it on your hair. A lot of people do like to rinse out the vinegar again though, but you won’t be wasting it, because as it runs down your hair, it will still have an effect. If you have hard water though, you might want to leave in the ACV rinse if you mixed it with soft or distilled water. It will leave your hair softer. But ACV does have vinegar which can dry your hair, so not everyone can leave in the ACV, or you can try to dilute it with more water. I used a combo of 1:10 ratio, and I liked that.. Just try different things find what works for you:)
If by “Rosanna Danna”, you mean frizzy…try making flax seed curling gel. I usually run back to the internet each time I make it, google it and you’ll find tons of recipes. I love it for curls!
@healthynbalanced Apple Cider Vinegar is a conditioner and its okay if you don't use it, your hair just maybe a bit less conditioned. Thank you so much for linking back here! I really, really appreciate it:)
@Diane That's right no conditioner other than the ACV:) That's all the conditioner you will need! I love to mix 1 part ACV and 3 parts water in a spray bottle and spray on my long hair just before exiting the shower.
Thank you! I am bookmarking this. Not into soapmaking yet, but who knows in the future…
Ah, spray bottle. Duh. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks!
Making soap fascinates me…..but I just buy it from a friend – that's her livelihood.
Great tutorial Andrea – as always.
How does this compare to regular store bought?
This is really interesting to me. I have been making my own cold process soap for a year now. We often use it to shampoo with. But, I have been intrigued by the idea of making soap specifically for shampooing. I am bookmarking this and will be trying it in the not-to-distant future. I do have one question about your mold, though. When I make soap, I have to line the mold with waxed paper to lift it out. Does this just pop out easily because of the cooking method?
@Pam I have to be honest. I was out of waxed paper and I was a little nervous about using the bread dish without it. But I was amazed! I just greased the sides with a little coconut oil and just popped right out!!! I do think it's because of it being hot processed? Could be wrong on that?
I was wondering if I could use this recipe & make it cold process insted of hot process?
@Cheryl I'm not an expert but I believe you could. All the recipes that I have seen using the cold process method use similar ingredients.
I'm thinking you could probably just use the ingredients in a liquid form? (Minus the lye and beeswax, of course) If you didn't want to make the soap, that is… Thoughts?
You can’t make a liquid it would only be oil and not shampoo – LYE is not bad! CP soap cures for 3 weeks making sure the lye is completely gone before a person uses it. HP soap like the blogger here makes cures quickly because the lye is cooked out. NO LYE NO SOAP. Lye is an organic compound made from wood ash and it is the only compound that will hold the oils together in a solid form. Glycerin is also a form of lye.
Glycerin is not a form of lye. Glycerin is a bi-product of the soaponafication process which needs both lye and oils. Just so no one gets confused. And the reason homemade soaps are so great (other than getting rid of all the other chemicals) is that it retains the natural glycerin that is formed in the soaponafication process! And glycerin is a wonderful moisturizer!!!
If you want to make a liquid soap you will have to use a different kind of chemical to cause it NOT to solidify. Oil does not become soap without the lye. It is just oil. While the oil cleansing method works great for skin care it does not fair so well on the scalp. If you go on the ehow website and search how to make liquid soap there are many recipes on there about grating a bar of soap in water BUT there is one recipe I know of that teaches how to use the chemical process to make the liquid soap. A fellow soaper friend did try this once but was not impressed with its conditioning properties.
I have been making liquid laundry detergent for year for my family of 6. The recipe starts with a hard bar ie: Fels Naptha or Ivory grated and melted into water. It creates a jelly like liquid detergent. If I blend for 10 mins with my stick blender and do not expose to freezing temperatures it stays a nice liquid and does not separate. I will be making some soap to replace the Fels Naptha soon. But I’m pretty sure this method will work with any of your favorite soap recipes.
I used homemade lye/lard soap and made it into liquid shampoo (added lemongrass essential oil and olive oil), liquid dish soap, and liquid and powdered laundry soap. All of the liquid soaps have a wonderful translucent pearl look to them, but have the consistency of snot. It sort of reminds me of the goo on Nickelodeon. But, it is effective and very inexpensive. I get major compliments on my hair since switching to this method.
When I made mine with homemade soap, I melted the bar soap with the water on the stovetop. Once it was cool enough to put in a bottle, I did. The liquid dish soap is in wide mouthed mason jars, so I can just scoop out a dose when I do the dishes.
For making dish soap, how much water do you use per bar of soap? Do you make hand soap the same way? Do you add anything extra to either one? Does the dish soap work really well on grease?
I have been making both liquid and solid bar soaps for years! The lye that you need to make liquid soap is called, potassium hydroxide. But the dilution rate that you use on the soap once it is cooked determines the gel stage that you want. Always use a lye calculator and make sure it is for liquid soap and not bar soap! Two different types of lye. Sodium hydroxide is for bar soap and Potassium hydroxide is used for liquid soaps….But PLEASE if you have never made soap before, read, read, read and learn before starting into this adventure… But well worth the studying and knowing what you are doing! Happy Soaping!
I have thought and thought about making soap. This post will put me to action. Thank you for explaining it so clearly step by step!
This is one of my new year's resolutions — learn to make shampoo soap!
I've always wanted to know how to make this!
hi I have a question…the lye is good for the hair???? is the first time that, can I use lye for the hair? not is bad….. for my the lye is CLOROX
Lye itself is not good for your hair, but when it is processed and combined with the oils, a chemical reaction takes place, and no lye is left. the product you are left with is a mixture of soap and glycerin and a little bit of extra oils to help moisturize.
Oh My
Wonderful post !
- KAT -
@Cata-Mafe As I have mentioned in the text…I am certainly not an expert in making soap:) I would recommend reading more about saponification (the chemical reaction that takes place on the molecular level) during the soap making process. Lye is not left in it's normal state, just as the oils are not left in there normal state. Straight lye is caustic and will cause serious burns (the making of soap changes the properties of both the lye and the oils). There is a lot of very informative material available out there:)
I've added most of the ingredients to my cart on my Azure Standard order this month but where do I get Lye? I saw some on Amazon.com but what do I look for when I order? Where do you get your ingredients from?
You can also get lye at ACE hardware, if you have one in your area. If they don’t have it in stock, they can order it.
I found lye online at http://www.bulkapothecary.com. It’s price there including shipping averaged to about .16 cents an ounce. Our local Ace hardware is .25 an ounce.
Essential Depo is the best place for lye it’s food grade and inexpenses plus very fast delivery. Just my opinion in sources. Also, Brambleberry has it in flake form but cost quite a bit more. I started out my soap making adventures using ACE Hardware lye many many moons ago but quickly changed to food grade because if I can use it to clean drains I really don’t want to use it in my Body Soap. Again just me, many soapers will say there is no difference since once the saponification process of the oils and lye are complete there is no lye left it and it shouldn’t make a difference. Personnal choice. Do your research and please take all safety precautions when using this HIGHLY caustic substance it will hurt if it gets on you.
@Sarah I purchase my lye online through The Soap Dish. They are very affordable:)
I too plan on making this. Thanks so much for posting it. In the next few weeks I plan on getting into making soap.
Sarah, I bough Lye at Ace Hardware. Don't know if they have Ace Hardware where you live….but if not you could call different hardware stores.
I can't wait to start making my own soap!
Can I just buy this from you? I mean, I'd know that it was loving made properly, rather than me going out and buying all the stuff and goofing it up. Perhaps add a "buy" button to your site?
Great, great recipe, thank you for sharing I've been making soap for years and have always shyed away from making shampoo bars, thinking they wouldnt leave hair manageable but your recipe and such good comments give me a reason to make some now, HURRAY for me:)
I make soap too. Saw you on a blog hop, going to follow….your blog is all about what I want to blog about…so maybei can cheat and jsut read yours!
OK, this may be a "I totally missed the obvious" question, but… How exactly do you use a solid shampoo ?
I am so with you on the hot process vs. cold process. That and every flop I've had has been making cold process soap. LOL!
Hi,
I know this is "shampoo" but couldn't I also use it as a body soap? Can the recipe be doubled or is it best to make two separate batches? Inspired to make my own soap, thanks!
I would love to try this but it looks like a lot of work. Would you sell a bar – or maybe would you like a review of your soap on my blog (if you sell it commercially maybe on Etsy or Artfire)? Just a thought.
hi, thank you but your answer! yesterday I'm thinking about this post, mabye if you want to make liquid shampoo you should change the sodium hydroxide by in (spanish) potasico hydroxide.
@Estela You can absolutely use this as a body soap! It's very moisturizing for the skin:) And yes, you can double the recipe to make a larger batch. I've done it before:)
@Tina Start to finish is about 1 3/4 hours including the cook time. I know the steps may seem like a lot but it's actually very simple:) To answer your question…I am looking into the best avenues for selling the soap.
Thanks for linking your great post to FAT TUESDAY. This was very interesting! Hope to see you next week!
Be sure to visit RealFoodForager.com on Sunday for Sunday Snippets – your post from Fat Tuesday may be featured there!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/12/fat-tuesday-december-20-2011/
WOW!! This seems like A LOT to take in, but with a kid about to be in college, I'm looking for ANYWAY to cut costs…
)
Awesome! ThanX for posting this recipe. It's just what I've been looking for. I LOVE my home made bar body soaps & haven't found a good shampoo ever so this might work. Thank you so much.
I've bought lye at Home Depot and Ace before. Look in the drain cleaner section and make absolutely SURE you get one that says 100% lye or sodium hydroxide on the lable. You don't want any other nasty chemicals in the soap. You can probably get cheaper lye online, but for convenience sake I've only ever bought it at those two stores.
I really really want to try this but I am so scared. I used to purchase sheeps milk soap at the farmers market where I lived and I started using it on my hair. At the time, it was several years ago now, I knew what the ingredients where and they were all safe ones but no lye. My hair started getting a lot of split ends and falling out, I used it for about 6 months hoping it was just an adjustment to using natural products but I finally had to give up. My hair is very fine and I have little enough as it is without having it falling out in handfuls…
Ann
I get mine from the local Amish store. That might help someone hopefully. I just made my first shampoo bars but used mostly what I had on hand, sheep and deer fat, and some coconut oil. I used this calculator to figure it out: http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
From reading your recipe I see that I need far more essential oils and "special" oils. Thanks for the post!
I've been washing my hair with baking soda for about 7 months now and I am so satisfied with the effects! Luckily, rinsing it with vinegar does the job for me and I can easily comb it. But I would also love to learn how to make shampoo bars and soaps though I feel kind of scared to use the lye. Thank you for a great informative post and thank you for commenting under my Green Living ideas article on green gift wrapping.
I've got my batch in the crock pot right now! I have a (not so) secret love for all things chemistry and soap making is right up my alley. It makes me think of this: http://store.xkcd.com/xkcd/#StandBackScience
There are two ways to use shampoo bars. Wet your hair and run soap on hair in a combing motion from front to back several times and then work in with fingers.Also slide bar down the length if you have long hair. Or work up a lather in your hands and apply to hair and scalp.
This great post is featured at Sunday Snippets this week! Thanks for sharing! Come and check it out!
http://realfoodforager.com/2011/12/sunday-snippets-december-25-2011/
Hi there
I have been making soap for 3 years and always leave it to cure for 5 weeks or so before using it.
You say at the end that one an use this bar immediately without curing, is this correct?
@Tina You can purchase my handmade shampoo bar soap through my Etsy shop. Click the orange Etsy button just above the list of Pages on the sidebar:)
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
@Wendy You can use this after the 24 hour hardening due to the hot processed method of soap-making. At least that is how I learned it and we've done it for years without issue? Do you use hot process too?
I make soaps/lotions with goat's milk from my Nubian dairy goats. Lye can be purchased from essentialdepot.com much cheaper and for bulk oils/butters columbusfoods.com has great pricing.
Happy soaping!
Denise
http://www.lunamojo.com
For those wondering where to get lye, you may want to check your local hardware store or a Lowe’s or Home Depot. I found that Roebic Crystal Drain Opener, sold in the plumbing section, is 100% lye…there was a label on the front of the bottle I bought that said “100% lye” and on the back under ingredients it listed only sodium hydroxide, which is the chemical name of lye. You’d want to be sure not to get any drain opener that has other chemicals in it. The bottle I got was 2 pounds and cost $13 from Lowe’s. I’m not sure of the prices online, but it was worth it to me to be able to get my soap making products locally because I was so anxious to get started that I didn’t want to wait for shipping! I have used this product and just made my first batch of goats milk soap this week and it turned out beautifully!!! http://www.amazon.com/Roebic-Laboratories-HD-CRY-6-2-Pound-Crystal/dp/B001AMMZP0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325282842&sr=8-1
Excellent advice Rebecca! I am totally going to go check that out tomorrow!
I made this shampoo a couple days ago, and used my first bar last night! It was very easy to make, but I did find it a little TOO moisturizing. I have normal, long hair, but the first time I used it my hair was stiff with oil (I did use the cider vinegar rinse), I could litterally brush my hair back and it stayed there like I had gel in it. So I re-washed and followed with baking soda then cider rinse, and it’s much better, but I may have to tweak the recipe a bit for my hair. Thanks for the recipe though Andrea, it gave me a great starting point! Blessings.
-M
Bummer! I’d totally say try tweaking the recipe! Maybe lay off the castor oil and up the olive and coconut oils? Don’t let it go to waste though…it’s a perfect moisturizing body soap too:)
Love this tut, and can’t wait to try this. I have used a shampoo bar I purchase online from Organic Creations http://www.organic-creations.com/servlet/the-1099/healthy-hair-shampoo-bar/Detail which is wonderful, butI have always wanted to try and make some myself.
When I shampoo I couple the shampoo bar with water from the shower and just a tablespoon or so of a diluted mixture of 1 Tbs baking soda mixed in 1 cup water which I keep in the shower. The lather is incredible and one lather is all I need. After rinsing the lather out, I then follow with the same ratio of dilution of Apple Cider Vinegar and water kept in a container in the shower, poured over my hair. I always rinse it out, but I’ll have to try leaving it in next time.
I am 53 and have long silver and brown hair and it is shiny, thick and healthy and I only have to wash it once or maybe twice a week since I started using these homemade products 2 years ago. So fun!!!
Just a note too, for great conditioning about twice a month I also will warm up about a teaspoon of coconut oil in my hands and rub it mostly into the ends of my hair then all over, just before getting into the shower. After shampooing it is incredibly soft and luscious.
Jamie! I just read that somewhere:) I’m going to start doing this too!
I just made this recipe and it hardening right now, but it seems like maybe it’s too dry. I think once it drys all the way it’s just going to crumble. I assume something went wrong during the cooking process. Would you have any idea what? Do you think maybe I cooked it too long or to hot?
It does look that way sometimes. Let it harden in the mold for 24 hours. It should come together for you! Give me an update this time tomorrow:)
Btw…the first time I ever made soap I let it get way to hot and cooked it way to long! But it ended up beautiful:)
Alright, I haven’t been able to use it yet but I did cut a piece of the soap and it stayed together. I’m so excited. I washed my hands with it and they were so soft after, it felt like I had used lotion. Can’t wait to try it out in the shower. It is a little dry
And crumble at the top of the mold but the rest is fine. The is only my second attempt at making soap so I still have a ways to go but I’ll figure it out. Thanks again for the recipe.
Hooray!!! And the top will be a bit more “rustic” because we use the hot processed method with this recipe. I’m so happy it turned out:)
Hello! We just made a batch of this soap and can’t wait to try it out tomorrow! One question, sorry if you’ve answered this elsewhere…why beeswax?
Love to have you follow me. I’m on facebook, too.
Great question…I use beeswax (some other people use stearic acid) for hardening! Let me know tomorrow how it turns out:)
Can you use the kind of coconut milk that you make by blending1 cup coconut with 3 cups water in a blender and then straining out pulp? Or are you using the liquid inside the coconut?
It’s the kind of coconut milk the you make by blending coconut and water.
From the picture it looks like your stick blender is all metal. Is that why you don’t have it dedicated to soapmaking? Or is it?
This looks fabulous. I finally just got the trackback notification. I need to try that recipe.
Hi Renee! I’m so honored that you find my recipe “fabulous.” You are one of my big time blogging heroes:) I appreciate all that you do and thank you for being such an inspiration.
If one wanted to exclude the beeswax, and instead use stearic acid in the recipe, do you know how that would change the measurements? I have everything but the beeswax and essential oils, so I’d like to give it a try without having to spend any more money. BTW, if you live near Portland, OR, there’s a fantastic soap/lotion supply store in Milwaukie called Shay and CO. I bought 9 pounds of lye today for 22$, but they won’t ship it-you have to pick it up at the store.
What a great deal on the lye Brandie!! My in-laws live in Portland (I’d love to live there…we love it) I should have mentioned this, but it’s not necessary to use the beeswax or stearic acid. Using will make for a harder bar of soap but it’s not necessary. Just be sure to run the recipe through the lye calculator without adding the beeswax so that you use the right amount of lye.
Hello Andrea! Thanks a bunch for posting this great recipe. I made my first batch today but have a question… Everything went well in the making of my soap but at the end it never became transparent! It was very soft but didn’t “re-melt”. I added essential oil and mixed it up then placed the soap in my mold. Do you think that it went thru the whole saponification process? I’d hate to use it and get burnt!
. When I mixed the sodium hydroxide with the water & coconut milk, I mixed it outside and left it to cool (in 40 degree weather) so when I mixed it into the oils mixture it had slightly solidified but mixed like your tute stated when i blended it with the stick blender. I’m at a loss.. I hope you have some insight for me 
. Thanks a bunch!
I used shampoo bars several years ago and they just don’t work for me. Even with assiduous rinsing and a good acid rinse it was just too alkaline.
I would recommend getting sample size bars from Chagrin Valley Soaps instead of jumping straight in to making a batch. They are well priced and cottage-made.
Whether you have long hair or not, come over to The Long Hair Community and search for threads on soap bars and other non-industrial hair cleansing methods. There are threads on baking soda washes, coconut oil shampoo, water only, sebum only, soapnuts, Indian herbs and western herb washes among others. We have lots of knowledge and are happy to share.
One last thing. Many of us find lemon juice to be a far better acid rinse than vinegar. It is great for reducing static.
How long do you leave your bars setting on the tray? Thanks for the easy to follow tute! I made my first batch of soap using your instructions and it was sooo easy! That has been an aspiration of mine for a long time. Thanks for helping make my first attempt a success!
Horray for soapmaking!!! I leave the bars on the tray until we use them. With the hot processed method, they’re good to go withing 24 hours but the will harden and “get better” with time. So they stay on the tray:)
I’m wanting to make this recipe, but a few questions first… do you use organic olive oil, cocoa butter, etc… or does that really matter since it’s externally used (sorry if that is a stupid question). Does the castor oil need to be cold pressed? I can probably get regular type @ pharmacy. Finally doesn’t matter what type of essential oils you use? I have seen that rosemary essential oil is good for brunette hair which I have… but my husband hates that fragrance and I really like the fragrance of grapefruit, so thought about trying that essential oil…
I think I read somewhere to not use the acv rinse if you have colored hair…if so, can you recommend something for those of us with color treated hair? Really wanting to buy one of your soaps!
I just have to say you have inspired me to move toward being more sustainable. Thank you for sharing your life with us. I am definitely an every day reader and will be ordering this off your Etsy before I go at it myself. Might even use a tweak on a recipe I found here: http://proverbs2six.blogspot.com/2010/01/homemade-bodywash.html to turn it into a liquid? I don’t know my family will easily convert to the bar
I’m having a terrible time finding castor oil at any of my local pharmacies or grocery stores. Is there an alternative to castor oil?
Castor oil is used in soap making to add suds and conditioning. To make up for it’s absence you could readjust the amount of coconut oil and shea butter. Be sure to run the new amounts of oils through the online lye calculator to get the correct amount of lye.
Emily, I too had difficulty finding Castor oil and someone directed me to the laxatives section of the drug store. Since I was thinking “soap” I never gave a thought to the other way it is sometimes used. Go find the Ex Lax and look to the bottom shelf. It’s not a very big bottle.
My kids and I are loving making and trying homemade body products. However I’m wondering about the lye it make me kinda scared. Can you use a vegetable glycerin. Thank you!
Purchased this bar from you to test before making a batch. I have only used it once so far and my hair feels a bit dry if anything. Do I need to wait to see how my hair reacts long term?
I just sent you an email Holly:) Did you try a vinegar rinse after shampooing?
Sounds like a great recipe but I would never use cold process soap after 24 hours – I let mine dry and become milder after 6 weeks.
Definitely! Cold processed soap must cure for 4-6 weeks. That’s why I love the hot processed method used in this recipe
I have seen some people express consternation about the lye component, so I thought I would try to help clarify that. I’ve been making my own soap for 5 years, and up until recently, when I discovered the hot process method, cold-process was my baby.
We know that lye is evil stuff. However, you can’t make soap from scratch without it. The good news is, that it’s very simple to work with, as long as you do it safely, i.e. protecting your eyes with goggles, face with a mask, and hands with gloves. More good news is that, as a result of the chemical reaction that happens during saponification, the lye is busy becoming soap, so that it no longer is lye. In hot process, the time spent cooking speeds up that process, which is why the soap is ready to use as soon as it’s cooled. In cold process, that reaction is close to being finished at trace, but it takes some weeks of curing to completely neutralize any remaining lye.
I’m not an expert, but I love making soap, so I’ve picked up a few tidbits of knowledge here and there. And I didn’t see this specifically addressed, although, it’s possible that it was, and I just missed it. =)
One way to test your soap to see if the soaponification process is complete enough to use, is to do the 9-volt battery test. Tap the end of your tongue to the soap. If it feels like you just tapped it to a 9-volt battery, it is still working on becoming soap. If it just tastes soapy, you are good to go. This works for both cold-process and hot-process soaps.
Ha! That’s true. You could do that, but I’d prefer to use a pH test strip. Also, contrary to popular belief, after 48 hrs, the soap is neutral in the cold process method – pH test strips don’t lie. The curing process is to allow further evaporation of excess moisture so the bars become harder and last longer.
Your comment about the battery made me laugh! I think thats how they ued to did it in the olden days too.
I’ve been experimenting with various all-natural shampoos lately, and was curious about yours. I’ve discovered that my hair does not respond well to vegetable glycerine, which is a byproduct of soap-making. The longer I use it, the more residue seems to build up in my hair, making it dull, hard to comb-through, and unpleasant to touch. Have you had this experience with glycerine too, or am I doing something wrong? I noticed it with coconut-oil soap, and castile soaps too–and ANY soap that I add glycerine too. I love what it does for my skin, but my hair is not a fan….
Natuamommy: I think I am having the same situation. Since using this bar, which is nice on my skin and works fine for my boyfriend’s short hair, I have a disgusting waxy residue on my hair. I have long hair and think maybe it doesn’t wash out completely since my roots are okay, but the middle and ends of my hair look wet or oily all the time, feel waxy/sticky, and leave a thick waxy residue on my comb that dust and fluff clings to. I’m trying not to use it everyday to give it time to release, but it’s not helping. I finally gave in and used a commercial liquid shampoo to try to end the cycle, but it didn’t cut through the residue at all. What’s your solution, Natuamommy?
I had the same problem, but I made this recipe:
8 oz coconut oil
8 oz castor oil
8 oz olive oil
8 oz sweet almond oil
and this recipe is so good on my hair and no residue at all, I hope it helps you.
STEVIE!!!
That’s 100% the exact problem I am having, did you ever get to the bottom of the WHY????
I love using shampoo bars and I could sell this stuff for you!!! Shampoo bars make my naturally curly hair feel fantastic. I have dry, fly-away curly hair and it is very hard to get it to do anything. When I use a shampoo bar I have no problems. My hair dresser knew immediately that I was using a different product by how my hair felt. Another plus is traveling with a shampoo bar! You don’t have to worry about carrying liquid in your carry on because it’s a bar so I’ve never been questioned, plus, it doesn’t spill or explode in flight like some bottles do. Another plus is that you never have to fuss with a cap in the shower. Just rub it on wet hair and it lathers up nicely. I think people have a hard time getting by the fact that they are washing with a bar of soap. But I love my shampoo bar and wouldn’t think of using anything else.
Hoping for a little help on supplies. I just priced everything out from Mountain Rose Herbs, my local co-op, CVS and even the grocery store for olive oil (wherever I found the cheapest place), and the best I can come up with is about$25 per batch based on the cost per ounce of item. That does not include any essential oils. We have been using Dr. Bronner’s bar soap as a shampoo, but it is pretty drying, so i would love to give this a try, but it is not looking any cheaper than what I already use. Any leads as to what I might be missing would be greatly appreciated since I would love to get the necessary ingredients and give this recipe a try!
Hi Jennifer! Check out the online store “The Soap Dish” they have really good prices, super customer service, and high quality supplies. “Soap Goods” is another good resource, but “The Soap Dish” is by far my favorite for soap-making oils, lye, and the like:)
Thanks, their prices are much better on the ingredients that I just priced. I am so looking forward to trying this!
So do the oils in the recipe need to be cold pressed or does it not matter since you hot process them anyway?
What is the purpose of using lye? If its caustic why use it? Does it act as a binding agent for the soap? Is there an alternative to lye?
Thanks!
Is this specifically a shampoo bar recipe or can a person use any soap bar recipe for shampoo? I’m not sure what the difference here is, except that you added coconut milk…..
Just double checking this for safety, but I read that lye has a bad reaction to aluminum and tin, but you said you use a stick blender to mix it to trace. My stick blender is metal, is the lye already nuetralized enough at that point to have the metal blending wand in it or are you using a different kind of “stick blender” that is not metal?
Ok I feel silly now, I discovered it is made of stainless steal not aluminum or tin. Thanks I’m so excited about this!!!
OH! I just thought of something! For the sunscreen, you use zinc oxide or something that is the main sunblock right? If you add this to the shampoo bar.. would that create a shampoo bar with UV blocking? that will protect the hair from being fryed in the summertime? Any thoughts?
question… crockpot- what wattage do you consider as an “older model that doesn’t get so hot”? And would it be better to cook it on the keep warm mode or the low mode?
On the optional essential oils front, is there anything you can recommend (other than the lime/coconut for all types) for color treated hair? I color mine a nice coppery red color and get a lot of compliments on it. If there’s anything to extend the color (and not react poorly with it), I’d love to include it.
A quick question – does it have to be apple cider vinegar? I’ve been using white vinegar and wonder if there is a benefit to switching.
I am so going to see if my mom will let me try this, but I do have some questions, if I do use the ACV conditioner will it make my hair greasy if I apply it to my roots? And if I don’t would I be able to use store bought conditioner (even though that beats the purpose of the homemade shampoo)? I really want to try this out!(:
Like Sunrider I have color treated red hair and it is hard enough to keep the color from fading fast. Baking soda really sucks the color out. Any thoughts on this? Also My daughter is half African American and has long tight curly dry hair with a lot of frizz mixed in. Please advise because when I adopted her (she is 14 now) she did not come with a how to manual! HELP!!!
Andrea, When we started researching the soap making process it was with the idea of eliminating the harmful chemicals – sulfates, parabens, etc. One book recommended food grade lye, which does not have the heavy metals and minerals found in Red Devil etc. from the hardware and Home Depot. I found food grade lye at EssentialDepot.com. I noticed one of the earlier posts mentioned them also. They’ve given me wonderful service.
im interesting making bars a soaps
to make my own cash in my pocket
please send me soon
Thanks for this recipe! I just got my supplies in the mail and am gearing up to try it. A little nervous about the lye, though. You mentioned that “Any equipment the lye touches needs to be neutralized in a mixture of vinegar, soap, and water. Vinegar will neutralize the lye.” Can you be more specific, please? Does this mean I have to make the vinegar/soap/water mixture and wipe everything with it BEFORE adding the lye? AFTER? What would happen if I forgot this step? What is the recipe/ratio for making the mixture? I feel like I can’t make the soap until I know this. Thanks!
Hi Karen! I don’t really have a recipe or ratio amount for the vinegar/soap/water mixture. I simply fill a large bowl of white vinegar, water and a couple spoonfuls of liquid soap. This mixture is used on the equipment AFTER you use the lye. I hope this helps
I have made cold-process soap for decades, and I just wanted to offer my two cents about using lye. Through the years we have had a few lye “incidents” and I just want to assure people that even when something does happen, it is really not that bad.
For instance, I’ve had some lye mixed with the water on my skin and it got red and irritated after a few minutes. I rinsed it with straight vinegar and it just itched a little bit but within a couple hours, it was back to normal. My husband got a splash up in his eye, and it burned a bit (came into the kitchen when I was making soap and was messing around, not really aware of the lye); we rinsed with water a lot, and he was 100% fine. Lye is definitely caustic, and you wouldn’t want to let it “sit” on skin for a length of time, but with only a modicum of safety (e.g. rubber gloves and eye protection), it is easy to work with.
Truly the biggest issue for me is the fumes when making the lye/water mixture. I do it inside, right in my kitchen sink so if there are any spills or tip-overs, the cleanup is minimal. I always open windows (even in winter) to make sure there is good ventilation. I know other people who mix it outside. After it’s mixed and cools down a bit, the fumes are minimal.
I encourage people to give it a try, and not let the fear of lye stop you from trying to make soap. Most store-bought soaps remove the glycerin because they get a better price by selling the glycerin separately, but that results in a drying soap. Homemade soaps are wonderfully moisturizing! I make a pure castile (olive oil, lye, and water) soap for our every day use… I think I read somewhere the “byproduct” of the chemical reaction (of the oils and lye) is something like 75% soap, and 25% glycerin. So wonderful!!!
So, if you are nervous about lye, I encourage you to do what you need to do to give it a try – wear a long-sleeved shirt, rubber gloves, goggles, and block off the kitchen so you don’t get interrupted – and dive in and give it a try. There is nothing more wonderful than homemade soap!
Andrea, I’ve never tried hot process soap, and found your post when I searched for a homemade shampoo. I’m going to try it today! Thanks for posting!
Oh and I forgot to mention that I use my KitchenAid mixer to mix my cold-process soap. I don’t wash it in anything special (just soap and water) and I definitely use it for other things. I’ve never had an issue, and honestly, I never gave it a second thought.
Did you know that some people eat lye in fish?! (Called lutefisk!) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk I’m from Minnesota, and it’s kind of a big deal here because of our Norwegian connection (although I’ve never tried it!). Certainly treat lye with respect, but I hope we can dispel some of the fear and anxiety surrounding lye use.
Happy Soapmaking!
First of all; Happy new year!
!?)
I´m swedish and we eat lutfisk (“lyefish”) at christmas time. The lye in it dissapears while making it, you use the lye for drying the fish. You eat it with a white sauce and ground allspice, at least in Sweden, (It´s really good. I thing I´m gonna have it tonight…; ) ).
Well… I just have to try making this shampoo bar! But it can be really hard to buy chemicals in Sweden. For exampel, I was going to make laundry detergent and needed borax…I just found out that it´s forbidden to trade with borax in the hole EU from 2013… ( you have to have a special permission). But I don´t give up that easy, maybe I can make my own lye if that is forbidden as well (who´s gonna stop me
A question; can you put any kind of scent in the soap? I got a lot of those tiny glass bottles with scent in, that you´re suppose to put on things like a cotton ball to get a nice smell in the room. It says on the label something like: “”strawberry essence” or “lavender oil”.
Hello Lotta – Happy New Year to you, too!
We have a lot of Swedish descendants here too… I’m one of them! My great-grandfather settled in central Minnesota in the late 1800s.
I’ve never tried lutefisk, but I don’t like fish, so it’s not appealing to me. A LOT of my friends do, though!
I’m sorry to hear about the difficulty in purchasing chemicals in the EU. Lye is getting more difficult to find here too but we can still find it at neighborhood hardware stores; and like the author says, you can find it online too. I’ve never tried making lye (with ash?) – it sounds intriguing!
As for fragrance – yes, go ahead and add any fragrance that you don’t mind putting on your skin! I use essential oils, but it sounds like yours might be what are called “fragrance oils”. They usually have the fun names like “strawberry essence”. They are synthetically made, and usually last longer (and smell stronger) than essential oils. You add fragrance right at the end – just before you pour it into the mold. Just remember that some of those fragrance oils may change the consistency of the soap. Without knowing the ingredients, I don’t know exactly what it might do – but I would imagine the effect would be fairly minimal. Essential oils (maybe your lavender oil is an essential oil?) have even less effect on the soap, but they also are not as strong smelling, and the scent doesn’t last as long.
I made the shampoo bars yesterday and they turned out EXACTLY as pictured! I’m so thrilled. I am going to try the shampoo tomorrow morning. I used lavender essential oil for fragrance, and it worked great. I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you so much for this recipe: I’m new to soapmaking and have only done Cold Process so I went ahead and used your recipe with the cold process method. I’m waiting for it to cure but I noticed that some of the bars are a green colour in the middle. Has this happened to you before? Any thoughts? My first guess what that everything did not mix together sufficiently but I am 99% sure that I reached trace. Just wondering if you have every experienced this and if you would still use the bars….
Thank you!
Hi Char! I’ve never made the bars cold processed but I can say that sometimes my hot processed bars have a green tint because of the herbs that I infuse.
I have cold processed soap a lot. Sometimes mine would have a different color in the middle during the curing stage, this is normal. When cold-processing, it is best to insulate the soap, so it soaponifies evenly. What happens if you don’t insulate the soap, is the middle stays warmer than the outside and turns into soap faster. I would wrap my soap in a blanket and leave it like that for a week or so. After that, I would toungue test it (if it stings like a 9-volt battery, it isn’t done). If it passed the tongue test, take it out of the blanket and cut it up.
The few times I forgot to wrap it up, or left it in a cool place, it stayed darker in the middle and the outside part of the soap was more harsh.
Just finished making the shampoo, and after an hour on low in the crockpot, it seemed like it did turn in on itself but was definitely NOT transparent. I stirred in some essential oils and put it in the mold anyway. It still seems to look like yours, and I’ll see how it turns out. Did I do something wrong?
Have you tried this recipe with potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide to make liquid shampoo?
I am new tousing essential oils. Would you be willing to add some recipes for mixing them for soap, lotion…
Thanks!
3 part top not
2 part mid note
1 part bottom/base note
Go to a site that explains what each EO is (top, mid, or bottom/base) and which fragrances blend well with what. Just google Essential Oil + blending” or such.
My problem is this. I have very oily hair at the top and very dry hair at the bottom. I currently use the strongest shampoo at the top and the strongest conditioner on my ends and nary the twain shall meet. i cannot use a conditioning shampoo bar on the top half of my hair or it will just look greasy, i cannot forgo conditioner and use vinegar instead because it will almost certainly dry the bottom of my hair right up. I have looked everywhere for a conditioner recipe but I continually find that people suggest vinegar. Does anyone have any suggestions or am I stuck buying the very expensive all natural, organic conditioner? Does anyone have hair like mine and find that what she is suggesting works for them? I am open to any and all suggestions. thank you for your time and have a wonderful day!
I made this and it definitely doesn’t make your hair greasy….I would say it does a little of the opposite. I have really dry scalp and it seemed to make it worse.
I love your blog. I have one question. I have PCOS, with that my hair has started to thin out in a few area’s. Do you have any suggestion that I can do to help either regrow or stop hair lose. Maybe something I can do to this soap for that? Conventional medicine has not helped, plus it is very expensive. I would much rather do it with natural ingredients if I can.
i have almost all my supplies togther and ready to make my first batch. one last question to before i start. ALL ingredients are by WEIGHT not volume…including water and coconut milk?
Correct
Everything by weight!
Thanks! I am soooo excited! I have recently started making my own laundry soap and fabric fresheners. I love it all. One more thing to add to my ‘homemade’ list!
May I suggest your replace the bees wax with sodium lactate? Fine hair will not the drag from the bees wax and sodium lactate not only hardens soap faster, helps HP keep its shape, but also is conditioning as well. It actually feels a bit like jojoba so you could potentially leave jojoba out also.
Delores Boone how much of the sodium lactate would you recommend for this recipe?
Margo, that depends on how you like the feel of jojoba. You can use anywhere from 1/4 oz to 1 oz per pound of soap. Start with 1/2 oz. and see if you want to go, down or stick with 1/2. ; )
I have Sodium Lactate in a powdered form instead of liquid and I have been
trying to find out how much I would add per pound of soap using the powder
and can’t seem to get anyone that know, do you happen to know the answer? I
love using the soduim lactate in my soaps. And if I would add the powder to
my lye/water after it has cooled down some?
The liquid for soap making is a 60% solution. But I have never mixed it, so I am not sure if is it 60% by weight or ???
The manufacturer of your sodium lactate SHOULD have send you two things with it. 1: A Material Safety Data Sheet (using OSHA standards) and directions, including how to mix into for a 60% solution for manufacturers who prefer to mix their own.
If you have been using it lye without a problem, just do it that way. If you don’t have these two items you have gotten, I would contact the vendor to request these two items and/or chemical company who sells it and ask them how it is used (in lye) and how to make a 60% solution should they refuse – and consider using a vendor who does things they way they ought to be done.
I tend to just buy lye at places like Lowes. It’s more per bottle, but after shipping from the places online, it evens out. At any rate, it isn’t sold as “lye” but if you look in the drain cleaner area look for one that has the only ingredient listed as “sodium hydroxide.” Might be helpful for those who don’t know where to order from, or don’t want to wait on shipping.
I have beeswax for sale at the current moment!
Made this recipe and was so excited to use it. I’ve been makeing my own CP soap for 2 years now and love doing it. However, when I used this on my hair it felt like I hadn’t washed my hair for 2 weeks. It left a lot of residue in my hair. I tried rinsing with ACV and the marshmellow root hair rinse and also rinsed with just water. Tried using it for a week and the results kept getting worse. My hair was full of static also. I live in a city with very hard water, so I thought maybe that was the problem. So I sent a bar to a friend that has very soft water and her experience was the same as mine.
I really want to get away from using the horrible store bought shammpoos and conditioners, but this just didn’t work for me. Any suggestions?
Debra- From everything that I read, your hair and scalp will go through a sort of detox peroid that could take up to 2 months. I tried for a month going between the shampoo bar and a shampoo that I made with liquid castile soap. My hair was not getting any better and I was loosing a ton of it. I used the ACV rinse but that didn’t help. I can’t do anything to change the hard water that comes out of my shower head so I gave up. I couldn’t take gong to work every day looking like I did. I am really bummed. I use the shampoo bars that I made on the rest of me and I love them. If anyone has hard water issues and has figured out how to over come them please help!!! I can’t afford a water softener….
1/4 cup coconut milk, 3 heaping tablespoons aloe vera gel. apply to scalp, massage, let rest 3 to 30 minutes, rinse. this is pH balanced, will not disrupt or harm your acid mantle (sebum production on your scalp), stimulates and promotes hair growth, and is edible. I have a detailed comment posted with more info.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I have actually been testing shampoo bars myself and I think this is a great step-by-step tutorial on how to make one!
I always cure my soap for longer than 24 hours! 3/4 weeks at least to stop it from still beng caustic and let the water evaporate and its weight settle. It also hardens so easier to use.
Essential oils also I always add at trace, not an hour later… As the process of cooking is already under way and they won’t blend!
All these ingredients only cost you 8 to 10 dollars to make? I really would like to make it but I’m concerned with the cost.
I’m getting ready to start making my own soap. I would love to make this because I have been doing the “no-poo” thing for about 6 months now…and my hair is just not responding to it. Anyhow, I wanted to ask you… do you also use this as your body soap? If I didn’t have to make two different batches I didn’t want to. hahaha. Thank you for the post and for your help.
I just made a batch yesterday and the color is totally different. Mine never went completely transparent either but I’ve made HP soap before and it did look like the consistency of Vaseline which I’ve come to understand is right… It’s a dark caramel color and smells like baked bread or some other food (well, cyst plus the tea tree oil I added before molding) which is weird to me, lol! I used it for the first time tonight and, having never used a shampoo bar before, my hair is super shiny but it feels a bit oily. I’m hoping that oily feeling doesn’t continually build up and accumulate over time as I really don’t want to have to go back to chemical-laden commercial shampoos. Oh, and I used the ACV rinse, too. Maybe I need to dilute it less…?
I tried you shampoo bar recipe for my first attempt at making soap today, what fun! It looks like yours, I’m waiting till tomorrow to take it out of the mold and slice it into bars. Thanks for a great tutorial and recipe
I have bought shampoo makign soap sets (a mixture of coconut, castor, olive, shea butter, jojoba, and palm) before and have found that it makes my hair, literally, squeaky clean. I think its doing too good of a job cleaning the natural oils? Will the ACV help with the squeaky factor? I would prefer no poo, to over cleansing. Just thought maybe you know what I mean?
Hello! I am so glad I stumbled upon your site. I have since been reading articles on soap making processes, late into the night wayyyyy past my bedtime!
I am in the middle of gathering all my supplies for all the recipes I would like to try (especially yours!) and I had a quick question for you….Do you think I would be able to use Sweet almond oil instead of the jojoba oil? would it make a difference in consistency or would it just simply be a different scent to the soap? Are they both carrier oils?
Hey there! I’m new to this site and JUST beginning to try to take my enviro-views a step further and begin making changes towards sustainable living
I really want to tackle this recipe my only question is – I have sensitive/acne prone skin and I was wondering if you, or any of your readers know whether this recipe is safe to use for people with bad skin??
I tend to get afraid of the word oil, even when they’re good ones. Any tips or other substitute ingredients would be greatly appreciated. As I am sooooo new to all this.
LOVE what you’re doing
xo
Hi I made this shampoo yesterday and it did not turn transparent and seemed to separate in the mold without setting up The bottom was almost a brown consistency. I stirred it to see if it will set that way. I live at a high altitude and was wondering if I should bake it more if it doesn’t set or just wait longer than 24hrs. Thank you in advance!
I’m going to try this with patchouli essential oil as that is good for dandruff. My husband’s scalp and skin are so dry, hopefully it will be nourishing to his skin as well. I have to check which essential oils blend well with patchouli.
Andrea, thanks so much for the recipe, we’ve had great success with use and I’ve now just made another batch. For those that are wondering if this would work for them, I highly suggest getting a bar from Andrea. We have softened water and have been using natural shampoo (my DH) and the no-poo/co-washing for about 2 years before using this bar for the last 6 months and love it. I didn’t have much success with the no-poo method (tried it fir 1 year as I wanted it to work plus ACV makes my hair look like an oil slick-yes, I did dilute it) and tried cowashing but wasn’t really happy with the results. The shampoo bar was the answer for us. I did use the bar at my Mother-in-laws with well water and my hair felt like straw after the second use. Was it the water? Did I need an adjustment period? I’m not really sure. As for my hair, I am 42 with fine hair and about 2/3 of white/ gray hair and the rest is light brown hair (I look like a platinum blond with highlights). My DH has thick salt and pepper and always had dandruff unless he used that nasty dandruff shampoo, Nizoral. When he began using natural shampoo (he choose one with tea tree oil), the dandruff, for the most part,resolved itself. And, I’m excited to say, he’s had no dandruff since he’s used the shampoo bar!
As for the recipe on my second batch, I did add .6 oz of sodium lactate to allow me to cool the soap more so my EOs wouldn’t flash off and still allow the soap to be at a loose enough consistency to easily scoop into my mold. I’ve also read it makes for a harder bar, a must have as this is a soft bar with all the butters in it. I also used low fat coconut milk because on the first batch my coconut milk/lye mixture turned into a solid mass and I was unable to use it. Lastly, I added about 1 tbsp. of honey after I cooked the soap for the extra moisturizing properties as it is a humectant. This batch cooked a little different and i think better than the first, and the first batch was the first time I ever made soap. Andrea, because of you, I am hooked on making hot processed soap…Thanks, you are a dear and I love your blog.
how much does a batch cost and about how long does it last you?
Is this soap safe to use on the body? Since if I use it in the shower, it will run down my body? Just wondering because of the lye.
With Andrea’s recipe, you should have no excess lye as it is superfatted, meaning the lye reacts with the oils to make soap and there is excess oil left to moisturize. FYI-I love this soap for my body as it isn’t stripping and leaves my skin moisturized (I have softened water), but must admit we definitely go through a lot more bars of soap.
Can this recipe be made as a liquid soap? (from the start)
could i use glycerin instead of lye?
Lye is what turns oil into soap. So the answer is no.
Can i use linseed oil instead of jojoba oil?
Great recipe!
I do have one question… I’m scared about lye! How come this very dangerous product is good for our hair? I use that stuff to unclog pipes!!!
Lye is what turns oils and butters into soap. If it is made with the right proportions of lye to oils/butters, then there shouldn’t be any lye left in the soap to cause harm. Andrea uses the hot process method which speeds (about 1 to 3 hours of cooking) up the chemical process (saponification) of lye and oils/butters to soap and theoretically (I use the soap, but some people disagree about this) the soap can be used immediately. Cold process does not include the addition of heat, therefore requires a curing process (about 4 – 6 weeks) for the chemical process to fully complete.
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Is lye bad for the hair? If it is, do you know of any alternative ingredient to put in the recipe?
Hi,
I wonder lye( sodium hydroxide is not harsh for the skin? When I was young my father was making soap bar using NaOH for laundry bar. He also made shower soap bar using coconut oil and he used KOH( potassium hydroxide) . So where can we get potassium hydroxide?
Thanks.
How many bars of soap does this recipe make? I can’t wait to try it!!!
Does anyone know if you can use a silicone bread mold for this recipe? Thanks!
I just started making soap and yes a silicone bread mold will work. I have a silicone 8×8 mold that I have used for hot processed soap that I purchased awhile back. It worked just fine!
If you use Essential Oils, or Fragrance Oils, it may stay on the silicone mold. So, if you want to use it for foodstuff later, don’t use fragrance of any type. I used silicone loaf pans and the smell of the essential oils will not come out. Now they are my soap molds only.
Will be doing this after Thanksgiving with my 22 year old daughter. We are pushing hard towards self-reliance and a homesteading lifestyle in our household, so this will be a great step towards saving money, avoiding the nasties in manufactured soap/shampoo, and being self-reliant.
Once we do this one, we’re going to do some of the recipes that use lard/tallow and eventually develop a few core recipes.
Thanks!!
Hi,
I LOVE LOVE LOVE a version of shampoo from Lush that has seaweed and sea salt in it. I’m wondering if I could add sea salt to the bar soap? I think I would add it after trace but not sure and i have no idea on how much salt to add if i follow your recipe above. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Bethany
I am leaning towards using glycerine instead of lye. Would I use the same amount as the lye and would the preparation be the same also?
Thank you..
Is there a recipe this easy with just one oil, say Olive Oil? I really can’t afford to buy a lot of oils. Thanks for sharing.
http://www.soapcalc.com is a great site that can help you formulate a soap with the qualities you want. An olive oil only soap is castille soap and is pretty soft and not very bubbly.
Andrea this is awesome! I have been collecting different shampoo recipes to see which ones I like best for my hair (I’ve got this crazy mop which I’m always looking for easier ways to deal with!) Right now I’m using an herbal shampoo recipe I put together and it is okay for now but I want to try this one soon!
http://thepinterestgirl.com/2012/12/03/living-the-natural-way-herbal-shampoo-for-hair-loss/
Do you weigh your liquids too?
I did and if I wasn’t supposed to will it affect the sop badly?
I tried wading through the comments to get an answer to this question, but finally gave up.
I tried the recipe with a crockpot from a garage sale, and it must be one of the newer models that doesn’t have a really low setting, and the oils got pretty warm. The mixture was bubbling a little on the sides by the end of the hour, and 24 hours later, it was practically fused to the wax paper in the mold. I was able to get it out and it looks like soap … but is it okay to use as shampoo? Or just as regular soap? How hot is too hot? It didn’t really “fold over on itself” and become completely transparent, either. I’d appreciate any expert opinion! Thanks.
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I reccomend NOT using the soap until it has cured. There is some lye still active and you can tell if it is still too ‘hot’ by touching the soap with the tip of your tounge if it has a bite or acidy feel its not ready it could burn sensitive skin and scalp. I am not saying your skin will peel off lol but it could be horrible if it got in your eyes. Usually 4 weeks is safe but you can test it via toungue if you are impatient. it should not burn your toungue whe you just touch the tip to the bar. Don’t roll it around in your mouth of course, just a quick touch should be fine. Or you can get all scientific and find some way to test the acidity without tasting it.
Hi Andrea: I have been reading about conditioning bars. What are your thoughts on these vs the ACV rinse?
Andrea, u say u dont buy commercial products in the stores because ur worried about toxic chemicals. but then in the same breath (next paragraph) u list Lye as the first ingredient??!! Ummm, that’s a toxic chemical sweetheart. different things work for different people. i wish u the best on ur soap making journey. Howerver, i will NOT be making soap with your recipe. let alone, putting it on my body.
Pinkzebra, you need to do some more research. You will learn that without lye, you don’t have SOAP! Even the commercial soap you buy has had lye added to it at some point.
The lye CONVERTS the oils into soap. If you follow basic safety precautions, it’s not dangerous to use or in the finished products.
I think she has a great blog
OK, so I made the soap (first timer) and know a few things for next time, like I need a better quality scale as mine is a very cheap one, so I estimated the quantities as best as possible. But a few things did not happen as outlined in your recipe:
I measured the water and milk by volume (in a measuring cup) Everything else I measured by weight.
When I added the lye I was expecting a big reaction. The bottom of the glass measuring cup got hot but I was expecting something bigger. As I set while I prepared the oils it seems to separate, brownish at the bottom and a creamer substance at the top. The glass never got that hot.
I melted the oils, added the lye potion and it took about 10 minuted till it came to trace. I felt good about that. At the end of 1hr it didn’t seem too transparent to me, so I continued cooking in another 1/2 hour before pouring it into the molds. Now that the soap (hopefully) is in the molds it is transparent, but it is brown. As I wash the dishes afterward it does feel soapy but leaves a certain oily feel on my hands. Is that normal? I also assume it is safe to run the used dishes, ie crockpot and utensils, through the dishwasher along with my other dishes?
Does any of this sound normal? Did I successfully make soap? Thank you for your input.
Cool! I totally want to try this and some of the other cool things on your site. Now following you everywhere! (That sounds weird. I mean on the internet and in a totally non-creepy way.)
I made your shampoo bars on Sunday. I finally used it last night. I was surprised to feel my hair so squeaky clean. I spritzed with a cider/water conditioner.my hair feels so soft. Thanks for sharing your recipes. I look forward to receiving your emails!
by the way….this was the first all the way from scratch soap that I have ever made. Thankyou and have a wonderful day!
Hair has a pH of 4 to 5.5, so to not disrupt your acid mantle (sebum production on your scalp) you should only use pH balanced shampoos. I have done a lot of research on this, I have also attended beauty school so I can say this is true. Using highly alkaline solutions on your hair (baking soda, bronners soaps, etc.) though it feels soft and manageable that is really the disulfide bonds in your internal hair structure being weakened by the alkaline solution.The colors and perms that are performed use this method to work, they “open up” your hair to deposit the color or permanent, then a clarifying shampoo is used to “close” your hair and lock the color or permanent in. To then bring your hair down to it’s proper pH a acidic solution (apple cider vinegar) when using a alkalinic cleanser is used, this is called clarifying. This is not healthy for your hair or your scalp. There is a great tutorial on youtube on your hair’s pH and why this rollercoaster up and down the pH scale is highly disruptive. The maker of these tutorials is a licensed salon owner and stylist. You can check her out at KimmayTube on youtube. Or, you can ask any stylist that you know. This is why so many shampoos on the market advertise that it is pH balanced. Because that is very important. So forcing your hair to go up to an 8 or 9 and then forcing it back down to a 4.5 in a short period of time is very damaging. If you would like to keep your hair in it’s proper pH, and love making homemade beauty products, then mix 1/4 cup of coconut milk (store bought or homemade both are fine) and 3 heaping tablespoons of aloe vera gel (lily of the desert), shake well, strain through cheesecloth to remove aloe fibers, and wallah! You have pH balanced shampoo that cleanses your hair, stimulates growth of your hair, and is edible! Food for your hair! Refrigerate after use, it generally has a 1 week shelf life. You can find this recipe on youtube as well. I find that if you pour it on your scalp only, and massage and let rest till you are done with your shower, then rinse, it is magic on your hair. Just google all the benefits of aloe vera, and you will see. Then google all the benefits of coconut milk, and you will see again. This shampoo has been so amazing, I can’t ever imagine using anything else ever again.
Hi Amanda
I tried this recipe for about a week but it left my hair soooo greasy, it felt so soft and nice but the grease was too much, Im wondering if I did something wrong or will this go away eventually?
Hi Amanda
I tried this recipe for about a week but it made my hair soo greasy, it was really soft thats forsure but the grease was too much, just wondering if this goes away eventually or if theres something I could change?
Hi Andrea – basic question here, but what sort of volume does your crock pot hold? I need to buy an old one to do this, and I’ve found a mini monier crockpot for sale, and not sure if it’s big enough. Waiting for the seller to get back to me with the size.
Many thanks
Jane
The standard old monier crockpot size was 3 quarts (litres here in Australia). I assume this would be around the same?
cheers
Jane
Surely it is possible to make this soap cold process without the crockpot and pour directly into the mold after trace? Drying maybe a bit longer, but should result in smoother bars.
Okay, a couple of questions – I’m allergic to beeswax and olive oil, can I sub candelilla wax and use almond oil instead? I’m so close to being totally away from all commercial products!! This is about my last step. We’re even making our own homemade laundry detergent and using wool balls for fabric softener!! Lastly, I’m allergic to apples and can’t use ACV! What else could I use instead? Regular vinegar? Yes, I have too many allergies (darn immune disorder!). Thanks!
Renee, you might be interested in this information:
After taking colostrum with high peptide content (Proline rich Polypeptides [PRPs]), the immune and more specifically the cytokine system is balanced. All food allergies are manifested by a TH2 cytokine cascade. If the proteins in milk cause an imbalance in TH2 then the PRPs will rebalance it right away.
I have had wonderful results with Symbiotics Colostrum from iherb.com and I just ordered Immune Tree colostrum from http://www.bulkcolostrum.com/ to see how that is. Colostrum is one of the best supplements I’ve ever taken. If you need a coupon code for iherb, PEY561 will give you $5-$10 off and their shipping is free in the U.S. They also have some of the soap making ingredients if anyone is interested, but I couldn’t wait and bought mine locally.
Can you tell me the PH of these soaps/shampoos?
Can you tell me the PH of these soaps/shampoos?
Leave out the beeswax and lower jojoba to 1 oz and castor to 2.5 oz and you will get plenty of suds and drastically cut the softening power of your recipe. It is better to use sodium lactate to help harden a soap recipe than beeswax. Of course, you will need to recalculate the water and lye (5%) amounts.
I’ve been using “dripped” lye for ages to make soap at butcher time and beyond. So many folks think “lye” makes something harsh and strong, but it’s the opposite. Lye soap is gentle and rinses “clean” with no added chemicals to harm you.
why when i put your recipe thruogh the lye calculater it comes up sayimg use 0to 0oz of lye
Oh my God, some of these comments are too funny, it’s Obvious that several people didn’t even read through all the information before they launched into a “Lye is Baaaaaaaad!!!” rant. I read everything I could get my grubby little hands on before I even attempted my first batch of Hot Process (last August), I checked every book I could find on the subject out and devoured them I joined message boards and read read read, I suggest the new comers to soap making do the same, there is tons to learn! For everyone that is scared of lye, I was too, that is why it took me a full 2 years before I attempted my first batch. My suggestion is again, to read everything you can find and please please please wear your safety equipment!! All it akes is one split second of inattention and you could spill your lye mixture or splash it or rub your eye (if not wearing goggles) and you could get seriously injured.
About the lye, you can not sub anything else, you NEED lye for the chemical reaction with the oils/butters to change them from oils/butters into soap, EVERY soap on the market starts with oils/butters and LYE, every one! No lye….no soap it’s as simple as that. Even if you decide to work with melt and pour soap (because lye scares you) it started with Lye (and oils/butters) you just don’t have to bother with actual lye as you would be working with a finished soap product. PinkZebra specifically, do some research, all soap starts out with lye, it is NOT in the finished product because of the chemical reaction that takes place when soap is made, the original poster of the recipe and directions obviously did not want you to buy a bottle of lye flakes or beads and rub them in your nice wet hair which would cause you some nice red burns! Common sense people…
Another thing that seems to be confusing to some, this recipe is made in the Hot Process method (cooked in a crockpot, though there are other ways to do hot process), TECHNICALLY you can use your soap after unmolding (12 to 24 hours after glopping into the mold) but I find a 3 week cure makes the soap milder and it lasts longer, longer is better, I have some castile that has cured for 6 months now and is heaven! Cold Process needs at least 6 weeks to cure…the longer the better for both methods though.
Soap making is not cheap, my first order to Brambleberry was over $250.00! That was for not readily available oils and butters, a scale, lye (I get the flakes due to the lovely static in our house), and essential oils which are Not cheap if you buy quality oils. Just a fair warning to those who think it is cheap to get into.
Also those who think they can whip out soap and make a bundle of money selling it, I reccomend you make soap for at least a year to work the kinks out of your recipes, get info on how the soap behaves, does the scent stay or vanish in a month or two, does it develope DOS (dreaded orange spots) etc….a lot can go wrong even after your soap is finished! Oh, and then there is product liability insurance incase someone gets it in their mind to sue you if your soap gives them an irritation or they slip in the shower and decide to blame your soap, insurance is needed in this sue happy day and age. i’m not about to lose my house because someone didn’t read the lable of my soap and realized after they used it that they are deathly allergic to shea butter! Insurance for soapmakers runs $500.00 per year and UP.
Now, if you got through my blathering you should be on the right track to get started making soap, let me reccomend The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making Natural Soap, a great easy to understand read! And please remember the goggles and gloves….and have fun (but not with kids or animals around!!). I have made hundreds of bars of soap and find it a great hobby but am nowhere near even thinking about selling (I’m also saving up for insurance!).
You’ve made some great points.
Shea butter is likened unto an apricot kernel or an avocadoe seed, not a “tree nut”. While nut allergies are dangerous and people should seek advice from their doctor/allergist/naturopath before using Shea butter, there has been no scientific evidence of it affecting those with nut allergies.
Oh and one other thing, there is no such thing as coconut essential oil, if you want coconut scented soap you will need to use fragrance oil.
I think its very important that you mention this is a hot process recipe. Great recipe but if a beginner came to the site and didn’t know it …that could be a bad thing if they started as a cold process method not realizing it. Sometimes folks get excited over a new recipe, they gather the ingredients and skim thru and may miss that fact….esspecially since you mentioned both methods in the intro.
I’m glad to hear about the book…can’t wait to get it.
Important to mention for those allergic to shea butter (tree nuts) , mango butter can be used instead.
Hi!
I cant wait to try this! I was going to order some shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley but I would rather make my own! just wondering, if i don’t have a stick blender, could I transfer the mix from the crockpot into an actual blender, and then from there pour it into the mould? Im a cheap college student and I was hoping to not have to buy a stick blender!
Thanks
Or I guess I meant to say: could I put it into a blender until its “trace” and then pour it back into the crockpot until it is ready to go into the mold. Sorry if I sound ridiculous haha
Erin, if you were doing cold process you could do that, although blender soap is not something I would ever try, if that cover flys off you have an EXTREAMLY dangerous mess all over your kitchen, and very possibly all over YOU! Stick blenders can be had for a mere $20.00 at Walmart or even order one from amazon, a stick blender is very much worth the money. I guess technically you could do it with hot process too but you couldn’t dump the soap right into molds you would have to dump it into a crockpot (a soap dedicated crockpot). Making your own soap is not as cheap as everyone seems to think, molds, FO or EO, oils and butters really add up, plus equipments (goggles, gloves, crockpot, stickblender, measuring cups (plastic, not glass whick can explode with lye in it), colorings (either natural or oxides, ultramarines, all are not terribly expensive but do take a bite out of your budget. Seriously no one ever makes just One batch of soap, it is seriously addicting!!
Best of luck and above all, be SAFE!!! :0)
Awesome thank you for your reply! I think I will definitely buy a stick blender, going to check the second hand store for an old crock pot so I dont have to give up on using mine for other things. It definitely does cost a lot of money to make the transition to natural/home made products but in the end it is so worth it! I cant bear giving my hard earned money to big commercial companies who test on animals etc. This option is so much better.
thanks again!
Hi Erin;
You don’t necessarily need a crock pot to make hot process soap. If you have an oven proof dish that is large enough to hold your batch, you can use that instead. Just turn your oven on to it’s lowest setting and put your soap in the oven proof dish and let it “cook” on the lowest setting for an hour or so. It might need to be in there for up to 4 hours, just keep checking it. When it’s done cooking it will be transclucent and ready to pour into the moulds. Happy soap crafting!
Hi! My husband and I are going to try this recipe and we are really excited! I have a question though. Is this strictly a shampoo bar or can you use it as a bod soap as well? We are looking for a recipe that can be used as both. Thanks!
The first recipe that I created was remarkably similar to this one with the exception of the Jojoba, I like creating my own recipes. I actually have used most of my soaps as shampoo, some more sucessfully than others (my salt bars are pretty awesome on my super duper oily hair), you could totally use this recipe on your body and it would be great! :0)
Also, can I add tea tree oil to this recipe? Or will it mess anything up? If I can use it, which step should I mix it in with?
Erin, if you were doing cold process you could do that, although blender soap is not something I would ever try, if that cover flys off you have an EXTREAMLY dangerous mess all over your kitchen, and very possibly all over YOU! Stick blenders can be had for a mere $20.00 at Walmart or even order one from amazon, a stick blender is very much worth the money. I guess technically you could do it with hot process too but you couldn’t dump the soap right into molds you would have to dump it into a crockpot (a soap dedicated crockpot). Making your own soap is not as cheap as everyone seems to think, molds, FO or EO, oils and butters really add up, plus equipments (goggles, gloves, crockpot, stickblender, measuring cups (plastic, not glass whick can explode with lye in it), colorings (either natural or oxides, ultramarines, all are not terribly expensive but do take a bite out of your budget. Seriously no one ever makes just One batch of soap, it is seriously addicting!!
Best of luck and above all, be SAFE!!! :0)
Sorry, double post…..
Sorry if you already posted this, but I didn’t see it in your blog. How many bars of soap does this yield?
For a 32 oz batch (counting oils only) In my mold (Brambleberry), I get 8 to 9 bars depending on if I use my cutter to cut (I get 8) or just use a knife (I get 9 a tad smaller bars).
I just got a bar of the Jasmine shampoo from your Etsy site above. It smells delicious and I love it so far. I just may have to start making my own. Thanks for sharing the soap and the recipe.
pls i would like to know if this recipe is for shampoo soap or just ordinary soap??
I would like to make apple cider vinegar shampoo bar. Do you have any info on how to do it?
Thanks!
THIS SOUNDS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN BUYING A YEARS WORTH OF OIL OF OLAY.
I HAVE BOUGHT OILS AND THEY COST ME USUALLY NO LESS THAN 4$ FOR A SMALL BOTTLE
AND YOU NEED MANY BOTTLES TO MAKE THIS SOAP.
I WOULD PREFER SOMETHING WITH LESS PRODUCTS NEEDED
What about glycerin.Can’t the lye be too harsh?And acv I use it straight no chaser ts est for me ths way but everyone is different.
I just started researching and am brand new to this concept. I had one question, can you use these to make liquid shampoo by grating it?
From what I have been told, liquid soap has to have preservatives. That’s one reason why shampoo soap bars are recommended.
you probably can….and it is true liquid soap/shampoo has to have preservatives. However, if you do it, only make smaller quantities that you will use up within 30 days. You could probably google it. This site might have some info (she uses vitamin e oil to preserve lotion bars but IDK if it would work for shampoo liquid.) http://wellnessmama.com/4770/how-to-make-lotion-bars/ And i made these lotion bars…heavenly! Like velvet on the skin!
Why beeswax? Your recipe is the same as my regular soap recipe minus the wax. Wouldn’t the wax built up in your hair? Is there a specific hair benefit using it? Not criticizing, just looking for the best recipe.
I’ve also tried ACV as a conditioner both diluted and undiluted. I go about my day smelling like it and feel embarrassed around others. I truly want to stop using shampoo and conditioner. Those are the only toxic produces I use. I make everything else. Is there anything else I can use as conditioner that would soften long curly hair?
If anybody is online right now who can tell me if something is going terribly wrong with this recipe – everything has been going well so far until I looked at the crockpot five minutes after mixing the lye mixture into the oil mixture (I forgot to put the cover on) and it has risen way over the top of the crockpot. I heard a weird hiss or fizzing noise so I unplugged the crockpot. Frankly, I’m scared to go near it. Could this whole thing blow?
Since I unplugged it the whole thick frothy mass has sunk back down, and I poked it with the end of a wooden spoon and there seems to be liquid underneath. I have put the lid on and turned the crockpot back on to low. Does this all sound okay?
I think it’s turning into a very expensive disaster. It’s already almost solid in the crockpot and just breaks into chunks when I try to stir it.
For the essential oils for all hair types you recommended lime & coconut oil, where can I find coconut essential oil? All I could find was synthetic, which I want no part of. Please help!
@Michelle, there is no such thing as Coconut essential oil, any coconut scent you will find will be a fragrance oil.
@ Michelle, sorry forgot to add that you should be looking for coconut oil, actually organic coconut oil, it is not a scent, it is an oil that is solid below 75 degrees. I buy mine from Trader Joes, it is kind of expensive @ $7.00 for 16oz, though non organic can be found at most soap making supply sources (Brambleberry is great!).
@ Marilyn, wow, Volcano!! That has never happened to me but sounds like you acted fast (unplugging was the thing to do) I doubt the batch was salvaged….did you use a stick blender or just stir in the lye? Did you get to trace? Your crockpot could have been too hot or the batch too big for the size crockpot you used. Have you tried a new batch?
@ Nicky G, soapmaking IMO is not about saving money, it is about knowing exactly what you are getting in your soap and the pride of making and using something you created on your own. Actually soapmaking is very expensive to get started on and making one or two batches will cost you way more than a years worth of grocery store soap but once you’ve tried handmade soap you MAY never go back (some folks prefer their Ivory or Caress, nothing wrong with that…my husband uses my soap for his hands but is a diehard Ivory fan in the shower!).
Can something be substituted for the lye? ( if asked already, I apologize.. wasn’t up for reading ALL of the comments.)
A little side note to this blog, for all you persons that love liquid soaps there is a very nice Cream Soap Recipe you can do-also in the crock-pot using KOH instead of NaOH Lye. The consistency is not snot like at all. You can make it up and use small amounts at a time and store the rest in the fridge. Catherine Failor has a wonderful book on the subject and Alicia Grosso has a recipe and some good info here: http://www.netplaces.com/soapmaking/liquid-transparent-and-cream-hot-process-soap-recipes/making-liquid-soap.htm Love the site Andrea! Keep up the good work!
ACK! Okay, I admit it! I am a newbie to soap making but I put this stuff in my crock pot, started it and walked away, went back just 6 minutes later and what WAS just a couple of inches of liquid in the bottom of the pot is now FILLING my crock pot, growing up and touching the lid! PLEASE tell me that is normal! And how much does this recipe make anyway! WOW!
If your hair is long like mine, have you done hair oil treatments? These things are so easy I swear! My favorite recipe is as follows
2 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Sweet Almond oil
1 Tbsp Jojoba Oil
Essential Oil of your choice to your taste. I use clove. Tea Tree is great for dandruff but very harsh.
Rub into scalp and massage into hair follicles. Let sit for an hour, wash as normal repeat once a week. (And be sure you’re not over washing your hair. It causes more problems than it solves.)
I’m not a fan of natural news. I’ve read through their articles and I’m convinced they’re the fox news of the alternative health community. (Not that fox news is incredible, just that it uses scare tactics) I lost all trust in the source when their article on fluoride claimed it was added to the water supply in Nazi concentration camps to make the inmates more docile. As a history professor, I can assure you this is a falsehood and any credible news source would’ve known this.
I also didn’t like how the linked article claimed a “correlation” not a cause. And further in rats. While rats are a great testing pool for research, dogs are much better when it comes to toxicity of such things. Furthermore, there was no such thing listed as an LD50 (or Lethal Dose at which 50% of the population dies) how much of these chemicals were these rats given? And in what method? I digress.
I just made this soap but I used canned coconut milk and it curdled! It turned a yellow color. I went ahead and used it but I am afraid I ruined it! Has this happened to you?