Homemade solid shampoo for dry and curly hair

Our secret to a Mellow Mane

Is your hair sometimes a little wilder than you’d like it to be? Ever wish you could tame it into soft, knot-free locks? Well, we’ve got a solid shampoo recipe that will turn the messiest mop into a Mellow Mane!

Have you guessed our secret ingredient? It’s marshmallow root powder! This ingredient isn’t just used for making delicious campfire treats—in fact, commercial marshmallows now use gelatin. As a cosmetic ingredient, the powdered root puts the “mellow” in “marshmallow,” hydrating, softening, and detangling your hair. We’ve also included ylang-ylang essential oil to help make your hair beautiful, shiny, and strong.

Ready to give your hair a treat? Read on to discover how to make a solid shampoo that will give you a beautiful Mellow Mane!

How to make solid shampoo

Before you begin

SCI (sodium cocoyl isethionate) can irritate your respiratory tract and must be handled with caution. Work in a well-ventilated space or wear a dust mask.
If you haven’t tried solid shampoo before, keep in mind that it may take your hair some time to adapt. Solid and liquid shampoos are very different, so give yourself at least three weeks before coming to a final opinion on this product. That’s about how long it will take for your scalp to adjust to this homemade solid shampoo!

Ingredients

40.7 g (40.7%) SCI
17.2 g (17.2%) orange blossom (neroli) hydrosol
1 g (1%) marshmallow root powder
8.1 g (8.1%) baobab oil
4.5 g (4.5%) shea butter
27.1 g (27.1%) ghassoul clay
1.4 g (1.4%) ylang-ylang essential oil

Tools

3 small stainless steel bowls
Components to make 2 double boilers
1 small silicone spatula
1 scale, accurate to 0.1 g
1 pipette
A few ramekins
A few spoons
1 coffee grinder or mortar and pestle
Molds of your choosing (to make soaps or cupcakes)
A dust mask or stove hood

Good to know!

We chose to use marshmallow root powder for its wonderful softening and detangling properties. It makes this solid shampoo recipe perfect for dry, curly, kinky, or frizzy hair!
Orange blossom hydrosol adds shine to your hair.
Ghassoul clay absorbs dirt and provides a lovely lather.
Baobab oil and shea butter were specifically selected to nourish your hair. They are choice ingredients for dry hair.
Ylang-ylang essential oil tones your hair and makes it shine. Alternately, you can replace it with another essential oil that’s better suited to your hair’s needs. Here are a few suggestions:
- Normal hair: true lavender
- Oily hair: Atlas cedar, petitgrain
- Hair loss: pink grapefruit
- Dandruff: tea tree

Steps to follow

Prepare and disinfect your equipment and workspace.
Weigh the SCI. Grind it carefully with the coffee grinder or mortar and pestle. Wear a dust mask or work under the hood of your stove with the fan on.
Weigh the orange blossom hydrosol and add it to the SCI. Melt the mixture in the first double boiler.
Weigh the marshmallow root powder in a ramekin. Add it to the bowl containing the SCI and mix.
Weigh the essential oil in a ramekin and set aside.
Weigh the baobab oil and the shea butter in a second bowl. Melt on the second double boiler. Mix together. Once melted, remove it from the heat and set aside.
Weigh the ghassoul clay in a third bowl. Add it to the bowl containing the SCI. Mix well.
Remove the bowl containing the SCI from the heat and add the melted oils and essential oil. Mix well until homogeneous. If the mixture is too sticky, you can heat it up again to dry it out a little.
Transfer into the molds. Be sure to compact the batter well. Leave to dry for 24 hours before unmolding.

Use and conservation

To use your homemade solid shampoo, just wet it, rub it between your hands to form a lather, and then apply it to your hair. Rinse out well. You can also rub your solid shampoo directly onto your scalp. It’s important to allow it to dry between each use.

This product is specifically formulated for dry, curly, kinky, and frizzy hair.

When made in optimal sanitary conditions, it will keep for three to six months.