Hair’s to You: A cold process shampoo bar recipe!

Here’s to a new shampoo! 

In our collective imagination, the sky is blue, chocolate tastes delicious, keys hide themselves, shampoo comes in a bottle, and cats foment their world domination over the Internet. But wait—not all shampoos come in bottles! We have proof: Hair’s to You is a recipe for a cold process shampoo bar!

Solid cosmetics have been growing in popularity for some time now. Budget-friendly, environmentally friendly, effective, and practical, solid care products really have it all! That’s why we wanted to offer you this recipe for a shampoo bar that more than holds its own against its bottled counterparts. This DIY shampoo bar lathers up beautifully as it gently washes and lifts your hair. The essential oils strengthen your hair while the ghassoul clay provides lovely natural volume. In short, we adore it!

So let’s say Hair’s to You with our new cold process shampoo. If you’re not yet tempted to try it, we’ll leave you with another shampoo recipe. But if you’re in, let’s get started!

How to make CP shampoo bars

Ingredients

Sodium hydroxide solution

• 56 g (9.33%) sodium hydroxide 
• 84 g (13.99%) demineralized water

Oil and butter mixture

• 118 g (19.65%) coconut oil
• 118 g (19.65%) shea butter
• 118 g (19.65%) olive oil
• 39.4 g (6.56%) jojoba oil

Additive

• 15.8 g (2.63%) ghassoul clay  

Superfatting

• 15.8 g (2.63%) castor oil 
• 15.8 g (2.63%) grapeseed oil 

Essential oil mixture

• 4 g (0.67%) ylang ylang essential oil 
• 15.7 g (2.61%) rosemary ct cineole essential oil 

Tools

• 2 small stainless steel bowls
• Components to make a double boiler
• 1 large stainless steel bowl 
• 1 silicone spatula
• 2 scales, accurate to 1 g and 0.1 g
• 2 pipettes
• A few ramekins
• 1 immersion blender
• 1 large Pyrex measuring cup or HDPE pot (with a minimum capacity of 500 ml) for the sodium hydroxide solution
• A few spoons
• 1 basin full of water (to make a cold water bath) 
• 1 thermometer 
• 6 “hibiscus” molds
• Protective soapmaking gear

Good to know!

• The superfatting oils were chosen for their hair benefits. Castor oil strengthens hair, and grapeseed oil nourishes the hair fibre. 
• Ghassoul clay was used because it helps clean hair without irritating. It also gives hair volume.
• Ylang ylang essential oil is a hair tonic that provides shine. Rosemary ct cineole essential oil is known for its ability to bring life back to dull hair. 
• If you’d like to make your cold process shampoo even more soft and detangling, just add some marshmallow root powder. Use it at a rate of 1–3% of your total recipe, adding it to your oil and butter mixture along with the ghassoul clay at step 8.

Steps to follow 

1. Prepare and disinfect your equipment and workspace. 
2. Take the necessary precautions for handling sodium hydroxide safely.
3. Prepare the sodium hydroxide solution: measure the water and sodium hydroxide separately; pour the sodium hydroxide into the water, contained in a Pyrex measuring cup or HDPE pot; mix together and leave to cool.
4. Place the container with the sodium hydroxide solution in the cold water bath to lower the temperature more quickly.
5. Weigh the coconut oil and shea butter in the large stainless steel bowl. Melt on the double boiler. Once it’s melted, remove it from the heat and add the olive and jojoba oils. Mix together. 
6. Using a pipette, weigh the essential oils in a ramekin. Mix together.
7. Weigh the ghassoul clay in another ramekin.
8. Add the ghassoul clay to the melted oil and butter mixture. Mix to combine.
9. Weigh the castor and grapeseed oils in a small bowl.
10. When the oil and butter mixture and the sodium hydroxide solution have both cooled to a temperature of 35–40°C, pour the sodium hydroxide solution over the oils while mixing with the immersion blender and the spatula. Continue to mix until you reach light trace. 
11. When you reach trace, add the superfatting and essential oils. Continue to mix with the immersion blender and spatula to fully incorporate the oils into the mixture. The addition of the superfatting oils may cause the trace to disappear. Don’t panic: it will soon return as you continue to blend the soap batter.
12. At medium trace (or when medium trace reappears), pour the batter into the molds.
13. Leave the molds to dry for 48 hours. Then, place the molds in the freezer for one hour to facilitate unmolding. Unmold while wearing gloves. Leave in a cool, dry place for four to six weeks.

Use and conservation

This product is well suited to all hair type. While it is formulated for hair, it can also be used on your body. 

When made in optimal sanitary conditions, these DIY shampoo bars should keep for 6 months to one year.