How to make a solid SHAMPOO BAR: NO acidic rinse, no transition phase recipe!

This shampoo recipe has been formulated so beginners can give it a go too! All the ingredients should be easy to find and purchase. Most of them are also available plastic free. If they are not, I recommend buying them in larger quantities!

The recipe is divided into three main categories of ingredients: cleaning, detoxifying and moisturising. This makes the shampoo bar suitable to use for most hair types.

Solid Shampoo Bar Ingredients

32.50 grams / 65% of sodium cocoyl isethionate - SCI (powder form)

11 grams / 22% of cocamidropopyl betaine (CAPB)

3 grams / 6% cocoa butter 

1 gram / 2% jojoba

0.75 grams / 1.5% soap nut powder or shikakai powder

0.50 grams / 1% bentonite clay

1 gram / 2% essential oil blend (I chose tea tree and eucalyptus)

0.25 grams / 0.5% eco preservative (Dehydroacetic acid & Benzyl alcohol)

Download my exclusive guide to online worldwide cosmetic suppliers to find out where you can purchase these ingredients in your country.

Substitutions

I don't recommend swapping the SCI powder or the CABP with anything else, as otherwise the recipe would have to be completely reformulated.

You can swap the cocoa butter with stearic acid to obtain a less greasy feeling but still achieve similar hardening qualities.

You can swap jojoba with any other oil. Although, I recommend swapping it with a hair loving oil such as coconut, hemp seed or broccoli seed oil. If you are adding an oil with a short shelf life, you should add Vitamin E at 0.5% of your formulation.

You can swap the soap nut powder or shikakai powder with a mild clay such as kaolin clay or rhassoul clay or omit it altogether and add more SCI powder. Keep in mind that the shampoo bar will be more cleansing this way.

You can use any essential oil you want which are suitable or known to be used in haircare.

Please do not omit the eco-preservative. Vitamin E is not a good a preservative, it is an antioxidant and not a suitable alternative.

Below are some alternative preservatives you can use. Please ensure to check the correct usage rate and any contraindications with your supplier.

Cleaning Ingredients

For the cleaning part of the shampoo bar, we will use two naturally derived eco friendly surfactants. Sodium cocoyl isethionate, also called "SCI" is our main detergent, and cocamidropoyl betaine, also called "CAPB", is our liquid detergent. Since these two ingredients have a different nature, they balance each other out, contributing to a milder product. 

Next, we will add a mildly cleaning, natural powder. For this recipe, you have the option to use either soap nuts powder or shikakai powder.

These powders contain natural saponins. Therefore, they will contribute to the lather and cleaning action of the shampoo, whilst also adding shine, protection and thickening properties.
 
If you want, you could also do a mix of both the soap nuts and the shikakai powder. If you don't have the powdered version of soap nuts, simply ground regular nuts in a food processor until they are very fine.

Detoxifying Ingredients

Our detoxifying part is composed by bentonite clay, which has amazing purifying and scalp soothing properties. The clay will also help thicken and harden our shampoo bar. If you don't have bentonite you can swap it with any other clay (check out in the substitutions at the beginning of this blog post).

 
We will also add essential oils to our shampoo bar. These will not only give a wonderful scent to your shampoo, but will also add beneficial properties to your hair. I chose a blend of eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils for their antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. 

Moisturising Ingredients

The last section of ingredients will be made up by cocoa butter and a nourishing oil of your choice, I chose jojoba. Cocoa butter is super moisturising, softening and will harden our shampoo bar. Jojoba is actually not an oil but a liquid wax, which is very similar to our scalp's sebum, meaning it's very hydrating and doesn't clog our pores. 
 
Last but not least, we will add an eco preservative. Even if your shampoo bar does not contain water, it will constantly come into contact with water. By adding a preservative we will stop any fungi and bacteria from forming. 

Learn more about formulating shampoo bars

Tools for Making a Solid Shampoo Bar

We will not need many tools for this recipe but just a heat resistant pyrex glass container, a tablespoon, a scale, and a flexible silicone mould. 

When handling SCI, I really recommend wearing a mask or covering your mouth or at least hold your breath. The SCI powder is super fine, so gets dispersed super easily, kind of like dust, and can be irritating if you breath it in. 

You don't necessarily need gloves, but I find them handy especially towards the end when we are pouring the shampoo in the mould. 

How to Make a Solid Shampoo Bar

Step 1: Weigh the powders

First, we will begin by weighing the SCI powder. To stop the powder dispersing into the air, place the powder slowly into to the bottom of your beaker with a spoon.

Next, we will add the Cocamidropopyl betaine and mix them together. Once they are mixed together, the powders won't fly about anymore. 

Next, we will add oil, soap nut powder and bentonite clay. Then, again, mix everything well with a tablespoon.

I recommend using a wooden spoon for the bentonite clay. Although I didn't when I made this shampoo bar, I have since learned that due to the clay's charge it's best not to use stainless steel.

Step 2: Melt the butter

At this stage, we will put a beaker into a water bath and add the cocoa butter. This butter is what we will use to add those extra nourishing and hardening properties to our shampoo bar.
 
Let it melt for a few minutes at very low heat, mixing every now and then.

Step 3: Final Ingredients & Pouring

Once the cocoa butter has fully melted, we will take the beaker off the heat and mix everything together. At this stage, after the shampoo bar has cooled down, we will add our essential oils followed by our preservative. 

The last step is to add the shampoo bar mixture into the mould. Make sure the mould is clean and sanitized. Use a pair of gloves if you wish and start pushing the mix into the mould by pressing with a spoon, to create a base for your shampoo and avoid air bubbles as much as possible. 

The last thing to do is to let the shampoo bar dry out and harden. I like to pop it in in the freezer for about an hour or leave it to harden over night. To make the shampoo bar last even longer, leave it to harden for a week. Although, I can never wait that long!
 
Once the shampoo bar hardened, I did a quick lather test. It gave me fluffy, large bubbles which are not at all drying thanks to the skin loving jojoba and cocoa butter.