How To : Make A Shampoo Bars

Today's world have become almost obsessively compulsive about bathing and washing both hair and body. Soap and shampoo have a rather interesting history. The path to the bathtub was apparently rather a dirty one for our ancestors. The more wealthy were able to pay regular visits to public bath houses. Although it seems a bath house was more of a social event than a reason for cleaning up! I can't establish how recently private homes have used shampoo bars but it seems that initially a hair soap was used which later became a liquid shampoo. Now in the recent years shampoo bars are making a big come-back. And they are fabulous! To make and to use.

For those of you who didn't run away screaming at the thought of .... gasp .... making shampoo .... please be encouraged. Soap or shampoo making really isn't as scary as it appears! And it is rewarding. I've been making soap for years. In the more recent years I added shampoo - which is very much like soap, just for washing hair. When I started making soap it did seem terrifying, but, like riding a bicycle, it is easy once you know how. And take the necessary precautions! While so many are concerned about what goes into your body have you ever considered what you put on your body? Or what you coat your hair with? The chemical variety of store bought hair treatments also has a long term affect on our brain - which I'm not going to go into now - needless to say I stay away from anything not absolutely natural.

Cleopatra is said to have bathed in milk. Having made soap and shampoo with my goats wonderful milk, I can certainly understand why! Shampoo, like soap, is meant to nourish and not merely clean. The process of conventional shampoos strips the natural oils. Combining goats milk with plant oils makes a really moisturising shampoo. So much so that many people who use the shampoo bar no longer find it necessary to rinse with conditioner.

BUT LET'S GET STARTED!!

Preparation and the correct equipment is essential. Work outside or at least in an area with plenty of ventilation. You'll need a thermometer, a wooden or plastic spoon, spatula and a stick blender. Protective gear is very important because you will be working with lye. Gloves and goggles. Preferably old work clothes or an apron. And the containers you mix your liquid and oil must be plastic (although to melt the oil a regular pot will do).

SHAMPOO BAR RECIPE:

700g Organic Goats Milk (frozen)
700g Extra Virgin Olive oil
700g Coconut Oil
300g Sweet Almond Oil
300g Castor Oil
300g Lye
100g Argan Oil
20ml Rose Geranium Essential Oil
20ml Neroli Essential Oil

Essential oils give a wonderful scent to both shampoo bar and hair. Of course, they have their own healing properties so a number of blends can be used in shampoo. Argan oil is gaining in popularity in hair care products and I love the softness it adds to hair. Honey in either soaps or shampoo helps with the alkalinity in the bar. This recipe is my favourite.

To get started you need to weigh out your plant oils. Preferably measure out your goats milk and freeze it well in advance. The reaction of lye to liquid is such that it heats to incredible temperatures and would curdle the goats milk. I freeze the goats milk whenever I have excess so that I can make soap or shampoo on a whim. Which is an hilarious thought as our homestead doesn't generally allow for whimsical behaviour.

Step ONE:

Remember there will be fumes as the lye mixes with the liquid! Do not breath them in!

Place the frozen goats milk in a big plastic container (I use a 10litre bucket) and allow it to slightly thaw. It should look like crushed ice. It must not melt! With your safety goggles and gloves on very slowly add the lye to the frozen goats milk. Stirring the entire time. Don't get too close as the fumes are quite overpowering. I add a couple spoons of the lye at a time and stir until dissolved then add the next few spoons. It can take about 15 minutes. The milk will at this rate defrost and heat up quite quickly. You'll also notice the caramelization of the lactase as the chemical reaction occurs. The goats milk becomes a beautiful yellow colour. You need it to drop to 29 C. This can take a couple hours (depending on the weather). Leave it outside to breath (and out of danger). Remember to stir occasionally - every 15 minutes at least or it can still curdle or burn.

Step TWO:

While the goats milk mix is cooling to 29 C. Melt your extra virgin olive, coconut and castor oils. I do this in a large pot and then pour the oil into a second large bucket. You'll need to get the oils dropped to 29 C as well. Remember! You can cool or warm the oils but do not try to heat the goats milk. Lye is volatile and needs to be handled with extreme caution!

Step THREE:

Make sure your melted oils are also in a plastic bucket. Do all the other preparation. The soap containers must be clean. If wood or glass then they must be lined with parchment paper. Prepare your safe area with towels and blankets where your shampoo will saponify for 24 hours.

For smaller quantities of shampoo a silicon loaf pan or little silicon muffin trays works perfectly! I make nearly 10kg of shampoo at a time so I have two hinged wooden soap trays which I line with parchment paper. You also need a couple towels and a blanket to tuck your shampoo up for its initial 24 hour saponification.

Step FOUR:

This part comes with a WARNING!!!!!!

DO NOT ADD OIL TO LYE

SLOWLY ADD THE GOATS MILK AND LYE TO THE OILS. NEVER THE OTHER WAY AROUND

DO NOT ADD OIL TO LYE!!!!
To quote Soap Queen "A popular rhyme to help you remember the order is: “It’s smarter to add lye to water! Add water to lye and you may die!” It’s definitely an extreme rhyme, but it can be helpful in the beginning!"

Get started with a wooden spoon. While stirring the oil mix slowly add the goats milk and lye mix to the oil . Then use your stick blender to mix. It takes a few minutes for the cloudy mix to thicken. This is where timing is important as you now need to add the argan oil and essential oils as the shampoo is about to trace. What trace means is that the oils and liquid have emulsified and will not separate. In the initial blending your mix will be cloudy but it suddenly thickens and you can actually trace lines across the surface of the shampoo. This is seen in the following photo:

Step FIVE:

If you add your extras too early it interferes in the emulsification process. Too late and you will have the saponification happening in the bucket which means a big blob of soap. As the shampoo reaches trace you can quickly add in your essential oils. Preferably use a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix them in as a stick blender is too fast at this stage - unless you know what you are doing :)

Don't stop to reward yourself with a cup of tea now because at this stage the shampoo is setting really quickly. Work carefully but quickly. Any splashes need to be washed immediately and thoroughly.

Step SIX:

Carefully pour out your soap. Then cover with a plastic lid, tray or paper before wrapping up in towels and blankets. During this 24 hour process the saponification takes place. It does so at a surprisingly high temperature.

Step SEVEN:

After the 24 hours you can safely unwrap the blankies and take out your hardened shampoo. At this point I cut my shampoo bars. You can handle the shampoo but be sure to wash your hands and equipment well as there is still a strong lye presence. You can see this by the slight white ash.

Step EIGHT:

Hurry up and wait!!
There is a cold process and a hot process to making soap. My preference is the cold process. What this means though is that you cannot use your shampoo until it is cured. Soap makers generally wait 4 - 6 weeks. I prefer 8 weeks. In that time the saponification is completed and you will have a harder soap or in this case, shampoo bar. Although different oils make a harder or softer shampoo as well as a foamy lather or not.

When I discovered that the word Shampoo comes from the Indian word that is used for flatbread I was rather puzzled. But when you realize that hair was originally pampered by a head massage with fragranced oils then it makes perfect sense! While a shampoo bar and your own hands scrubbing your locks clean is not exactly a pampering it really leaves your hair feeling luxurious. Plus I love the satisfaction of making my own products and finding they work better than the store bought - without any harmful residue!