Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
Have you switched to no-poo since your granola transformation?
Does the lack of foam make you fantasize about the days when washing your hair gave you as much pleasure as the actresses in Herbal Essence commercials circa 1998?
Tut tut tut! No need to cross over to the dark side (i.e., conventional shampoos, haha) to get that feeling back.
You can now make your own natural and gentle shampoo without compromising all your no-poo efforts or having to give up the lather!
I am talking about: the solid shampoo bar!
Formulating your shampoo
You only need a few ingredients, in precise proportions, to make a solid shampoo at home:
- surfactants (making up between 30% and 50% of the recipe)
- an oily phase (between 10-20%)
- mineral or plant powders (about 10-20%)
- an aqueous phase (maximum 15-20%)
- essential oils (1-2%): optional, as always
How to choose your ingredients
1. Surfactant
Surfactants are foaming and cleansing agents that not only help dislodge dirt, but also help spread the shampoo. The most commonly used are sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) and sodium coco sulfate (SCS), both anionic surfactants of plant origin.
SCI is known to be the gentlest surfactant on the market. I really like adding a little SCS to my shampoos because it is better at removing grease (oily-haired folks, you’ll be thrilled!). I never add more than 5%.
The foaming power of anionic surfactants means we need to use very little product on our hair to spread the shampoo. In English, we call it the lathering property. No, just because a product doesn't foam doesn't mean it doesn't clean. As proof, look at the powders used in no-poo. But (!), the foam greatly helps the product spread everywhere. Result: we use less product and go through our shampoo bar much slower.
Hello, savings!
We usually use 30 to 50% surfactants in a solid shampoo recipe. People with a sensitive scalp will prefer a lower percentage of SCI, i.e., 30-35%. To find out what your scalp prefers, you have to test it!
NOTE 1: If you don’t put 50% surfactant in your recipe, fill the difference with arrowroot starch! For example, if you only use 30% surfactant, add 20% starch.
NOTE 2: If you have a dry and sensitive scalp, only use SCI. Avoid using more than 30-40% of the recipe.
2. Oily phase
Oils and butters are recognized in cosmetics for their nourishing properties. Here, you can choose oils and/or butters.
Among the other choices:
- argan oil – a great champion of hair care for its nourishing and restorative properties.
- hemp oil
- camelina oil
- sunflower oil
- jojoba oil
- castor oil – fortifies hair fibers!
- mango butter – excellent butter for hair health.
- shea butter
- cocoa butter
- oat butter
- hemp butter
3. Powders
Powders provide nourishing, cleansing (as is the case with clay and shikakai), and fortifying properties. You can opt for mineral or plant powders. Personally, I often like to combine both! You can also add arrowroot starch to supplement some of the mineral and plant powders (especially if using less surfactant in the recipe, as mentioned above).
Mineral powders
- white clay
- Canadian glacial clay
- prairie pink clay
- green clay
Plant powders
- henna
- arrowroot starch
- aloe powder – softening
- hibiscus powder
- slippery elm powder – excellent for dry, curly, and frizzy hair
- nettle powder – excellent for hair health, fortifying
- burdock powder
- beetroot powder
- calendula powder – softening
- chamomile powder – softening
- marshmallow root powder – excellent for dry, curly, and frizzy hair
- lavandin powder – softening
- butterfly pea powder – excellent choice for blond and white hair!
- horsetail powder – excellent for hair health, fortifying.
- shikakai powder – cleansing powder
4. Aqueous phase
You can use floral waters (hydrosols) or aloe gel/juice. For my part, I consider water to be more than enough, since it will evaporate anyway as it dries. It’s very different from making liquid shampoo, where using hydrosols and other plant derivatives might be interesting.
5. Essential oils
To provide a scent, yes, but above all for their olfactory and "skin" properties. I suggest our article "6 essential oils for hair care" for our suggestions.
Hello goddess mane!
As you can see, the possibilities are almost endless! You can do your own tests and concoctions if you want, or try one of our recipes below!
Need a little video support before you start?
Watch Mariane's manufacturing tutorial on our YouTube channel. It was made for our burdock and lavandin shampoo recipe, but the principle remains the same. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any videos!
Nettle solid shampoo - normal/all hair types
A solid shampoo recipe that’s as easy as pie, versatile, natural, and suitable for all hair types.
Préparation
15 min
Conservation
indéfinie
Rendement
100 g
Solid shampoo with burdock and lavandin - sensitive scalp/oily hair
Are there any fine, oily hair types and sensitive scalps in the room? That perfectly describes my mane. This recipe was therefore designed with lavandin and burdock, two allies for the famous sensitive skin + oily hair combo. I've selected gentle and balancing ingredients to tame my fire-breathing sebum-producing scalp.
- Audrey
Préparation
15 min
Conservation
indéfinie
Rendement
100 g
F.A.Q
“Do I have to grind the surfactants?”
Personally, I never grind surfactants if they are in small granules or needles (like the ones we offer in our online store). It’s not necessary and it reduces the risk of respiratory tract irritation. If you insist on grinding them, use an N95 mask.
“Can I use only SCI or only SCS?”
Yes, you can use only SCI (i.e., 40 g in this recipe). However, SCS alone is not a good idea because it is more irritating and less foamy.
“Can I use another oil, or change the plants?”
You can do whatever you want! That’s the beauty of DIY! Note that the result will not be the same, but who knows, you might just create a masterpiece!
“I’ve heard that sodium coco sulfate and sodium cocoyl isethionate aren’t natural, that it’s greenwashing…”
Oh yes! We hear and read it often on the web. Rest assured, SCS and SCI are not the devil. Here is our take:
First, they are accused of being synthetic ingredients because they are not found naturally in the environment. News flash: many "natural" ingredients you use are actually synthesized in a lab (like baking soda), and many natural ingredients are toxic (hello, petroleum!). This argument is therefore not worth much. Yes, a cold-saponified shampoo is more natural than a synthetic surfactant because you only use raw ingredients to make it. But this type of solid shampoo doesn't suit everyone, as it leaves residues in the hair for some people.
SCS is also criticized for its manufacturing process, as it is a derivative of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Nothing is perfect. At that point, it’s up to you to choose your battles and decide if you judge that the ingredient is not "natural" enough for YOU. Until proven otherwise, SCS itself is safe and rated 1 by Skin Deep (Environmental Working Group). Period.
Sodium coco sulfate and sodium cocoyl isethionate make it possible to manufacture solid products that are gentle on the skin and the environment once released into waterways. And above all, they save us from producing a MULTITUDE of plastic bottles. That’s why we adopted them!
We are also often told about the famous SLMI, saying it is softer. In reality, the manufacturing process is practically identical to SCI and the concerns are the same. SCI and SLMI are two super gentle surfactants with a good environmental profile. SLMI is less easy to use than SCI, which is why we don't offer it for the moment. Are they perfect? No! Are they better than 98% of surfactants in commercial cleaning products? Yes.
