Posted by Les Mauvaises Herbes
In recent years, we have seen a rise in the popularity of solid shampoos as an alternative to commercial shampoos, as they have the advantage of reducing our consumption of plastic and/or synthetic ingredients. While this news is excellent, it brings its fair share of confusion and questions within the “granola” community.
For some, this alternative is miraculous, while for others, it leads to a horrible experience (greasy, waxy hair, etc.).
In short, does a solid shampoo actually work or not?
The fact is, it depends. It’s annoying, haha, because the answer isn’t simple. Let us guide you through the maze of natural solid shampoos!
The key to understanding: soap versus detergent
What gets pretty much everyone confused is that there are TWO TYPES of solid shampoo bars.
In fact, when people share their experiences with solid shampoos, they are often comparing apples and oranges, which leads to widespread confusion regarding their effectiveness. Why? Because these are two entirely different products.
To give you their proper names, these two products are cold-processed solid shampoos (SAF), on the left in the photo above, and solid shampoos made with synthetic surfactants derived from natural ingredients, on the right.
What do they have in common? Both are surfactants, meaning they are cleansing and foaming agents. The main difference? Their manufacturing method. One is made by saponification, the other is made from synthetic surfactants derived from natural ingredients, such as Sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) and Sodium coco sulfate (SCS).
“HUH? I don't get it.”
SAF shampoo is the result of the saponification of ingredients selected for hair care. In other words, the ingredients are transformed into a surfactant and nourishing substance. This type of shampoo is a soap. There are several types of soaps: solid soaps (e.g., Marseille soap, Aleppo soap, artisanal soaps) and liquid soaps (e.g., our Castile soap, liquid black soap, etc.).
Shampoos based on synthetic surfactants, on the other hand, are made by amalgamating a laboratory-made surfactant, such as Sodium cocoyl isethionate or Sodium coco sulfate, with nourishing and strengthening ingredients (oils, butters, clays, plant powders, etc.). The manufacture of these shampoos involves neither saponification nor transformation. The resulting cleaning substance is not a soap, but a detergent. Synthetic surfactants are used to make shampoos, shower gels, hand cleansers, etc. See our basic nettle recipe here!
Cold-processed solid shampoo (SAF)
- soap
- surfactant handmade by cold-processing nourishing ingredients adapted for hair health (oils, butters, plant macerates, essential oils)
- shampoo = fatty acid salts + glycerin + unsaponified fats (superfat) surfactants
- pH around 9
Solid shampoo based on synthetic surfactants
- detergent
- surfactant synthesized in a laboratory and derived from plants
- shampoo = synthetic surfactant + nourishing, cleansing, and strengthening ingredients
- neutral pH
“How can we tell them apart, in practical terms?”
The texture is a good indicator: saponified shampoos are smooth and look like soap. They are often square bars because they are generally made in rectangular molds and then cut. Shampoos made from surfactants are textured, grainy, and very often molded. You can frequently see the shape of the surfactants (they look like little grains of rice) throughout the ingredient mixture.
The best way to differentiate between an SAF shampoo and a shampoo made from synthetic surfactants is to look at the ingredient list. An SAF shampoo will contain an ingredient list similar to:
- water, olive oil, coconut oil, sodium hydroxide;
- or in INCI nomenclature: aqua, olea europaea fruit oil, cocos nucifera oil, sodium hydroxide
Often, instead of listing the starting ingredients, the result of the saponification is listed. Since sodium hydroxide transforms fats into fatty acid salts and glycerin, the ingredients will be presented as follows: sodium oleate, sodium cocoate, glycerin. Or in INCI nomenclature: sodium oleate, sodium cocoate, glycerin. Sodium hydroxide does not appear because there is none left in the final product!
A shampoo with synthetic surfactants will, for its part, show an ingredient list like this:
- Sodium cocoyl isethionate, arrowroot starch, water, mango butter, argan oil, nettle powder, white clay, SCS;
- or in INCI nomenclature: Sodium cocoyl isethionate, maranta arundinacea, aqua, mangifera indica seed butter, argania spinosa kernel oil, urtica dioica leaf powder, kaolin, sodium coco sulfate.
Why choose one type of solid shampoo over the other?
Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
1. Cold-processed solid shampoo (SAF)
It is entirely natural and its selling price is much more advantageous (often 50% cheaper than its cousin with synthetic surfactant). You can make it from A to Z at home, but we recommend taking a full workshop on saponification before getting started, since it involves handling caustic soda. In other words, in the case of SAF shampoo, you make the surfactant by mixing the raw ingredients.
However, this type of shampoo is not suitable for everyone. It sometimes leaves a waxy residue on the hair, either because of the water or the hair type. It is quite mysterious and often, it’s a hit or miss. The pH of this type of shampoo is relatively high and a regular vinegar rinse is necessary to restore the pH, but also to dislodge residues that could be trapped on the surface of certain more porous hair types.
Advantages
- inexpensive finished product
- made from raw ingredients saponified by hand
- can be made at home from raw materials (well, we don't make our own sodium hydroxide, but it is a base material and not a compound)
- biodegradable and non-toxic to wildlife and plant life (this type of soap is preferable in nature, if we have no choice, but any substance foreign to an ecosystem can affect wildlife and/or plant life.)
- lasts for several weeks/months depending on washing frequency
- can be used on hair and/or body without issue
Disadvantages
- often incompatible with hard water
- best used in hot and soft water
- alkaline pH (9) which requires regular vinegar rinsing to restore pH
- reacts very well with certain hair types, but not with others that are more porous (it leaves a waxy deposit at the hair roots)
2. Solid shampoo with synthetic surfactants
The “detergent” type of solid shampoo is not made solely from raw ingredients like SAF shampoo. The shampoo bar itself is easy to make at home, but it requires a surfactant, which is an already “pre-made” ingredient. It’s a bit like making a cake from a box mix where you only add water and eggs.
Although a synthetic surfactant must be used in its manufacture, this type of shampoo bar has significant advantages, in addition to being very simple to make: it works just as well in hard water as in soft water and is a pH-balanced shampoo. These two advantages weigh heavily in the balance in favor of the “detergent” shampoo, since it behaves on the hair like the majority of commercial shampoos. It is literally the solid version of an eco-friendly commercial shampoo. In the same way that dish soap bars are the solid and concentrated version of a liquid eco-friendly dish detergent.
Another significant advantage: they can be very easily made at home.
The more negative aspects of this type of shampoo are mainly its purchase price (around $15-20) as well as its longer biodegradability. Synthetic surfactants cannot be used directly in nature the same way as SAF shampoos, for example in a river or a lake. They must pass through a water treatment system to be safe for aquatic life.
Advantages
- works in hard water and cold water
- pH-balanced
- lasts for several weeks/months depending on washing frequency
- is more similar to “standard” shampoos in terms of effectiveness, but in solid form
- its accessibility means it is adopted by a greater number of people, which considerably reduces the manufacture and consumption of plastic bottles
- homemade recipes are easy to make and adapt according to hair types
Disadvantages
- costly finished product (up to twice as expensive as SAF shampoo)
- cannot be used directly in nature: must go through a water treatment system to be safe for the environment
- can be used on the body, but very expensive for a body wash!
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
Opinions and usage tips
1. SAF shampoo
I mainly use SAF shampoos when traveling because of their versatility (hair and body). Since I have curly and naturally dry hair, using conditioner is essential for me, with or without a vinegar rinse, which adds an extra step to my hair care routine. For this reason, I vary my washing methods quite regularly, moving from SAF to chickpea flour, then to solid shampoos with surfactants, among others.
Unfortunately, my hair does not react well to SAF shampoo: it becomes waxy after a few washes. I cannot use it long-term, only occasionally. I mostly use them when camping (hello, body-hair versatility!).
I really love SAF shampoos! Being able to use the same product for my body and my hair is a big plus for the minimalist that I am! I particularly like our Arctic shampoo. I rarely need to use a vinegar rinse, even though it is highly recommended. I don't know why, but my hair doesn't seem to need it that much, strangely enough. I do it once in a while to make them shiny, but that's about it!
It is difficult to determine consistent effectiveness with this type of shampoo. Several factors seem to be at play. Hard water is often problematic with CP (cold-processed) shampoos, but Mariane gets very good results while Audrey does not, even though they both live in Montreal (where the water is hard). You really have to try it to know for sure. But hey! They aren’t expensive.
“Like Audrey, my CP shampoo leaves a residue in my hair. Is it a lost cause?”
Here are our little tips to try before you get discouraged. Often, this solves the problem!
1. Wet your hair and run the bar directly through it to build up a lather;
2. Rinse thoroughly with hot water to wash away any potential residue;
3. Gently pour a vinegar solution (2 tbsp of vinegar in 2 cups of water) over your head, being careful to spread it everywhere.
4. Let it sit for a few seconds/minutes and rinse briefly with water. It’s OK to leave a little vinegar solution in your hair; it makes it softer!
The vinegar solution helps to dislodge any potential residue. Note that hair may take a few washes to adapt to this product. But don't struggle too much; if it still doesn't work after 2-3 shampoos, use your bar as body soap. Nothing is lost.
And there you have it, now on to shampoo with synthetic surfactants! 😛
2. Shampoo with synthetic surfactants
I use shampoos with surfactants a lot! Right now, I’d say it’s my favorite and the product I use the most, but it’s not an exclusive love. CP shampoo and no-poo methods still have their place in my routine; it depends on how I’m feeling! Let’s say my hair routine is the “intuitive, non-traditional low-poo-no-poo” type, haha. I particularly like being able to easily make my own shampoo according to my current inspiration and the ingredients I have on hand.
I love how effective they are on my hair, how simple they are to make, and their durability (a bar lasts several weeks, even months). I’m a fan of plants, and since we can easily incorporate them into our solid shampoo recipes, I take the opportunity to spoil my hair with their wonderful properties. Hooray!
I love solid shampoos based on surfactants. I especially like being able to make them easily and vary the ingredients according to my seasonal needs. But if I were on a desert island and only had access to one type of shampoo (a luxury desert island, that is!)... I think I would choose CP shampoos. I find that my hair stays nice longer with these and that it is more nourished. My hair really loves them!
Some people have reservations about using a synthetic surfactant. We often hear and read on the web that surfactants like SCI and SCS aren’t “natural” and that they are harmful to the environment. Rest assured, SCS and SCI are not the devil. Here is what we think about them:
Surfactants: just greenwashing?
1. Some critics will shun synthetic surfactants because they are not found naturally in the environment. News flash: several “natural” ingredients we use every day are synthesized in a lab: baking soda, zinc oxide, and even the sodium hydroxide needed to make CP shampoos and soaps. On the other hand, just because an ingredient is natural doesn’t mean it isn’t toxic (hello, petroleum and acid rain).
So, this argument isn't worth much. Yes, a cold-processed shampoo is more natural than a synthetic surfactant, because you only use raw ingredients in its manufacture. But this type of solid shampoo isn't for everyone, as we saw above. So, if your goal is to reduce your plastic consumption and bulk options aren't available in your area, we aren't any further ahead.
2. SCS is also criticized because of its manufacturing process, as it is a derivative of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), an ingredient sometimes contaminated with 1,4 dioxane and ethylene oxide. SCS is optional in solid shampoos. If this ingredient worries you, you can easily find a shampoo that doesn't contain it, or make your own recipe using only SCI.
Basically: nothing is perfect. From there, it's up to you to choose your battles and decide if you judge surfactants to be not “natural” or safe enough for YOU. Until proven otherwise, SCI and SCS are safe and rated 1 by Skin Deep (Environmental Working Group). Sodium coco-sulfate and sodium cocoyl isethionate allow for the creation of solid products that are gentle on the skin and the environment. And above all, they spare us from the production of a MULTITUDE of plastic bottles. That’s why we adopt them!
Not convinced? There are other options: CP shampoo if it suits your hair type, the no-poo method using baking soda and vinegar, as well as washing powders like shikakai and rhassoul clay. So there you go! Solid shampoos hold no more secrets for you! We hope this little text helped you find your way and will help you make an informed choice when buying your next solid shampoo!
