Today was shampoo experiment day. The general texture and ingredient balance was good. I will have to live with it a bit before deciding whether I like it. Home-made shampoo is very different from anything you can buy in the store, even the natural stuff. It is much thinner and doesn’t leave you with the “squeaky clean” outcome immediately–that squeaky clean feeling, incidentally, means your hair has none of its own natural stuff left. Over time, the ingredients that are so astringent on scalps in commercial shampoos (say laurel sulfate) have even crept into organic products. So I have forgotten what it feels like to wash my hair without them. The result was… Oops! I also forgot that you are not supposed to repeat the wash cycle. I got a double dose of my shampoo. And there can, in fact, be a little too much of a good thing.
The base is made with olive oil, and this is one of the difficulties in trying to find something I can work with. Olive oile and my hair are not friendly. Olive oil is very potent in hair care. I think my hair is now saying, “Hey! What on earth is going on???” I am also learning that you don’t dry this hair–it starts to yell: “youarekillingmestop!!!!!” So I will have to learn how to work with my hair and this particular shampoo. It may be well worth it. There are not many alternatives when looking for liquid soap bases not made with coconut oil. My hair may be able to tolerate a small amount of this stuff (assuming I don’t treat my hair like it needs a good dunking in the shampoo bottle). Alternatively, there are also other methods for cleansing the scalp, and I can condition the hair with my conditioner after cleansing.
This is all part of the general learning process in soap-making: I try things and take time to see whether they work, and sometimes it takes time to evaluate the outcomes–time even to come up with the criteria that I need to use to evaluate them.
The recipe, in case anyone would like it:
- 3/4 cup liquid castile soap
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp grapeseed or jojoba oil
- essential oils to your preference
If you want a thicker shampoo, drop the water and use 8 oz liquid castile instead of 6 oz.
Whether to use grapeseed or jojoba lil is a matter of preference. I used grapeseed because I have less tolerance for oil. It was a good call. If your scalp is dry, you might want the jojoba.
There are different formulas of castile soap. It may be beneficial to check the ingredients before buying, especially if you have any skin sensitivities. I bought mine from Brambleberry–it has only three ingredients. You can also make your own “liquid castile” by grating one bar of castile soap and melting into 1 cup of distilled water over a douple boiler. As with the liquid soap, check the ingredients–people have posted notes on various sites complaining that their shampoos did not work with some brands of castile bars. I cannot speak to those issues since I used liquid for this.
Heat carrier oil and soap in separate bowls until slightly warm. (Note: do not heat essential oils in the microwave.) Add the soap slowly to the oil, stirring with a whisk until the soap is completely added. Once carrier oil and soap are mixed, add essential oils, whisk again, and allow to cool before pouring into bottle(s).
- Learning From My Younger Self - February 10, 2024
- more reflections on ITD - June 30, 2023
- On travel while at ITD: reflections after day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- Job Descriptions, Inclusivity, and Equity for People with Disabilities - October 15, 2022
- Traveling without a Guide Dog: Experience with Cane and Walker - October 14, 2022
- Disability and Church, Intersection - June 11, 2022
- Review: When Chronic Pain and Illness Take Everything Away - June 11, 2022
- Grammar and Style Resources for Writers - June 9, 2022
