Homemade Shampoo

I've finally run out of shampoo. Whenever there was a sale on Pantene, I'd buy it since that was the kind I liked. But since I'm switching what I can to things with simple ingredients/no fragrance, I need a different option. 

A few years ago a friend of mine shared her recipe for homemade shampoo. It's pretty simple- castille soap, coconut milk, water, olive oil, essential oils- but there's a short shelf life, and I don't think I'll go through a recipe fast enough before it goes bad. That and I don't want to be making it every month. 

Shampoo bars have always intrigued me, and I found a recipe for a shampoo bar that seemed simple enough. 

1 lb melting pour soap base 

2 tbsp cocoa butter 

2 tsp olive oil 

2 tsp vitamin e oil 

25 to 50 drops of essential oil

Cut the soap base into chunks and melt it in a double boiler with the cocoa butter, stirring occasionally. One smelted, removed from heat and add the olive oil, vitamin e oil, and essential oils. Stir and pour into a mold.

I've been putting off making it because it seemed like it would take a long time or be difficult, but it actually went pretty quickly. It even cooled in the mold quickly. 

After that, you are supposed to pop them out and let them cure on their sides for 48 hours before using. Store the rest in an airtight container for up to a year. I'm guessing they will keep longer since there's not really anything that will go bad except the oil going rancid. 

I scraped the edges of the bowl into a mold and squished the pieces together to make something solid enough I could use. 

The instructions said it doesn't make much of a lather and it can take a while for your hair to adjust to this new recipe. But I think my hair responded pretty well the first time! It felt very clean and fresh after my hair dried.

Next up is making my own conditioner...