Follow this DIY recipe to make your own Tallow Shampoo Bar – ditch the bottles of shampoo and hair products in favor or something healthy and nourishing.
It took me quite a long time to develop a shampoo bar that was everything I wanted it to be – nourishing, moisturizing, effective, and that smelled great.
A good shampoo bar is worth its weight in gold – literally. They are a great way to wash hair, especially if you are looking to get away from regular commercial shampoos and conditioners.
Why use a shampoo bar?
A shampoo bar is a very mild soap that washes away dirt and oil in the hair – they’ll leave hair feeling soft, manageable and clean all at the same time. Because they are different than commercial shampoos and conditioners, a shampoo bar will leave behind just the right amount of conditioning. Instead of getting dried out, your hair will feel softer and more manageable.
How to Make a Shampoo Bar
Shampoo bars can be made with a variety of oils, fats and butters, though this recipe, below, is by far one of my favorites.
Tallow: This fat has so many amazing properties. First, it helps give shampoo bars their hardness, which is important to make the shampoo last as long as possible. Tallow is also a wonderful cleansing fat and also moisturizing at the same time.
Coconut oil: Provides the lather and the cleansing power.
Castor oil: Rich in Omega-6 fatty acids and ricinoleic acid, castor oil is a wonderful way to nourish dry hair and give it the strength it needs to grow and develop.
Olive oil: Works two-fold – as a cleansing oil but also as a moisturizing oil, too..
Switching to a Shampoo Bar
Switching to a shampoo bar can be a daunting process. Your hair will go through a detox process that may test your patience.
Shampoo bars contain no detergents, formaldehyde, sodium laurel sulfate, propylene glycol, preservatives, preservatives, artificial fragrance, colorants, or any other synthetic hair care additives.
Conventional shampoos (even those that are natural) contain waxes and additives designed to make your hair feel smooth. Shampoo bars do not contain waxes or synthetic ingredients, as such, your hair will feel different after washing because you are used to detergent-based shampoos.
Your transition will require an adjustment period. Everyone’s hair is different, so every person’s adjustment period may vary. Some people may take a few days to transition, while others may take as long as a month. Your hair will need that time to go through a withdrawal phase, to learn to adjust to shampoo without those additives.
It is important, when using a shampoo bar, that you shampoo the hair as well as the scalp – this will require using your fingers to work the lather into the scalp as quickly as possible.
Vinegar rinse
During the transition, it may help to use a vinegar rinse. An apple cider vinegar rinse can help remove residue from previous products while also removing build-up. Combine 2-4 Tbsp of organic apple cider vinegar with 8 oz of warm water in a cup, and pour, squirt or spray the rinse onto wet hair after you have rinsed out the shampoo bar.
Allow that to sit for a few minutes while you soap your body (make sure you close your eyes!) and then rinse the vinegar out. Since the vinegar restores a natural pH it also helps prevent an itchy scalp. You may need to repeat this 2-4 times each week as needed.
Dry hair requires less vinegar and oily requires more.
Once you adjust to a natural shampoo bar, you may only need to do this once per week.
Do I need to use conditioner with a shampoo bar?
Commercial shampoos contain petroleum, which strip hair of natural oils and dry your hair and scalp – thus commercial conditioner is needed.
Since natural shampoo bars do not strip hair, you do not need the commercial conditioner that you would normally use.
Did you make these bars?
If you did, please give the DIY a rating and leave a comment.
Rosemary Tallow Shampoo Bar
Ingredients
- 10 oz grass fed tallow
- 10 oz coconut oil
- 10 oz olive oil
- 6 oz castor oil
- 2.14 oz essential oils
- 11.39 oz water
- 5.09 oz lye
Instructions
- Weigh your oils and fats and put in a large pot on the stove top on the lowest heat setting. Melt until combined.
- Weigh the water in a heat proof container and set aside. Wearing gloves, weigh the lye separately - set that aside as well.
- The oils on the stovetop should be around 100 degrees F - if not at that temp, you'll want to allow them to cool until they reach that temp.
- Carefully pour the lye into the water and stir until combined. The mixture will get incredibly hot - ensure you don't touch or spill the mixture. Once combined, allow the lye water to come down in temperature, anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
- Carefully pour the lye water into the oil mixture; use an immersion blender to blend the mixture until it starts to turn into a creamy, pudding like mixture (4-5 minutes and potentially longer).
- Add your essential oils and blend again. Pour the mixture into empty Pringles cans or a soap mold and push to the rear of the counter for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, remove the soap from the mold and slice into bars, 4-5 oz in size.
- Allow the soap to cure for 4 weeks
Notes
- Reynolds parchment sheets are marked with lines - if you don't have a soap cutter, line up the unfolded soap on the sheets and use the lines as a guide to cut.
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