MAKE YOUR OWN
SHAMPOO BAR
WHICH ACTUALLY WORKS!
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WHAT'S A SHAMPOO?
The definition of shampoo is "a liquid used for washing hair, or for washing particular objects or materials"
(Cambridge Dictionary). It derives from the word from the Hindi word "champo"), which means to press,
knead, referred to the act of massaging your head to wash hair.
The primary function of a shampoo is to simply the one of removing excess sebum that naturally
accumulates on our scalp and makes our hair look greasy, as well as dirt that might accumulate on the hair
after not washing it for a few days.
In order to clean our hair we need to familiarise ourselves with a category of ingredients called "surfactants".
Surfactants are molecules that derived from fats, in fact one of the earliest kinds of surfactants is actually
soap, which is literally fats transformed into a salt with cleansing abilities. Even saponins you find in soap nuts
are natural surfactants! In most common jargon we call surfactants also detergents, which we find in any
cleansing product; from shampoos to liquid soap or even your washing up liquid.
WHY IS PH IMPORTANT?
When choosing what ingredients to use in our Using a soap shampoos will leave your hair
shampoo bar, we need to pay close attention to coarse, very dull and even sticky. There is no
the PH. PH is a scale used to determine if a product such a thing as a "transition phase": the PH is just
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is acidic or basic. wrong and some shampoos are also just too fat
(as they are made with oils) to use for haircare.
On a scale from 0 to 14, 7 is considered neutral.
Vinegar, lemon or citric acid is instead acidic with An alkaline (high pH) product such as a soap bar
a ph of 2, while something like drain cleaner will will make the cuticles (the outer part of your
have a basic ph of 14. Our skin and hair is naturally hair) lift and become swollen. This means your
acidic, so it likes acidic products! hair will be more prone to breakage and damage.
Natural, cold process soap is made using a mix of
oils and sodium hydroxide, a very
alkaline ingredient with a ph of 14. This results in
soap having a high PH of around 8-10 which is not
suitable for haircare. If we choose to use example of damaged hair
detergents to make our shampoo bar, we can
instead achieve a more balanced PH of 5-6. Instead, a well balanced shampoo bar made with
eco-friendly naturally derived ingredients can
make your hair healthier, reducing hair loss and
breakage.
WHICH INGREDIENTS ARE SUITABLE FOR
YOUR HAIR TYPE?
DRY HAIR OILY HAIR
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Dry hair tends to be brittle and break easily. If your scalp tends to get oily quite fast, you might
feel more prone to wash your hair frequently.
Some of the key ingredients that, provided you have This may lead to drying your scalp and getting
no specific allergies to them, could help you out are: dandruff. Instead of washing your hair too often a
good clarifying shampoo bar that is able to clear
Shea butter: an incredible butter which helps lock the pores, regulate the scalp’s sebum production
in moisture and soothe dry scalp. Jojoba: similar to and fight any possible flaking/dandruff would be a
our sebum, it can soothe the scalp without good option.
clogging pores.
Some key ingredients to look out for are activated
Vegetable proteins: they protect any coloured or
charcoal and green clay which are purifying agent
damaged hair while keeping it soft.
that can help clean any clogged pores while
boosting hair volume. Peppermint, tea tree and
Soothing essential oils: such as lavender,
sandalwood or ylang ylang, they provide hydration nettle leaf are anti-inflammatory and astringents
while being calming for the skin and the senses. that can normalize the scalp’s sebum production
while unclogging pores so your scalp stays
cleaner longer.
WHICH INGREDIENTS ARE SUITABLE FOR
YOUR HAIR TYPE?
SENSITIVE/DANDRUFF HOW ABOUT CONDITIONER?
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If your scalp is sensitive it can get itchy and flaky A conditioner is mostly formed by ingredients
which in turn can lead to dandruff, shedding and which, thanks to their "cationic" electrical charge,
even hair loss. have the power of making the hair strand "stick"
together.
Oils such as hemp seed, black cumin and jojoba
have the wonderful ability to soothe irritated scalp Instead, even though shampoo bars can be mild
without clogging pores. and hydrating, they are still a wash off product,
which has the opposite function of a conditioner,
You could also choose to use botanical ingredients which is the one to take the sebum and other
such as nettle leaf or calendula which have anti- impurities off our scalp and hair. I therefore always
inflammatory, analgesic and astringent properties. recommend to close off your shower with a good
Chamomile and oatmeal are also great as they solid conditioner!
regulate oil production and calms scalp’s irritation. If
your scalp is very sensitive I would recommend
leaving your shampoo unscented.
