Everyone in my family uses my DIY shampoo bar. Yes, I wash my 3-year-old’s hair using a DIY shampoo bar too. This DIY shampoo bar is made with all natural, palm-free, vegan ingredients. I prefer the DIY shampoo bar over a store-bought liquid shampoo because I want to care for my and my loved ones’ hair with all natural products. I like this shampoo bar so much that I offer it in my etsy shop. It’s one of my popular etsy items.
The problem with many store-bought liquid shampoos is that they use synthetic materials that strip hair of its natural sebum. These shampoos then cover the hair with other artificial ingredients. This process confuses our hair and scalp, and leads to an overproduction of hair sebum. Often, the use of a chemical-filled liquid shampoo can lead to damaged hair and itchy scalp.
Also, many store-bought liquid shampoos are loaded with questionable chemicals that probably do more harm than good to our body. The Guardian did an interactive report, What’s in Your Shampoo. It was informative, and alarming. Next time you reach for that liquid shampoo in a store, check to see if it has the following harmful ingredients:
- Paraben includes anything that ends with “-paraben.” It’s a synthetic preservative that can potentially be carcinogenic.
- Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) is a foaming agent. Because of its processing method, it’s likely contaminated with a carcinogenic byproduct, dioxan.
- Phthalates are often listed as “fragrance.” These chemicals are endocrine disruptors that have been linked to obesity and breast cancer.
- Dimethicones & Silicones can cause hair loss and itchy scalp.
Other sources, such as this article and this article, give more information on the bad ingredients in many store-bought shampoos. I’m convinced that if people know what are in these liquid shampoos, they would switch to using an all natural shampoo bar. Some of them might even make their own DIY shampoo bar. What not?! It’s surprisingly easy.
DIY Shampoo Bar
Prep Time: about an hour
Curing/Drying Time: 4 weeks. This is a cold process DIY shampoo bar. You should allow the shampoo bar to cure/dry for at least 4 weeks before use.
Yields: about 5 bars, weighing around 4 oz each
Ingredients Needed to Make DIY Shampoo Bar
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- Coconut Oil – 8 oz. I use Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Unrefined Coconut Oil. You can use any brand of pure coconut oil. I’d choose a brand that offers organic virgin unrefined coconut oil. It’s the best for your skin.
- Olive Oil – 3.2 oz. I use Trader Joe’s Imported Olive Oil. You can use any brand of pure olive oil. I like Trader Joe’s Imported Olive Oil, although it’s not extra virgin or organic.
- Castor Oil – 2.24 oz. I use Now Solutions Castor Oil.
- Sunflower Oil – 1.28 oz. I use Whole Foods 365 Organic Sunflower Oil. Other brands of sunflower oil, like La Tourangelle Organic Sunflower Oil, or Life-Flo Organic Sunflower Oil, work as well.
- Cocoa Butter – 1.28 oz. I use Raw Unrefined Cocoa Butter.
- Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) – 2.2 oz. I use Food Grade Lye.
- Coconut Milk or Distilled Water – 2.6 oz. I use Whole Foods 365 Organic Coconut Milk. I’ve also used Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk. You can find distilled water at your local supermarket.
- (optional) Avocado – 1.25 oz. I use organic avocado from Trader Joe’s. You can often find avocado in your local supermarket.
- (optional) Rhassoul Clay – 1 tablespoon. I use Now Solutions Moroccan Red Clay.
- (optional) Apple Cider Vinegar – 0.5 oz. I use Bragg Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Soap Mold. I use a 6-cavity soap mold.
DIY Shampoo Bar Ingredients Explained
- Coconut Oil has great cleaning abilities. Coconut oil also makes a very hard and long-lasting DIY shampoo bar.
- Olive Oil is known for its mild and nourishing properties. Olive oil is great for all hair and skin types.
- Castor Oil is known to prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth. Castor oil also adds lather and bubbles to the DIY shampoo bar.
- Sunflower Oil has similar nourishing properties as olive oil. Sunflower oil is similar to castor oil, because it adds lather to the DIY shampoo bar.
- Cocoa Butter is an amazing hair conditioner. Cocoa butter adds moisture to hair naturally.
- Lye is needed to make all natural soap from scratch. No lye, no soap. After the DIY shampoo bar goes through the 4-week curing/drying period, no lye remains in the soap. All of the lye is combined with the oil/butter to create an all natural shampoo bar.
- Coconut Milk is a natural hair conditioner. Coconut milk is great for all hair types.
- (optional) Avocado is a popular hair mask ingredient. Avocado is loaded with nutrients that hydrates and adds shine to hair.
- (optional) Rhassoul Clay, aka, Moroccan Red Clay, is rich in minerals. Rhassoul clay has been used in haircare for centuries. It cleans, moisturizes, and softens hair.
- (optional) Apple Cider Vinegar is often used as an after-wash hair rinse. Apple cider vinegar helps to balance the PH level of the DIY shampoo bar.
How to Make DIY Shampoo Bar
This DIY shampoo bar recipe uses lye. Lye is a caustic and potentially dangerous material that can seriously damage our skin and any living tissue. Be sure no children or pets are around when you are working with lye. Also, make sure you wear the proper protective gear to protect your body, including your eyes, hands, arms, legs, and feet. If you are not familiar with soap making safety precautions, please read more about them here and here.
(1) Make your lye solution.
I use coconut milk to make my lye solution. You can also use distilled water. If you use coconut milk, make sure to freeze the coconut milk overnight. You need the coconut milk to be rock hard before adding lye. Otherwise, the lye will burn the coconut milk. You will end up with some pretty nasty smelling and looking lye solution. Read more about how to make lye solution with milk.
In a well-ventilated place, slowly add lye to coconut milk or distilled water. (NEVER do the reverse. Don’t add coconut milk/distilled water to lye.) Stir your lye solution using a plastic or silicone whisk or silicone spatula. Don’t breathe in the fume. Set the lye solution aside.
(2) Melt your coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, and cocoa butter. I put all the oil and butter in a glass measuring cup, then place the glass measuring cup in a pot that has about 2 to 3 inches of water. I’m creating a double boiler to melt the ingredients.
(3) (optional) Use a stick blender to mix the avocado (less the pit, please) and apple cider vinegar. I usually also add about half a cup of the melted oil and butter. Adding melted oil and butter makes it easier to blend and mix the avocado and apple cider vinegar. You have to make sure you DON’T have chunks of avocado. You want the avocado and apple cider vinegar to be mixed very well. I look for a smooth milkshake consistency. Set the avocado mixture aside.
(4) Add lye solution to melted oil and butter.
(5) Slowly hand mix the mixture with a plastic or silicone whisk or silicone spatula. Then use a stick blender to mix.
(6) When the lye solution and melted oil/butter thickens, add the avocado mixture, and rhassoul clay. Use the stick blender to mix. Because of the avocado and rhassoul clay, you probably need to mix for 1 to 2 seconds. Seriously, SECONDS. The DIY shampoo bar mixture thickens VERY QUICKLY after adding the avocado mixture and rhassoul clay. If the mixture is too thick, it will be difficult to get it into a mold.
(7) Pour or scoop the DIY shampoo bar mixture into a soap mold. I use a 6-cavity soap mold so I don’t have to cut the shampoo bar. As you see below, this DIY shampoo bar recipe will yield 5 regular size bars and 1 smaller tester bar. Be sure to give the mold a few good bangs after getting the soap in it. You want to bang all the air bubbles out.
This DIY shampoo bar tends to get very hot during the first 12 hours. If you use a loaf mold, you will likely get partial or full gel. I don’t like how partial gel looks. But if you don’t mind, feel free to use a loaf mold.
(8) Place the DIY shampoo bar in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Once, I left the shampoo bar unrefrigerated. The heat that the shampoo bar generated turned the bar into a weird green and brown color. The shampoo bar eventually mellowed out, but its color was still a bit strange.
(9) Unmold the DIY shampoo bar from the soap mold after 3 hours in the freezer.
(10) Allow your DIY shampoo bar to cure/dry for at least 4 weeks before use.
How to Use DIY Shampoo Bar
(1) Wet your hair.
(2) Rub the DIY shampoo bar on your hair. The all natural shampoo bar will create an amazing lather. You can also rub the shampoo bar in your hands to create lather, then use the lather on your hair.
(3) Gently massage your hair.
(4) Rinse your hair.
(5) Towel dry your hair.
(6) (Optional) Spray apple cider vinegar or lemon after-wash hair rinse. You can make an all natural hair rinse by mixing 1 part of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with 3 parts of water. I don’t use a hair rinse, because I find that the DIY shampoo bar leaves my hair soft and moisturized without the need of a hair rinse.
(7) Comb your hair with a large tooth comb.
Before switching to this DIY shampoo bar I had to wash my hair everyday. Otherwise, my hair looked greasy and gross, and my scalp itched like crazy. After switching, I shampoo and use this DIY shampoo bar once every 3 days or so. My hair now stays clean, and my scalp stays calm between washes.
You might need to use the DIY shampoo bar for about 2 weeks before seeing its full benefits. I went through a 2-week transition period. But my hubby and little one didn’t. During my transition period, my hair was greasy and oily. I think it was because my hair didn’t know that my shampoo was no longer striping my hair of its natural sebum. This probably led to an overproduction of hair sebum. Also during this transition period, my hair was detoxing the chemicals left behind by store-bought liquid shampoos. Everything was fine after about 2 weeks. Be patient. You will have soft and moisturized hair after this transition period.
That’s it! That’s how you make your own DIY shampoo bar. You don’t need a store-bought liquid shampoo that’s loaded with hard to pronounce, and potentially harmful chemicals. Treat your hair right. Use a DIY shampoo bar. It’s super easy to make. The toughest part is waiting 4 weeks for the DIY shampoo bar to dry/cure. Will you be giving this DIY shampoo bar recipe a try? I’d love to know how you like it. If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy this shampoo bar at my etsy store. Happy soaping!
Can’t get enough of DIY shampoo bar recipes? Here is one more recipe that shows you how to make a Hot Process Banana and Coconut Milk Shampoo Bar.
Hi- what temperatures are the lye mixture and oil mix supposed to be when you combine them? Thanks.
Can I use shea butter in place of the cocoa butter?
I believe I messed up because I was too anxious to give the recipe a whirl and did it in a rush. I missed your tip about blending the avocado with some of the oils and on top of that I used an avocado that wasn’t very ripe. So I know I def have a few small bits of avocado floating about my bars. It didn’t affect them hardening but I have fears. Any advice?
Do you still sell these shampoo bars? Id like to buy some to try before I venture into making my own.
What do you do for conditioning or do you not need one for this type of shampoo bar?
Hi Wendi, I haven’t been using a conditioner after using this DIY shampoo bar. Some people use apple cider vinegar or lemon hair rinse after. You can make hair rinse by mixing 1 part of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with 3 parts of water. The rinse will help in balancing PH level of the shampoo bar. Hope that helps!
Autism isn’t caused by anything other than genetics, & it’s not something to be “avoided.” Yes, it can come with comorbid disorders that require treatment & care, but that’s not a given; I’m grateful that I was born autistic because it allows my brain to do amazing things.
Please don’t participate in the stigmatization autistic people like me by insinuating that autism is bad, or that it shouldn’t exist. It literally makes me who I am as a person; it’s how my brain is wired, & how I experience the world. For someone else to insist that my existence is “wrong” or “disordered,” when they don’t even fully understand what they’re talking about, is inconsiderate at best, & oppressive at worst.
Thank you for your comment, Katie. I apologize for noting in my post that phthalates have been linked to autism. I based this statement on a number of articles I’ve read, including “The role of Phthalate Esters in Autism Development: A systematic Review,” a 2016 article posted on National Center for Biotechnology Information (a U.S. government website). But I’m not a medical expert, and I definitely do not want my words to stigmatize autistic people. I firmly believe that the uniqueness in each one of us makes this world a more beautiful place. I’ve revised the post accordingly. Thank you for visiting my blog and for sharing your thoughts honestly.
Your water content to the sodium hydroxide is quite low, is there a reason for that?
I generally make soap with lower water content. I find that such soap is usually harder and lasts longer.
hey plz does this diy bar soap have an expiry date i mean it contains milk and avocado ??
Hi, this recipe looks amazing but I was wondering if I can substitute the lye for SCI as this is what I have on hand? Might be a silly question, but I haven’t made soaps before, just creams.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I’m pleased that I don’t have to use acv in the recipe but as an optional rinse and am thrilled that I don’t have to cook it! Take care!
Hi, this is really interesting and I’m definitely going to have a go at your DIY shampoo bar. My hair tends to be very dry, it’s curly and now quite gray, although I use hair colour. Should I omit the apple cider vinegar? Can you suggest something to use to replace hair conditioner?
Thank you. Kim
Thank you for sharing the recipe for this DIY shampoo bar. You made it really easy for us to understand how to make this with a step-by-step guide. I’ll be giving this a try!
Thanks for sharing!!! Can you use Sweet Almond Oil instead of Sunflower and Castor Oil?
I have but allergies and will often have reactions to coconut. What can I replace those ingredients with? I have recently been converted into solid shampoos and I buy Lush cinnamon ones, but I would love to make my own. But I’ve never made my own soap.
Thanks from Marit in Norway
You can use Lard or tallow instead of Coconut oil or possibly Crisco shortening. You will need to run the recipe through a lye calculator though.
Hello! For 3 years I have used Castille soap and ACV for my hair routine. Im looking to switch to soap bars to create less plastic waste. I’m wondering if you have any experience with Lush and their shampoo bars. I don’t want to screw up my hair routine that I have (aka not stripping it of all the natural oils). Just looking for some insight, because I really don’t know enough about truly natural shampoos! Thank you!
Thankyou for this recipe!
Two questions, could activated charcoal be added in replace of the clay, to then be able to use as a shampoo, face & body bar?
Also, if I added essential oils, any idea a good number of drops for this recipe, as to not overpower it?
Great questions, Ann. Although I’ve made activated charcoal bars, I haven’t tried adding activated charcoal to my shampoo bars. But I don’t see why not, you can certainly give it a try. As to adding essential oil to this recipe, you can try adding 10-20 drops per bar at step 6. I’ve tried adding lavender, orange and tea tree essential oil, and none caused any problems. But depending on the type of essential oil you add, it might affect the soap, causing it to separate, seize or some other issues. Hope the above helps!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and love it. I’m having one problem though. Like you say, the mixture thickens very quickly so it’s challenging to get it in the molds before it starts to harden. Once we get the mixture into the molds, it always seems to start expanding. I think air bubbles are coming up. How do you get the air out while still maintaining a nice bar shape before it starts to harden? We just got the same molds you have but are still having the same expanding problem.
I’m so happy to hear that you like this recipe, Amy! To give yourself a bit more time to get the soap mixture into the mold before it hardens, I recommend that (in step 6) not to mix the lye solution and oil/butter too much, too thick. Another option is cutting the rhassoul clay down about 25%. Also, once the mixture is in the mold, I like to put the mold on a cutting board, then drop the cutting board (with the mold on top) to the floor from 1-2 feet above. That should help with getting the air bubbles out. Hope the above helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Can you tell me how many washes you get from 1 bar?
Good question, Marloes. A shampoo bar usually lasts me about a month, but I use it to wash not only my hair, but also my body. I’d say about 30-40 washes.
Will doing a hot process with this soap cause problems? I tend to hot process all of my homemade soaps, but this recipe has some items in it that I’m not familiar with.
Mmm, Margaret, that’s a good question. I haven’t used this recipe to make a hot process shampoo bar. The ingredients that give me a pause are avocado and coconut milk. I recommend not including avocado to make a hot process version of this shampoo bar. Also, it’s best to cook the soap at the lowest possible temperature because, otherwise, the coconut milk might be burned. Or you can leave out the coconut milk all together. With these things in mind, I think this recipe should work to make a hot process shampoo bar. Hope you’ll give it a try!
What role does the clay play? Is it for color or does it have benefits for the hair?
Thank you for sharing this! I have been hunting for a hair bar that looked worthy of trying & I have finally got (this) one! Thank you!
Great question, Ali! This shampoo bar recipe uses rhassoul clay, which is also called Moroccan red clay. This clay is rich in minerals and has been used in haircare for centuries. It’s said that this clay cleans, moisturizes, and softens hair. Hope you’ll give this recipe a try!
Hi! Thanks for a palm-oil-free recipe! I plan on substituting sunflower oil with olive oil, cocoa butter with shea butter, and rhassoul clay with kaolin clay. I’m curious to know, what’s the super fat percentage or lye discount of this recipe?
Yay to palm-oil-free recipes! 🙂 Your suggested substitutions sound fine. I haven’t made a shampoo bar with kaolin clay, and would love to know how yours turns out. For the recipe that I posted, my super fat is at approximately 15% (the coconut milk can affect this percentage slightly), and my water/liquid to lye ratio is approximately 2:1. Please let me know how you like this recipe with or without the substitution.
Hi I was curious if I could use black castor oil in place of the regular ?
Great question! Both black castor oil and yellow castor oil (what I used for this recipe) are made from the seeds of the castor plant. They have different colors because they are processed differently. Although I haven’t tried making soap with black castor oil, I don’t see why you can’t do it. In fact, there’re soap bars and shampoo bars on the market that include black castor oil as an ingredient. I suspect that if you use black castor oil instead of yellow castor oil, your soap bars will be a few shades darker. Please let me how your shampoo bars turn out if you use this recipe and substitute black castor oil for the yellow one. Happy soaping!
Hi 🙂 I have just started looking into shampoo recipes and my question is: after the drying process, how long do they stay good to use? Is there an expiration period?
Thank you!
Great question, Ana. Shampoo bars don’t expire. I’ve used bars that are over a year old, and find them as nice as younger bars, and maybe even better, because the older bars tend to be harder and last longer. That said, because the all natural bars use fresh ingredients without any preservatives, it might be a good idea to use them within 3-4 months after drying/curing. Please let me know if you have any more questions. I’d be glad to answer them. 🙂
Hi,
I recently took a soap making class and she had us measure the temp of the lye and oils before mixing them together. I noticed you don’t include that in your directions. Can you explain why not? I though there had to be some particular temp difference to make this process work. Thank you! I really want to make my own shampoo bar!
Great question! Some soapers do prefer to have their oil and lye solution at the same or similar temperature before mixing them. This is a good practice, especially for soapers who are making soap bars that have many different colors and intricate designs. I haven’t been very strict about having my oil and lye solution at the same temperature, because I haven’t found it necessary with my recipes, which do not have added colorants or intricate designs, and because I don’t own an infrared thermometer. 🙂
I hope that you’ll give this shampoo bar recipe a try. If you do, you can allow your lye solution and melted butter/oil to sit in room temperature for about 30 minutes before mixing them. That wait period should bring the temperature of all the ingredients closer to each other. Please let me know how it goes!
Hello!! Congratulations on your beautiful recipe!!
I wonder if we replace avocado with avocado oil will the soap consistency and effectiveness be the same? If yes how much of avocado oil will be needed? I appreciate your reply.
Mmmm, that’s an interesting question. The crushed avocado in the recipe is a substitute for part of the liquid that’s usually in an all natural soap bar recipe. So I don’t think using avocado oil in place of the crushed avocado will work. But if you want to incorporate avocado oil, you can use it in place of one of the liquid oil, like 50% of the olive oil or 100% of the sunflower oil. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, and I’d love to know how it turns out using avocado oil.
For starters I am making your recipe then I am making the soap using the changes you suggested..I am new in soap making so I’ll play it safe following experienced soap makers like you…thank you for your support…
I am so happy to hear that you’ve started your fun and rewarding journey of soap making. Here’s a post for newer soapers. You might find it helpful. Please don’t hesitate to ask me if you have more questions. I’d be glad to help. 🙂
So, I’m an idiot and never made soap before. I thought I would try out your shampoo bar because I have been buying natural shampoo which is hard to find and expensive. Everything went well until I was done and realized I measured everything out on my new fancy digital scale…..except the avocado! I used the whole thing, I don’t know why I missed the measurement but I did…I was excited! You think there is anything I can do?
I’m so happy you’ve begun your soap making journey. 🙂 Using too much avocado will likely make your soap very soft. After you take your soap out of the freezer, try leaving it in the mold for 1 or 2 (or even 3) days before popping it out of the mold. Also, allow your soap a longer curing/drying period, maybe around 5-6 weeks. As long as there’re no avocado chunks in the soap, the additional time should fix the problem. Please keep me posted on how it goes. 1st batch is always the toughest one. Keep soaping, and you’ll be a master in no time!
Thanks for your quick response! I have one more question though, why won’t the avocado rot without enough lye to solidify it?
Great question! If the avocado is not in chunks, but in liquid, like a smooth milkshake consistency, then your soap should be OK with a longer curing/drying period. But rotting will be likely if the soap has avocado chunks. Also, you should use soap that’s made using fresh ingredients within 2 to 3 months after curing/drying. I’m looking forward to hearing how your soap turns out. Please let me know if you have more questions. Happy soaping!
What can you use in place of Castor oil, I had a horrible reaction to it 9 months ago, I literally looked like a burn victim. I am still battling it to this day
Oh, I’m sorry to hear you had a bad reaction to castor oil. Maybe you can try making an olive oil soap. It’s one of the most gentle soap, and can be used on your body and hair.
I think you meant “sebum” not “serum”
Oh! You’re right, Bv. Thank you for pointing it out! 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for posting the recipe! I like the idea of adding clay to the mix but i don’t have any Rassoul clay..I have a pink or green type only. Would either be suitable as a substitute or best to leave out altogether as the properties are too different? Appreciate your reply.
Thanks, Marianne
Thank you for reaching out! Rhassoul clay, aka Moroccan red clay, is the most popular clay for hair care. But you can certainly try using pink or green clay in place of rhassoul clay for this soap recipe. This article and this article talk about different types of clay that can be used for hair care. Please keep me posted on your shampoo bars. I’d love to know how they turn out!
hi, i ran this recipe through bramble berry’s lye calculator and with a 0% superfat I got 2.5 oz of lye and 5.28 oz of liquid. am i missing something?
Thanks, I really want to try this recipe!
Great question! I usually soap at 10% superfat, which is what I did for this shampoo bar. I found that when superfat is at 0%, the shampoo bar will likely leave your scalp and hair dry. When the shampoo bar has a higher superfat content, it’s more moisturizing. Because of the higher superfat, the recipe uses 2.2 oz lye. Also, the liquid used in the recipe includes coconut milk, avocado, and apple cider vinegar. Hope you’ll try this recipe. Please keep me posted on how your shampoo bar turns out!
Can I use it to wash my face and body?
I don’t recommend using this shampoo bar on your face or body. It has Rhassoul Clay, which is great for a face mask, but might be too rough to use on your face and body, especially if it’s used everyday. If you want to use this shampoo bar on your face and body, I would leave out the Rhassoul Clay in the recipe.