tryin to find a way to make my own liquid shampoo and bars but not sure how to make sure they would be residue free
updated by @jedi-dreads: 01/13/15 10:02:10PM
residue free
updated by @jedi-dreads: 01/13/15 10:02:10PM
What are you starting with? What are your ingredients? Are you trying to make a castile type soap from saponifying oil or fat with an alkali ? For that I would do a lot of research and maybe study under an artisan soap maker. The best I have ever come across are Vicki's products from the Dreadlockshampoo.com site. For far simpler methods take a look at the Dread Maintenance section under the Dreaducation Tab at the top left of the page next to the Home Tab. They have a page on dread washing in there. Here's a quick link.
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/page/washing-dreadlocks-guide
As far as home shampoos the easiest to make is the Banking Soda wash, be sure to follow it up with an Apple Cider Vinegar rinse to bring the pH of your hair and scalp back to normal so the alkaline baking soda doesn't fry your hair and scalp, Here's a link to the ratio's from a discussion post:
http://www.dreadlockssite.com/forum/topics/ratios-baking-soda-wash-...
I used to use this method when I started out, it works great but does leave you smelling like Apple Cider Vinegar. There is also Dr. Bronner's, these work as well and up until recently these were my favorite wash. I would use a 8-10% ratio of Dr. Bonners to boiled and filtered spring water. I used a mixture of equal parts Tea Tree, Eucalyptus and Peppermint liquid soaps. For a half liter (500ml) sports squirt bottle like I used it translated to simply one table spoon of each of the three soaps for three tablespoons (44ml) total of soap to 500ml of total volume (456 ml of water). In addition since my locks are still maturing I would also dissolve one tablespoon and half of sea salt into the mixture to help with drying out and frizzing up my locks. You have to rise well with Dr. Bronner's soaps or they will leave your hair clean but feeling "heavy". The best are the artisan made shampoos and soap bars from Vicki and the dreadlockshampoo.com site, she really understands what dreads need to be healthy and clean plus they smell great! Even three days afterward when I'm getting ready to wash again my dreads still smell good.
Good luck with your dreads let us know how your soaps turn out.
i am not all that sure where to start ive used bs/avc for the last year and wanted to make my own bar and shampoos but am not all that sure what would leave residues since i have hard water
Hey I make my own shampoo I use 15% decyl glucoside, 25% lauryl glucoside and fill the rest up with water and a few drops of essential oils (I use peppermint, rosemary, lavender and tea tree) - blend it all together and that's it =]
I have hard water too and the supplier I use told me those ingredients are residue free.
I think if you are wanting to make your own soap, the best way to learn is to find a class in your area. That being said, many years ago the class I signed up for was cancelled, but being all excited about making soap, I just bought a book and jumped in - making some mistakes along the way, but I've been making soap ever since. Of course now there are so many resources online that a book isn't mandatory - but I still like to have them to refer to. This site https://www.thesage.com/calcs/LyeCalc.html has a lye calculator - you just plug in the weight of your oils (coconut, olive oil, and castor oil make a great dread bar) and it tells you how much lye to use. Caution: lye is caustic. Read and follow directions. Use protective gear.
Making true liquid soap - the basis for liquid shampoo, uses a different kind of lye and a different method (hot-process) than soap bars (cold-process). It's more involved and not recommended for a novice. Get some experience making bars first, then decide if you even need te liquid. I love my bar soap so much that I rarely make liquid soap
