Breakthrough!!!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Since last year, I’ve wanted to experiment with liquid soap.  Having done soap bars for 2 years then, I did acknowledge that liquid soap has its place in the home.  In terms of application, liquid soap is easier in some cases such as, dishwashing liquid.  However, one of the primary reason I do not like liquid soap is that it lends itself to waste.  It is so easy to use more than you need when using liquid soap.  We are used to the detergents that foam like all hell broke loose, and with natural soap, this lather has to be worked up.  So initially it may feel like natural soap lathers less but it does not.  For that same reason, natural soap’s lather lasts longer than detergents, of course this depends the oils used in the making of the soap in the first place.  To cut a long story short, I also quickly understood that with liquid soap, it is not possible to obtain a nourishing and moisturising soap, so I stuck to soap bars for my body and made our liquid dishwasher, laundry soap and general house cleaner.  See, with soap bars it is possible to superfat the soap with oils or discount the lye and this is what allows the bars to be nourishing, moisturising and mild on the skin.  In any case, the loose oils are well blended within the soap and get left behind on the skin during the shower. Of course they do not leave a greasy residue but simply replenishes the skin with some moisture.  With liquid soap, it is not possible to have a superfat or discount as the oils won’t be mixed in the soap (they will separate and float).  Effectively, this means that liquid soap will always strip the skin and dry it out.  

Anyway, a couple of days ago, I fell on a seriously exciting blog that explained the process of making cream soap.  In that soap, a superfat/discount is possible and many consistencies can be obtained using that method.  With winter rushing in,  am in serious need of a “easy to make” shampoo formula as shampoo bars take 2 months to cure and I never get the timing right.  Inevitably I end up buying detergent shampoo to wash my hair and I don’t like it.  SO I jumped on this occasion to make my very first cream shampoo.  I added some shea butter and wheat germ oil for my hair.  I also put in a little rhassoul clay (purifies and cleans) and some lactic acid.  Lactic acid assists the removal of dandruff, adds shine to the hair and hydrates the scalp.  Finally I added some peppermint and tea tree essential oils as well as some vanilla fragrance.  The essential oils will cool down the scalp and help clear dandruff.  The formula has a 6% lye discount as well.  The soap is amazing and the consistency is perfect.  It is at a pH of 14 right now but that should drop within the next week-10 days.  With shampoos, it is important to respect a certain pH (4,5-7) due to our hairs inability to regulate its own pH.  Here is my super creamy shampoo:

Then, I figured, now that I have the shampoo, I might as well make myself a repair conditioner.  This also contains lactic acid as well as hydrolised wheat protein.  This will help repair split ends, enhance the structure of the hair, soften the texture and add shine.  The conditioner is a rinse off one that also helps the hair remain untangled.  Here it is:

Last but not least, here is the Strawberry and Cream soap I cut from yesterday:

Thank you for visiting The Body Bar today

Hope you’re having a glorious day

ox Sarah xo