Botanical Formulations

View Original

How to: Pink Shampoo Bar

Rebecca Wright

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

This is a pink shampoo bar formula made with a base of the surfactant sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI). This is a mild anionic surfactant, with a pH of around 6. It imparts a rich, creamy lather with massive bubbles. To combine I used cocamidopropyl betaine and lauryl glucoside as the secondary surfactants and a small amount of water. The bar is held together with the use of water and fatty acids and alcohols. The bar is fragrance free. If you decide to use a fragrance, you will need to add it while the mixture is hot, combining just before pouring. The bar is made pink with iron oxide.

Please ensure you wear goggles and a mask when handling thee SCI powder as this can be irritating to the lungs.

Formula for Pink Shampoo Bar

See this content in the original post

pH: 4.5-6

Method

  1. Combine phase A and stir until uniform.

  2. Add phase B and stir well

  3. Weigh phase C , add to A/A and stir well

  4. Heat to 80 c while stirring and until he mixture melts, then pour into molds.

Comments

After heating, the mixture will be a very viscous liquid. You can add some extra hot water to make the mix more mobile and easier to pour. If you do this, you will need to wait a few days for excess water to evaporate and for the bar to harden. Adding 10-20 grams of extra water (or even more) will likely not effect being able to lift the bar out of the mold. It should still be able to remove when it has cooled and the fat/surfactant mix has hardened. However, if after it has cooled it is still soft, leave it for a few days to dry out. You can also speed up drying by removing from the mold early. One tip is to place in the freezer for a few hours to harden. You will find it easy to remove thereafter.

For substitutions: You can substitute the behenyl alcohol for the same amount of stearic acid. You can try substituting the cupuacu butter for shea butter.

If you find the bar too pink, try halving the percentage of red iron oxide. To makeup the percentages in the formula, just increase the powdered surfactant (SCI). To transform the colour, use a different coloured iron oxide.

Enjoy. xoxoxo