Difference between Shampoo Bars and Syndet Bars

February 20, 2022

Difference between Shampoo Bars and Syndet Bars

Soap Based Shampoo Versus Snydet Bars

Soap-based shampoo bars

Soap-based shampoo bars have been around for a long time. They are formulated in the same way as any other bar soaps. The main difference is that the soap makers usually add some specific ingredients like castor oil and butters to make your hair feel good. Liz-ardlady adds apple cider vinegar to reduce the PH.

Soap bars are made from oils and lye. For a good bar there will be some oils left that nourish the hair. 

The problem with soap is that it is alkaline and the hair itself is slightly acidic. So, you usually must treat your hair with something acidic like apple cider vinegar rinse to get it back to ph of 4.5 to 5.5.

As the hair needs to get used to the new type of treatment there may be an adjustment period and your hair may look and feel unpleasant. This may last from a few washes to several months and many people give up in the process and switch back to normal shampoo. 

Syndet shampoo bars

Syndet bars that use mild surfactants do not have a high Ph and if they do it can be reduced. These bars are literally like a bottled shampoo without the water. 

The main ingredients to avoid are sulphates SLS (Sodium lauryl sulphate) as these often irritate your scalp. The other side effect sulphates may be that they strip the colour from coloured hair. 

We prefer to avoid silicones. Silicones coat your hair and commercial advertising sas this is a good thing. Unfortunately, they do not tell you that it coats your hair so  that it cannot receive any nutrients from your shampoo. So, your hair feels flat with less lustre with everyshampoo and the customer feels that more product is required to get the same clean hair. 

We recommend the use of conditioning agents like BTMS25 and proteins that improve elasticity, resiliency, and restore the moisture balance for smoother and softer hair that have a similar effect to silicones but allow the hair still to get all the nutrients it needs from the shampoo.
Syndet bars do not have an adjustment period, as the bar leaves the hair with a ph between 4.5 and 5.5.  Some formulas are soft for a few days and need to dry out. The advantage of shampoo bars is that they are plastic free and last a long time compared to commercial bottled shampoos.



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