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.
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Luc Chene
January 18, 2025
Shampoo made with only lauryl glucoside 2% neutralized with vinegar to become slightly acidic will do wonders. At PH around 5 it is similar to hair PH and it does well also in hard water. It will rinse off very well. Ordinary shampoo in hard water will form calcium stearate or palmitate which is difficult to rinse of and that it what make the stubborn scum in shower and tubs.