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100% natural liquid shampoo base

Our liquid shampoo base is specifically formulated for use as a shampoo for anyone that wishes to add their own ingredients and/or essential oils

This shampoo base is free from the usual foaming agents used in the more commercial shampoos, like cocobetaine, decyl glucocide, sodium laurel sulphate, free from detergents, thickeners, animal fats (making it suitable for vegans), and preservatives, all known skin irritants, making our base non-allergenic and 100% biodegradable.

Our shampoo base is a potassium soap and natural surfactant (surface active agents), made by saponification of edible oils. We mix a combination of oils with an alkali, in this case potassium hydroxide, heat both and cook the resultant mix into a paste, which when ready, is free from potassium hydroxide, but has turned the oils into liquid soap and glycerin. The paste is then dissolved in boiling hot filtered rain water to give us a beautiful liquid soap.

Unlike industrially made liquid detergents made from petrochemicals, or coconut derivatives, natural handmade liquid soap made from edible oils is always golden yellow to orange to light green in color and it may appear “ runny”. Do not let this thinner consistency trick you in to believing your liquid soap is not concentrated enough, as it is usually more foamy than most soap substitutes. You may find some essential oils e.g rosemary and eucalyptus can thicken your base, and some oils like citrus essential oils can thin your base.

Our liquid shampoo base has it's glycerin retained. Glycerin is a natural humectant or moisturizer, due to it's waterbuilding capabilities, that allows it to draw and absorb water from the air. Chemically speaking glycerin is a by product of the saponification (soap making) process.

To get a bit technical: In a way it is a “refuse” of the chemical bonding between the three fatty molecules of oils with the alkali molecule (potassium hydroxide), which leaves the fourth component of the oil molecules (glycerol) unbound and easily extracted from the soap. In industrial soap making, glycerin is reclaimed from the soap paste, purified and sold as a separate product. Natural handmade soap contains all the available glycerol molecules (glycerin), which contributes to it's mildness and skin friendliness.

Our Liquid shampoo soap base is made from a combination of coconut, sunflower and castor oils made into soap.

Different oils impart different qualities to the soaps made from them.

The properties of the oils we use in our shampoos are;

Coconut oil; Shampoo made from only coconut oil is a great cleanser, but it is usually combined with other oils as it is a bit harsh and drying by itself.

Sunflower oil: Shampoo made with sunflower oil contains a large amount of vitamin E and is soothing and conditioning.

Castor oil: Crucial as an ingredient in shampoos , as it adds richness and mildness, the shampoo has a purifying quality and rinses clean.

Suggested essential oil use:

We suggest an addition of 1 to 1.5% of essential oil. The base will still stay clear, or will clear after a day or so.

A note on our shampoo:

After many years of commercial shampoos, scalp and hair may require a few weeks before adjusting to the natural formulations of handmade shampoo base. For instance, it is normal that hair might appear greasier and feel heavier after the first few uses, this is an indication that the shampoo is slowly dissolving the buildup left by commercial products and these symptoms will slowly disappear.

Adding a small amount ( 1 or 2 tablespoon) of apple cider vinegar to the last rinse will quickly restore the ideal PH of the scalp, it also has tonic, restorative and

detangling qualities, which will quickly contribute to shiny, strong and healthy hair.

With glycerine retained our shampoo are 2 in 1 with the need for conditioner minimised.

All our liquid soap bases come with a recipes and info on suggested essential oil amounts and blends. Recipes include hair conditioner, aromatherapy shampoo, pet shampoo, herbal shampoo and suggested herbal rinse by hair type.