Shampoo Bars and Hard Water: What's Really Going On
If you've spent any time in shampoo bar communities, you've seen this conversation play out dozens of times. Someone switches to a shampoo bar - excited...
All essays
Shampoo bar manufacturing
Process notes, formulation choices, quality checks, and packaging thinking for solid hair-care products.
The Beard Bar Fallacy
Let me tell you a story about a mistake I made early in my shampoo bar career. I was so proud of my new beard bar-same formula as my scalp shampoo, just...
The Fatty Acid Blueprint
You've been focused on fragrance blends and fancy swirls. But the real magic of a shampoo bar-the difference between a bar that wows and one that...
What is the melt and pour method for shampoo bars?
The melt and pour method is a beginner-friendly approach to making shampoo bars that uses a pre-made, ready-to-melt soap base. Instead of handling caustic...
Beer in Shampoo Bars: A Formulator’s Honest Take
I’ll be straight with you: beer is one of the most annoying ingredients I’ve ever worked with in a shampoo bar. It’s trendy, sure. Customers love the idea...
Hot Process Shampoo Bars: The Method the Industry Forgot
There's a quiet consensus in the solid haircare world that hot process is soap's rougher, less glamorous cousin - the technique you learn before moving on...
How to make shampoo bars with clay?
Making shampoo bars with clay is an excellent way to create a gentle, natural cleanser that soothes the scalp and adds volume to your hair. Clays such as...
How to make shampoo bars with rosemary?
Creating rosemary shampoo bars at home is a rewarding process that combines the cleansing power of saponified oils with the scalp-stimulating and...
Shampoo Bar Packaging: The Eco-Friendly Myth Nobody's Talking About
There's a conversation the shampoo bar industry needs to have with itself. Brands spend months perfecting a zero-waste formulation. They source sustainably...
Superfatting Shampoo Bars Without the Myths: What Actually Happens to “Extra Oils” in Soap vs. Syndet Bars
“Just increase the superfat for conditioning.” I hear that line all the time-usually from well-meaning makers who learned the language of cold-process soap and...