The Fat Fallacy: What Damaged Hair Actually Needs
Walk into any artisan market or browse a "natural" shampoo bar labeled for damaged hair. You'll see the same lineup: shea butter, cocoa butter, avocado oil,...
All essays
Shampoo bar manufacturing
Process notes, formulation choices, quality checks, and packaging thinking for solid hair-care products.
The Mini Shampoo Bar Trap
I'll be honest: when I first started making shampoo bars, I thought minis were a joke. A cute little sample. Something to toss into orders as a freebie. I...
What is the difference between soap and shampoo bars?
The simplest answer is that soap bars are designed to clean the skin, while shampoo bars are formulated specifically for hair and scalp. However, the real...
Why Most Shampoo Bars Make Dry Hair Worse (And What to Look For Instead)
You made the switch to a shampoo bar. You picked one with shea butter on the label, maybe argan oil, possibly the word "nourishing" somewhere in the product...
How to make shampoo bars with essential oils?
Making shampoo bars with essential oils is a rewarding process that combines chemistry with creativity. As an expert in solid shampoo formulations, I’ll...
Jojoba in Shampoo Bars: What Most Recipes Get Wrong
If you've spent any time researching shampoo bar recipes, you've noticed jojoba oil appearing almost everywhere. It shows up in DIY tutorials, indie brand...
Shampoo Bar Cost Per Ounce: You're Calculating It Wrong
There's a calculation that nearly every shampoo bar maker performs at some point - usually scrawled on a notepad beside a batch sheet, or buried in a...
Shampoo Bars vs. Shampoo Powders: Two Ways to “Dry” a Cleanser (and Why That Matters)
Most comparisons between shampoo bars and shampoo powders get stuck on the obvious talking points: travel, packaging, and whether one feels more “eco” than the...
The Coconut Oil Lie in Shampoo Bars
A few years ago, I got a frantic call from a small shampoo bar brand. They'd spent months perfecting a "luxury" syndet bar with 10% virgin coconut oil,...
The Real Reason Shampoo Bars “Need” Conditioner Bars: A Formulator’s Look at Charge, pH, and Buildup
When someone tells me, “I love the shampoo bar, but I can’t find a conditioner bar that works,” I don’t treat it as a shopping dilemma. I treat it as a systems...