With the dive into solid syndet bars, have you ever looked at the ingredient list on the back of your usual dishwashing liquid and discovered they use those wonderful ingredients called Surfactants? The very ones we like to use to make up the solid matter of our shampoo bars.
Here is a formula for you to try your own solid dishwashing Bars in the comfort of your own home!
Ingredients we will be using
Surfactants
SLSA or SCS powder - Either will work fine for cleaning your dishes.
SLSA is also known as Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, it is a mild and safe cleanser and has amazing foaming qualities, it is derived from coconut and palm oils.
SCS is also known as Sodium Coco Sulfate, it is derived from a mix of fatty acids of all the coconut oils, which makes it a milder option than SLS which is the main surfactant in alot of cleansing products. It is derived completely from coconut oil.
Decyl Glucoside is a mild non aionic surfactant, its a very mild cleanser, but cleans grease very well. Its derived from corn starch and the fatty alcohol decanol which is extracted from coconuts
Other ingredients
Dead Sea Salt - Salt in particular is great at helping to cut grease and clean stains of dishes. You can use an alternate version of sea salt if you can't get dead seat salt. Dead Sea salt comes from the dead sea and is full of essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sulfur, bromide, sodium, potassium, and iodine.
Coconut Oil - Coconut oil which is derived from the wick, meat and milk of the Coconut palm fruit, it is an incredibly cleansing oil, so is a perfect candidate to help creating a dishwashing bar.
Cetyl Alcohol - Is a binding agent derived from plant oils, it is used to help thicken and harden the bar.
Stearic Acid - Is a saturated fatty acid with an 18-carbon chain. It is used in this formula to stabilise and thicken our bar.
Citric Acid - Citric Acid has been used in many cleaning products, here we are using it as a PH adjuster also to make sure that our preservative below remains effective.
Preservative - I personally use Cosgard (also known as Geogard 221), but you can also use an alternative, like Geogard Ultra, or Preservative Eco. We use a broad spectrum preservative because our bar comes into contact with water.
Lemon Essential Oil - Lemon Essential oil is antimicrobial, and great at cutting grease, so it is a great all round essential oil to leave your dishes feeling sparkly clean.
PhaseTrade NameINCI Namew/w% FunctionASLSA or SCS
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate or Sodium Coco Sulfate
55%
Primary Surfactant
ADecyl GlucosideDecyl Glucoside10%
Secondary Surfactant
ADead Sea SaltMaris Sal3%
Scrub
BCoconut Oil Cocos Nucifera Oil 12%
Emollient, cleansing
BCetyl AlcoholCetyl Alcohol12%
Thickener, hardener
BStearic AcidStearic Acid4%
Thickener, hardener
CCitric AcidCitric Acid2%
PH adjuster
CLemon Essential OilCitrus Limon fruit oil1%
Fragrance
CGeogard 221Dehydroacetic Acid & Benzyl Alcohol & Water1%Preservative
We will make a 200g batch to start with, which will nicely make two 100g bars or four 50g bars to try out :)
Ingredients:
Phase A
SLSA 110g
Decyl Glucoside 20g
Dead Sea Salt 6g
Phase B
Coconut Oil 28g
Cetyl Alcohol 24g
Stearic Acid 8g
Phase C
Citric Acid 4g
Geogard 221 2g
Lemon Essential Oil 2g
Method
Weigh out your Phase A and Phase B ingredients into two separate beakers, then put them on the double boilers (you can even use a trivet or a jar lid in the bottom of a pot to act as a double boiler of sorts), and allow the ingredients to melt down.
The Phase A ingredients will look similar to a paste, and the Phase B ingredients will be completely liquid.
While these are melting, get a small beaker and add your Phase C ingredients in this for later.
Once the Phase A and Phase B ingredients are melted down, then turn off the heat, and pour your Phase B ingredients into you Phase A beaker.
Stir well so they become a homogenised state, then add in you phase C ingredients and mix well.
As your ingredients cool, they will become a playdough like consistency. Scoop your ingredients into your moulds and put in the freezer for a few hours to harden.
Once out of the freezer let them sit for 24-48 hours, then they're ready to use.
Make sure you don't leave the bar in a puddle of water, otherwise they will break down very quickly, let them dry inbetween uses.
To use, just wet the bar and wipe a few times on your dishwashing sponge to build up a lather and then its ready to use!
Let me know how you get on! And feel free to send us photos of your bars for us to feature on our instagram page to [email protected] or tag us at @laecovita
If you want to learn to make your own shampoo bars, face wash, scrub or tip to toe wash, then check out our ebook for beginners here!
© Created by Anna Castellani 2021, All Rights reserved. For personal use only, if you would like to use it for commercial use, please contact us at [email protected]
