DIY Shampoo

Medical and Healthcare
redskies
Posts: 1551
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:35 am

Re: DIY Shampoo

Post by redskies »

shocker wrote:
redskies wrote:If you learn to make your own soap from scratch, it works as shampoo, face wash & body wash :)
...then simply extract tar from any handy coal, and voila ! Jobs a good 'un ;)

The active ingredient in coal tar is Psoriasin, according to the FDA, and it's an antifungal. You don't say what the condition is, but based on that, you have options that will still be available if the world goes tits up and coal tar is off the available list. Salicylic acid, cited alongside coal tar as effective, is available from willow bark. It works in a different way, but it does work, apparently. Without asking a lot of personal questions, which I'm not about to do on a forum, cos that would be really rude, it's difficult to determine exactly what to suggest, but there are alternatives. Not suggesting for a second, either, that you stop using something you find effective, but thinking about and finding alternatives now, before you actually need to isn't a bad idea.

I have visions of your preps including fifty years worth of soap now! :mrgreen:
Mad Scientist
Posts: 502
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:45 pm

Re: DIY Shampoo

Post by Mad Scientist »

Soap nuts are quite good. They are dry and will store in a cool dark place for ages. I use them for laundry with a bit of essential oil. When the nuts don't yield much foam anymore I boil them in a couple of mugfuls of water for about 20 minutes. Let it cool and either use to do the dishes with or add rosemary essential oil and use as shampoo. The plant soapwort is good for this. Hope this is useful.
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sniper 55
Posts: 1045
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:49 am

Re: DIY Shampoo

Post by sniper 55 »

When we run out of shampoo (fairly often in a house with 3 blokes) the fall back is fairy washing up liquid. And before Deeps asks no we don't do the dishes in the bath at same time ;) .
Although I know a bloke who used to, I didn't have a cuppa in his place.
redskies
Posts: 1551
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2013 12:35 am

Re: DIY Shampoo

Post by redskies »

Mad Scientist wrote:Soap nuts are quite good. They are dry and will store in a cool dark place for ages. I use them for laundry with a bit of essential oil. When the nuts don't yield much foam anymore I boil them in a couple of mugfuls of water for about 20 minutes. Let it cool and either use to do the dishes with or add rosemary essential oil and use as shampoo. The plant soapwort is good for this. Hope this is useful.

We use them for laundry too. And I make up a similar solution to yours for washing raw fleece, ready to card. You can add vinegar, bicarb or citric acid as a stain remover too, and sometimes I'll throw in a sliver of my home made soap, if whatever is in is a bit grubbier than usual.