Making your own shampoo bars is a fantastic way to embrace a more natural hair care routine and reduce plastic waste! These DIY recipes are packed with nourishing ingredients that cleanse and pamper your hair, leaving it feeling healthy and vibrant.
Forget the harsh chemicals found in many commercial shampoos; these bars offer a gentle yet effective way to care for your locks..
Table of Contents
1. Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar with Beeswax and Shea Butter
This homemade shampoo bar is a dream for dry hair, featuring deeply moisturizing beeswax and shea butter.
It gently cleanses without stripping your hair's natural oils, leaving it feeling nourished and soft.
Beeswax adds hydration, while shea butter soothes the scalp, making this a wonderful treat for healthier hair..
Key Ingredients:
- Beeswax
- Shea Butter
- Vitamin E Oil
- Unscented Liquid Castile Soap
- Lavender Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Moisturizing
- Nourishing
- Gentle Cleansing
Pro Tip: Experiment with different essential oils like lavender, rosemary, or peppermint to customize the scent and boost hair health.
Get the Recipe: Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar with Beeswax and Shea Butter
2. Cocoa Butter & Vitamin E Shampoo Bar
This easy-to-make shampoo bar uses a melt-and-pour soap base, making it perfect for beginners.
Cocoa butter provides amazing moisture, protecting against split ends and leaving hair soft and shiny.
Combined with vitamin E oil for added shine and essential oils for a beautiful scent, this bar offers a luxurious cleanse..
Key Ingredients:
- Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Cocoa Butter
- Vitamin E Oil
- Olive Oil
- Essential Oils
Benefits:
- Moisturizing
- Shine-Enhancing
- Easy to Make
Pro Tip: Choose a soap base like shea butter or goat's milk for extra moisturizing benefits if you have dry or damaged hair.
Get the Recipe: Cocoa Butter & Vitamin E Shampoo Bar
3. Goat Milk & Rice Starch Shampoo Bar
Nourish your hair with this simple DIY rice shampoo bar, perfect for beginners.
It features gentle goat milk soap base, which is naturally conditioning and helps combat dryness and itchiness.
Rice starch adds a touch of natural goodness, promoting hair growth and adding smoothness for beautiful, manageable locks..
Key Ingredients:
- Goat Milk Soap Base
- Cocoa Butter
- Rice Starch Powder
- Olive Oil
- Vitamin E Oil
- Rosemary Essential Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Gentle & Mild
- Conditions Hair
- Soothes Scalp
- Improves Hair Growth
Pro Tip: Use rosemary essential oil for its hair growth benefits and its natural preservative qualities, helping your bar last longer.
Get the Recipe: Goat Milk & Rice Starch Shampoo Bar
4. All-Purpose Olive & Coconut Oil Shampoo Bar
This versatile shampoo bar recipe is great for everyone! Made with a blend of nourishing oils like olive, coconut, and sweet almond, it cleanses effectively while leaving hair feeling soft and healthy.
It's a simple, cold-process recipe that's a fantastic introduction to making your own shampoo bars..
Key Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Lye
- Water
- Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Cleansing
- Nourishing
- Travel-Friendly
Pro Tip: For a lye-free option, use a melt-and-pour soap base and add nourishing ingredients like shea butter and essential oils.
Get the Recipe: All-Purpose Olive & Coconut Oil Shampoo Bar
5. Shea Butter Massage Shampoo Bar with Argan Oil
Enjoy a soothing scalp massage while you cleanse with this easy DIY shampoo bar! It's made with a shea butter soap base, providing a gentle and moisturizing experience.
Argan oil adds extra nourishment, leaving your hair feeling soft and silky smooth..
Key Ingredients:
- Shea Butter Soap Base
- Argan Oil
- Vitamin E Oil
- Essential Oils
Benefits:
- Scalp Massage
- Moisturizing
- Gentle Cleanse
Pro Tip: Customize your bar with essential oils like peppermint for a refreshing scent and invigorating scalp experience.
Get the Recipe: Shea Butter Massage Shampoo Bar with Argan Oil
6. Rosemary & Lavender Tallow Shampoo Bar
This cold-process shampoo bar recipe is perfect for those seeking a rich lather and nourishing cleanse.
Tallow provides exceptional moisture, while castor oil ensures a luxurious foam.
Infused with rosemary and lavender, this bar is designed to be long-lasting and beneficial for your hair and scalp..
Key Ingredients:
- Tallow
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Castor Oil
- Dried Rosemary (optional)
- Lavender Buds (optional)
- Lye
- Water
- Essential Oils
Benefits:
- Rich Lather
- Moisturizing
- Long-Lasting
Pro Tip: Ensure all ingredients are weighed precisely using a digital scale for the best results in cold-process soap making.
Get the Recipe: Rosemary & Lavender Tallow Shampoo Bar
7. Syndet Shampoo Bar with SCI and SLSA
Discover a gentle, sulfate-free shampoo bar made with a blend of mild surfactants like SCI and SLSA.
This recipe creates a beautifully creamy lather that cleanses without stripping.
Added ingredients like shea butter and b-panthenol provide conditioning benefits for softer, healthier-looking hair..
Key Ingredients:
- SCI (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate)
- SLSA (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate)
- Coco Glucoside
- Coco Betaine
- Shea Butter
- BTMS
- B-Panthenol
- Preservative
- Essential Oils
- Vitamin E
Benefits:
- Gentle Surfactants
- Creamy Lather
- Conditioning
Pro Tip: When working with powdered surfactants, wear a respirator mask to avoid inhaling the fine particles.
Get the Recipe: Syndet Shampoo Bar with SCI and SLSA
8. Coconut Oil Hot Process Shampoo Bar
This hot process shampoo bar recipe uses simple ingredients like coconut oil for a rich lather that cleans and moisturizes without weighing hair down.
It's a quick and easy method that allows you to use your bars almost immediately after making them.
Perfect for a natural, effective cleanse..
Key Ingredients:
- Coconut Oil
- Distilled Water
- Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)
- Essential Oils
Benefits:
- Rich Lather
- Cleansing
- Moisturizing
- Quick to Use
Pro Tip: For dry hair, try a recipe with a slightly higher superfat content to ensure extra moisture and nourishment.
Get the Recipe: Coconut Oil Hot Process Shampoo Bar
9. Cold Process Shampoo Bar with Castor Oil
Learn to make your own cold-process shampoo bars with this easy recipe, designed to use readily available ingredients.
The inclusion of castor oil enhances the lather, making for a luxurious and effective cleansing experience.
These bars need a few weeks to cure, but the result is a long-lasting, hair-loving product..
Key Ingredients:
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Castor Oil
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
- Goat Milk (or distilled water)
Benefits:
- Lather-Enhancing
- Luxurious Cleanse
- Customizable Fragrance
Pro Tip: Using calendula-infused sunflower oil can add subtle highlights to blonde or brown hair and help repair a damaged scalp.
Get the Recipe: Cold Process Shampoo Bar with Castor Oil
10. Lye-Free Shampoo Bar with Plant-Based Surfactants
This advanced lye-free shampoo bar recipe uses carefully selected plant-derived surfactants for a pure, hair-friendly cleanse.
It's formulated to be gentle on your scalp and hair, avoiding the high pH issues associated with lye-based soaps.
This bar offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to liquid shampoos..
Key Ingredients:
- Sodium Coco-Sulfate
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Decyl Glucoside
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter
- Citric Acid
- Essential Oils
Benefits:
- Lye-Free
- Hair-Friendly pH
- Eco-Friendly
Pro Tip: For best results, ensure your finished shampoo bar is dried thoroughly between uses and stored in a dry environment.
Get the Recipe: Lye-Free Shampoo Bar with Plant-Based Surfactants
11. Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar with SCI, Coconut Oil, and Lime Essential Oil
This amazing sulfate-free shampoo bar is a dream for your hair! It uses mild surfactants like SCI and Cocamidopropyl Betaine for a creamy lather that cleans without stripping.
Coconut oil deeply moisturizes, tackling split ends and adding shine, while a hint of lime essential oil offers a refreshing scent and antimicrobial benefits.
It’s an easy, natural way to keep your hair sparkling..
Key Ingredients:
- Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI)
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- Coconut Oil
- Arrowroot Powder
- Coconut Milk Powder
- Lime Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Mild cleansing
- Deep moisturization
- Adds shine
- Prevents damage
- Refreshing scent
Pro Tip: Always wear a face mask when working with powdered surfactants like SCI to avoid inhaling them.
Get the Recipe: Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar with SCI, Coconut Oil, and Lime Essential Oil
12. Melt & Pour Shampoo Bar with Goat's Milk, Mango Butter, and Lavender
Looking for a super simple way to make shampoo bars? This melt-and-pour recipe is perfect! It starts with a moisturizing goat's milk glycerin base, enriched with creamy mango butter and castor oil for added nourishment.
A touch of lavender essential oil gives it a calming, lovely scent.
These bars are ideal for travel and make wonderful handmade gifts!.
Key Ingredients:
- Goat's Milk Glycerin Melt & Pour Soap Base
- Mango Butter
- Castor Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Easy to make
- Moisturizing
- Travel-friendly
- Gentle cleansing
Pro Tip: Spray the surface of your poured bars with rubbing alcohol to quickly eliminate any pesky air bubbles.
Get the Recipe: Melt & Pour Shampoo Bar with Goat's Milk, Mango Butter, and Lavender
13. Moisturizing Shampoo Bar with Shea Butter, Tea Tree, and Peppermint Oils
This DIY shampoo bar is packed with moisturizing goodness to combat dryness and leave your hair feeling super soft.
Shea butter helps seal in moisture without greasiness, perfect for frizzy hair.
Tea tree and peppermint oils invigorate the scalp and promote healthy growth, while orange oil adds a lovely scent and antiseptic properties.
It's a deeply nourishing treat for your hair!.
Key Ingredients:
- Melt and Pour Soap Base
- Shea Butter
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Tea Tree Essential Oil
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Orange Essential Oil
Benefits:
- Moisturizes hair
- Softens frizzy hair
- Promotes hair growth
- Cleanses scalp
- Adds shine
Pro Tip: Add a pinch of sea salt to the mixture for extra cleansing power.
Get the Recipe: Moisturizing Shampoo Bar with Shea Butter, Tea Tree, and Peppermint Oils