Here's Courtney's original post from her blog:
Luxury Cold Process Shampoo Bar Recipe
This is one of my absolute favorite luxury shampoo bar base recipes. To it, you can add any colors and essential oils you think you would like. I call the base my “Avocado Shea” base. It’s pretty much a staple in my solid shampoo line. You’ll find variations that I create all the time.
I always like to create my own recipes. This is a very unique 100% luxury base. Every single additive serves the purpose of moisturizing and adding luster to dull locks. Please remember that I’m sharing this recipe for personal use only.
Ingredients by Weight
16 ounces avocado oil
11 ounces unrefined shea butter
8.25 ounces cocoa butter
8.25 ounces castor oil
5.5 ounces sweet almond oil
4 ounces jojoba oil
2 ounces olive oil
6.789 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
18.15 ounces aloe vera liquid
Optional
Any colorants you’d like to add
Up to 9 tablespoons essential oils - any blend you want
Mix Temp: 110 degrees
Rest Time Before Cutting: 3 days
Cure Time: 8 weeks
This recipe is going to create a solid shampoo bar batch of approximately 80 ounces [5 pounds].
If You’re New - A Newbie Guide
Safety
Please use all safety precaution. Making solid shampoo bars can be insanely dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Never work around pets or kids, work in a well-ventilated area. In fact, the first few hundred times you create a solid shampoo, work outside just to be safe. Always where a protective apron, gloves and eye gear. Always have all of your ingredients pre-measured and ready to go. Take your time. Be careful. Never reuse your hardware for cooking. Set them in a special area and only use them for creating cold process products in the future.
Hardware [besides all the safety gear]
Large glass measuring cup that handles high temperatures
5 pound cold process flexible soap Mold
Large sauce pan
2 candy thermometers
Directions
In a large sauce pot, bring the avocado oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, castor oil, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil to 110 degrees, and hold it there.
In a separate measuring cup filled with your sodium hydroxide, slowly and carefully add your aloe vera liquid. Keep your face away from the mixture and don’t breathe in the puff of smoke it makes. Slowly and carefully stir and let it sit, stir a little more and repeat until the mixture comes down to 110 degrees.
Take both of your mixtures that are holding a steady 110 degrees, and VERY carefully add the sodium hydroxide mixture to the oils. Using a stick blender, carefully blend until the mixture becomes trace.
What is Trace:
Trace is when the soap mixture is thickened. You should be able to
stir and see the stir marks for a few seconds before they blend back
into the mixture.
If you’re adding any essential oils or colorants, add them now.
Pour gently into your mold. Wrap your little baby in towels and place in a dark place that isn’t too warm, or too cold and that isn’t too humid. You want it to cool down nice and slow. Leave it alone, AND DON’T PEEK AT ALL, for three days. I know…it will make you crazy. Just forget about it.
After three days, carefully pop your soap loaf out of the mold and cut into slices. It will look and feel like a fresh cheese. Nice and easy to handle. Don’t handle it with your hands. Use gloves and all of your safety gear. Set the slices on a wire rack in a not to cold, not to warm, dark place. You’re going to let them cure for 8 weeks before using them, turning them every week.
Check Out the Milk & Honey Naturals Solid Shampoo Line
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