Above: Inside your solid shampoo kit box you will find: instructions, a guest square mould (with six cavities) and all of the ingredients divided into three easy steps.
 

We're always trying to find new ways we can eliminate waste so we've been particularly inspired by this year's #PlasticFreeJuly. Solid shampoo and conditioner bars are such an excellent way to lose plastic bottles from your shower and life. They're super handy take to the gym or chuck in your suitcase to avoid the worry of it bursting open and ruining everything! I went on holiday recently and made these to take with me. One bar of each not only lasted the whole 10-day trip but they're still going strong nearly a month later. They've left my hair silky and manageable and I'm not planning on swapping back to the plastic bottle kind... probably ever again! (Also, Japan was lovely, thanks for asking!)

Solid shampoo bars

Makes 6 bars, each 70g, 5.5cm x 2.5cm.

Ingredients 
(Buy the pre-measured kit with instructions and mould here!)

Step 1:

• 250g SCI (sodium cocoyl isethionate) surfactant
• 30g conditioner pellets (aka BTMS-25)
• 40g cetearyl alcohol
• 8g deodorised cocoa butter, certified organic, fair trade

Step 2:

• 60g decyl glucoside
• 4g lactic acid

Step 3:

• 6g hydrolysed wheat protein
• 6g cococaprylate
• 8g essential oil of your choice (we used geranium)
• 2g Geogard 221

See "about the ingredients" at the bottom of the page for a breakdown of what all the individual ingredients are and what they do.

What you'll need from your own kitchen is a spatula, a knife, a stick blender and a face mask.


In the above photos we've used a double boiler but have since found that the resulting bars can be too soft with this method and recommend doing it in directly in a pot. See below for tips on how to do this safely.

In a pot melt Step 1 and Step 2 together. Wear a face mask for this, keep any windows you can open and put on an extractor fan if you have one and don't have children around, the fumes from the SCI can be a bit harsh. The SCI can take a while to melt but don't leave it as you run the risk of it burning. Towards the end blending it with the stick blender can help speed up the process. Stir until the mixture comes together to form a paste-like consistency. 

Once you're satisfied that it's all mixed together, take the jug off the heat. (Be careful to put it down on a chopping board or something so as to not damage your nice bench!)

Pour in all of Step 3 into the mixture and stir until combined.

With your spatula and knife press the mixture into the cavities of the mould. It's not the easiest consistency to work with so if it's getting a bit messy you're not doing a bad job! Take care to press it into the corners of the mould and pack it tight, then scape over the top, taking off the excess and creating a clean finish. Repeat until you've used all the mixture. 

It sets quickly so you can always pop it back on the heat to re-melt in between filling cavities. 

Place in the fridge to harden, or the freezer if you want a quicker result, just don't forget about it or you'll have little shampoo ice cubes that need thawing!



Now you have your plastic-free shampoo bars!

To use, wet your hair and stroke the shampoo bar along the strands to lather. Alternatively, rub the bar between your hands to create a lather. Massage it into your hair and scalp as you would with a liquid shampoo. Rinse out and then follow with your usual conditioner. Leave the bar out to air dry, ready for its next use.
 

Solid conditioner bars

Above: Solid conditioner bar kit; Step 1 into the double boiler; my silly little face watching it melt!

Inside your solid conditioner kit box you will find instructions, a guest square mould (with six cavities) and all your ingredients divided into two easy steps!

Solid conditioner bar ingredients:
(Buy the kit with everything you need here!)

Makes 6 bars, each 70g, 5.5cm x 2.5cm.

Step 1:

• 226g conditioner pellets
• 40g deodorised cocoa butter, certified organic, fair trade

Step 2:

• 14g glycerin, certified organic
• 8g hydrolysed wheat protein
• 8g essential oil of your choice (we used geranium)
• 2g Geogard 221

Once again you'll need your trusty double boiler. Step 1 goes in and all melts together. This can take a little while so just be patient.

Above: Patience is a virtue while the conditioner pellets and cocoa butter melt; step 2 into the mix; pour into your mould!

Once the mixture is completely melted, simply pour into the moulds and carefully carry to the refrigerator to set. Again, you can speed this process up by placing the mould in the freezer, but just make sure you remember to take them out before they freeze. 

To use, simply smooth along wet hair after shampooing and then rinse out. Leave to air dry before the next use. 


And that's it! Once you discover how easy it is to make these portable, practical and prettily-scented beauties, you'll never look back.

Now available in a solid shampoo and conditioner bars combo kit.


 

About the ingredients

We know some of these ingredients are unfamiliar and unprounceable so here's a quick summary of what they are and what they do.

SCI (sodium cocoyl isethionate) - a coconut oil-based surfactant. It is very mild on skin, hair and eyes and has a silky skin feel. SCI makes a great lather and is good for making liquid shampoos and solid shampoo bars.

Conditioner pellets (aka BTMS-25) - Derived from rapeseed oil and palm oil (RSPO mass balance certified), these pellets make a luxurious hair conditioner (the best we've ever come across) and hair detangler for leave-on and rinse-off products.

Decyl glucoside – one of the first of the alkyl polyglucoside (APG) surfactants. APG surfactants are obtained from renewable, plant-derived raw materials, such as vegetable oils and starch. They have first-rate environmental and skin compatibility profiles and fit in well with consumer demands for wellness, 'green solutions', mildness to human skin, and safety for human health.

Lactic acid - Our lactic acid is produced from fermented corn. It is used to make a harder and longer-lasting bar and has excellent exfoliant, moisturing and deep cleansing properties.

Hydrolysed wheat protein – derived from wheat germ it is used to increase hydration and elasticity, protect cuticles and strenghten hair. Because of its low molecular weight, it easily penetrates the hair shaft and absorbs into the inner fibers of the hair.

Cococaprylate – a skin-conditioning agent naturally derived from coconut oil to provide hydration, spreadability and slip.

Geogard 221 - Ecocert approved preservative.
 

Links to buy:
- Go Native solid shampoo bar kit
- Go Native solid conditioner bar kit
- Go Native solid shampoo and conditioner bars kit

Tag us in your creations on Instagram, @go_native_nz.