Shampoo!

After my entirely lacklustre (pun sort of intended :P) first shampoo and relatively smashing success at conditioner, it seemed like the shampoo needed another go.

I stripped it right down and put in a fair bit more surfactants than last time. My water phase included just-boiled water (as I wasn't double boilering this time due to not including the solid glycol distearate), cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium laureth sulfate, and glycerin, and my cool-down phase included preservative, fragrance, and a touch of dimethicone. Once these were all mixed and cooled, I added 3% salt to thicken.

It worked! It was thick, maybe a touch too thick, but it produced okay lather and was much more like shampoo than the last one!

Personally, I think I will be adding still greater amounts of surfactants; what can I say, I have greasy hair and I like the feel of surfactants on it! Despite it being a somewhat-less-mild surfactant (and despite the opinions of the granola crowd and the uninformed, who think it is the devil), I really like the feel of sodium lauryl sulfate in my shampoos. I might buy some if I can ever find a supplier, preferably in Canada.

I don't always say it, but I always test the pH of my products and adjust if needed. I like to keep my products (especially leave-on products) at pH 4-5. The skin and hair are naturally acidic, and acidic products disrupt them less than alkaline ones. Also, having a more acidic pH means many preservatives will be more effective, especially the more so-called "natural" (can't say I get how they are natural), food-grade ones like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate.