I freaking love shampoo bars, don’t you? I feel like I use less product than with liquid shampoo, but I also feel like it’s a really fun way to shampoo your hair. Especially if you have kids. My boys both LOVE shampoo bars, and they actually bathe more frequently (read: without me threatening early bedtime) when we have a shampoo bar ready for them to use. Skip to my homemade DIY massaging shampoo bar recipe here.
Homemade DIY Massaging Shampoo Bar Recipe
Weird, I know. Anyways. I have been trying to find ways to make bath time fun because as the boys get bigger, so do the smells. For real. You girl moms have it easy!
The boys both need to hop in the shower or the bath every other day, if not every day now. Which means that if they’re excited about it, it’s much, much easier to get them to cooperate.
We’ve used all kinds of things to “bribe” them, from the “playdough” soaps to soap jellies, to these shampoo bars.
Pro Tip*: If your children are bathing adverse like mine, it helps to rotate the “cool thing” that they get to use on a 7-10 day rotation. In the case of these shampoo bars, they’ve held their attention for more than a month.
Highly, highly recommend. Yes, these take some time to make, but they’re really fun to make and to use. The current favorite is to create an ombre effect (instructions below). Use my shampoo bar recipe for an easy homemade version that is easy to make, and the kiddos go crazy over it.
Homemade DIY Massage Shampoo Bar Recipe
- 1-pound glycerin soap base
(I got mine on Amazon, but you can use any glycerin soap base)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon organic apple cider vinegar
- 10 to 15 drops of rosemary essential oil
- Add 10 to 15 drops clary sage essential oil
- 10 to 15 drops of lemon essential oil
- optional: colored mica powder (you can create ombre, solid, or rainbow bars using these)
You’ll also need:
- 1 large microwave-safe bowl
or measuring cup
- 3 smaller bowls
to separate for coloring
- Spray bottle
of rubbing alcohol
- Massage soap mold
First things first, cut your soap base into squares and place them in a microwave-safe glass bowl or measuring cup.
Heat the soap base in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval until the soap base has fully dissolved and you’re left with a clear liquid.
Add the coconut oil to the bowl, and stir to combine.
Whisking constantly, add the baking soda, salt, and apple cider vinegar to your soap base.
Be sure that you’re whisking these in quickly or small lumps may form. Don’t worry if you do get lumps. Simply break them up with a spoon and incorporate them, or scoop them out completely.
Add your essential oils to the shampoo bar mixtures.
At this point, you can totally add your shampoo bar mixture to your molds and allow them to set.
Ombre Shampoo Bar Recipe
If you want to really wow your kids (or your friends – these make a great gift!), you can create an ombre effect very, very easily.
I mean, you’ve come this far, why stop, right?
Choose 3 colors of mica powder that will ombre well (or that you think will ombre well).
Once you’ve got your colors, divide your shampoo mixture into the 3 smaller bowls.
Mine came out to be about 4 cups, and I used 1/4 cup for each layer in the molds.
Add the first mica coloring powder to the shampoo bar mixture in the first bowl.
Blend the coloring in well, so that there are no lumps.
Spray the massage mold with the rubbing alcohol and pour the first bowl’s mixture into each mold.
Gently spritz the top of each soap with more rubbing alcohol (this prevents bubbles from forming).
Allow the first layer to harden for 30 minutes.
Blend your second color choice in the second bowl, then gently pour the mixture into your molds, spraying them with alcohol to remove any bubbles.
Allow the second layer to harden for 30 minutes.
Add the third color to your third bowl (you see where this is going?), and gently pour the mixture into your molds
Once you’ve finished with the final layer, allow your shampoo bars to harden for at least an hour. Gently pop the bars out of your mold and store in an airtight container until ready to use, or hand them directly to your kids and tell them to go clean up.
These last quite a while, so the extra step to create that cool ombre effect is totally worth it!
Check out my DIY sea salt shampoo as well, this is a dupe recipe that is majorly popular.
Have you ever tried a shampoo bar recipe?
*Let’s be real, Y’all. I’m not a parenting pro, far from it. But this has worked so well, I had to share!
