SUN Shampoo Bar (Yellow/Golden)
Color: Calendula powder (golden)
Ingredients: + Calendula + Aloe vera gel
MOON Conditioning Bar (White/Cream)
Color: Natural cream (from butters)
Recipe for Second Try 01/31/26
IDEAL POURABLE SHAMPOO BAR (TEST BATCH)
This is the “do everything right once” recipe so you can evaluate your molds and impressions.
🌞 POURABLE SHAMPOO BAR — Sun & Moon Test Batch
Batch size: 500 g
Target: pourable, self-leveling, strong bars after cure
Phase A — Surfactants
SCI powder — 200 g (40%)
CAPB — 100 g (20%)
Phase B — Structure
BTMS-50 — 35 g (7%)
Cetearyl alcohol — 45 g (9%)
Cetyl alcohol — 15 g (3%)
Phase C — Liquids
Distilled water — 40 g (8%)
Aloe vera (liquid or gel) — 15 g (3%)
Glycerin — 25 g (5%)
Phase D — Actives
Liquid panthenol — 10 g (2%)
Silk or oat protein — 5 g (1%)
Sodium citrate — 5 g (1%)
Phase E — Color
French green clay — 2.5 g (0.5%)
Dispersed in warm glycerin
Phase F — Scent
Essential oil blend — 6–7 g (1.2–1.4%)
PROCESS (Pourable)
Heat Phase A + B to 170–175°F
(Do not exceed 180°F)Heat Phase C separately to 160°F
Combine C into A/B — stir smoothly
Sprinkle SCI powder slowly, mash well
Maintain 165–175°F
Add Phase D at ≤160°F
Add color dispersion
Cool to 145–150°F
Add EO
Pour immediately
Tap molds, spray alcohol
Set 48–72 hours
Cure 10–14 days
👉 If this doesn’t give you clean impressions, pouring isn’t your path — and that’s okay.
4️⃣ PRESSABLE SHAMPOO BAR (THE LONG-TERM WINNER)
You already have this mostly dialed in.
Why pressed wins:
Lower water
Better structure
Cleaner edges
Faster production
Less ingredient stress
Your previous pressed recipe is solid — the only tweaks I’d suggest:
Use SCI powder for smoother dough
Use liquid panthenol
Keep total liquid (CAPB + glycerin) around 18–22%
Dough temp before pressing: 100–115°F
🌿 BEST-POSSIBLE PRESSED SHAMPOO BAR
Syndet | Hair-loss supportive | 500 g batch (~6 × 80 g bars)
pH target: 5.0–5.5
DESIGN PRINCIPLES (WHY THIS WORKS)
No added water → strong bars, fast pressing
SCI powder → smooth dough, no noodle fight
Liquid panthenol → zero clumping
Moderate CAPB → plasticity without mush
BTMS + cetyl → slip without buildup
Low fragrance → scalp-safe
Clay only → no staining, no bleeding
This is the formula you use when you want things to just work.
🧪 FORMULA (500 g)
PHASE A — Surfactants
SCI powder — 250 g (50%)
Cocoamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) — 80 g (16%)
PHASE B — Structure & slip
BTMS-50 — 30 g (6%)
Cetyl alcohol — 25 g (5%)
PHASE C — Humectants & actives
Glycerin — 30 g (6%)
Liquid panthenol (50–75%) — 10 g (2%)
Hydrolyzed protein (silk or oat) — 5 g (1%)
Sodium citrate — 5 g (1%)
PHASE D — Color (optional but recommended)
French green clay — 2.5 g (0.5%)
(dispersed in warm glycerin)
PHASE E — Scent (≤1.2%)
Essential oil blend — 6 g (1.2%)
Suggested functional blend:
Rosemary EO — 3 g
Cedarwood EO — 1.5 g
Cypress EO — 1 g
Bergamot FCF or Vanilla CO₂ — 0.5 g
👉 You can also go unscented. This formula works beautifully either way.
🔥 PROCESS (PRESSED — CALM & FAST)
1️⃣ Soften surfactants
Combine SCI + CAPB + BTMS + cetyl alcohol
Heat gently to 130–145°F (55–63°C)
Just until soft and pliable — do not cook
Texture goal: thick dough, not paste.
2️⃣ Prepare actives
Warm glycerin to 140°F
Dissolve:
panthenol
protein
sodium citrate
In a small portion of glycerin, fully disperse clay
3️⃣ Combine
Add glycerin/actives to main dough
Knead thoroughly (gloved hands or spatula)
Dough should be:
smooth
cohesive
slightly warm
not sticky
not crumbly
If crumbly → mist 1–2 g CAPB, knead
If sticky → let cool 1–2 minutes
4️⃣ Cool slightly → scent
Let dough drop to ≤115°F
Add essential oils
Knead just until evenly distributed
5️⃣ Press
Dough temp: 100–115°F
Load 75–85 g per mold
Use 2.25–2.5″ press plate
Press firmly 5–10 seconds
Release
Let rest in mold 2–3 minutes
Unmold
6️⃣ Cure
Ready to handle same day
Best performance after 3–5 days
pH test at 48–72 hours (10% dilution)
🎯 WHAT THIS BAR DOES WELL
✔ Gentle cleansing
✔ No soap scum (hard-water friendly)
✔ Low friction → less breakage
✔ Scalp-calming, not stimulating to irritation
✔ Presses cleanly with one mold
✔ Scales effortlessly
This is the bar you can confidently:
Make again and again
Teach someone else to make
Sell without disclaimers
Use on yourself long-term
OPTIONAL MICRO-TWEAKS (ONLY IF NEEDED)
Very oily scalp:
Add 1–2% kaolin clay (reduce SCI accordingly)Very dry scalp:
Increase glycerin to 7%, reduce SCI to 49%Ultra-sensitive scalp:
Skip essential oils entirely
1️⃣ Lessons Learned From This Shampoo Bar (Very Important)
🔑 Lesson #1: SCI does not truly melt
SCI:
Softens
Swells
Hydrates
Forms a paste
It never becomes a true liquid, even at 180–190°F.
👉 That means:
Visible noodle remnants are normal
Overheating only degrades scent and stresses ingredients
Mash + shear matters more than temperature
Best practice:
Use SCI powder, not noodles, for pourable formulas.
🔑 Lesson #2: Pourable ≠ liquid
A “pourable” shampoo bar batter should look like:
Thick custard
Hot mashed potatoes
Heavy cake batter
Not:
Thin soap batter
True liquid
If it pours slowly and self-levels with tapping, it’s correct.
🔑 Lesson #3: Water fixes flow — but only up to a point
Adding water helps initial flow, but:
Too much → weak bars
Too little → crumbly bars
There is a sweet spot (we’ll use it below).
🔑 Lesson #4: Panthenol powder needs help
DL-panthenol powder:
Clumps easily
Dissolves slowly
Thickens batter
👉 It must be:
Pre-dissolved
Added warm
Or replaced with liquid panthenol
🔑 Lesson #5: Pressed bars are calmer, faster, and more repeatable
Pouring:
Is fun
Is aesthetic
Is finicky
Pressing:
Is faster
Is cleaner
Is more consistent
Scales better
It’s normal to:
Try pouring once or twice
Then choose pressing for production
2️⃣ Ingredient Choices — What to Do Next Time
✅ SCI
Best for pourable: SCI powder
Best for pressed: powder or noodles
If you want clean pours → use powder.
✅ Panthenol
Best option:
Liquid panthenol (50–75%)
→ easiest, smoothest, most predictable
If you only have powder:
Dissolve in warm distilled water or glycerin
Ratio:
1 g panthenol : 2–3 g liquid
Heat to ~140–150°F
Stir until completely clear
Never add panthenol powder directly to the main batter.
✅ Colorants
Clays > botanicals for shampoo
Botanicals are better in conditioner or soap
Indigo brightens green
Calendula muddies green in shampoo (you observed this correctly)
Original Recipe 01/25/26
⏰ When to Unmold:
MINIMUM: 48-72 hours (2-3 days) I
DEAL: 72-96 hours (3-4 days)
SAFEST: 4-5 days if first time
Details:
Press method (5-7 days cure): Unmold: 24-48 hours ✓ (1-2 days)
Pour method (10-14 days cure): Unmold: 48-96 hours ⚠️ (3-4 days)
Tips:
Can prep molds with coconut oil for easier releasing
Work in cool room for easier unmolding
Turn bars every 2-3 days to ensure even air exposure
Continue curing 10-14 days TOTAL (from pour date)
Changes needed for BOTH to be pourable:
☀️ Shampoo Bar: Add +10g water (22g total instead of 12g)
🌙 Conditioning Bar: Add +10g water (42.5g total instead of 32.5g)
Both: Work 20-30°F hotter throughout
Both: Pour instead of press
Both: Cure 10-14 days (instead of 5-7)
That's it! Just more water + hotter temps + longer cure = pourable bars!
☀️ SUN Shampoo Bar - POURABLE VERSION (510g batch)
Modified Recipe:
Surfactants:
SCI powder/noodles: 235g (46.1%)
CAPB: 80g (15.7%)
Structure:
BTMS-50: 30g (5.9%)
Cetearyl alcohol: 50g (9.8%)
Cetyl alcohol: 15g (2.9%)
Liquids: ← CHANGED
Aloe vera gel: 12g (2.4%)
Distilled water: 22g (4.3%) ← +10g from original 12g
Glycerin: 20g (3.9%)
Actives:
Calendula powder: 10g (2%)
Panthenol: 10g (2%)
Silk amino acids: 5g (1%)
Sodium citrate: 5g (1%)
PQ-10: 1.2g (0.24%)
Preservation:
Neodefend: 5g (1%)
Scent:
Sweet Orange: 8g (1.6%)
Vanilla: 2g (0.4%)
Total: 510g ← +10g water added
Process (Pour Method):
1. Prep aloe mixture:
Warm 12g aloe gel + 22g water to 160°F ← increased water
Whisk until smooth, set aside
2. Melt butters (170-180°F): ← HOTTER
BTMS-50, cetearyl, cetyl alcohol
Until fully melted and very hot
3. Combine liquids:
Add hot aloe-water mixture to melted butters
Add CAPB
Mix smooth
Keep at 170-180°F
4. Add SCI gradually:
Sprinkle in while mixing quickly
Mixture should stay pourable (like thick honey)
Maintain 170-180°F
5. Cool to 160°F, add quickly:
Glycerin mixed with calendula powder
Panthenol
Silk amino acids
Sodium citrate
PQ-10
Stir fast but gently
6. Cool to 140-150°F, add:
Essential oils
Neodefend
Mix well
7. POUR into sun molds: ← POUR, don't press!
Working temp: 150-160°F
Work FAST (5-minute window!)
Fill molds completely
Tap to release air bubbles
8. Set 48-72 hours, then cure 10-14 days ← longer cure
Moon Conditioner Notes 01/31/26
Universal, Unscented
Oat + goat milk
Vanilla-infused jojoba