Prepare to feel like you’re sudsing up in a lagoon in Neverland with the mermaids; these seriously beautiful Mermaid Silk Shampoo Bars are just the sort of thing I imagine mermaids would use (do mermaids wash their hair? A question for another day, perhaps.). Super pretty colours, a lovely shimmery top, and a fantastic, fresh scent. I love ’em. I think you will, too.
The base of this bar is a lovely, high-lather blend of moisturizing olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada), bubbly coconut oil, rich unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada), hardening beef tallow, and luxurious castor oil (USA / Canada). All these oils and butters come together to make a bar that ages up fairly quickly, lasts a good long while in the shower, and lathers up into fistfuls of luxurious, thick lather. Awww yeah.
The colours are from blue ultramarine and hydrated chromium green chromium oxide. Blue ultramarine is a popping blue colour reminiscent of 1995 default internet link blue, while hydrated chromium green is a turquoise shade that I’ve been smitten with ever since I got my first bag of it. Swoon. I’ve divided the soap batter up into multiple layers, fading from blue ultramarine to hydrated chromium green chromium oxide.
As you can see, they turned out rather pretty! That’s always a bit of a relief when you start doing layering things in a soap as the whole thing becomes a nice-or-not Schrödinger’s cat situation until you can slice the bars a day later.
Annnnd you’ll be happy to hear I’ve finally filmed my first soap tutorial! It’s not for this recipe and it’s not out yet, but it’s coming, I promise. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you’ll be the first to know when it goes up!
Mermaid Silk Shampoo Bars
10% olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada)
25% refined coconut oil (USA / Canada)
15% unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada)
35% beef tallow (why tallow?)
15% castor oil (USA / Canada)Per 500g (1.1lbs) oils:
- 1.5 teaspoons silk peptides (need a substitute?)
- 2 tbsp white white kaolin clay (USA / Canada)
- 13g | 0.46oz lime essential oil
- 18g | 0.63oz spearmint essential oil
- Blue ultramarine, as needed
- Hydrated chromium green oxide, as needed
- Silver mica, as needed
Calculate to 5% superfat
Kick things off by calculating out your recipe (unsure about how to use SoapCalc? I made a video to walk you through it!) for the amount of soap you’re making to get the finite amounts of the fats, lye, and water. Ensure you’re familiar with standard soap making procedure before diving in.
Since we’re doing so many layers, I’d really recommend soaping this batch at room temperature. For this batch I tried something new; I gently melted the beef tallow and unrefined shea butter (USA / Canada) in my soaping pot (since those two fats have the highest melting points), and once they were just melted I removed them from the heat and stirred in the olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada), castor oil (USA / Canada), and coconut oil. The residual heat from melting the beef tallow and shea melted the coconut oil, and the added room temperature oils helped bring down the temperature of the melted oils. I used a potato masher to break up the coconut oil to help it melt faster; if you’ve only just melted the beef tallow and shea it will need some encouragement. When you’re done you should have a pot of liquid oils that feel only just a wee bit warm/room temperature to the touch.
I added my still-hot lye water to this mixture of melted and mostly room temperature oils and brought that to trace, stirring and intermittently blending the mixture with my immersion blender. Once I’d reached a trace around the consistency of loose pudding I blended the clay, silk, and essential oils, and then it was time for colouring!
So; you’ll notice there are lots of different layers in this soap, and that they fade from blue to turquoise. I did this a delightfully lazy/easy way and I’ll attempt to write it out to make it sound as easy as it is. This gist of it is: we are making a blue batter, diluting it with uncoloured batter, and then starting to add green pigment towards the end, diluting with uncoloured batter (and adding the hydrated chromium green chromium oxide) and pouring layers as we go, until we end up with many layers that fade from blue to green.
- Start by transferring about 1/4 of your soap batter to a new bowl and blend in some blue ultramarine. We want this batter to be the bluest layer you’ll have. Once you’ve got a colour you like and the oxide is evenly blended in (watch for clumps—you’ll need your immersion blender to get an even blend), spread a layer of this blue batter across the bottom of your mould. This should only be about 1/3 of your blue batter, not all of it!
- Add some more uncoloured soap batter to your blue batter to weaken the colour a bit, and make another layer in your soap mould. I like to pick my soap mould up as I’m adding layers and give it a bit of a whack on the counter to help the layers settle down and prevent air bubbles.
- Do this about four times, and then blend in a wee bit of the hydrated chromium green chromium oxide along with your next soap batter addition.
- From here on out you’ll be adding increasing amounts of hydrated chromium green chromium oxide along with the soap batter additions; check what you’re blending up with the previous layer to ensure you’re happy with the colour contrast. So: before we were making layers that were progressively paler blue. Now we are making layers that are progressively deeper turquoise.
- Once you’ve got your last layer (once you’ve run out of uncoloured soap batter), that’ll be your deepest turquoise layer, so blend in hydrated chromium green chromium oxide as required to get a nice, deep turquoise colour.
- And that’s it! No need to have dozens of different bowls with this method, you’re just diluting an initial colour blend and then working it back up.
Once you’ve built up all your layers, rap your mould on your counter top a few times to knock out any air bubbles and help things settle down. And now it’s time for the top swirl!
In a small bowl, combine 1–2 teaspoons of silver mica with a wee bit of blue ultramarine (somewhere around 1/64th of a teaspoon). Add a bit of liquid oil (more olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada) is fine—whatever you have around) and stir to make a runny shimmery liquid. Using a disposable pipette (like these ones—they’re super inexpensive and crazy useful, so go ahead and grab a multi-pack), dot the shimmery oil up and down the top of your soap loaf, and then drag a toothpick through the dots to create swirls. Pretty! I didn’t really have any rhyme or reason to which dots I swirled through, I just went to town and stopped when I liked the way it looked. Give your mould another counter rap or two at this point to help fill in any mini crevices your toothpick has made.
That’s it! Cover the soap, and leave it to saponify for at least 24 hours before slicing (I did closer to 40 because I had plans at the 24 hour point and then went to sleep). Once you’ve sliced it, leave it to age for at least three weeks before using. Enjoy!
Hi Marie,
this recipe sounds great. I will have to put this on my growing list of soaps to try.
Just wondering if you used clay in this recipe since I don’t see it in the ingredient list but it shows in the directions as adding clay and essential oils. Did you mean the silk?
Just wondering since it seems you usually add some kind of clay to your soap recipes.
Thanks for all you do.
Claudia
Hey Claudia! Good catch on the clay, I simply forgot to include it in the ingredients list 🙂 It’s fixed now!
Hi! I love your soaps… I have been wanting to try a soap bar and do not know which one to try…. Can I add the silk from this one to the Coconut Aloe bar? I have never worked with silk and have wondered about how to go about adding to recipes=)
Yup! Happy soaping 😀
What a pretty bar! I’ll def try it!
Thanks, Janie! 🙂
Yes Marie, Mermaids do indeed wash their hair 🙂 signed The Green Mermaid
Ha! Thanks 😀
Love the pretty soap!
And love the easy peasy directions. I always make it so complicated, geez!
Thanks, Cristie! Glad they were clear as mud 😛
This looks lovely. I already made some of other soaps from your site, and they all are success. I ran out of shea butter and made some with 30% olive oil, 30% coconut oil, 35% lard and 5% castor oil. And i like it much better for hair, as i shed a lot with shea butter in bar and it makes my hair lanky, but without its much nicer and i shed less. Could i make this without too and just divide shea butter amount equally between other three or do you recommend something else ?
Thanks, Helena! You can definitely tweak the oil base to yours and then keep the “decorations” the same 😉 Happy making!
Dumb chemistry question here. I have ridiculously thick, curly, dry hair that cannot handle shampoos with sulfates. (The biggest hair breakthrough of my life was when I switched to sulfate-free cleansing creams instead.) Based on your explanation of why lye is necessary for soap, I think this shampoo bar should work for me. What do you think? Not about my hair specifically, of course, but about how shampoo bars with this general formula fit into the spectrum of sulfate-ness and generally drying hair out. If it won’t work, it’s still adorable and I might make it just to use as a regular soap bar, because MERMAID [heart eyes].
P.S. My soap-making for family members using your recipes has been so successful that my brother has requested (eek!) 150 bars as favors for his wedding next spring.
Hey Rachel! I think if you combine shampoo bars with an acidic rinse and stretching out your hair washes, it should work for you, but I also don’t have curly or dry hair, so it is hard for me to say for sure. Have you ever done any reading on the Long Hair Community forums? They’re an incredible hair care resource 🙂 And there’s definitely no reason not to use these as regular bars of soap—pretty much all the soap I make gets used as everything anyways 😛
Hello,
I love your soap recipes! I made this yesterday, and I love it! I didn’t have the silk, so I went without it. Ive been liking the looks of lines for contrast, so I used Indigo powder to create the lines and some scattering of the powder on top. However, if I can paste a picture in here, you’ll be able to see that I think there are glycerin rivers?? in my soap? Not sure. But – I don’t mind them. However, I’d like to know either, A – how to keep them or B -how to not have that happen. Darn, it won’t paste. Can I send an email?
Thanks for everything!
Hey Shari! Thank you so much 😀 I’ve been playing with indigo powder, too, it’s so pretty!
In my experience, the first thing that causes glycerin rivers is using too much pigment, so that’s the first thing to watch. They can also be caused by certain fragrance oils, or by the soap getting too hot. If you find they’re happening a lot, try water discounting 🙂 Brambleberry has a good write up on all this, too!
If you want to share photos, my Facebook page is an awesome place to do that 🙂
Hi Marie, this soap looks delightful and is so creative. Well done! I have a question regarding silk peptides that you may be able to solve for me:) I bought 100g about a year ago, and somehow I think moisture must have gotten into the sealed snap lock bag, as it has become a solid lump:( I have tried breaking off pieces to use in lotions etc, but have a suspicion it’s not dissolving properly. Do you (or anyone else) have a solution for this? I really don’t want to discard it, and I’m just worried it’s going to happen again if I buy more. Thanks, Birgit
Hmm. Can you run the lump through your DIY coffee grinder to re-powder them? Mine are so crazy water soluble (they dissolve on contact) that I am having a hard time imagining a bit of added moisture would seriously impact the solubility of ’em. Hmm.
Hi, when do I add the silk ? I have silk peptide powder. I seem to remember reading that I should add it to the cooled lye ???? Thanks in advance
Add wit with the clay and essential oils, at trace 🙂
Thanks ! I had planned on making this in the morning and now I’m all set !
Have fun! 😀
Hi Marie,
Would this shampoo bar formula be good for fine hair? Or would you say its suitable for all hair types? And why.Thank you.
Hey Mary! I have quite fine hair and this shampoo bar works beautifully for me 🙂
Hello there! Have been loving all the soap recipes I have tried of yours so far. Thinking about dipping my feet in the shampoo bar next. Are there any substitutes i can use for the tallow? Have yet to see it here in Costa Rica.
Hey Tim! I’ve written an entire blog on that 🙂 Happy soaping!
For anyone who loves liquid shampoo (I love shampoo bars but I have a hard time getting up enough lather without rubbing it into my scalp and yanking out hairs since I have hard water that doesn’t lather well), I found a great way to make liquid shampoo without having to make shampoo paste. It’s very simple, really.
I have tons of ground-up soap from leftover soap bar pieces. So, I mixed 1 part soap with 2 parts boiling water and let it soak for a few hours. Then, I used an immersion blender to spin it all together into a smooth paste. Add some essential oils and silk if you want. Voila! Liquid shampoo! And now I have some pre-wetted soap that lathers up easily in my hands and doesn’t tear out my hair (sadness). Follow up with conditioner or a hair rinse. I’ve found alternating my conditioners by week keeps my hair bouncy.
Neat! What is your end consistency like? I’ve tried this and mine was always unpleasantly slimy haha.
Mine has clay in it, which I love. I found that after a few days it got super thick, so I had to add more water to it. But not too slimy yet! Maybe it’s the clay? Or maybe it’s just the soap I used (most of it was old castile soap).
Hmmmmm. Perhaps I shall try this again with added clay; I certainly have no shortage of soap scraps!
I really dug in with the immersion blender, also. It did froth up a tiny bit, and I was worried it would make it not foamy later, but when I scrub with it, it’s nothing but foamy latte goodness!
Ooooooooohhhhhhhh. Hmmmmmm. Perhaps I’ll do this right now and let it soak overnight haha.
I made a liquid soap following your method. My question, do I need to add preservative? Thanks!
Soap is self-preserving thanks to its high pH 🙂
Thanks Marie!
I recently read that high pH is not really good for hair (though I have been using a soap type “shampoo bar” for over a year with no big issues after my hair got used to it). Would it be better for hair to add citric acid to lower pH? do you have a formulation that includes it?
I’ve shared several mildly acidic syndet bars this year—check them out 🙂 You can’t make soap acid, sadly.
Hi Sarah, just wondering, what ratio of clay did you use so the soap wasn’t oily?
I love clay in my regular soap bars, but worry that it may be too drying on the hair, or perhaps a bit color-stripping for those that, ahem, color our hair? What are your thoughts on your addition of clay?
I included it because my hair loves it, as does my skin—neither of which are particularly oily, and I don’t find the addition of clay to be drying. It’s pretty heavily diluted in these shampoo bars, too. I can’t speak for colour stripping as I don’t colour my hair, sorry!
Wow does this ever smell wonderful! I may have overdone the pigment. Now I will need to wait a few weeks to test it to make sure it won’t bleed blue. What is a good proportion of pigment for a 500 gram recipe? I found a 1 tsp per pound of oil ratio for mica, so I did the same amount for the pigment, and boy was cleanup a practice in patience!
Whoaaaaa, 1 tsp/lb of oxide or ultramarine is sooooo much! I recently re-made this recipe and was working with 1/32–1/16tsp for the most pigmented layers, and less for the middle layers (the batch was about 1kg). I highly recommend slowly working up to the colour you want rather than adding a bunch all at once and hoping it works 🙂 I definitely made the same mistake in the early days—I once made a red soap that had so much pigment in it that some of my giftees thought they were bleeding in the shower when they used it
Can ghee be used instead of tallow or lard?
I haven’t tried it myself, but it should work as the ghee is also quite hardening; just be sure to re-calculate the recipe to get the appropriate amount of NaOH! 🙂
If I were to substitute some of the coconut oil with Monoi de Tahiti, do you think the scent would come through in the final bar? I’m really excited to try this shampoo bar!
I highly, highly doubt it—you’d just be making verrrrry expensive shampoo bars. If you want the monoi scent you’d be better off finding a fragrance oil with a similar scent and using that. I’d save monoi for your conditioner, where saponification won’t kick its butt 🙂
That’s what I figured, thanks for replying! The monoi conditioner is definitely on my list.
I actually ordered a bar of this from you to try before I attempted making it, and my whole family absolutely loves it!! Now for a newbie question… Can I substitute Lard for Tallow? I’ve never made soap. Thanks from me and my super clean mermaid hair!
I’m so glad! And yes, you can 🙂
I just wanted to tell you that I made this soap and it turned out perfect! I mean I didn’t have white kaolin clay so I used the brick color and my bar came out looking like some kind of brownish green and definitely NOT for a mermaid but more likely the creature from the black lagoon but…… put the way it looks aside and it is an amazing recipe. My husband a daily shampooed with short slightly oily hair swears by it (no dandruff anymore either) I have long wavy blonde on the dryish side hair and even though it takes a bit of time to work up a lather, it works great! I need a conditioner after but it’s more for tangles. Anyway, thank you,! I wrapped them up pretty and I will make this recipe again and again
Fantastic! I definitely got a laugh out of your “creature from the black lagoon” description, bwahahahahahah. Don’t forget the acidic rinse to pH correct 🙂 Thanks for reading & DIYing with me!
Hello Marie,
I have never made a shampoo bar, so what better place to start learning about that than Humblebeeandme.com? In reading all your recipes I noticed that this one for Mermaid Silk Shampoo bars is very much like a soap recipe but your recipe for Snowflake Shampoo bars is very different. And in your explanation of formulating the recipe you stress the reasons why. My question is, do you still like this recipe (Mermaid Silk) for use as a shampoo? I’ve had a few requests for shampoo bars and I’m fig uring out where to start.
Thank you!
I know the question was not for me, and I am anxious to hear the answer to your query but I just wanted to say, I have made the mermaid shampoo bars twice now and they are very creamy and lather very well. My husband used Head and Shoulders and would get “greasy” hair by the end of the day- he uses only the mermaid bars, and he loves them! I have long color treated blonde hair and I have to use conditioner after but my hair is really nice and it’s great to make your own this way! I would really like to try the other recipe too though.
Thank you!
I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe! 🙂
Hey! So, basically, the science on hair care does not support using high pH products (like soap, like this recipe) for cleansing. There’s no denying that. Give this great post a read to learn more. If you are intending to make something called shampoo bars for sale I would definitely recommend a syndet bar, like the snowflake shampoo bar—it is far more likely to be successful for far more people.
That said, many people, myself included, have used high pH products on the hair for years with perfectly lovely results. The science of hair doesn’t support that at all, but my hair does, oddly enough. My only issue with CP soap as shampoo was buildup, but the hard water in my area may have also contributed to that. I haven’t used CP soap as shampoo for close to two years now as I’ve been experimenting with syndet things, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference in my hair. I do seem to have very tolerant hair, though—I have heard from many readers who had absolutely no luck using CP soap/shampoo. Obviously this is all 100% anecdotal, but that has been my experience. I wouldn’t be sharing a recipe that fried my hair! I liken it a bit to that person we all seem to know who is weirdly fit despite never exercising or eating vegetables 😛
So, basically, syndet is the scientifically backed way, and that’s where I’d recommend starting. However, if you really want to use CP soap in your hair, proceed with caution (read the post I linked), and be aware that it is unlikely to work for everyone.
I hope that helps!
Hey Marie I love your recipes I have made several and they never disappoint I’m out to look for a shampoo bar that does leave the hair looking greasy the next morning. Any suggestions or a favorite of yours that has not left your hair looking stringy and greasy? The recipe i used was from Pinterest and it includes Chamomile infused water, olive oil 30%, coconut oil 30%, avocado oil 15%, shea butter 8%, almond oil 10% and castor oil 7%.
Any twicking you would do? Thank you and God Bless.
I find my hair to be incredibly tolerant of almost any kind of cleanser, so I’m not sure I’m the best person to advise here from personal experience. However, from what I know of the structure of the hair—if you’re struggling with high pH hair cleansers like cold processed soap, you are definitely not alone as the science is pretty firm on high pH cleansers not being ideal for hair. So, you might consider trying a slightly acidic hair cleanser like this, this, or this. Using something more biologically appropriate is likely to make your hair happier, and that may help with the fast onset greasies 🙂
Hello, I would love to try this soap bar recipe, can you tell me where I can purchase Tallow or lard from please .
Your local butcher! You can then render it yourself.
I would like to make this recipe, but am interested in using apple cider vinegar instead of water. Do you think this would be ok?
I really don’t recommend it. Remember that lye is very basic, and ACV is acidic. Acid + base = the potential for that baking soda/vinegar volcano from grade-school science classes. Additionally, the ACV will render a portion of the lye useless, leading to a significantly higher superfat in the finished bars, which may lead to them being too soft and/or spoiling. A small amount might be ok, but I definitely wouldn’t do a wholesale swap. Happy making!
Thank you for your reply. I’ve bought a shampoo bar with ACV in it and wasn’t sure how this was achieved.
It was probably just a small amount, and may’ve been added at trace? Or, if it’s not soap based, none of the concerns with lye factor in 🙂
Marie…do you know what the ph is on this soap? There have been so many discussions I’ve been reading that you shouldn’t use cold process soap on your hair because the ph is too high and will ruin your hair. The ph should be around 5. The higher it is, the cuticles aren’t smooth and your hair becomes snaggy, dry and awful!
Hey! The pH on this bar is DEFINITELY not going to be around 5. It’s probably around 9, and there’s no changing that.
The science on hair care does not support using high pH products (like soap, like this recipe) for cleansing. There’s no denying that. Give this great post a read to learn more. If one was intending to make something called a “shampoo bar” for sale I would definitely recommend a syndet bar, like my snowflake shampoo bar—it is far more likely to be successful for far more people.
That said, many people, myself included, have used high pH products on the hair for years with perfectly lovely results. The science of hair doesn’t support that at all, but my hair does, oddly enough. My only issue with CP soap as shampoo was buildup, but the hard water in my area may have also contributed to that. I haven’t used CP soap as shampoo for close to two years now as I’ve been experimenting with syndet things, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference in my hair. I do seem to have very tolerant hair, though—I have heard from many readers who had absolutely no luck using CP soap/shampoo. Obviously this is all 100% anecdotal, but that has been my experience. I wouldn’t be sharing a recipe that fried my hair! I liken my experience a bit to that person we all seem to know who is weirdly fit despite never exercising or eating vegetables 😛 (Side note: I would much rather be the fit doritos lady than the lady who can use soap in her hair, LOL!)
So, basically, syndet is the scientifically backed way, and that’s where I’d recommend starting. If you really want to use CP soap in your hair, proceed with caution (read the post I linked), and be aware that it is unlikely to work for everyone. My hair did not become snaggy, dry, and awful (I used exclusively CP soap to wash my hair for 5 years), but given the science I’m likely more of an outlier than an average case.
I hope that helps!
Hi Marie, I would like to say how much I love your work and your video’s. I hope I am not asking a question here that is covered in general information as I have looked over the past 2 days but have not found any relevant posts, comments or blogs. If I am repeating a previously covered question, I can only apologise. I am confused about surfactants in Shampoo’s, Face and Body cleansers. I understand basics about what surfactants do but I don’t know if its best to use surfactants and soap in a recipe or just surfactants. I have made these Mermaid Shampoo Bars and I am currently trailing them on my hair. I am used to surfactant based liquid shampoo’s so the shampoo bar is a completely new thing for me. Time will tell how well my hair tolerates soap instead of surfactant……its very temperamental. I would appreciate it very much if you could please either enlighten me or point me in the direction of a previous blog or post that could assist. Thank you in advance.
Aaaaaaand i’ve just found the information I was looking for, right after I posted my comment….. Many apologies for asking an already answered question.☺
No worries, and happy making!
Hi Marie,
I’ve made your recipes for soap, including this great one, as well as your surfactant-based shampoos and conditioners. Are you currently using more surfactant-based shampoos or are you still using these soap-based ones? Or do you switch back and forth, depending on the needs of your hair?
Hey Lori! I’ve been using exclusively surfactant powered shampoos/hair cleansers for about two years now, mostly because that’s what I’m making and testing these days, and hair products need quite a lot of time for testing! Higher pH hair cleaners always worked well for me, but the more I learn the more clear it is that they don’t work well for everyone—see some of the other comments in this thread for more information 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I love that they are eco-friendly and have more natural ingredients!
You’re so welcome! Happy making 🙂
Hi Marie, could I just melt the oils in the microwave? Thank you – these looks soooo beautiful I can’t wait to try!
Yup! Happy making 🙂
Hi Marie- Kinda new to the soap/shampoo bar world but looking forward to trying this recipe. In the ingredients list you don’t mention lye but I noticed in reading the text you “add lye water” to ingredients. I have read this over 15 times and I am missing something, could you please explain about the lye water and is this another step I need before making this recipe of lovely shampoo bars??
Hi Gaye! Welcome to soaping 🙂
This is the paragraph you need:
“Calculate to 5% superfat
Kick things off by calculating out your recipe (unsure about how to use SoapCalc? I made a video to walk you through it!) for the amount of soap you’re making to get the finite amounts of the fats, lye, and water. Ensure you’re familiar with standard soap making procedure before diving in.”
You have to plug the fat blend into SoapCalc “to get the finite amounts of the fats, lye, and water” 🙂
Happy making!
Hello Marie, it really look gorgeous and I would love to try it. I see lime present in most bar soap but I don’t see it in this. May I know if it is not necessary?
Hi Yoda; NaOH is absolutely required. You’ll get the precise amount when you follow the first step of the instructions—calculating the finished recipe 🙂