DIY Tallow Shampoo Bar (that actually works!)

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Are you in search of a natural shampoo that actually leaves your hair feeling clean, shiny, and smooth? After years of dealing with that exact scenario, I began making this tallow shampoo bar and it has been the perfect solution. With just a handful of ingredients, I’ll walk you through how you can make them yourself!

My Shampoo Story

It’s no secret that we are big fans of using tallow on our skin around here. Tallow balm, tallow-based sunscreen, and magnesium lotion are just a few of the ways. But when it came to shampoo, I was more skeptical.

For years, I had tried a wide array of natural shampoo options. From no poo, to baking soda and apple cider vinegar, to several expensive natural shampoo brands, my hair was never left feeling like the clean and shiny, smooth that I was going for.

A friend suggested that I try using a shampoo bar and bought me a Lush shampoo bar. Upon first use, I knew this was different than anything I had tried before (in a good way)! After using that shampoo bar for a month or so, I began wondering how I could make something similar myself. 

That’s when I stumbled upon this recipe for tallow shampoo bars and gave them a go. After making a few tweaks to the recipe, it’s been four years and we still love and solely use these shampoo bars.

How to Make Tallow Shampoo Bars

While making shampoo bars, or any soap for that matter, may sound intimidating, the process is really quite simple with the right tools, ingredients, and following a few important safety procedures.

If you are getting started with soap making, there are a few necessary start up costs, like lye and a soap mold. But once you stock up on the needed ingredients and equipment, we’ve found they quickly pay for themselves in the amount of soap that can be made!

Ingredients Needed:

Olive Oil

Anytime you are purchasing olive oil, it’s important to find a high-quality olive oil. We have a friend from Greece that has her own business selling olive oil from her family’s olive orchards. Her number one tip when buying olive oil is to look on the label and only buy olive oil that says it is from one country. Often, the label will list a few different countries, which she says is a red flag for potential adulteration or a less quality product.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is helpful to give these bars lots of lather that you want in a shampoo. We buy ours from Costco.

Tallow

Tallow is rendered beef fat (suet). High-quality, grass-fed tallow is ideal for maximum nutrients. We purchase our tallow from local farms or butchers. If you don’t know of a local farm in your area, check localharvest.org to find a farmer nearby. Sometimes you can find already rendered tallow. If not, purchase suet (beef fat) to render down to tallow yourself. The process is simple—it just takes some time. We follow this wet method for rendering to eliminate any beefy smell.

Castor Oil

Castor oil is high in ricinoleic acid and much anecdotal evidence sings the praises of using castor oil on hair. Look for castor oil in a dark glass jar for avoiding rancidity. We purchase this organic castor oil for making these shampoo bars. 

Lye

Soap is made by combining oils together into a hard bar. This process is called saponification, which requires and alkaline agent in order for the chemical reaction to take place. This is where lye comes in. Lye is used to saponify the oils to creating a firm bar of soap. We use this lye.

Essential Oils (optional)

There are a few specific essential oils that are known for being beneficial for hair. You can use whatever blend that you’d like. We typically use peppermint essential oil. Our favorite place to purchase quality essential oils is Plant Therapy.

Equipment Needed:

Scale
Safety Goggles
Safety Gloves
Immersion blender (blender or food processor could work too)
Soap Mold
Soap Cutter

Tallow Shampoo Bar Recipe

Yield: 8 bars

Ingredients:

10 oz Olive Oil
10 oz Coconut Oil
10 oz Tallow
6 oz Castor Oil
13.7 oz water
5.1 oz lye
1 tbsp Essential oils (optional)

Directions:

1. Measure out all 4 of your oils and place in a medium saucepan.

2. Melt olive oil, coconut oil, tallow, and castor oil over med-low heat until melted.

3. While the oils are melting, measure out water in a food grade plastic bucket or stainless-steel bowl (avoid glass because the heat produced in the lye reaction could cause cracks in the glass).

4. Measure out lye.

5. Once the oils are melted, allow to cool to 100°F. We like to put the saucepan in the fridge to speed this up.

6. While the oils are cooling mix lye solution. We always do this outside while wearing protective goggles and gloves. Slowly pour the lye into the water (never the water into the lye). Stir continuously with a stainless-steel spoon (not wooden). 

7. After the water/lye solution is gently but completely mixed, set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

8. Slowly pour the lye solution into the oils and blend with an immersion blender until a vanilla pudding consistency is formed. Don’t over blend.

9. Add in essential oils and briefly mix in.

10. Pour into soap mold. You can cover with wax paper and flat object on top if desired overnight.

11. 24 hours later, remove soap from the mold and slice into 8 bars. We do this by cutting in half, then cutting the halves into quarters, and finally into eighths. Set on a cookie rack with a towel over it for 4 weeks to cure before using. This will allow the soap to harden and be firm enough to use.

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Tallow Shampoo Bar Frequently Asking Questions:

How do shampoo bars work? 

Shampoo bars are essentially soap bars with specific formulas designed to benefit and clean hair. Once wet, they are activated and will create a lather to clean your hair and scalp. Only a few swipes of the shampoo bar are needed.

Is there a lather? 

Yes! This is one of my favorite parts about these shampoo bars. As opposed to many other natural options that do not produce a lather, these do and feel luxurious.

Can I go from using standard shampoo to these shampoo bars? 

Commercial hair products use synthetic chemicals to help give hair its shine. However, over time these synthetic ingredients can build up on hair keeping hair from being able to absorb moisture and turning it dry and brittle. Before making the switch from a commercial shampoo to this tallow shampoo bar, a hair detox may be in order.

What about conditioner? 

Honestly, we’ve found that this tallow shampoo bar works great as both a shampoo and conditioner. However, I’ve talked to others who use this shampoo bar alongside an apple cider vinegar rinse or a homemade dry conditioner.

Can you use these shampoo bars for other things? 

Yes! Because this shampoo bar is essentially a concentrated soap, it makes a great body soap as well. I’m also experimenting with using it as a dish soap bar for a zero-waste dishwashing option.

Who are shampoo bars for?

These shampoo bars can really be a one-stop-shop for the whole family! Since we’ve started making them, Jim and our kids have started using them for shampoo and body wash.

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What’s been your experience with natural shampoo options? Have you tried shampoo bars? We’d love hear what your experience has been! Let us know in the comments below.