How to Make Cannabis Shampoo Bars and Soaps

cannabis shampoo and bars
We have all heard of the of the benefits of CBD when ingested, but did you know that adding CBD to your shampoo can provide amazing health benefits for your hair? We will have a look at how CBD can help strengthen and revitalize damaged hair and how making your own CBD shampoo can yield the best results.

Benefits of CBD Oil for Hair

CBD is rich in valuable essential fatty acids, proteins, and vitamins, that nourishes hair and restore its natural balance. Let’s looks at how CBD helps with some common hair issues and why you should be adding it to your shampoo.

Restores Dry and Damaged Hair

Dry and damaged hair is a common problem for a lot of people, whether it be from environmental factors, styling products or colouring. CBD contains 21 amino acids, that will help increase keratin production to strengthen your hair and reduce dryness.

CBD is also very rich in antioxidants like vitamin A, C and E, which help protect hair from harsh environmental free radicals.

Promotes Hair Growth

The fatty acids in CBD such as omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 lock in moisture and when absorbed into the scalp they help to stimulate hair growth .

Nourishes the Scalp

Having a dry, ithcy, flay scalp can be very irritating and often embarrassing . CBD is a nourishing treatment for your scalp, as the fatty acids moisturize your hair shaft. CBD can reduce inflammation on the scalp to help with dandruff, seborreic dermatitis, eczema and an itchy, flaky scalp .

Advantages of Making Your Own Cannabis Shampoo

You can simply add CBD oil to your normal shampoo to enjoy its benefits, but there are several good reasons for making your own hair care products, one of them is to avoid unwanted chemicals such as sulfates and parabens. Using only natural ingredients benefits people with sensitive skin and certain hair types.

Making your own shampoo gives you the freedom to experiment with different oils to suit your hair type and lets you decide the amount and type of CBD oil you would like to use to get the most benefits.

Homemade shampoo is cruelty free as you avoid using products which have been tested on animals and it is environmentally friendly by reducing plastic waste in the home. It is also generally more cost effective.

How to Make CBD Shampoo Bars

Making CBD shampoo bars is no more difficult than other homemade shampoo bars. The most basic ingredients you need are water (distilled is best), lye (sodium hydroxide), some type of animal or vegetable fat (such as coconut oil or olive oil), and then there is your choice of CBD oil.

CBD Oil

There are plenty of options when it comes to buying CBD oil and luckily it is legal in most regions. Another option is to make your own CBD oil, which is not that difficult, but most strains have high quantities of THC and not much CBD - you will need to find hemp flowers or specially bred high CBD strains.

You can experiment with different types of cannabis in a carrier oil. Although you can use any kind of carrier oil, it’s a good idea to start with coconut oil, as it is full of proteins and vitamins that can help to nourish dry and brittle hair.

Find out why cannabis-infused coconut oil is the ideal choice and how you can make it here.

Other Oils

This recipe uses olive oil and coconut oil but there are some other great oils that can be used for adding softness, body and shine to hair. You could some of the following oils:

Sweet Almond Oil

Avocado Oil

Macadamia Nut Oil

Castor Oil

Wheat Germ Oil

Grapeseed Oil

Rice Bran Oil

Cannabis Shampoo Bar Recipe (cold process)

Ingredients

⅔ cup olive oil

⅔ cup coconut oil

⅔ cup CBD oil

¾ cup cool distilled water

¼ cup lye (sodium hydroxide)

2 tablespoons additional CBD oil, optional

2 tablespoons essential oil, optional

Safety measures: Make sure to wear long sleeves, gloves and goggles. Take care when mixing the lye and water as the fumes can irritate - do this step in a well ventilated room. Always add lye to the water. DO NOT add water to lye as it will create a caustic eruption!

Step 1: Wear long sleeves, gloves and goggles. Melt any of the oils that are solid before measuring them. Mix all of the oils in a large glass or stainless steel bowl.

Step 2: Measure water in a heatproof container such as glass or stainless steal. In a well ventilated room, measure your lye and slowly start pouring the lye into the water - NEVER add the water to the lye! Stand back to avoid inhaling the fumes and keep stirring until the mixture is clear. Let the lye-water solution cool to around 125°F.

Step 3: Slowly pour the lye-water solution into the mixture of oils and stir well. After a few minutes of stirring by hand, use a stick blender to continue mixing. Blend until the mixture reaches “trace” - this is when the mixture has thickened enough that if you remove your stick blender you can trace lines on the top.

Step 4: At this point you can add a another 1-2 tablespoons of CBD oil to add more moisture in your shampoo bar, the oils won’t be used by the lye giving extra conditioning for your hair. You can also add optional essential oils at this stage. Stir well to combine.

Step 5: Pour the soap mixture into molds (silicone are the easiest to use) and let them set for 24 hours. Remove the soaps from the molds and place on a baking rack or parchment paper, leave in a dry place to cure for around 4 weeks. After a month your handmade shampoo bars will be ready to use!

Time to Try

These all natural cannabis shampoo bars are easy to make, and you will experience a healthier scalp, stronger hair, and some additional health benefits for your body and mind! So what are you waiting for? Give them a try..