No-Drandruff Shampoo DIY

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Hello there!
I am back, finally, with a brand new recipe of a No-Dandruff Shampoo! 🙂
I wanted to try a new – to me, that is – ingredient: the SCLEROTIUM GUM! 🙂
I lowered the SLES to 23% because I needed a milder shampoo, but if you suffer of dandruff I think you should rise the SLES to 30% as we normally use it 🙂

No-dandruff Shampoo 8

That said, here a little explanation about the ingredients of this shampoo.
The ingredients which make this shampoo a “no-dandruff” one are two: Piroctone Olamine and Salicylic Acid.

1) Piroctone Olamine – it is a local antiseptic which works against a wide spectrum of bacteria and fungus. It is commonly used in shampoos against dandruff and in Europe it is allowed in “rinse off” cosmetics at the maximum concentration of 1%.
It doesn’t melt easily in water nor in oil but it melts well in alcohol or in water + surfactants solutions.
In this shampoo it is used at 0.5% because it is not the only active ingredient, in fact, it is used together with:
2) Salicylic Acid – Salicylic Acid is NOT fresh water, since it is, in fact, an acid. I used gloves and goggles, I covered my skin as much as possible (long sleeves) and followed all the possible GMPs. It IS dangerous if a drop of it goes into your eyes, so: better to look funny with lab goggles, than to be sorry and blind later!
Well, as I was saying 😀 Salicylic Acid and Piroctone Olamine work well together 🙂 they help to keep the scalp clean, calm and not itchy 🙂

There is also a third ingredient which is added not much for its effectiveness but more for an accessory effect: the cool effect!
I am talking about Menthol 🙂

Finally to the FORMULA! 😀

Phase A:
Water to 100 – you find what it means HERE 
Glycerin 2
Sclerotium Gum 0.5 (this is my new friend! 🙂 I had never tried this ingredient before. I had to warm the water before, pour it on top of the water and mix it with the immersion mixer separately)

Phase B: 
SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) 23
Sodium Cocamphodiacetate 5
Coco Glucoside & Gliceryl Oleate 1
Polyquaternium 7 – 1
Preserving system – 1 

Phase C:
Menthol 0.4
Piroctone Olamine 0.5
Salicylic Acid 0.5
Vodka 3 (or Edible 100% alcohol 1 – I didn’t have Alcohol at the time so I had to use what I had at hand: Vodka! However, since the alcohol in vodka is only around 40% it is clearly less efficient as a solvent and I have made this recipe again a couple of times always using alcohol and of course it was much easier)

Cocamidopropyl Betaine 8

Now HOW TO proceed:

1) I wore goggles and gloves to protect yourself 🙂

2) I measured the Phase C in a third little becher – I use a glass :). The alcohol melted the other three ingredients. Set aside (It took a while to melt, at least 15 minutes, and I had to stir every now and then, this is why I have done this as the first thing).
No-dandruff Shampoo 2
Here is the very beginning: I measured the dry ingredients and added a little amount of vodka to start mixing 🙂
No-dandruff Shampoo 3
Here I had added Menthol as well (you can see it on the tip of the spoon)

3) I measured the water and the Glycerin (Phase A). Warmed up and poured the Sclerotium Gum on top of the water. Mixed with a stick blender until smooth. Set aside.
No-dandruff Shampoo 1
As you can see it was not very transparent as soon as you mix it, but it will be later, in a few days time! 🙂
Sclerotium gum made a very beautiful transparent gel, later on 🙂
I have to say, though, that it tends to not let go bubbles and since I had incorporated some bubbles when I created the gel, they kinda got stuck in there.

4) I measured the Phase B in a second becher, warmed up just a little and mixed with a spatula.

5) I poured the Phase A into the Phase B little at a time. Mixed with a spatula in the beginning, then mixed with a stick blender (it became more smooth and homogeneous).
No-dandruff Shampoo 5

6) Phase C: I added the Phase C and mixed

7) At the very last moment I added the Cocamidopropyl Betaine.

8) Checked the pH: it needs to be above 5.5 pH, so I adjusted it a little

And TADAAAA 😀
Here I had added also a drop of food red colorant and few drops of my favorite fragrance oil 🙂
No-dandruff Shampoo 6

I have liked this shampoo a lot! 🙂
So far I have used it for approximately 2 months and it feels great (too bad it is almost finished >< ), the menthol feels just a little cooling, and it is great! 🙂 Maybe not a shampoo for freezing winter mornings, but a must for hot days! 😀

26 thoughts on “No-Drandruff Shampoo DIY”

      1. Hello Suny 🙂
        Where do you live?
        There are really MANY websites that sell around the world 🙂
        I also made a post with a list of online shops around the world 🙂

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    1. No no here the preservative is another one 🙂
      The alcohol here is used in order to “melt” salicylic acid, piroctone olamine and menthol! 🙂
      These are ingredients that are difficult to melt in other ways, so alcohol helps 🙂
      I have just remade a batch of this recipe 🙂

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  5. Hi I need your answer, I have formulated my shampoo with SLES,SLS,CAPB,EDTA,CMEA SODIUM CITEATE, and ph balanced with citric PRESERVATIVE,FRAGRANCE, CENTRIMONIM CHLORIDE, and the pH is 7, after usage of one month,Hair fall and dandroof in my head What is missing in my recipe.

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    1. It might be that it is not your shampoo causing the fall or the dandruff (I am not a doctor)… but talking about the recipe: you haven’t written your concentration so I will tell you what I can from the info you have given me.
      Are Cetrimonium Chloride and those anionic surfactants compatible? I have never used it mixed with anionic surfactants before and I don’t know how it would behave. I know Cetrimonium Chloride can be aggressive on its own so check the concentration (and the compatibility!).

      What is the surfactant concentration of your formula? Could it be too high and therefore dry for your scalp?
      Why would you leave a pH 7?

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  6. Thanks for your reply following are my formulation.
    1,SLES – 11 % PRIMERY SURFACTANT
    2,SLS – 4.9 % SECONDARY SURF
    3,CAPB – 8 % THIRD SURF
    4,PROP.GLYCOL – 2% HUMACTANT
    5,GLYCERIN -1% MOISTURISATION
    6,SODIUM CITRATE – 2% CHELATENT
    7,EDTA (DI) – .5% SEQUESTING AGENT
    8,iSO PROPYL MYRISTATE – .5% AVOID GREASYNESS
    9,CENTRI CHLORIDE -2% – CONDITIONING
    10,DOW CONDITINER – .5 %
    11, COCOMONO E.A. -1% FOAM STABILIZATION
    12, FRAGRANCE-0.70%
    After a long time i got this formulation to get thick gelly like shampoo. I saw an article that shampoo should not Deavoid all sebum. if removed completely dry scalp is the result so flakes and itching etc happening. Is their any best ingredient to suggest me like cetyl,caster oil etc to maintain sebum level. and which is the best pH value to maintain hair. Again thanks for your reply.

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    1. I haven’t used some of these ingredients myself but this is what I thought:
      Propylene glycol looks unnecessary here. It is in a sense a humectant but it works in a way that I personally not like and it might ruin the binding of the skin cells making it easier for aggressive surfactants to come through and do a little damage.
      I don’t think of huge damage here, but a little dandruff maybe yes.
      Your surfactants were all liquid, right? Or did you use powders?
      I would avoid even isopropyl myristate if this is a shampoo for yourself and not for commercialization.
      Cetrimonium chloride again is what makes me thoughtful. I don’t see its use in a shampoo. Yes it is a conditioning agent but are you sure it is compatible here? Why don’t you add other compatible conditioning substances like quat 80, polyquat 7 or 10 for example? 🙂

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  7. For makin the shampoo milder you could add a very small amount of oil like 1% BUT my personal rule is that if I want a milder detergent I make it milder by using different surfactants or simply lowering them rather than using up their washing abilities to solubilize my 1% oil. This is just my preference

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  8. Yes thanks for you support. Another one question, Is their any simple method to find out the product is Moisturising,conditioning and safe to skin.

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  9. Is the salicylic acid in this shampoo dangerous if it gets in your eyes while shampooing? You made such a serious point to wear gloves and googled when handling it so I’m concerned about safety in shampooing

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    1. The danger, as with anything, is in the quantity. Handling an acid in pure form without gloves is dangerous, handling something that has a small percentage of an acid is not that dangerous.
      Surely it is not a good thing if it gets in the eyes, but nevertheless also all the other ingredients of all shampoos in the world are not a good thing to get in the eyes! 🙂 So, if it happens, just be sure to rinse very well and if stinging lasts too long visit a doctor, but this is true for any substance really 🙂

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  10. hi, for Phase B can I omit Sodium Cocamphodiacetate ,Coco Glucoside & Gliceryl Oleate ,Polyquaternium. Just adding Cocamidopropyl Betaine to milder the SLES?

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      1. Thanks for your reply. If i only have sles 70% and coco betaine. What is the % should i use for these 2? Do i need to dilute sles first?

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      2. I wrote a post about formulating with surfactants where all the calculations are explained 🙂 you will need to remake the calculations. No need to dilute SLES separately 🙂

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      4. Hi. Just made mine today with whatever ingredients i have on hand.
        A
        Water to 100
        Glycerin 2
        Xanthan gun 0.2

        B
        SLES 22
        polyquat7 1

        C
        Menthol 0.4
        Salycilic acid 0.5
        Alcohol just a little to dilute SA
        Cocamidopropyl Betaine 10
        Germall plus
        Spearmint and lemon e.o

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  11. How are you doing today?
    I have sodium cocoyl isethionate and cocobetaine, can i use both alone? If yes, please what percentage will u advice? I checked your formulatory but i didnt see any information on sodium cocyl isethionate.

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