crafts – IT'S ALL IN MY HANDS

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My “No-SLES” Gentle Shampoo Experiment

Hello Hello! :D

I wanted something that felt sophisticated and gentle—a recipe that treats the scalp like skin rather than just “hair ground.” yeheee! :D
While I do not hate SLES at all and I find that they can be useful in many ways, at the same time I am trying something different because sometimes my scalp gets itchy by the aggressivness that a commercial SLES shampoo can carry. SLES shampoos are sometimes formulated poorly (maybe for keeping the costs low) and can therefore be too aggressive.

Here I have decided to experiment with a NON-SLES shampoo, simply to see what’s out there and what can be done differently.

The “Gentle” Strategy:

Instead of the usual SLES, I decided to play with a combination of Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate and Glucosides. Sarcosinate is such a dream—it’s derived from an amino acid and it gives a beautiful, creamy foam without being a “bully” to the hair cuticle.

The Formula for my Experiment:

Phase A:

Water to 100
Glycerin 3
Polyquaternium-10 – 0.3 (I included this because it helps with the “combability”—no one likes bird-nest hair! :P)

Phase B (The Cleansing Blend):

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate – 12
Cocamidopropyl Betaine – 8
Coco-Glucoside – 4
Lauryl Glucoside – 2 (This one is thick, so I had to be patient while mixing!)

Phase C:

Hydrolyzed Silk Proteins – 1 (For that “silk” touch I love!)
Panthenol – 0.5
Preservative (According to my lab’s setup)
Fragrance (I used a fresh, “Rain” scent—it feels so pure!)
Lactic Acid (To reach the “Golden pH” of 5.5)

Notes from my Beaker:

The Foam Surprise: I was actually worried that a No-SLES shampoo wouldn’t foam enough, but I was wrong! The Sarcosinate creates these tiny, dense bubbles that feel much more luxurious than the big, “air-filled” bubbles of cheap shampoos.
The pH is King: I was very careful to bring the pH down to 5.5. In my experience, this is the magic number for keeping the hair shiny and the scalp calm.
The Mixing Process: I mixed the surfactants together first before adding them to the water. I found that if I poured the water onto the surfactants, I ended up with way too many bubbles in the beaker. Slow and steady wins the race! :D
Scalp Feedback:

The most amazing thing happened when I checked the pH. I brought it down to 5.5 with Lactic Acid, and suddenly the texture became so beautiful and dense! I realized that you don’t need SLES to get a rich foam. The foam from the Sarcosinate is tiny and creamy—it feels like washing your hair with a cloud instead of a detergent.

I didn’t get any of that “squeaky” feeling that usually means the hair is dying for help. Instead, my scalp felt calm for the first time in weeks. It’s a huge win for me! However, to be fair, I don’t love the feeling in my hair, the wetting ability is not so good and so the search for the perfect shampoo is still open for me! Hope you enjoyed my experiments 😀