Welcome to the Soap A GoGo journey, where innovation meets passion! Since 2019, we've been crafting exquisite shampoo bars, and our evolution is a tale of dedication and discovery.
A BIT OF BACKGROUND...
In the beginning, I embraced a formula from Ariane Arsenault, which helped me to become comfortable with common ingredients for making shampoo. In March 2020, amidst event cancellations and lockdown challenges, I seized the opportunity to delve further into cosmetic formulation, focusing on the artistry of hair care, with the intent of creating something truly unique.After a year and a half of relentless learning, testing, and reformulating, the Seven Seas shampoo bar emerged—a manifestation of my vision. This success inspired additional creations in the form of Coco Cabana and Sumatran Citrus, all sharing the same foundational process.
While these bars yielded great results, a common challenge arose—the laborious process of making the bars. Grinding ingredients into a powder, heating them over a double boiler, then letting them cool before they could be pressed was tedious and time-consuming.
During the summer of 2022, I stumbled upon a formula which eliminated the need for cumbersome steps. It created a shampoo “dough” that could be shaped or pressed right away, which resulted in a much more streamlined process and still created an exceptional shampoo bar – in this case, April Showers.
As this journey has continued, the speedier development process allows me to experiment and improve our products – from adjusting the formula to reduce drying time, to testing new scents, colors and natural additives.
THE NEW TEST BATCHES...
After a few months adjusting the new dough formulation process, I decided to start a testing program for the new shampoo bars. I invited a few select customers to receive free sample bars of new formulas and provided detailed feedback of their experience. I was looking for their reaction to different textures, colors, scents, and overall performance. The results proved very interesting!
The first bar (CC1042-240105-B) was essentially the existing base formula with added scent and color. The primary surfactant (cleaning agent) was Sodium Coco Sulfate (not to be confused with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a common irritant). It's derived from coconuts and is not only an excellent cleanser but is COSMOS and ECOCERT approved.
The second (240123-A) was a sulfate-free formulation and only used essential oils for scent. The main ingredient in this one was Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (pronounced sodium COCO-ill eye-seth-EYE-onate), which comes in two forms – needle (which is most readily available) and powdered – in this case, needle was used. The scent was a blend of Orange and Lemongrass essential oils based in Benzoin resin. 
The third bar in the tester series (CC1042-240212) included some very special ingredients like Calabrian Blue Clay, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, and Dead Sea Clay, to name a few. The primary surfactants were Sodium Coco Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate. The scent was a blend of Juniper and Lavender essential oils. During the making of these bars, a strange reaction occurred. When the liquids blended with the solids, I noticed a sudden scent of sulfur. The sulfur subsided over the next 24 hours but the juniper scent wasn't the same anymore. I'm looking into explanations of what might have happened and will make adjustments for any possible future batches.
The feedback from these shampoo bar testers has proved to be invaluable. The user's perspective on what they loved, liked, and didn't like will help us create a new line of haircare and transform our current shampoo bars to the new process.
