Does shampoo powder exist?

[Anne10]

I don't mean dry shampoo for when you can't wash your hair. I'm looking for dehydrated shampoo powder to which you can add water and use like regular shampoo. I'm trying to find some for our trip but I can't find anything like that online, I just keep coming up with dry shampoo. Does it exist or are we going to have to dehydrate our own shampoo?

[Firefox7275]

Even if possible to dehydrate your own I would be concerned that would be very caustic - sulphates surfactants particularly are vicious in their concentrated form. I certainly wouldn't want to be pouring a powdered version into water and having it puff into my nose and eyes. Most of us use far more shampoo than we need, maybe just take a tiny bit of a potent shampoo and dilute it well before use.

[Ezusthold]

there are shampoo powders for sure, but don't think it's made by dehydrating liquid one:)
You can buy some Reetha (washing nut) based powder shampoos (eg from Khadi), what should be used on wet hair, or can buy various shampoo soaps aswell.

[DragonFlyPie]

Well, i found this one, but I've never personally used it :)

http://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Shampoo-Toiletry-Sheets-50-Count/dp/B001HDZT7I

Seems to have mixed reviews!

And then there's this homemade recipe:
http://voices.yahoo.com/basil-travel-shampoo-powder-10303829.html

Or you may wish to just go with some Shampoo bars. I usually take bar soap with me when I travel, and I just wrap the bars in paper towels & put in a ziplock bag. Even if the bar is wet & I need to get packing, I can dry it off a bit, wrap it up & tuck it away.

[Anne10]

Interesting ingredients: borax powder, baking soda, grated castile soap and basil (?). Has anyone tried this? It looks drying to me.

I saw those travel sheets but the reviews turned me off!

[Ayjay]

I know its a thing, Astronauts use it, but I've never seen it in person.

[Maktub]

I use pure shikakai powder + water to clean my hair, and love it !

[Anne10]

Would 100% Shikakai powder work? They sell it at Amazon, you're supposed to just mix it with water and use it as a shampoo. The reviews look good but has someone here tried it?

Oh, Maktub - you posted as I was posting, lol! What kind of hair do you have?

[Beborani]

Anne I wouldnt recommend shikakai and reetha for travel. These involve messing around with muddy paste and results wont be consistent until you learn how to use them. Even Indians who grew up with them wouldnt use it for travel.

[butterfly_dream]

There is a powdered version of SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) and SLSA (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate). The both are very harsh anionic surfactants and normally they are used for making shampoo bars (as some shampoo bars of Lush, for example). It’s possible to do this kind of shampoo bars also at home, but it’s not very easy. You will need a lot of other ingredients such as butters, corn starch, glycerol and so on.
Anyway, you can take a look at this site:
http://www.makingcosmetics.com/cart.html

[Beborani]

Why not just use 3oz travel packs of whatever brand you like? You can take several if that is a concern.

[Anne10]

We're both ultralight hikers. We can't really do mail drops on this kind of hike so we're looking for other ways to reduce pack weight.

[Blond On Blond]

We're both ultralight hikers. We can't really do mail drops on this kind of hike so we're looking for other ways to reduce pack weight.

I second the shampoo bars, they can double for body washing. Much more convenient than powder that would have to be mixed with water before use.

[Firefox7275]

We're both ultralight hikers. We can't really do mail drops on this kind of hike so we're looking for other ways to reduce pack weight.

What about soap nuts or soapwort extract? Completely natural so presumably biodegradable, would be a concentrated liquid AFAIK.

[Beborani]

Firefox, One of them is reetha--I dont know if it is available in liquid form but it is drying to use as is. You need to pre and post oil your hair, more work and stuff to carry during hiking trip.

[Anne10]

Blond On Blond - I read up on the shampoo bars a little. Is there one you recommend?