• Posted by Anonymous on August 25, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Hello, I’m Edwen.
    Do you know what book can teach me how to formulating “Natural” shampoo, using natural surfactant, how to thickening, how to use oil, and how to adjust ph?

    Thanks for help me

    gunther replied 5 years, 7 months ago 3 Members · 3 Replies
  • 3 Replies
  • belassi

    Member
    August 25, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    Yes, that’s easy to answer. There are no such books, for very good reasons.

  • em88

    Member
    August 27, 2018 at 8:12 am

    I don’t know about books, but you can find brochures to start from something. Also have a look at the Perry’s blog, you will find plenty good articles. 

  • gunther

    Member
    August 27, 2018 at 2:10 pm

    In short, there are no good, really natural surfactants.

    1. There are some saponins occuring in plants, they are truly natural since they exists in plants
    but they foam badly, and may be irritating.
    They have been used by native people to wash clothes.
    i.e. soapberry tree, California soaproot and the soapwort plants

    2. Saponifying vegetable oils with lye
    While oils are natural, the process is manmade so not truly natural.
    You can even get Potassium hydroxide from wood ashes, that some people perceive as more natural.
    The big problem is that such soaps need an alkaline pH to avoid reverting back to their free fatty acids.
    Their solubility in water is a big problem too
    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02645899

    3. BS “naturals”
    like glucosides
    even if made out of natural ingredients like glucose,
    in the manufacture process they often use harmful solvents that may remain in trace amounts in the final product.
    Glucosides are hard to thicken, and don’t clean or foam as well as synthetics.

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