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Clarity issue HPMC, Decyl glucoside and/or Cocamide DEA
Has anyone experienced cloudiness when using these ingredients?
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10 Replies
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Decyl glucoside yes. No idea what HPMC might be.
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Hydroxypropylmethylcellusose HPMC yes in a shampoo base
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I am making a shower gel and this is my 32nd formula, yes it is driving me a little wonky! Eliminated Cocamide DEA, and managed to get a clear product in the end with the Decyl glucoside and HPMC.
Thank you Belassi and Dr Bob for your input. Helpful to know it is not just me! -
correct typo above should be hydroxypropylmethylcellulose
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Presumably the HPMC is a solid. To use solid thickeners such as PEG-150 distearate in a shower gel and get a clear product is is important to raise the entire batch to a temperature above the melting point of the thickener and stir until it is completely dissolved. On cool down the batch should remain clear. Dissolving thickener in hot surfactant and then mixing room temp other components in, will result in cloud formation.
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The HPMC is a solid that has to be heated first to disperse/wet it in water but goes into solution when you shock the dispersion in an ice bath while cooling down (see Dow bulletin on Methocel).Usually best to make a 3% stock solution and preserve it if held longer than a day:liquid is easier to work with.
PEG 150 DS will go in hot particularly with surfactants upon heating to 70C.
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I use Methocel 40-202 and it is a foam modifier, I just add it in the beginning in my cold process shampoos. Clarity indeed has to be optimized with the right selection of the surfactants.
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Methocel (HPMC) is a good choice as it stabilizes foam at the bubble/liquid interface thereby eliminating coalescence and promotes non-newtonian rheology is pseudoplasticity for easy spreading.PEG 150 if overused causes dilatant rheology (balling up or the reverse of pseudoplasticity ie does not spread well on skin/hair.
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Depending on the HPMC type you use, varies the temperature you need to heat the solution/water. Usually I go for a 70-80oC. If you have jelly things floating in the solution than it is undissolved HPMC
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Thank you everyone for your comments, I love this community!
I have had great luck with glycerin/HPMC slurry added to heated water then cooled and added to end of formula, no more cloud formation.
chemist77, will look into Methocel 40 series for production as it does not require heating.
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