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Questions about coacervation, complexing, polymers and salt thickening
To anyone who takes time out of their day to help me, I really appreciate it.
I would like to formulate using the following ingredients:
Confirmed: Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (<3%), D-Panthenol (1.5%)Exploring: Caprylic Acid (for refatting, if that’s even possible), Magnesium Chloride
The goal of this, is to develop a shampoo that achieves a syrupy consistency with optimal lather, foaming capacity and without drying hair out too much. Additionally, I will be delivering multiple water soluble active ingredients not listed.
Magnesium Chloride has yet to have a salt thickening effect for me at any capacity. I’m wondering if this is because it’s a divalent salt. I have selected it due to it also delivering magnesium. Alternatively, I’m wondering if salt thickening is only applicable with high % formulations, like in most instances of SLS, and if it failed due to my usage of <3%. One idea someone mentioned, is that the addition of a amphoteric surfactant with both anionic and cationic properties, to both enhance the foam, and bring an oil such as caprylic acid into colloidal suspension, but I’m wondering if coacervation could actually be achieved like that.
The combination of Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSa), and Sodium Lauroamphoacetate formed solids that fell out of solution, and it seems to have poor quality control, so I’ve opted to not use it. I am not interested in Cocamidopropyl Betaine. Are there any other zwitterionic surfactants with a good reputation, that might work? Or very weak cationic surfactants that blend well with anionic surfactants like cocamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride?
Another lingering question, is how do cellulose-based polymers like Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), and Carboxylmethylcellulose Sodium (CMC) compute in this equation? Do their charges bear any significance (HEC is non-ionic, and CMC is anionic). From both I note a deteriorating foam capacity as I increase the concentration relative to the SLSa. I notice from HEC, that my hair feels less clean and takes longer to dry, whereas with CMC, it feels more stripped. 1.3% seems to be the threshold at which an optimal texture is achieved for both, which is why I wanted to reduce their concentration and hence the salt thickening experiments (if I were to opt for CMC). Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose also seemed to dissipate foam, and was more difficult to clean out of hair. HEC seemed to have minor benefits to foam.
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