Hair pomade softener

natzam44

Hello!

I have been working on a homemade pomade for about 2 and a half months now and I am very happy with it. The only problem is that when I go to scoop some pomade out of the tin, it is rock hard. Are there any ingredients out there that I could use to make it easier to remove from the tin? Maybe if I add hydrogenated castor oil?

Also, is there a way to keep the shine while making it less greasy? If not that is not the end of the world, that was just a side question.

Keep in mind I am an amateur (I am only a teenager), I don't know all that much about cosmetic chemistry (except what I have learned from this site) and I don't have any lab equipment (I am working in my kitchen with a double boiler).

Ingredients:
Beeswax
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Shea butter
Vegetable Glycerin
Peppermint essential oil

Thanks,
Nathaniel

Belassi

Olive oil is a bad idea in any hair product because malessezia just loves it.

ozgirl

Generally to make a product like this softer you need to increase your liquid ingredients and reduce your solid ingredients. What percentages of each ingredient are you using?

What is the purpose of the glycerin? It is unlikely to stay combined with your oils and waxes.

Here is a good starting formulation for a pomade
http://www.personalcaremagazine.com/formulation-details/2239/natural-hair-pomade?companyid=1259

You will need to try different oils/ butters to work out the best shine/greasiness characteristics for your pomade. 

natzam44

@ozgirl Thanks a lot! I will try out this formula.

natzam44

@Belassi Thanks for the advice, I will remove olive oil from any future product.

Bobzchemist

Since you're only a teenager, I'm going to suggest that you talk to a science teacher to give you more guidance on this, but you basically want to change the percentage of beeswax in your formula until you get a consistency you like, and change the percentage of liquid oil to compensate

It would make a great science project - maybe you can get credit for it at school.

If you can get access to jojoba oil, that should make it less greasy. Pretty much any food oil won't help.