Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Skin Harry’s shaving cream

  • Harry’s shaving cream

    Posted by belassi on December 24, 2018 at 9:48 pm

    I tried that formula in Cosmeticology. It worked well, except that when I tried it on my hands it dried my skin quite badly.
    I am thinking of adding some water-dispersible silicone to it. Other ideas?

    david08848 replied 4 years, 11 months ago 5 Members · 10 Replies
  • 10 Replies
  • gunther

    Member
    December 25, 2018 at 1:32 am

    What’s the formula like?

  • belassi

    Member
    December 25, 2018 at 6:34 am

    It’s KOH and NaOH saponifying stearic  acid and coconut and palm oil. 10 percent glycerin added. 

  • belassi

    Member
    December 26, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    I added 3% avocado oil and 2% Silsense DW-15 and it came out really well. Did an half and half test against Gillette. Pretty much as good. A bit thicker.

  • das

    Member
    December 26, 2018 at 11:46 pm

    TEA?

  • belassi

    Member
    December 27, 2018 at 5:01 am

    No, it’s mainly KOH, it’s the recipe that David noted from Harry’s Cosmeticology 7th Ed. very recently. It’s just mainly stearic acid, and some coconut and palm kernel oil. I didn’t have palm kernel oil so I subbed palm oil and adjusted the quantity accordingly.
    It was too drying — from my calcs it looks as if the formula is for 0% superfat.
    So I added 3% avocado oil and 2% Silsense DW-15 (a silicone ester) and it’s now pretty good.
    This is just for fun you understand, I have no intention of marketing a shaving cream.
    If you are particularly interested in the final formula I’ll post it for you.

  • david08848

    Member
    January 3, 2019 at 2:28 am

    KOH is typically at 90% so there would be a “built in” superfat for that if the 90% doesn’t happen to be calculated into your formula… just sayin’…

  • belassi

    Member
    January 3, 2019 at 5:27 am

    I calculated the formula in Harry’s and it seems to be 0% superfat. The formula is not bad but the 10% glycerin is too high. I added 3% avocado oil and 2% Silsense DW15. It is not bad but not as good as Gillette.

  • david08848

    Member
    April 6, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Belassi said:

    I calculated the formula in Harry’s and it seems to be 0% superfat. The formula is not bad but the 10% glycerin is too high. I added 3% avocado oil and 2% Silsense DW15. It is not bad but not as good as Gillette.

    Interesting, Belassi!  I just calculated the same Harry’s formulation and found it had an almost 3/1 ratio for the KOH/NaOH and it came out to 10% superfat!  What ratio did you use?

  • Dirtnap1

    Member
    April 8, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    I’d love to see the formula. Would like to try my hand at one of these for some family members (I don’t shave). Coconut oil can be drying with its Lauric acid content, especially depends on the skin type you have. I personally have very oily skin. 
    I’m not an oil expert, or expert by any means, but if you can find one with high lipid content you will be good I assume. 

  • david08848

    Member
    April 13, 2019 at 12:12 am

    I posted this formula from Harry’s Cosmeticology 7th Version before without the procedures on the bottom which I now realize are important to follow in this type of formula!  This formula has been included in several books and online and none of those include this part! 

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