Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating What is missing from this shampoo

  • What is missing from this shampoo

    Posted by abdullah on February 11, 2020 at 4:40 am

    What is wrong or missing from this Shampoo formula? 
    Problems are
    1. After shampooing or during the massage of Shampoo in hair it is very sticky.
    2. combing is also difficult after Shampooing.
    3. After using for some time the scalp starts itching very fast even one day after washing. 

    The formula is as follow

    Decyl glucoside active %15
    Caprylyl/capryl glucoside active %5 
    GMS %2 
    Glycerin %5
    Xanthan gum %0.5
    Cationic guar gum %0.1
    Benzyl alcohol and DHA %0.8 
    Sodium phytate %0.2 
    EO sweet orange %0.5
    Citric acid to adjust pH to 5
    Water to %100 

    Do we need to add change or subtract an ingredient to improve the felling?

    Cosmetics1010 replied 4 years ago 7 Members · 10 Replies
  • 10 Replies
  • belassi

    Member
    February 11, 2020 at 7:57 pm

    Terrible choice of surfactants.

  • oldperry

    Member
    February 11, 2020 at 8:25 pm

    If you want a proper shampoo get some Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Then some Cocamidopropyl Betaine. That will be a proper shampoo. This one…it’s just a mess.

  • belassi

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 2:16 am

    As Perry said. If you don’t know what you’re doing then begin with a tried and tested method. There are many ways to make a good shampoo, but your formula isn’t one of them.

  • abdullah

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 3:50 am

    @Belassi, @Perry thanks. 
    Is the surfactant the only problem or there is anything else too? 

    What is the problem with this surfactant? Is it harsh, iterating, not able to clean well or something else? 

    Will changing the quantity do any benefit? 

    We have 1 ton of it in stock, we purchased it thinking it is the mildest surfactant according to comparations in Internet and powerfull enough to be used as primary surfactant. 

  • Agate

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 8:53 am
    I’m in no way an expert like Perry or Belassi, but I’ve had similar issues with Decyl Glucoside as a primary surfactant: itchy, dry scalp, tangled hair.
    From my research it seems that if you’re trying to formulate for a customer who wants a “natural” shampoo (which I’m assuming from your formula) you could use Sodium Coco Sulfate, which still contains some Sodium Lauryl Sulfate but looks better on the label if that matters to you. It seems to be commonly mixed with Coco Glucoside, though I imagine it should be possible to make a reasonable blend with Decyl Glucoside.
  • belassi

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    If this were my problem I would have to begin by experimenting to see what I could use. My initial thought is that your formula has no CAPB in it and that is a cheap surfactant used by most manufacturers so why not. So I’d replace at least half the decyl glucoside by an equivalent active % of CAPB and see how that compares, as a first step.
    By ‘GMS’ do you mean glyceryl monostearate? What’s that for?
    is DHA dehydro acetic acid? I don’t like the idea of that in a shampoo.
    5% glycerin is way too much.

  • ozgirl

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 9:12 pm
    Xanthan Gum can also feel sticky so you might want to try a different thickener.
  • gunther

    Member
    February 12, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    - Try different surfactants as previously stated.
    - Add silicones, most preferably quaternized silicones.
    - Add a quaternary compound to aid in silicone deposition. Polyquaternium-10 works great and it has scientific studies to backup its silicone deposition efficiency. 
    Cationic guar gum might do the same, but you’ll need to Google studies to see if it does.
    - Drop the glycerin, GMS, DHA and Sodium phytate.
    - Add a solubilizer for Essential Oil, or better yet, switch to a synthetic fragrance.

  • abdullah

    Member
    February 17, 2020 at 5:42 am

    Thank you all 
    @Agate yes that is one reason but people here assume anything that ends with sulfate the same. Any other suggestion? 
    What about coco glucoside instead of decyl glucoside? Does it have the same effect?

    @Belassi i used CAPB but no benefit, even less foam and cleaning power.
    GMS, yes glyceryl mono stearate, i added it assuming it will reduce the dryness but it only reduced the foam.
    Benzyl alcohol and dehydro acetic acid(geogard 221) preservative mix.
    I only add glycerin to dissolve xanthan gum in it before adding it to water.

    @ozgirl that would be a good point.
    What thickeners do you recommend?
    I have tried working with guar gum, cationic guar gum and Hydroxyethylcellulose but they didn’t thicken the water alone, may be they work different than xanthan gum and i don’t know. 
    I have cetearyl alcohol too but haven’t tried it in shampoo.

    @Gunther any alternative to silicone?
    A book mentioned that cationics reduce the wet combability of hair for APGs as in the photo. 
    Does sodium phytate have any effect to be reduced?

    Would adding glyceryl oleate, panthenol or protein reduce dryness?
    Do these have any effect on foam?

  • Cosmetics1010

    Member
    March 1, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    Perry said:

    If you want a proper shampoo get some Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Then some Cocamidopropyl Betaine. That will be a proper shampoo. This one…it’s just a mess.

    Agreed

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