Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Adjusting pH of conditioner.

  • Adjusting pH of conditioner.

    Posted by Nicky on July 29, 2022 at 12:19 pm

    Hi there. I made a hibiscus deep conditioner and the final pH is quite low so I tried to increase the pH with 40% sodium hydroxide solution but the Conditioner turned green and became grainy. Why is that and how can I increase the pH? Thank you.

    pharma replied 1 year, 7 months ago 5 Members · 13 Replies
  • 13 Replies
  • abdullah

    Member
    July 29, 2022 at 12:22 pm

    Whqt are the ingredients?

    What was the pH before & after?

  • abdullah

    Member
    July 29, 2022 at 12:23 pm

    40% sodium hydroxide is very strong. I make 10% of it and even that increases pH a lot very fast.

  • Nicky

    Member
    July 29, 2022 at 1:01 pm

    Abdullah said:

    40% sodium hydroxide is very strong. I make 10% of it and even that increases pH a lot very fast.

    Thank you I’ll try that. Also lye and sodium hydroxide is the same thing right? Cause that’s what I used 

  • ketchito

    Member
    July 29, 2022 at 2:01 pm

    @Nicky Even though commercial lye has some sodium hydroxide as stabilizer, they are not the same. You might have experienced some oxidative process, and that’s why you’re seeing a rapid change of color and destabilization. Use a pure solution of sodium hydroxide instead (water + sodium hydroxide), wether at 50% or more diluted. And ALWAYS read the technical information of your ingredients upfront.

  • Nicky

    Member
    July 31, 2022 at 2:58 pm

    No matter how much I increase the pH the colour of the conditioner gets lighter. Can I add the sodium hydroxide solution during the water phase? I noticed the hibiscus tea doesn’t change colour like the final product.

  • Nicky

    Member
    July 31, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    @ketchito Thank you 

  • lexi_dclabs

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 4:18 am

    Hi there!

    May I ask what the final pH is? Also, how are you infusing the hibiscus? Posting the formula would give us a bird’s-eye view so we could further assess the situation. Did you add a chelating agent? High electrolyte content can cause oxidation when there are incompatibilities.

  • Nicky

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 5:51 am

    Hi there!

    May I ask what the final pH is? Also, how are you infusing the hibiscus? Posting the formula would give us a bird’s-eye view so we could further assess the situation. Did you add a chelating agent? High electrolyte content can cause oxidation when there are incompatibilities.

    Hibiscus infused water 68%
    Aloe Vera juice 3%
    Glycerine 3%
    Hydrolysed wheat protein 3%
    Avocado oil 4%
    Olive oil 4%
    Grapeseed oil 4%
    BTMS-25 6%
    Cetearyl alcohol 3%
    Vitamin E oil 1%
    Euxyl PE 9010 1%
    Essential oil 1%

  • Nicky

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 5:52 am

    The pH was around 3

  • lexi_dclabs

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 1:02 pm

    Hi again. For a deep conditioner, you are using too much oil. Reduce it to a total of about 3%. You will need a chelating agent due to the amount of botanicals you are using it you want to go that route. If you prefer a “natural” option, you can use sodium phytate. If not, disodium EDTA. I would advise against grapeseed oil as it known to oxidize relatively quicker than the other oils you are using.

    Sodium Phytate: https://lotioncrafter.com/products/sodium-phytate?_pos=1&_sid=910248776&_ss=r

    Disodium EDTA: https://lotioncrafter.com/products/disodium-edta?_pos=1&_sid=e948e3cbc&_ss=r&variant=13079590633561

  • Nicky

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Hi again. For a deep conditioner, you are using too much oil. Reduce it to a total of about 3%. You will need a chelating agent due to the amount of botanicals you are using it you want to go that route. If you prefer a “natural” option, you can use sodium phytate. If not, disodium EDTA. I would advise against grapeseed oil as it known to oxidize relatively quicker than the other oils you are using.

    Sodium Phytate: https://lotioncrafter.com/products/sodium-phytate?_pos=1&_sid=910248776&_ss=r

    Disodium EDTA: https://lotioncrafter.com/products/disodium-edta?_pos=1&_sid=e948e3cbc&_ss=r&variant=13079590633561

    Thank you for the advice.

  • lexi_dclabs

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 4:00 pm

    No problem at all. Happy formulating!  :)

  • pharma

    Member
    August 1, 2022 at 5:07 pm
    Check out the other thread ;) . The colour of hibiscus changes with pH, under others green. You can’t do anything about that, no matter which alkaline substance you use to increas pH.
    Graininess is another thing, though…

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