Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Calcium Hydroxide

  • Calcium Hydroxide

    Posted by Gustavo on August 28, 2014 at 1:37 pm

    Hello everyone! Do anyone of you work with caustic products? What’s the usual procedure when dispersing calcium hydroxide in water before adding it to the main vessel?

    Gustavo replied 9 years, 8 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • tonyh

    Member
    August 29, 2014 at 3:38 am

    For example “hair relaxer”? And the main vessel would be the combine phase?

  • Bill_Toge

    Member
    August 29, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    speaking as a chemist for a company which has routinely made relaxers on an industrial scale: ensure everyone who is likely to be near the vessel is wearing safety goggles, add it slowly, and try to avoid splashing it

    provided you take due care it’s pretty simple; dissolving calcium hydroxide in water is a lot less exothermic than dissolving sodium hydroxide, therefore it’s a lot more straightforward

    also, for what it’s worth, we used to put it in the main vessel with the water phase and heat it up to dissolve it before we added the oil phase

  • chemicalmatt

    Member
    September 2, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    Adding to Bill’s discussion, Gustavo, add the CaOH2 to the tank with the mixer off.  Dump the bags slowly (wearing half-mask respirator,safety goggles, etc.) into - or rather onto -  the water phase surface, shut the lid, turn the mixer on at a slow speed and don;t open the lid for at least 10 minutes.  If you add directly to the vortex or a fast agitated water phase, you will generate a calcium hydroxide cloud and if that happens you will piss off many people, including me, and I won’t even be there. Safety first!

  • Gustavo

    Member
    September 8, 2014 at 9:08 am

    I never worked directly with this type of process. And now I’m studying ways to improve it. I’m working doing as you all mentioned. I thought there might be a better way.

    Thank you all!

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