-
Can I remake this moisturising shampoo?
I am looking to make a shampoo that is cleansing, imparts some moisture and aids in detangling without being too stripping. I have failed miserably.
This is the **ingredient list of a commercial shampoo that my porous relaxed afro hair loves, as it cleans very well and softens.
I have tried to create something similar, which has not worked and it has lead me to ask… what am I missing?
Commercial product - Dark & Lovely Conditioning Colour Signal Neutralizing Shampoo ingredient list:
**Water/Aqua, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Polysorbate 20, Cocamide MEA, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance/Parfum, Methylparaben, Potassium Sorbate, Polyquaternium-7, Citric Acid, Sodium PCA, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxypropyl Trimonium Honey, Phenolsulfonephthalein.
My latest ***DIY formula version number 12 or 13 has made my hair lighten in colour and left my hair with a heavy glue like coating and then by day two my hair was powdery, dry, tangled and shedding.
Distilled water – 79.11%
Sodium lauryl sulfate - 9%
Decyl glucoside - 5%
Cocamidopropyl betaine - 3%
Glycerine – 0.08%
Polyquaternium 11 - 0.01%
Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride - 0.01%
Glycerol Oleate - 1%
Dimethicone – 0.05%
Palm Oil - 0.02%
Pumpkin Seed oil - 0.02%
Crothix Liquid - 1%
Citric Acid - Ph adjuster…
Vitamin E - 0.5%
Preservative - 1%
Shampoo PH was 5.5.
Some Questions:
Does my formula need more glycerine to better hydrate the Glycerol Oleate (which I suspect has left the glue like coating). Once the glue coating dried the next day, my hair became powdery and tangled.
How is the commercial formula so hydrating without glycerine or polyethylene glycol? Does it only rely on the Honey Quat as the moisturiser ?
What is the commercial product’s refatting agent? Does it have one that I have missed?
NB: I’ve noticed my hair is sensitive to quaternary ammonium salts, so I try to use an imperceptible amount.
-
8 Replies
-
You need to increase dimethicone and guar
-
I agree with @Abdullah . There’s no point on having those two polymers (which are actually your conditioning agents) at such low levels. Glycerin won’t do much in your hair from a surfactant-based cleanser, but it can impair your foam. Either remove it or decrease it. I’d also use Sodium laureth sulfate instead of Sodium lauryl sulfate. I don’t think your Glyceryl oleate is guiving this glue and then powder effect, but you could reduce it anyway and, as mentioned before, increase your guar and your dimethicone.
-
Hello @Ketchito,
Thanks for your response. I didn’t realise that glycerine impairs foam production, I’ll reduce that amount. I’ll happily increase the dimethicone as my hair loves it. The guar cat on the other hand does not agree with my hair at higher quantities. I will increase the amount in this formula though.
Guar cat really bonded to my hair and was difficult to remove. My porous hair seems to take issue with quaternary salts, BTMS tends to leave a powdery drying coating on my hair after a few days and this is why I thought maybe, it’s because I don’t use enough glycerine to hydrate it.
Would you recommend that I purchase polyquaternium 7? Is it better than polyquat 11?
-
-
Thanks for taking the time to respond Abdullah. What level would you take the Dimethicone to? I have to be careful with Guar Cat, I think my hair can only tolerate it in lower levels as it was difficult to wash out.
-
-
If you want to copy the commercial product then you will need to match the surfactants more closely.
Some suggestions
- Change the SLS to SLES.
- Increase the Cocamidopropyl betaine so that it has the highest concentration.
- Add Cocamide MEA instead of decyl glucoside (CMEA is reported to have a re-fatting effect)
- The oils are not doing anything (except reducing foam) remove them.
Hope this helps ????
-
Thank you so much @ ozgirl, I hadn’t even realised it was SLES and not SLS they had used in their formula. They look so similar at a glance, I think I just presumed it was SLS. Thanks to @ ketchito too for saying to uses SLES too.
The oils are gone, thanks for the heads up regarding the reduction in foam. I did wonder why the shampoo’s lather was so lack luster.
I am going to purchase the Cocamide MEA too. Thanks for that, these ingredients lists are so foreign to me, I didn’t know Cocamide MEA is a surfactant and has re-fatting properties. I have Lamesoft® PO 65 but I am intrigued to try the Cocamide MEA.
-
-
You can start from 1% and adjust it
-
Thanks @Abdullah I wasn’t expecting you to say 1%, I’ve always just presumed that would be too high. I’m excited to use dimethicone at a higher amount though, as my hair loves silicones.
-
Log in to reply.