Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Colloidal oatmeal/avena sativa in skin care.

  • Colloidal oatmeal/avena sativa in skin care.

    Posted by lindacupples on December 21, 2017 at 2:05 am

    Hi, 

    I would like to add colloidal oatmeal to a skin cream but I don’t know how to do it.  I know that I could make a tincture but then my product would contain alcohol which I don’t want to do.  Is there a way to add it? There must be because Aveeno uses it.

    Thanks. 

    Linda

    kivangel replied 2 years, 4 months ago 14 Members · 32 Replies
  • 32 Replies
  • Microformulation

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 3:36 am

    Buy Oat Oil from a reputable supplier.

  • belassi

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 6:52 am

    I make hydrolysed oats using oat flour, NaOH and citric acid.

  • Silvie

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 10:44 am

    Hi everyone, hi Belassi, I read the thread where you talked  about how to make your own hydrolyzed oatmeal
    (https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/discussion/3228/cream-gets-thin-bodymilk-like#latest)
    and now I´d like to experiment with it, but I have some doubts.
    “Only a very small amount of NaOH is necessary. I don’t have my lab results to hand, but as I remember, I used about 5g NaOH for every 100g of powdered oatmeal and left it about 30 min…”
    What is the amount of water that you use to dissolve the NaOH, is it 1:1?
    Also I read it works in handmade soap, can anyone tell me what would be the hydrolyzed oatmeal amount added?
    Thank you very much!

  • belassi

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    No, not 1:1 … quite the contrary in fact. I can’t give you a definitive answer because I have only done this a few times but basically, you need enough water to suspend the powdered oats. So it is in fact a very dilute solution of NaOH, probably something like 5-10%. And that is easily sufficient to break the proteins apart. I need to do more work to find the lowest amount that works (was unable to locate info on the Web) because when you neutralise it, you get sodium citrate, so at 5% solution you will end up with 5% sodium citrate and the rest is hydrolysed oat protein.
    You will see a characteristic colour change and there’s a very obvious smell too. However, when you neutralise, the colour will change back to oatmeal and the smell will disappear. You can then incorporate it into shampoos or whatever because it won’t settle out like oat flour does.

  • belassi

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    In cold process soap it would be pointless to hydrolyse it first, because the soap process is so alkaline that any proteins will be broken up. 

  • Microformulation

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    If you are in the US there are numerous suppliers of Cosmetic grade Colloidal Oatmeal, JE Edwards is one. If you can get a standardized and commercially produced raw material, it is really a waste of time to make you own.

  • belassi

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 4:05 pm

    Yes, but… is “colloidal” = “hydrolysed”? I don’t think so. Isn’t it just oat flour?

  • gld010

    Member
    December 21, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    I add colloidal oatmeal straight up to the water phase under very fast prop mixing, I pretty much just sprinkle it in. You have to be very careful while sprinkling as it’s very prone to clumping and will thicken your water phase. I only have experience with adding it at marketing levels (0.1% and under) though so if you’re adding more I’d be careful.

  • lindacupples

    Member
    December 22, 2017 at 12:18 am

    I think I found my answer on how to incorporate it into skin care. 

    Avena Sativa (Oat) kernel flour:
    At the Making Cosmetics website they have this instruction for use: 
    “Sprinkle into cold or hot water and mix well. Typical use level 5-30%”

  • ozgirl

    Member
    December 22, 2017 at 1:03 am

    We have used colloidal oatmeal at 1% and use the same procedure as gld010 describes above (water phase/ fast mixing).

    I have only seen it used in cream formulations at up to around 3%.

  • MarkBroussard

    Member
    December 22, 2017 at 2:11 am

    @lindacupples:

    “Sprinkle into cold or hot water and mix well. Typical use level 5-30%

    That has to be a typo … more like 0.5% to 3.0% would be a typical use level.

  • Silvie

    Member
    December 22, 2017 at 8:58 am

    If it doesn’t work in cold process soap, maybe it will be better at hot  process, when the pH is low, isn’t it? Anyway I’m trying it. Thank you for the explanation. Also I’m going to try with the colloidal oatmeal in two ways, a basic skin cream and a hair mask the way the people has explained above. Regards.

  • OldPerry

    Member
    December 22, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    What function / benefit are trying to get by adding colloidal oatmeal?

    Aveeno adds it as a claims ingredient only. The moisturizing in that product comes from Petrolatum, Mineral Oil and Glycerin.

  • Doreen

    Member
    December 26, 2017 at 11:35 am

    You don’t want to go higher than 3% or you will have dough as a result. It’s ok for a mask, but in a cream you’d better stick to lower levels.
    There are several oat ingredients, the extract of the oat kernel (which should contain avenanthramides), the oil and (colloidal) oatmeal. Like @Belassi mentioned oat can be hydrolized. Hydrolized oat (just as hydrolized wheat) to me has an unacceptable odour that is hard to mask. Oat oil has a distinctive smell.

    I’m curious about the same as @Perry. What is your reason to add it? I like to use it if I have eczemic outbreaks, it works great as an anti-irritant!

    Tip: if you make small batches you can use a (rough surfaced) mortar and pestle. Put the oatmeal in it along with some emulsion (in same quantities). Disperse until homogeneous: no lumps! :-)

  • lindacupples

    Member
    February 7, 2018 at 3:45 am

    Success!  Thank you everyone, for your input.  I really appreciate it.  The reason I wanted to add it is for the soothing of skin.  I did use it at 2%, dissolved it in hot water and it was very easy to use. The outcome of the lotion was great. 

  • Doreen

    Member
    February 9, 2018 at 3:57 pm

    Great! :+1:
    Just curious, what preservatives did you use?

  • Cst4Ms4Tmps4

    Member
    July 21, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    @Belassi 

    How do you actually hydrolyse oats? I mean, have you managed to figured out what you exactly you did that few times?

    How ‘dilute’ is dilute?

    100g H2O
    5g NaOH
    100g Oats

    Is that correct?

    OR you meant make 5% NaOH solution first, and then fill up a container with 100g Oats, add 5% NaOH solution just enough to cover Oats, add some more 5% NaOH solution so that oats are seen suspended in solution?

    How do I know all those oats are properly hydrolysed and not a bit left un-hydrolysed? Oats are properly hydrolysed when each bit of Oats is blacken/darkened?

    I do not know why the Internet very vast we cannot find how we could easily make or DIY Oat hydrolysate. Weird.

  • belassi

    Member
    July 21, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    You’ll know by the smell and the colour. You first grind the oats into fine powder. Then add the powder to the NaOH solution. It will begin the process immediately, you’ll smell it. Leave for about 20 minutes, stirring, the smell will go away. Then, you neutralise the result with citric acid (you’ll get sodium citrate) or hydrochloric (sodium chloride) and you will see the colour change back from a brown to oatmeal again. It’s pretty simple. You will need a preservative of course, if you don’t use it immediately.

  • Cst4Ms4Tmps4

    Member
    July 21, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    @Belassi

    Wow! Uhmm… There is not really a measurement of how much NaOH is used? This NaOH part is very confusing, actually. 

    I will assume 5% NaOH solution, does not matter how much as long as “put enough Oats” and observe the smell (not sure what odour) and colour (brown) change that occurs immediately.

    AND THEN dilute the needed ‘random’ amount of the reacted compound with as much water as needed (to making the final product such as lotion, cream, toner, whatnot).

    Finally, neutralise the whole thing (hydrolysed Oats and newly added Water) and observe the colour changes back from brown to Oats’ original colour again.

    That is my plan in my head. I neutralise it later/when I need to use the hydrolysate because I think that the alkaline solution could effectively preserve itself. Also, I think by this way I would not be bounded by the 5% salt in my final product (I love Carbomer. You know how ultra sensitive Carbomer is to salts!)

    Oh by the way, do you filter out the Oats? Or the Oats seriously really completely totally “vanishes” during hydrolysis? If this is true then vanishing Oats is the best indicator of readiness, yes?!?!?!??!!

  • belassi

    Member
    July 21, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    You just strain the result. It is so simple I suggest just try it. The smell is very obvious.

  • Cst4Ms4Tmps4

    Member
    July 21, 2019 at 8:01 pm

    @Belassi

    All right. The amount of NaOH is still a mystery! Haha! Maybe you have already found cost-effective pre-made Oats hydrolysate (or other hydrolysate) that you no longer care to DIY.

    I manage to find very cheap NaOH and POH. I will get either one of them by tomorrow, I hope.

    Grinding my/our own Oats seems to be the best and cheapest, although not the most convenient. Pre-ground (powdered) Oats is very expensive.

  • Doreen

    Member
    July 22, 2019 at 11:10 am

     Pre-ground (powdered) Oats is very expensive.

    ??
    It’s just oat flour!

  • Cst4Ms4Tmps4

    Member
    July 22, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    Doreen said:
    ??
    It’s just oat flour!

    I know, right! Not where I am! :/🙂

    Oats flour is considered ‘organic’ and can only be found in organic ‘specialty’ shops. Most of us, who are wide awake, know that when that label is on everything, price tag is also very organic. :lol

    The cheapest Oats we have here is Tesco brand Oats. Very cheap to the extent that I could literally bathe in it! Makes no sense..but…yeah…..business thing is beyond me.

  • belassi

    Member
    July 22, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    Tesco-operate? (Selling England By the Pound. Genesis)
    The 5% figure is just what I tried the first time, it worked. It may be possible to use less, I haven’t tried that. 

  • Cst4Ms4Tmps4

    Member
    July 25, 2019 at 4:25 pm

    @Belassi

    Yes. By Tesco, for Tesco, of Tesco, in Tesco. I live in Malaysia. Tesco is in abundance over here!

    I guess that you consciously or unconsciously targetted for 1M NaOH.

    I bought NaOH and realised that it is a monohydrate one! I did not know there are anhydrous and its hydrates! I admit that this is my first time handling NaOH. I pray to Strong Alkaline God that it protects me from all forms of strong alkali harm.

    So, for anhydrous one will be 4%. For monohydrate one will be 5.8%. Averaged these two I got 4.9%. This made me to think that you probably (unintentionally and unknowingly) went for 1M NaOH.

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