DIY Natural Hair Pomade

hanyo28hanyo28 Member
in Hair
Hey guys, new to the club. 

Lately i've been trying to make a homemade natural oil based pomade with ingredients as follows:
- carnauba wax
- cocoa butter
- hydrogenated castor oil
- virgin coconut oil
- jojoba oil
- castor oil

Does anybody have a clue to why the end result has a small white freckles on top it? It's forming after cured. Picture:


Thanks folks!

Comments

  • FekherFekher Member, Professional Chemist
    @hanyo28 maybe stiring was not good enough .
  • PerryPerry Administrator, Professional Chemist
    The problem is called "blooming".  That means some of your oils are not compatible or are not used in the right ratios. Time to experiment with different ratios of the ingredients.  Doing a knockout experiment could help you identify the problem too.
    Learn to formulate cosmetics
  • ngarayeva001ngarayeva001 Member
    I am pretty sure it's cocoa butter. I noticed this "result" several times with other types of anhydrous products. Also, make sure you leave the jar open when it cools down.
  • Bill_TogeBill_Toge Member, Professional Chemist
    +1 for cocoa butter, it's terrible for forming crystalline phases during cooldown
    UK based formulation chemist. Strongest subjects: hair styling, hair bleaches, hair dyes (oxidative and non-oxidative) I know some stuff about: EU regulations, emulsions (O/W and W/O), toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoos, other toiletries
  • justa_pinchjusta_pinch Member
    You may try cooling your product immediately after being poured. Maybe put in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours.
  • chemicalmattchemicalmatt Member, Professional Chemist
    Hanyo, try adding a small level of lecithin (<0.50%) to this and you should see little or no blooming.
  • hanyo28hanyo28 Member
    @Fekher do you have any tips on stirring?
    @Perry thanks for the info! i did the knockout experiment and have not experience blooming ever since, i simplified the ingredients and start adding it one by one
    @ngarayeva001 & @Bill_Toge what is it with cocoa butter guys?
    @justa_pinch & @chemicalmatt noted guys
  • hanyo28hanyo28 Member
    Do you guys have any tips on pouring? At what temperature is best to pour the finished product? 

    I want to use glass jar as the container but lately I've been considering to use PET bottle. Do you guys have any experience in pouring heated ingredients into PET bottle? 

    From my research it is said that PET bottle can only handle 40-50C heat
  • ngarayeva001ngarayeva001 Member
    It happens when you use too much of cocoa butter (at least this is my experience).
  • justa_pinchjusta_pinch Member
    @hanyo28 anything I make with carnauba I try and poor at no lower than 70C due to its high melting point.

    @ngarayeva001 I've experienced bad crystallizing when using to much shea butter. It's probably just part of the experience when working with butters. Temperatures and timing is so critical when working with them.
  • ngarayeva001ngarayeva001 Member
    @justa_pinch, tried to make a lip balm (I am terrible at lip balms) with shea butter. Crystalized badly. The same formula worked when I reduced its amount to 5%. It was a simple lip balm: beeswax, candelilla wax, almond oil, and shea butter.
  • justa_pinchjusta_pinch Member
    @ngarayeva001 that doesn't surprise me. I was using a high percentage of shea in my beard balm and I actually incorporated cocoa butter in order to split the original percentage of shea used. 

  • cmgrimmacecmgrimmace Member
    Came across this, I was having the same problem. Shea butter and mango butter will get "gritty" if not cooled uniformly. Pour it at about 160F, keep lid off, stick it in the fridge for a couple hours, you should be good. I use 30% shea butter and 12% mango butter in mine. Since I started cooling in the fridge, no issues. 
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