Does increasing the size of micelles increase the cleaning power of cleansers?

AbdullahAbdullah Member
edited May 16 in Advanced Questions
NACL increases the size of micelles in cleansing products. Does this increase in size mean it will solubilize and remove more soil compared to smaller micelle size? 

For example 

If we compare a and b.

A has active surfactants
6% SLES
1% CAPB
1% APG

B has active surfactants
6% SLES
1% CAPB
1% APG
3% NACL

Does it mean formula B will have more cleaning power because of bigger micceles by NACL?


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Comments

  • PharmaPharma Member, Pharmacist
    No. Salt only changes the stock solution, not the actual product (which is diluted with lots of water). Also, micelle size does not correlate with cleaning power.
  • AbdullahAbdullah Member
    edited May 10
    @Pharma sorry i couldn't understand this part 😌

    In a Shampoo, what is the stock solution and what is the actual product? 
  • PharmaPharma Member, Pharmacist
    The stock solution would be what's in your bottle, the 'actual cleansing product' is shampoo and water on your hair ;) .
  • AbdullahAbdullah Member
    edited May 13
    @Pharma thanks 

    So is the only way to increase miccele size to mix non-ionic and amphoteric surfactant with anionic surfactant or mixing different several anionic surfactants like SLS+SLES also increases miccele size? 
  • ketchitoketchito Member
    @Abdullah I know the question is for @Pharma, but I couldn't resist to comment. Things that make micelles grow when you're initially using an anionic surfactant are anything that can give some space between the ionic heads, so they are not too close to each other and repel. For that, you can add either amphoteric or non ionic surfactants, which alternate with the anionic to give mixed micelles. Another wat to do that is by adding small alcohols which work as spacers. Salt can also make micelles grow by providing counter ions to reduce the negative charge of anionic surfactants.
  • AbdullahAbdullah Member
    @ketchito thanks for explanation.

    What about mixing two anionic surfactants?

    And can you name some small alcohols? 
  • ketchitoketchito Member
    @Abdullah Usually, mixing two anionics has no benefit over mixing one of them with a zwitterionic or non ionic. The exception is the mixture of SLES and LABS, where you have a spacer in the SLES molecule (the ethoxylated part), wich makes the LABSA interact differently with it. At the end, it depends on the molecular structure. 

    Small alcohols (compared to fatty alcohols) can be pentanol or hexanol.
  • AbdullahAbdullah Member
    ketchito said:
    @Abdullah Usually, mixing two anionics has no benefit over mixing one of them with a zwitterionic or non ionic. The exception is the mixture of SLES and LABS, where you have a spacer in the SLES molecule (the ethoxylated part), wich makes the LABSA interact differently with it. At the end, it depends on the molecular structure. 

    Small alcohols (compared to fatty alcohols) can be pentanol or hexanol.
    Thanks
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