Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Conditioner Building

  • Conditioner Building

    Posted by petcrazy18 on December 25, 2016 at 12:42 pm
    Heya everyone! I’m a complete amateur trying to make a simple conditioner for my low porosity hair type. 
    I want this to be a simple rinse-out product that conditions even if I can’t feel the “slip”. Just something to bind to the few gaps in the cuticles. 
    So I just wanted opinions on percentages and how to achieve a pH of 4 via citric acid addition to the base formula.
     
    Base Formula: 
    340 grams distilled water 
    28 grams BTMS-50 (10%)
    14 grams Cetyl Alcohol (4%)
    28 grams Vegemoist (10%)
    14 grams fragrance oil (4%)

    Possible included additions based on group opinion:
    14 grams DL-Pathenol (4%) (provides slip)

    14 grams Aloe vera gel (4%) (provides anti-irritation to the scalp)
    Citric acid (no idea what percent)
    markbroussard replied 7 years, 3 months ago 6 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • johnb

    Member
    December 25, 2016 at 1:06 pm

    My thoughts are:
    BTMS-50 too high
    Cetyl alcohol too high especially when the cetyl alcohol in the BTMS is taken into account
    Vegemoist (betaine) too high
    Fragrance oil way too high
    Panthenol high
    Aloe vera no point in its inclusion.

    The amount of acid necessary to produce an acidic pH will depend on numerous things, not least the pH of the water used. Measure the pH with a meter, or pH papers if you’re working on a small scale, and adjust as necessary. I Doubt you’ll  need more than 1%.

  • chemist77

    Member
    December 25, 2016 at 1:47 pm

    I noticed your formula doesn’t add up to anything,  how did you arrive at those percentages. BTMS is 28g which turns out to be 5%, posting a correct formula will help you get a more specific reply. 
    Cut down slightly on BTMS, and cut down by 80% your panthenol. Can play around with Aloe vera gel as you desire.  

  • komirra

    Member
    December 25, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    i think you should check out the site swiftycraftymonkey for basic formulas for hair care. her site is extremely helpful to me as a homecrafter. i formulate for my dry, thick, curly hair and have been able to make great conditioners with her suggestions. 

    as @Chemist77 said, your formula should add up to 100%, including the water. 

    fragrance shouldnt be more than 1%. btms 50 4-6% for a rinse off. maybe 2% cetyl alcohol. vegemoist 2%
     also, where is the preservative? 

  • belassi

    Member
    December 26, 2016 at 12:38 am

    ^^^^^ THAT! :)

  • markbroussard

    Member
    December 26, 2016 at 2:52 am

    I find that it always helps if you list your water-phase and your oil-phase ingredients separately grouped.  Your formula has an emulsifier, but no oil … so what are you emulsifying?  There are several issues with your formula.  Here’s a simple conditioning cream formulation using your selected ingredients:

    Phase A
    Water  74.8%
    Aloe Vera Gel  5%

    VegeMoist  1%
    Citric Acid 0.2%

    Phase B
    Baobab Oil (or Marula Oil or Argan Oil or combination of the two)  12% 
    Coconut Oil  2%
    BTMS-50  5%

    Cetyl Alcohol  1% 
     
    Heat Phase A to 70C.  In a separate vessel Heat Phase B to 70C.  Add Phase B to Phase A with homogenization.

    When Phase A/B cools to 45C, add Panthenol (1%) and Fragrance Oil (0.3%) with mixing to incorporate.

    Check pH.  If necessary, add additional Citric Acid to adjust pH to desired level.

    If you are making this for your own personal use in small batches, you can add a preservative of your choice, (or not) particularly if you are bringing the pH down to 4.0.  But, generally it is a good idea to get in the habit of using preservatives … Something simple like Sodium Benzoate/Potassium Sorbate would work fine for this type of product.  

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