Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating Dispersion of dimethicone in hair conditioner

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  • Dispersion of dimethicone in hair conditioner

    Posted by lesmith1018 on April 28, 2022 at 3:25 pm

    Hi,

    My name is Lauren and I’m new to this forum. I am based in Utah. My degree is in microbiology but my career was mostly molecular biology (PCR, cell culture, etc.). After a long hiatus, I am in the position of formulator at a personal care company. I have been working 2 days a week for about 4 years. Up until recently, I have had clear instructions from batch records with easy to follow formulations just to tweak viscosity, flavors, scents, etc. About a year ago, I began trying to backwards engineer things like body wash, shampoo and conditioner. I am also trying to come up with my own formulations. The question I have is about hair conditioner and if I can add dimethicone directly to the formulation after adding the emulsifiers or if I have to solubilize it first. I have googled it but have not been able to decipher all of the information. It incorporates well, but I want to make sure it is safe for use. 

    Here is a list of my components:

    DI water (q.s.)

    Glycerin 2%

    Panthenol 0.5%

    Centrimonium chloride 1.5%

    Behentrimonium Choride 2.5%

    Cetyl alcohol 3%

    Cetearyl alcohol 1.5%

    Argan oil 1%

    Dimethicone 2%

    Essential oil (q.s.)

    Methylchloroisothiazolinone (and) Methylisothiazolinone 1%

    Thank to anyone for advice/help you can offer on this subject. 

    lesmith1018 replied 2 years ago 2 Members · 2 Replies
  • 2 Replies
  • tecnico3vinia

    Member
    April 28, 2022 at 8:10 pm

    Dimethicone will be suspended/dispersed in your emulsion. It doesn’t need to be ‘solubilized’. You can add it after adding the emulsifiers. Then (properly) mix the whole formualtion (the best option is using a stirrer with 700-1500 rpm). For small-scale-lab-batches (around 200 grams) you can mix for around 5 minutes after adding it. 

  • lesmith1018

    Member
    April 28, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    Thank you!!

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