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hair conditioner formulating …. need clarification of some basics
hello everyone,
there are some points of confusion i want your opinion about.1- the recommended percentage of cationic surfactants is between 1-4% (active matter), the higher percentage is good for instant conditioner but could the higher percent 4% be used in deep conditioners(hair masks) or would it be a lot and cause buildup as it set on hair for longer time and more heavy with higher oil phase than instant conditioners that increases its adsorption?
2- about ph, most conditioners are formulated between 4-5 (acidic) . but there is this study https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.620.4397&rep=rep1&type=pdf
so my thoughts here
* according to this study, we may formulate instant conditioners at ph 6 so it creates negative charges on hair that increase cationic srfactants adsorption. but in case of deep CON. it would be formulated with high oil phase at ph 4 with the hydrophobicity is the driven force for adsorption???!!! what you think?3- if working at ph 6, can you use amodimethicone ??
i appreciate any contribution to clear my confusion
@Perry i would love to know your opinion about that and i am sorry if this is inconvenient.thanks in advance
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10 Replies
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Hi Amira,
I will try to answer your questions, but I am not an expert, so I may be wrong:
1. I believe it would cause build-up, which is why we generally do not use our regular conditioners as leave-in conditioners.
2. I think that leave-in conditioners should typically adhere to a lower pH as they stay in your hair for a long time before being rinsed off, but when comparing some of the top brands of conditioners/leave-ins, it doesn’t appear there is much of a difference. Attached below are two charts displaying these comparisons.
3. Yes, you can use amodimethicone at pH 6. Here is an excerpt from @Perry’s haircare brand, pHIQUE, “amodimethicone works kind of like a quat such as PQ-10. It doesn’t have a charge, but when used at a pH less than 7 (typically shampoos are around 6), it has a positive charge and an affinity to the damaged parts of the hair. Having several ingredients like this make sure that they fill the voids in the hair, making it smooth and easier to comb.”
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1. 1-4% means you can use whatever amount you like in this range.
I like 1% because my hair is oily and heavy. You may like more.2. It may be true. But does more mean better?
Not always.3. Yes you can
@Camel that is a very good chart. Can you share the source.
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There are numerous Cosmetic Science texts available for free (if you look correctly) that have whole chapters on Hair Conditioning Products. In my opinion, it is far too broad of a topic to learn through a blog. Also, as you study the text you will get a better OVERALL understanding. Read, study, experiment at the bench.
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As @Microformulation, hair conditioning is a broad topic; for instance, cationic deposition cannot only be regarded as a charge-driven phenomena since all cationic molecules are different (for instante, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine needs to be neutralized for deposition on hair, and depending on the acid used, that might lead the formula to an acidic pH). Keep in mind that the isoelectric point of hair is below 4.0, so pH above the IP will already have hair with negative charge.
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@Camel
thanks for your reply and for sharing those charts & sorry for my late replybut there is a misunderstanding here, i am not asking about leave-in conditioners
i am talking about the rinse off conditioners, the instant con. and deep con. (or so called hair mask) and the difference between them in cationic surfactants percentage.
and from charts, that`s a wide range for ph !!! -
Abdullah said:1. 1-4% means you can use whatever amount you like in this range.
I like 1% because my hair is oily and heavy. You may like more.2. It may be true. But does more mean better?
Not always.3. Yes you can
@Camel that is a very good chart. Can you share the source.
thanks for replying.
i know that it is a range between 1 -4 and i could use any percent, i meant if deep conditioners was to use low percentage as it sits on hair for time -
Microformulation said:There are numerous Cosmetic Science texts available for free (if you look correctly) that have whole chapters on Hair Conditioning Products. In my opinion, it is far too broad of a topic to learn through a blog. Also, as you study the text you will get a better OVERALL understanding. Read, study, experiment at the bench.
ketchito said:
As @Microformulation, hair conditioning is a broad topic; for instance, cationic deposition cannot only be regarded as a charge-driven phenomena since all cationic molecules are different (for instante, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine needs to be neutralized for deposition on hair, and depending on the acid used, that might lead the formula to an acidic pH). Keep in mind that the isoelectric point of hair is below 4.0, so pH above the IP will already have hair with negative charge.thank you for replying and i am sorry for replying late.
i am a chemist and i formulate hair products and always try to learn more from a lot of sources but actually it is a bit confusing now because of the misinformation and opposite opinions.
if you would please share with me a trusted free sources, i would be thankful
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@Amira You might search for a couple of books that have good content for the topic: “Conditioning agents for hair and skin” and “Chemical and physical behavior of human hair”.
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ketchito said:@Amira You might search for a couple of books that have good content for the topic: “Conditioning agents for hair and skin” and “Chemical and physical behavior of human hair”.
i will. thank you so much
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