Hair prestyling spray has problem

Formulating

Hair prestyling spray has problem

Posted by quangphu1301 on July 23, 2018 at 6:09 am

hi guys, I’m making a simple hair prestyling spray with mostly water and alcohol, but it has some emulsifying problem and something is sinking at its bottom and I still cant find out what it is
here is the formula

_ aqua ~70%

_ aloe vera extract

_ glycerin ~4%

_ pvp k30 ~2%

_ alcohol ~15% (I use 90 degree alcohol)

_ polysorbate20 - 0,75%

_ fragrance ~0.4%

_ peppermint EO - 0,1%

I mix water alcohol and extract first, then pvp with water, the last is polysobate and fragrances

I dont know its because of polysobate’s quality or what (I thought alcohol can help emulsion..)

Fekher replied 5 years, 8 months ago 4 Members · 8 Replies
8 Replies

OldPerry

Member
July 23, 2018 at 1:33 pm

It’s probably the Peppermint Oil & Fragrance. Did you pre-mix them in the Polysorbate before adding?
quangphu1301

Member
July 23, 2018 at 2:28 pm

yes I did mix them (just by spoon tho).

I thought polysobate and alcohol are enough for emulsion, I use a handmixer and mix them well..
OldPerry

Member
July 23, 2018 at 4:48 pm

You might need as much as a 4:1 ratio of solubilizer:oil to get a stable system.

Since you’re getting separation, the amounts you are using are not appropriate for that oil phase, There is no simple rule that says “polysorbate and alcohol are enough for an emulsion.” Every system is different and you have to experiment.
Gunther

Member
July 23, 2018 at 6:46 pm

You may wish to add BTMS-50
it can emulsify both oils and silicones
so it can help you remove polysorbate.

Does glycerin does something noticeable to hair?
See if it’s making too much of a plasticizing effect for PVP
Same for Aloe vera, you may need to redice it to clams level concentation.

I’ve tried making a concentrated water+ BTMS-50 + silicone conditioner
and then dissolving that in alcohol
it does dissolve, even though it takes several hours, probably it takes overnight in a larger tank.

For 100% water conditioners, BTMS-50 can be used at up to about 2% so it remains water-thin to be used in a spray pump.
You probably can use more than 2% if there’s some alcohol in it, as it makes it thinner.

You may wish to increase the alcohol concentration, as high water, makes the spray hard to dry, and PVP doesn’t leave a good hold.

I’ve found that adding almost anything to sprays (other than alcohol) reduces its hold, so you may need to increase PVP concentration well beyond 2%
quangphu1301

Member
July 26, 2018 at 6:54 am

I’ve never use BTMS-50, is it a wax ? and how to apply it to water ?
Gunther

Member
July 26, 2018 at 4:37 pm

You heat water to about 70-85 degrees C
pour BTMS, allow to melt
stir for about 10 minutes
then add oils, silicones or whatever you wish to emulsify
stir thoroughly to emulsify, but avoid making excess foam.
quangphu1301

Member
August 2, 2018 at 8:55 am

thanks a lot, I’ll try it
Fekher

Member
September 12, 2018 at 6:38 pm

@quangphu1301 i think that @Perry found the true problem wich is ratio solubizer: oil . you just used ratio 1,87:1 however you need 3:1 as minimum ratio but can be 4 :1 reaching 7:1 depend on both nature of perfume and solubizer.