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Help! My shampoo formula makes hands DRY
Hi everyone,I need help with my shampoo formula. I’m trying to make a shampoo that is as natural as possible and doesn’t have any type of palm oil derivative products.I came across a formula in a book BUT somehow it DRIES my hands terribly! I just can’t use it and my husband had trouble with his hands for days after giving it a try!Here is the formula if any one can help me find out what the problem is i would really appreciate it!Water 53%Disodium/Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate 28%Coco glucoside 14%PCA oleate 0,8%The rest are additives: panthenol, aloe vera 200:1, proteinPlus some salt to thicken it.I adjusted the pH using lactic acid to 4,9 and I’ve been wondering if this is the problem.Thanks in advance for any advice -
10 Replies
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If that’s your reaction then it appears that those are not mild surfactants at all.
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The pH isn’t the problem. The skin is slightly acidic and functions best if it’s ~4.7 or so. This varies by location (face vs arms, for example) but generally speaking it’s 5 pH or under.It’s the high concentration of surfactants that’s causing dry hands. Keep in mind this can be even more drying if you often wash your hands or have generally drier, more mature skin.Do you have access to other surfactants that meet your palm-free requirements?
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Increase Glutamate to at least %40 and decrease glucoside to max %4 the problem will be solved.
Do you have preservative?
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Abdullah said:Increase Glutamate to at least %40 and decrease glucoside to max %4 the problem will be solved.
Do you have preservative?
Thank you so much! I’ll try that
No, I just made very small batches so far as I am still not happy with the results so far. Once I find a formulation that makes me happy I will make a bigger batch and add preservatives. My book suggest Rokonsal (Benzyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Benzoic acid, Sorbic acid) but I still need to make research. -
RedCoast said:The pH isn’t the problem. The skin is slightly acidic and functions best if it’s ~4.7 or so. This varies by location (face vs arms, for example) but generally speaking it’s 5 pH or under.It’s the high concentration of surfactants that’s causing dry hands. Keep in mind this can be even more drying if you often wash your hands or have generally drier, more mature skin.Do you have access to other surfactants that meet your palm-free requirements?
Thank you! I was guessing the p.H wasn’t the problem.
I made some reseach and I was thinking about using coco betaine instead of the Disodium/Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate 28% or at least replace it partially. But I will probably try what Abdullah suggested. -
CAPB & Glutamate are mild
Coco glucosides - i find it a bit harsh on skin compared to above, keep it to minimum. -
Chispas said:RedCoast said:The pH isn’t the problem. The skin is slightly acidic and functions best if it’s ~4.7 or so. This varies by location (face vs arms, for example) but generally speaking it’s 5 pH or under.It’s the high concentration of surfactants that’s causing dry hands. Keep in mind this can be even more drying if you often wash your hands or have generally drier, more mature skin.Do you have access to other surfactants that meet your palm-free requirements?
Thank you! I was guessing the p.H wasn’t the problem.
I made some reseach and I was thinking about using coco betaine instead of the Disodium/Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate 28% or at least replace it partially. But I will probably try what Abdullah suggested.Just out of curiosity… was that recipe intended for very oily hair? The concentration of coco glucoside seemed awfully high for a co-surfactant!If your hands were itchy or rashy, that could’ve been the coco glucoside. There have been several reports of allergies to alkyl glucosides in the last few years. -
RedCoast said:Chispas said:RedCoast said:The pH isn’t the problem. The skin is slightly acidic and functions best if it’s ~4.7 or so. This varies by location (face vs arms, for example) but generally speaking it’s 5 pH or under.It’s the high concentration of surfactants that’s causing dry hands. Keep in mind this can be even more drying if you often wash your hands or have generally drier, more mature skin.Do you have access to other surfactants that meet your palm-free requirements?
Thank you! I was guessing the p.H wasn’t the problem.
I made some reseach and I was thinking about using coco betaine instead of the Disodium/Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate 28% or at least replace it partially. But I will probably try what Abdullah suggested.Just out of curiosity… was that recipe intended for very oily hair? The concentration of coco glucoside seemed awfully high for a co-surfactant!If your hands were itchy or rashy, that could’ve been the coco glucoside. There have been several reports of allergies to alkyl glucosides in the last few years.No, it wasn’t. It was supposed to be a “mild” shampoo. I got it from a natural cosmetics book (a german one). I studied chemical engineering so I know all the chemistry behind surfactants but only recently did I take this as a hobby and so I am still learning about all the surfactants. What was important to me and my family was to have a palm oil free formula and to try to reduce our waste (the first reason I started this hobby!). What I found very strange was that the components of this formula were very similar to a very famous baby soap formula from a well known brand here and so it is funny to think it can be so strong. In their package coco glucoside is listed as the second ingredient after water so I’m very shocked to hear it is an irritant.
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Thota said:CAPB & Glutamate are mild
Coco glucosides - i find it a bit harsh on skin compared to above, keep it to minimum.Thank you! i just ordered CAPB yesterday so I’m hopping to create a milder formula soon ::smile:
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Chispas said:No, it wasn’t. It was supposed to be a “mild” shampoo. I got it from a natural cosmetics book (a german one). I studied chemical engineering so I know all the chemistry behind surfactants but only recently did I take this as a hobby and so I am still learning about all the surfactants. What was important to me and my family was to have a palm oil free formula and to try to reduce our waste (the first reason I started this hobby!). What I found very strange was that the components of this formula were very similar to a very famous baby soap formula from a well known brand here and so it is funny to think it can be so strong. In their package coco glucoside is listed as the second ingredient after water so I’m very shocked to hear it is an irritant.It doesn’t take much for a surfactant to be drying, even if the formula is fine. Low ambient humidity, how “resistant” your skin is to external irritants and how quickly your barrier can recover are factors in surfactants being drying. For example, I never had a problem with a gentle mass-market facial cleanser, but it was too drying for my mother. I think one of the other reasons she had a problem with it is her hands are arthritic and she can’t wash it off quickly.Some of the shampoo formulations I’ve seen online involved 7-10% coco glucoside as a co-surfactant… but then again, it was for normal to dry hair.Try switching out surfactants and use the bare minimum, and go from there.
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