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leave in conditioner help
trying to make a leave in conditioner with a base of water, silsoft q pmf (quaternium18, trideceth-6, trideceth-12), and polymulse polymeric emulsifier (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer).
Im having an issue where the polymer precipitates out. Ive tried hydrating the polymer completely in water and then adding the silsoft, as well as combining the water and silsoft, and then adding the polymer. Both ways results in the polymer either forming a huge clump, or just being dispersed but never hydrating. I keep the pH around 5.5 so i dont think thats my issue.
Any ideas??
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7 Replies
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Hi, as I’m not familiar with the ingredients used, I’ve asked ChatGPT:
Electrolyte Sensitivity of the Polymer
Polymulse (Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer) is sensitive to cationic surfactants like Quaternium-18. These can interfere with polymer hydration and gel network formation, leading to clumping or precipitation.
Order of Addition
These polymers must be fully dispersed and neutralized before introducing surfactants, oils, or actives—especially cationics or anything with cloud point behavior (like trideceth-6/12).
pH and Neutralization
While you’re keeping the final pH at 5.5, it’s crucial to neutralize the polymer at the right time and pH range (6–7) before adding other materials. If neutralization occurs in the presence of Silsoft, hydration fails.
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This reply was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by Aniela.
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this totally helped. i hydrated the polymer and adjusted the pH back up to seven. once i added the silsoft, i was able to bring the pH down but only just below 7. under 6.5 i saw the polymer start to precipitate again.
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This is the procedure recommended (ChatGPT, not me)
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This reply was modified 3 weeks, 1 day ago by
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Any chance you can keep the pH over 6.5? My guess (very uneducated some times) is that at a lower pH, some groups in the polymer get protonated, leading to intermolecular hydrogen bond formation, some coiling and loss of solubility, that’s why the precipitation. Again, this is just a guess.
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Hi, I’m so happy you chimed in😃
I’m curious, did ChatGPT give a good answer?
Thank you.
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Hi! Yes….the part your posted about the pH is what got me thinking 🤓
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It’s good to know the “robot” is sometimes useful 😉
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