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Need Help! Why am I lacking foam?
Hello All,
I have been stalking this forum for quite awhile and gaining much appreciated knowledge. Now I have a question.
Please be patient, I am not a chemist. I am a Cosmetologist that started a business 3 years ago making natural health & beauty products. I have been working on a Shampoo and I am having some trouble. I have not been able to get this to lather. It cleanses great, leaves hair soft, very manageable. Loving it but would love it more if it would lather.
Here is my formulation:Phase I - Heat and blend
15 oz Water
1.5 oz Coconut Milk Powder
2.3 oz SCI
2.6 oz Glyceryl Caprylate Caprate
2.5 oz Chemconx GSPhase II - Heat and blend then add to Phase I
10.25 oz water
1 oz SB Ultra
.5 oz Varisoft EQ -emulsifierPhase III - Heat, blend, add to Phase I & II
11 oz Plantapon LGC Sorb
8 oz Cocamidopropyl Betaine
31 ML Combination of Extracts(Hydrolyzed Wheat, Silk, Champagne, Cashmere, Mallow, Quinoa, Honeyquat, Vitamin E
10 ML Essential Oil blend
1 oz Apple Cider VInegarThank You in advance!
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5 Replies
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First of all, try to adhere to the metric system. Oz is THIS and not a useful measure.Varisoft EQ and honeyquat are cationic emulsifiers/conditioning agents which are, theoretically, incompatible with anionics such as SCI and Plantapon LGC. At the right proportion of cationic to anionic emulsifiers and in the right mix with non-ionics (the ‘Sorb’ in Plantapon :smiley:) and/or amphoterics (CAPB), they may be semi-compatible and deposit on the hair only during washing out (i.e. precipitation upon dilution). Such an incompatibility can reduce leather.Also, the more ‘useless’ stuff (proteins, extracts, EOs) and w/o emulsifiers (glyceryl caprate/caprylate and glyceryl stearate) you add, the more surfactants you ‘use up’ and that reduces foaming ability and foam stability. -
what emulsifier would you suggest using with these surfactants to replace the Varisoft and Honeyquat?
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I definitely recommend converting to weights (not volume) and percentages.It seems like you are trying to do too much with a shampoo.You probably need to remove about half of the ingredients.I would recommend removing the following.Coconut Milk Powder (bug food),SCI (low solubility not generally used in liquid products - Try Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate instead)Glyceryl Stearateglyceryl caprate/caprylateVarisoft EQ (cationic - save it for your conditioner)I would recommend going back to just Water, Plantapon LCG, Cocamidopropyl betaine and Preservative then one at a time add the other ingredients fragrance, extracts and check performance.Hope this helps.
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My original recipe is in percentages. I convert to volume for my ease of use, sorry.
What would my emulsifier and thickener be if I remove these items? -
Shampoos generally are a blend of surfactants and water (+ preservatives etc) they do not contain the same type of emulsifiers and thickeners that you would find in lotions and creams.The choice of thickener will depend on your final surfactant choice. Some surfactants can be thickened with salt but others cannot and require the use of gums or other thickeners (e.g. crothix).Hope this helps.
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