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Need help with pomade consistency
Hi all, I am in the process of creating my own unorthodox pomade. I have pretty much reached a point where the hold and shine is how I want it BUT I am struggling to get the right consistency.
It is fairly firm and easyish to scoop out, but its not smooth, it rivets as it you scoop and crumbles a bit in your hand. I would like it to be smoother without losing any of the hold or firmness.
I am using; water, beeswax, emulsifying wax, mango butter, carnauba wax, lanolin, hydrogenated castor oil, castor oil, avocado oil, stearic acid, fragrance, preservative.
I have tried increasing water, increasing liquid oils, reducing stearic acid, all to no avail.
Thanks in advance for any tips.
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10 Replies
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If this is an “unorthodox pomade” there is even greater reason to give more details of the formula. From what you have revealed so far, the unorthodoxy eludes me.
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beeswax is hard, but very crumbly: if you have it included at a high level, this is most likely where your problem lies
try partially or fully replacing it with something which is similarly hard, but more malleable, like food grade microcrystalline wax
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Its unorthodox in the sense its considered an “unorthodox water based pomade” with the use of emulsifiers to combine the oils. Water percentage currently sitting at 35, but have tested from 30-40.
Thanks @Bill_Toge, although im trying to keep it petro-free. would using more EW OR HCO and less beeswax have the same effect? Although its melting point is around 50 degrees.
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increasing the emulsifying wax wouldn’t have the same effect - the ‘wax’ part, cetearyl alcohol, is also crumbly rather than malleable
if you’re trying to avoid petrochemicals, you can get similar effect with lanolin wax (the hard fraction of lanolin), though it’d be a lot more sticky
also, are you using hydrogenated castor oil or PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil (the two are not the same)?
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Ok cool, its impossible to get hold of lanolin alcohol in the UK
im using pure castor oil AND hydrogenated castor oil (castor wax)…which has a high melting point, around 80 i believe?
is 30-40 % water around the right mark, the more i added the “foamier” and bouncier the pomade became which is not what im looking for.
so frustrating, have played around with percentages and hold and firmness changes but still always that brittle chipping consistency.
ive attached a picture to make it easier to understand, first is mine, second is a texture and consistency i am aiming for…its very very close. The second one looks a bit smoother, although the actual product is quite hard to scoop.
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no, I meant lanolin wax, which is not the same thing as lanolin alcohol
lanolin wax is like lanolin but harder, with a higher melting point; lanolin alcohol is a very hard, brittle material and quite different to ordinary lanolin
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Changing your ratios around will do little or nothing to fix the texture problems coming from the beeswax.
I think you’d have good results by replacing some/all of the beeswax with Cera Bellina, from Koster Keunen. Also, try looking into modified carnauba wax.
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You’re all super helpful, thanks!
I have lanolin, but have not heard of lanolin wax as an in between lanolin alcohol, but after a brief search i think its going to be difficult to obtain here.
Cera Bellina definitely sounds interesting, would it cause the pomade to lose some of its grip?
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Ive just ordered some Cera Bellina so I’ll see how I get on, thanks for the info guys! I’ll be back if I can’t conquer it!
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Hi all,
So I have pretty much managed to achieve the consistency I want, but when you rub the pomade in your hand it becomes very sticky and almost forms small clumps, making it very difficult to apply to hair.
Ingredients are the same as above minus the lanolin…water, beeswax, emulsifying wax, mango butter, castor oil, avocado oil, hydrogenated castor oil, carnauba wax, stearic acid, fragrance, preservative.
If i remove the carnauba wax would that help with the stickiness without effecting the consistency too much? it is only in at 2%, or possible reduce HCO which is at 4%
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