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Queries for experienced lotion and hair conditioner producers
We are venturing into producing lotions & hair conditioner….have succeeded in producing test batches with good feedback from testers. However, had a few queries on some of the finer points:
To-date we have poured the heated water phase into oil phase and mixed well. Allowed to stand and come to 45 C, then added the cool down phase. Then mixed well. Allowed to come to room temperature, then bottled or placed into storage container. Our queries:
(1) At what stage are you adding EOs?
(2) Is it possible not to add EOs, and after being in storage then add EOs? If yes, how?
(3) To accommodate our preservative regime, we may need to adjust the pH to somewhere between 3 - 10 by adding citric acid solution. When is the best time to do this?
Many thanks.
Mike
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11 Replies
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You haven’t really provided enough information to answer your questions. Please list your formula (e.g. what is your emulsifier, what is ratio of water to oil, what essential oils are you using..etc.)
Adjusting pH between 3 - 10? That doesn’t make sense. 3 is acidic, 10 is basic. You couldn’t adjust something to pH 10 using citric acid unless the starting pH was something like 11 or 12. -
As Perry commented; and I would like to add, that you should separate your enquiries into two, because one product is very different in concept from the other. For instance, skin creams don’t generally have cationic ingredients. Hair conditioners do.
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There’s not nearly enough information here for us to give you any really helpful information. As Perry said, we need to know a lot more about your formulas.
I will point out, however, that the procedure you’re using is primarily for w/o emulsions. These have drawbacks as far as stability and aesthetic appeal are concerned. If you’re actually making an o/w emulsion, you might want to re-think your procedure. -
Thanks for your responses to-date, much appreciated. The first test batch I have done is a 500 gram lot of hair conditioner that has worked out very well, and the responses coming back from testers is all positive….only negative from a few was that EO is perhaps a bit strong. Anyway, in response to requests for the recipe, her is the hair conditioner. Lets just consider this one for now, and look at the lotion another time.
Heated Water Phase (grams)
Water 330.0Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice 60.0Hydrolyzed Rice Protein 10.0Glycerin 10.0Heated Oil Phase (grams)
Cetyl Alcohol 15.0
Sesame Seed Oil 7.5
Wheat Germ Oil 7.5
Jojoba Oil 7.5
Rose Hip Oil 7.5Cool Down Phase (grams)
Cetrimonium Chloride 10.0
Tocopherol (Vitamin E) 6.0
Nettle Extract 6.0
Horsetail Extract 6.0
Phenoxyethanol 5.0
Benzyl Alcohol 4.0
Essential Oils 7.5 -
Woops typo re the adjust pH……..should delete the “citric acid”
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You should probably have an emulsifier in the formula. A blend of PEG-8 Dioleate and Glyceryl Stearate should work for your chosen oils.
Adding the EOs in the cool down phase is ok. You probably shouldn’t add them later though as the formula might not be stable (or it might be, you’d have to test it).For pH adjustment, I’d make a batch, test the pH then add enough citric acid to reduce the pH to where you want it. Make note of the amount you used then when you make the next batch put that much citric acid in the formula in the water phase. You should end up with a pH pretty close to where you want it. -
It’s substantially more helpful if you list the ingredients with the percentage used in the formulation as opposed to the weight since that is the way we evaluate formulas.As Perry mentioned, you’re missing emulsifiers from your formulation.Also, if you are going to add the EO at a cool down stage, you might want to first mix it with a solubilizer like Poly Suga Mulse D9 from Colonial Chemical.Since you have other oils in your formulation, my recommendation would be for you to add the EO’s along with your other oil components. -
Thanks for comments….much appreciated.
@Perry Why the need for the emulsifiers that you have mentioned. I have made test batches and they are fine, plus this recipe is based on a commercial product that I have used and liked. The ingredients list did not include emulsifiers.
@markbroussard Point taken on using percentages, thanks. My reason for adding EOs in cool down phase is that I didn’t want any heat to vaporize the EO. Wouldn’t this be a risk if added along with other oils in heated phase at 45 C ?
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You are trying to mix oils with water so having an emulsifier will make the formula more stable. Cetrimonium Chloride and Cetyl Alcohol will have some emulsifying ability but not much. When you say the formula is “fine” I’m not sure what you mean by that.
Have you done a stability test to determine how long the formula remains “fine”? Without a proper emulsifier, I suspect you will see formula separation over time. Maybe not but I wouldn’t take that chance on a commercial product. -
If you are not using emulsifiers, your oil levels are too high for long term stability
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Thanks @Perry and @Bobzchemist. I have copied a well known brand available internationally, plus, with the first test batch I have been using for about 2-3 months, so that’s what I mean when I say the formula is “fine.”
I will produce a bigger batch soon, and send it off to the lab for stability testing.
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