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Shampoo Formula Help
Hi everyone! Looking for some help with formulating a shampoo. Criteria is it needs to be PEG-free, silicone free, sulfate free, etc. We had a formula that was working pretty well but it started to separate.
Aloe Vera Juice (Water with 200x Aloe powder added to make 1x Aloe juice) - 55%
Active blend (Salicylic Acid, Biotin, Panthenol, Peptides) - <1%
Norfox DF3 Clear - 22%
Cocamidopropyl Betaine - 7.5%
Polysorbate 20 - 2%
Poly SugaMulse D9 - 2%
Essential Oil Blend - <1%
Extract Blend - <1%
Mica - 0.35%
Phenoxyethanol - 1%
Citric Acid - to pH 5-6
Glycerin - 3%
Carboxymethyl Cellulose - 1.5%
Zemea - 2%
Xanthan Gum - 0.3%
I just did a trial where I swapped the Xanthan Gum for Hydroxyethylcellulose but for some reason the HEC is not swelling and the shampoo just feels grainy. Any ideas on why that is and what I should do differently?
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4 Replies
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What is your procedure for incorporating the hydroxyethylcellulose?
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I was premixing it with the zemea to create a slurry, then adding it in. I did this as the last step in the procedure.
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It’s possible that the HEC did not have enough time to fully hydrate, and if the the pH or temperature were too high when added, it may have caused lumping.
I don’t think you need to create a slurry to incorporate HEC in your formula. You can add it slowly to room temperature water under agitation before adding anything else. Wait for it to fully hydrate and then proceed.
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I agree with @camel. Also, to help speed up hydration, you could add some base (like sodium hydroxide) after mixing HEC for a while.
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