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Stupid question alert: Can I add boiling water to surfactants..
so I added boiling water to the ingredients below to help them melt together faster (without holding them in boiling water, but rather adding some boiling water to the cold mix). I didn’t feel like using a double boiler.
I was wondering whether doing so changes anything chemically, causes any of the ingredients to potentially decompose into toxins..
yes i have looked at an SDS but those come from the people trying to sell me the ingredients so i’d like a second opinion.my shampoo mix:
- sodium cocoamphoacetate, sodium cocoyl glutamate, lauryl glucoside, sodium glucose carboxylate, sodium cocoyl isethionate
- cationic guar gum
- citric acid
-benzyl alcohol+DHA (i read that heat /aids in benzyl alcohol turning into benzene?!)Thanks in advance
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5 Replies
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Yeah… no.
There are reasons why the industry follows GMP. Regardless of what might or might not happen, you should have a method of production and follow it. If you start changing your manufacturing process because you didn’t feel like you should follow a protocol, the result will be a different batch every time, eventually something will go wrong and you won’t be able to know why. That’s bad business.
Toxins come from living things, so your product can’t decompose into toxins. Now, if you don’t follow GMP and your product is poorly preserved, you could end up with a microorganism that will eventually release toxins.
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@DAS gotcha..i’m just a hobbyist for now so I don’t have a industry-standard manufacturing process. I’ll add the preservatives after cooldown, but for the ‘heated phase’ was just wondering if adding boiling water to my surfactants will do any bad.
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It isn’t great technique and these materials melt at a point far below the boiling point of water. “Heat and hold” is a confusing term as it is greatly misunderstood. It doesn’t come into play here. You would heat your bulk to perhaps 80C (BP water is 100C) and hold simply to allow the materials to melt under mixing.In scale-up A manufacturer could not emulate boiling water or likely produce boiling water. Lastly if you are trying to be sustainable, avoiding heating steps is key. That is one of the key selling points behind cold emulsion technology. -
Climatechangeanxiety said:@DAS gotcha..i’m just a hobbyist for now so I don’t have a industry-standard manufacturing process. I’ll add the preservatives after cooldown, but for the ‘heated phase’ was just wondering if adding boiling water to my surfactants will do any bad.I guess what is confusing us is…. Will it do any good? Other than being a waste of energy…what would the point be? What are you trying to gain? Some hobbyist will use glassware and a microwave to reduce energy use.
When I have an emulsifier that needs heat…I try and use as little heat as possible to achieve the necessary temperature. Energy is expensive in Hawaii!
I think what some of the other’s are trying to say….is process is very important. If you don’t repeat the same exact process each time…you will ultimately create a slightly different product each time. If you are only making for yourself…that is fine. If you are considering selling…..not so fine.
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I think it is very common mindset to hobbyist or beginner. I understand what you are saying. The thought of having to set up double boiler, trying to find large enough container to hold both water and oil phase, and the cleaning afterwards. It’s just too time consuming and if you made only a small batch, you’d think it’s not worth to set things up this much and begin to find a “shortcut” or workaround. Yes, no?Maybe another way is to make the base in enough volume so you don’t have to setup the boiler every time. You can add your favorite ingredients, perfume or actives by just “pour and stir” in cold process.
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