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Tried different methods, still can’t resolve the issue caused by Polyquat-10
I am a hairstylist and have been learning how to formulate hair care products on my own for several years. Recently, as my salon is approaching its 10th anniversary, I would like to create some shampoo products as gifts for my long-time loyal customers.
However, I am facing some difficulties. One of the shampoos I have developed has a layering issue. Below is the shampoo formula:
Aqua
EDTA 2 Na 0.3%
Polyquaternium-10 0.8%
Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate 8%
Sodium C14-16 Alpha Olefin Sulfonate 6%
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate 5%
Cocamidopropyl Hydroxy Sulfo Betaine 10%
There are also some ingredients added after cooling…
I have tried various methods, but the shampoo starts to separate even before adding the cool down phase ingredients.
I separated the water phase into two parts. In one part, I dissolved the EDTA, heated it, and then added all the surfactants one by one. It quickly became completely transparent and well-dissolved.
In the other part, I dissolved Polyquaternium-10 and gently heated it. Then, I processed it with a homogenizer until it was fully dissolved.
When I finally mixed the two parts together, no matter how much I stirred, the result was the same as in the two images below: the formula separated and settled at the bottom.
I really like the current surfactant combination and the benefits that Polyquaternium-10 provides. Could you advise on any methods to solve the separation issue while keeping the original formula intact?
Thank you for your help!
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9 Replies
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Once i had such a problem with a batch of cationic guar too. Did purchase another batch and problem was solved.
I think your PQ 10 has problem.
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Thank you for the reply Abdullah, it’s a very good point. I will ask for other quat 10 to test.
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I suggest you purchase from another seller or another type of PQ 10
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You have too much EDTA (you can use half). Also, you have way too much Polyquaternium-10 (you can use 0.2-0.3%). Keep in mind that PQ-10 tends to bind strongly to hair and might be harder to completely remove it later, specially since you don’t have stronger surfactants like SLES.
I’d change your method to look like this: add your water to the main vessel, sprinkle EDTA with high mixing, sprinkle after the PQ-10 also with high mixing, add 2% of your betaine with low mixing, and after this, add all the anionic surfactants; add the rest of the betaine.
What preservative system are you using?
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I reduced the amounts of EDTA and POLYQUAT-10 to 0.15% and 0.3%, respectively, and followed your method completely to make this shampoo. The result was very stable, with no signs of layering.
During the shampoo-making process, after adding all the surfactants, I incorporated 0.5% Guar Gum. After cooling to 40°C, I added a 2:1 mixture of Polysorbate 20 and fragrance, followed by 0.5% Germall Plus.
Once completely cooled, I used salt to adjust the viscosity.
As for the user experience, the foam and lather during application on the hair showed some improvement, with a 10–20% increase in smoothness. However, the hair texture during rinsing felt slightly weakened due to the reduction in POLYQUAT-10. For normal hair, this was sufficient, but it seemed a bit lacking for damaged, chemically treated hair. Do you have any suggestions to enhance the wet combing performance in this regard?
I haven’t delved deeply into the preservative system yet, so I’d love to hear your advice on this.
Thank you for your suggestions!
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For that, you’d need to add silicones. Are you ok with using silicones? They rule actually, hehe. If you’re not, there’s a modified version of PQ-10 which is hydrophobically modified, and that could help you on that (not at the level of silicones, but some). It’s called Ucar Extreme Polymer from Dow.
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Thank you for your suggestion. I can try to see if I can find Ucare Extreme Polymer. If I were to add silicone oil to this formulation, which direction should I take? There are many types of silicone oils. In conditioners, I usually use amino-terminated polydimethylsiloxane and cyclopentasiloxane. Would this combination also be suitable and stable in shampoos?
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For shampoos, I use either a dimethiconol emulsion (50 or 60%), and/or dimethicone (1000 cps+).
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Ok, but that’s if you have a suspending agent. If not, then something like PEG-12 dimethicone or a silicone microemulsion could be useful.
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