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Wax Crystals In My Home-brewed Oil Based Pomade
Hello Gang,
I am running into an issue with an oil based pomade that I have been working on. No matter what I do, I end up with little wax crystals, balls, grains, gel pebbles (not sure what to call it).
Ingredients:
- Petroleum - 56%
- Beeswax - 20%
- Coconut Oil - 10%
- Castor Oil - 10%
- Hemp Seed Oil - 4%
I have heated the beeswax up to 93.3 C. I ensure all solids have melted. I usually keep it on the heat for about 20 minutes. I add the petroleum and coconut oil at this stage as well. I turn the heat off and add in the castor oil and hemp seed oil. Stir and pour into my container at 62.8 C.
The next day when I scoop it out, I can feel little gel pebbles in the pomade that do melt down when I rub my hands together. Based off of my process and ingredients, can anyone identify what may be causing this?
There is little information online. The information I have read is all over the place. The only thing I have found that makes was found on this link http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6139&context=etd
Is it possible the oils are causing this?
Kind regards,
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15 Replies
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Petroleum?? You are adding gasoline to it?
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Petroleum jelly (cosmetic grade).
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If this is your only problem and otherwise you’re happy, I would try replacing the beeswax with other types, eg microcrystalline. There are many people here who can help.
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what grade of coconut oil are you using - is it whole or refined?
(also, petroleum jelly is called “petrolatum”)
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Beeswax particularly at the level you are using will give crystallization problems: try carnubba which should provide nice properties in the presence of that much petrolatum.
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Thank you all for the feedback. It is truly appreciated and valued.
@Bill_Toge, the coconut oil is virgin. I initially thought that was the problem so I tried a sample without using coconut oil and obtained the same result.
@Belassi, I would like to keep playing with the consistency of the pomade. I like the hold that beeswax offers. Maybe I can find a balance between combining the two.
@DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ, would you say the level of beeswax I’m using is too high or low? Would reducing the amount of petrolatum help? I have noticed that the pomade is on the more oily side of things. I’d like to reduce that aspect.
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Isn’t cera bellina meant to help in situations like this?
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@EliseCortes, I’m not sure as I’m not 100% positive as to what is causing my issue. I’d like to determine the root cause and see if there is a way to adjust my process rather than add another ingredient to the formula. However, if this is the best option then I will investigate.
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Elise problem is crystallization of too much B wax so I would cut it to 10 percent and lower petrolatum to 40 and replace with jojoba to improve oily aestheticsYou can back add paraffin or carnubba if needed to replace B wax
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@carp0824 I did formulate balm with bees wax before and I had the same crystallization problem. I agree with @DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ reduce the bees wax and try to replace with carnubba, paraffin, HCO or a mixture of all three. BTW ain’t you using any preservatives in your pomade?!
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@DRBOB@VERDIENT.BIZ, I’ll give this a shot. Thank you for the advice.
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@zaidjeber, I wouldn’t think a preservative would be needed in an oil base due to there not being any water present in the formulation.
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@carp0824 - If you want to find the root cause, do a knockout experiment.
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@Perry, I just started doing this yesterday. So far I have one ingredient left to remove and haven’t experienced any change in the results yet. Thank you for the recommendation.
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@carp0824 you are right, my point is “better safe than sorry”
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