-
Wax Pomade Formula - Doesn’t Thicken Up
I am trying to formulate a hair wax pomade product and I cannot get it to thicken up and I don’t know what I am doing wrong. Here is my formula:
82.1% Water (Distilled)
4.5% Hydrogenated Olea europaea (Olive Oil)
4.0% Maltodextrin / VP copolymer
3.3% Glyceryl Stearate AND PEG-100 Stearate
2.0% Caprylic Capric Triglycerides
2.0% Cetearyl Alcohol
1.5% Gluconolactone AND Sodium Benzoate
.3% DL-Panthenol
.3% Fragrance OilThis is the original formula that I was trying to mimic:
82.6% Water
4.5% Beeswax
4.0% Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate
3.0% Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Methacrylate
2.0% Caprylic Capric Triglycerides
2.0% Cetearyl Alcohol
1.0% Paraben-DU
0.3% Triethanolamine
0.3% D-panthenol
0.3% FragranceI am substituting the following ingredients:
Hydrogenated Olive Oil in place of the beeswax
Maltodextrin / VP copolymer in place of the Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Methacrylate
Gluconolactone AND Sodium Benzoate in place of the Paraben-DUI eliminated the Triethanolamine since the Maltodextrin / VP copolymer does not need to be neutralized.
The original formula has a picture that shows a nice thick product. My version is very liquid-y and not one bit solid. What am I doing wrong?
-
4 Replies
-
a bit of googling shows that “Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer” is a thickener from BASF, and “Maltodextrin / VP Copolymer” is a styling polymer from Akzo Nobel
your product is thin because the latter is not a thickener, and there’s not enough oil phase or emulsifiers for the product to have any substantial viscosity on its own
-
Substituting one ingredient for another in a formula without a good understanding of what each of them does is a recipe for failure, and sure enough, your formula failed.
Your original formula had 2 emulsifying systems: Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate and Beeswax/Triethanolamine. You took one out completely, and reduced the amount of the second one without reducing the oil being emulsified.
Why would you expect the end result to be the same?
-
Thank you Bill and Bob for your comments.
I am very new at cosmetic chemistry and I would be the first one to admit that. I thought that polymers performed one function and didn’t realize the difference between products. I only omitted the Triethanolamine because I had inadvertently mistook it as Triethylamine which is typically used as a neutralizer. I didn’t look any further to see that Triethanolamine was an emulsifier.
I guess we all learn from our mistakes. I knew that there would be the chance that my actions would end in failure and that is fine.
I have increased the hydrogenated Olea europaea (Olive Oil) to 20%, the Glyceryl Stearate & PEG-100 Stearate to 5% and the Maltodextrin / VP copolymer to 25%. I now have a paste-like product that has a very strong hold. I am thinking about modifying the hydrogenated Olea europaea (Olive Oil) to either a lesser amount and/or a blend of the wax and a butter. I may also try different quantities of the Maltodextrin / VP copolymer to see what I can come up with. While I like the strong hold of the product, I am hoping for something that is a little easier to apply.
Thank you again for your comments on my post.
-
Ummm…the TEA is a neutralizer, not an emulsifier. TEA-neutralized beeswax, however, is an emulsifier, but unreacted beeswax is not. See Beeswax/Borax.
If you approach them with the right attitude, your mistakes can teach you as much or more than your successes can.
Log in to reply.
