[Anna_Maria]

ngarayeva001 said:

Attached is chapter 2.4 of the book called Chemistry and Technology of Cosmetics and Toiletries Industry by Williams and Schmitt. You might find it useful.

In summary, most conditioners have similar components:

1. cationic emulsifier (one or more)
2. additional non-ionic emulsifier for stability
3. fatty alcohol
4. some sort of emollient - usually a silicone (dimethicone 2-3%)
5. additives such as cationic polymers (polyquaternium 7 or 10)
6. preservation system

The most common emulsifiers are BTMS, Behentrimonium Chloride and Cetrimonium Chloride. You can also see Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine (typically better for thin hair) pretty often.
Which one to use depends on hair type and I find Behentrimonium Chloride to be the most conditioning. BTMS comes in different concentrations 25% and 50% being the most common. I once bought BTMS 80 but it has a very high melting point which makes it tricky to work with.

I suggest you start with BTMS-25 as it’s easy to work with and depending on desired viscosity you might not even need fatty alcohol (it has it included). It is also easy to find and less expensive than 50.

In terms of polymers, keep in mind that polyquat 10 can vary from supplier to supplier a lot. It can be more or less cationic and vary a lot in viscosity, so maybe start with polyquat 7.

Check supplier’s documentation in terms of processing. Conditioners often don’t like high shear.

D5 works great in conditioners but now it’s restricted in wash-off products for its toxicity for aquatic life, so stick to dimethicone.

Do not overload your conditioner with vegetable oils. Those are added for consumer appeal at negligible amounts (lower than 1%)

Also, you can go as minimalistic as this: 

Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cyamopsis Tetragonoloba (Guar) Gum, Phytic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin.

https://theordinary.com/en-gb/behentrimonium-chloride-2-conditioner-100409.html

Thank you very much for the references and advises, really helpful!

[Anna_Maria]

ketchito said:

There’s a very nice book called Cosmetic Formulation: Principles and Practice, you can find it online. Let me know if you have troubles getting it????

Thank you very much for the reference i found it!

[Anna_Maria]

Hello @ketchito thank you for your answer. Do you think i can premix it with coco glucoside?

[Anna_Maria]

@Abdullah i’m formulating a natural shower gel and i wanted to add glyceryl oleate for softening effect and at the same time as thickener. Im using sodium cocosulfate and coco glucoside. The problem is that the glyceryl oleate is not miscible with the formula unless heated. is there any way to make it soluble without heating my mixture?