Forum Replies Created

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  • Firmiderm LS 9120 is an active in my antiaging gel that has skin tightening action. Whether it does what Laboratoires Serobiologique claim, I leave to my customers to decide.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 22, 2015 at 6:59 am in reply to: conditioner Help choosing a Quat

    Yes, I use 2% quaternium 60 and 1% a pseudo-quat, Lamesoft PO-65.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 21, 2015 at 11:08 pm in reply to: can emulsifier wax or pvp make your hair fall ?

    Pomades aren’t something I’ve noticed, since “antimacassar” and then the dreaded Brylcreem went out of use. Seems like an unpleasant idea to me, all that grease, surely isn’t good for scalp health?

  • belassi

    Member
    April 21, 2015 at 11:03 pm in reply to: How do you prevent condensation in your cosmetic bottle?

    Perhaps add a tiny amount of a lipid added when bottling will stop the surface  evaporation?

  • belassi

    Member
    April 21, 2015 at 3:47 pm in reply to: conditioner Help choosing a Quat

    You really need an emulsifier in there. Can you obtain glyceryl stearate? That’s the main emulsifier in my conditioner, at 6% and I used 3.5% of lipids, a mixture of shea butter and jojoba oil, and around 3% of cetyl alcohol.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 18, 2015 at 12:50 pm in reply to: Problem with face wash separating

    I think you probably have insufficient emulsifier in there.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 17, 2015 at 6:48 pm in reply to: Natural antioxidants

    True. Organic shea for instance can vary a lot.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 17, 2015 at 6:32 pm in reply to: Pomada “Peyote con Arnica”

    My wife tried this for back pain and my daughter tried it for a sprained wrist and both report that it works great! 

  • belassi

    Member
    April 16, 2015 at 11:23 pm in reply to: Why use stearic acid?

    I suppose I am guilty of putting stuff in because it seems to be what everyone else puts in.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 16, 2015 at 11:28 am in reply to: Why use stearic acid?

    sensorials. Gives a ‘cold’ effect, e.g. Nivea “Cold Cream”.

  • It really depends on the cause, doesn’t it? If the cause is endemic - present continually - then anything we can create will merely temporarily relieve the problem. But if the cause is temporary (e.g. using a horrible dishwashing detergent, which was the reason I originally got into formulating) then applying a properly designed cream should work. Not necessarily every day.

    I don’t disagree with your opinion on occlusives. I simply hate the greasy sensation and the tendency to stain or leave greasy smears on things.
    I don’t know how much retinol shea has - it will depend on source and freshness. Refined is quite different from unrefined. You need to melt and filter unrefined so it’s a bit less convenient but it gives real results.
  • Hmmmm. Myself, I would concentrate on curing the problem that causes the dry skin, rather than treating the symptoms. Occlusives, to me, are ‘treating the symptoms’.

    I would first replace the jojoba oil with chia oil, the omega-3 content of the chia really improves skin condition.
    Secondly, I would replace all the coconut oil with organic shea butter, at say 4%, the retinol content works wonders and will even fade photo-pigmentation damage quite dramatically given several weeks.
    Green tea extract as per your list, at say 0.2-0.3% gives good antioxidant action (again, looking to improve skin condition)
    Dry skin is often inflamed skin, so I’d use say 10% concentration of aloe vera extract (hydrosol) and 5% calendula extract (hydrosol) to calm things down.
    Add 1% urea and say 0.5% (active) of licorice extract.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 16, 2015 at 4:19 am in reply to: Shelf life of glycerine

    I think you are going to have to make them in different concentrations and wait and see.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 16, 2015 at 4:08 am in reply to: Natural antioxidants

    I use a lot of extracts and oils/butters and have never really had any problems. Generally I use 0.5% vitamin E.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 15, 2015 at 3:11 pm in reply to: Pomada “Peyote con Arnica”

    It’s for my mother in law, I’ll have to ask her! I can’t stand putting petroleum jelly on myself, actually. As with all my skin products, if it leaves an occlusive film, I reject it.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 14, 2015 at 3:46 pm in reply to: Mineral oil

    No. Try SHS (Isostearyl Hydroxystearate) and capric/caprylic triglycerides instead.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 7:28 pm in reply to: Pomada “Peyote con Arnica”

    Thanks Bill and Michelle!

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 5:57 pm in reply to: Antibacterial testing??

    Natural soap (as your formula) is pH=10 which is quite antibacterial enough. The only reason you find “antibacterial” soap in stores, is because commercial soap is merely solid surfactants with no inherent antibacterial properties.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 5:54 pm in reply to: Emollients with the softest, creamiest feel?

    Schercemol esters range from ‘light’ to ‘heavy’ and you should be able to find the sensorials you’re looking for.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 5:53 pm in reply to: ALS formula thickening problems again!

    and the two come together to form a transient insoluble “gel”

    Thanks for that, Bill. That explains an early experiment when I was trying to learn about surfactants; I accidentally created a big clear rubbery ball that bounced around the table.
  • Probably forgot to go “format -> cell -> number -> 1 decimal place

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 5:45 pm in reply to: Do You Use Your Own Products?

    I test new formulations on such a frequent basis that I have to throw out perfectly good items quite often. If someone comes to me with a particular problem I sometimes will formulate specifically for that person, but only if I believe I might be able to come up with an effective formula. My family and many relatives use our products.

  • belassi

    Member
    April 13, 2015 at 5:41 pm in reply to: Mineral oil

    @danielyau:

    Capric/caprylic triglycerides (Myritol 318 in my stock) is great stuff but not as a substitute for mineral oil. It absorbs really fast leaving a ‘dry’ feel whereas mineral oil just sits on the skin feeling greasy and stains things you come into contact with. They have totally different sensorials and action. If I am looking to make a cream that passes actives into the dermis, I use triglycerides.
  • belassi

    Member
    April 11, 2015 at 4:46 am in reply to: Ordering from China

    @DavidW: thanks

    @Perry: I am doing a compare with PLINHIB. PM me if you’d like to compare progress.
  • belassi

    Member
    April 11, 2015 at 3:41 am in reply to: CARBOMER problems formulating shampoo

    @chemist77: thanks. Been on holiday, completely off-grid in Copper Canyon. Became altitude-sick, had to change plans mid holiday and descended to Batopilas on the canyon floor, an 1800m descent.

    Anyway.
    I have brought something amusing back. An, well, I guess it is an “unguent”. A petrolatum based pomade, definitely local, claiming to be a “peyote” all-purpose balm. It smells strongly of methyl salicylate. It does have an LOI which I shall be posting in its own topic for the amusement and entertainment of the forum members.
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