[bgeorge]

@Pharma because the formula went creamy like moisturiser there was no separation like the original formula, which was great! So I need to get the perfect mix of the two formulas! Then I will be happy. 

[bgeorge]

Thanks for all of your input guys! I’m really trying to keep this product as natural as I possible can. 

So I have been happy with the performance of this particular formula of my products. The only thing that I am find is that I am getting a lot of what I would describe wax and water separation when putting it through my fingers, eventually it does come back together and when put in the hair is perfect! 

I just want to fix the separation of the product, if I was the consumer this would turn me off! 

So I reformulated as I mentioned previously as I felt the product perhaps hadn’t emulsified properly. I removed the bentonite clay and made up for it with kaolin clay and have added that to my water phase now, making sure I have hydrated the clay before adding to the oil phase. I have also swapped my preservative to Optiphen Plus.

This was a disaster the consistency again was like when I added the borax! A very creamy consistency like a moisturiser! 

Where do I go from here? I want to bump the soy wax back up again and take the PEG40 down to match the lecithin.

[bgeorge]

@LincsChemist thank you for your suggestion, I will scrap the bentonite and up the amount of Kaolin, this clay seems a lot easier to work with anyway! 

@Fekher is a HLB of 12 good? 

[bgeorge]

Slight adjustment to the formula, lifting the PEG40 HCO and dropping some waxes. Hopefully this will make a difference to the consistency. What are your thoughts on this adjustment? 

[bgeorge]

So I’m thinking I will change my preservative to optiphen plus. 

To help with my dried out product, would you recommend that I drop some of the waxes and lift the amount of PEG40 hydrogenised castor oil? Will this fix my consistency issue? 

I have seen other products currently on the market with very similar ingredients, and they have been able to preserve their product to go to market.  Will optiphen plus preserve this formula do you feel?

[bgeorge]

The process I have been using with my test batches is combining the oil phase in a double boiler until it reaches 75 degrees Celsius.

bring water phase to the same temperature.

pour water phase into the oil phase whilst combining with a milk frother. Hold temperature for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and bring down to 50 degrees Celsius.

then I add the clays, fragrance and preservative and combine that with the frother.

then pour into the jar while still hot. 

[bgeorge]

I was actually thinking the same thing about Naticide, I found it extremely weird that the INCI is parfum or frangrance.

im using PEG40 Hydrogenised Castor Oil. If this helps

[bgeorge]

PEG-40 has a HLB of 15 and Soy Lecithin has a HLB of 7. How do calculate the average, and how much I will need to increase the emulsifiers? Thank you for your suggestion! 

[bgeorge]

Hey guys!

Thank you all for your input, I have removed the borax from my formula and I have done another test batch of pomade tonight, I will keep you posted on the results. 

What are your thoughts on Naticide as a preservative? 

PS. I am also working on a Matte Clay based on my pomade formula. I’m having a real issue with the consistency of this as well. I’m finding that it is really dry and flaky. Not like a cream which is what I am aiming for. It also separates when you are rubbing between your fingers. Any feedback for me? 

[bgeorge]

Is Cayhon GC a natural preservative? And at what percentage would you recommend? 

[bgeorge]

Thanks for your input @Fekher! A cream was not the end goal here I wanted a nice thick paste, which I was able to achieve with the original formula. What would you recommend I use as a preservative for this original formula to get the consistency I want? 

[bgeorge]

Alright, so borax is off the list! What are your thoughts on optiphen plus as a preservative? Will I get a better result with this? Would I be able to use this as the soul preservative given there are a blend of ingredients in optiohen plus? 

[bgeorge]

I honestly hadn’t thought about checking the pH of the products, I’m new to this so please excuse my ignorance.  How will the pH affect the consistency? 

[bgeorge]

Will using 1% of any preservative be too high? Or just too much in this case using borax? 

[bgeorge]

Okay great, that was just me being stingy as going for a cheaper option. I have also thought about using optiphen plus as a preservative. So using the borax would be the reason the consistency has changed? 

When i bottled the original formula, the product was harder cream consistency and the second formula formed a thick skin and when you went to scoop it was like a custard! 

Thank you for your input! 

[bgeorge]

I will note that the original formula was poured into 30ml tester jars and the updated formula was poured into 100ml product container, would this make a difference?