[chemicalmatt]

Critical to maintain an acidic pH but not THAT acidic, pH 4.0 - 5.0 sounds more like it. Use a phosphate or citrate buffer system since those also chelate metal ions, the enemy of peroxides. Do not accelerate aging at 45C. The old way was to reflux the solution for an hour then re-assay and report.

[chemicalmatt]

Do we assume “SI” is sodium isethionate? If so, that has been a standard component of syndet bar soaps for many decades. Should be good to go, although sodium cocoyl isethionate will be even milder.

[chemicalmatt]

Are you referring to a “developer” carrying hydrogen peroxide at that concentration? This intel would help. This sounds like a 10 Volume hair colorant developer.

[chemicalmatt]

Hello @abdullah. I’ll add to the always observant @ketchito that besides pH to 8.0-plus, this formula of yours really calls for a hydrotrope. CAPB or other amphoteric is not the best but can work. Sodium xylene sulfonate works better and at low use, is good with SLS, and is inexpensive. Eid Mubarak to you and yours.

[chemicalmatt]

Rice starch (aka “rice powder”) will not add much exfoliation and minimal bulking but is very adept at absorbing sebum, plus it lends a silky sensorial finish on rinse-off. In dry shampoos it may be most of the formula for just those reasons. I like it best in solid deodorant sticks for this.

[chemicalmatt]

Negative

[chemicalmatt]

I just had to remark on a guy named “mattthechemist”. Are you my alter ego? Just kidding there. As @evchem2 (No longer just “EVchem?) remarked the saccharide resins are most tolerant, including xanthan, tara, sclerotium, starches, etc., also the cellulosics. Seppimax ZEN - not tolerant, and acrylates copolymers work with surfactants (organic salts) but will crash if divalent or trivalent strong electrolytes are added as with all acrylic polymers, including Seppimax ZEN.

[chemicalmatt]

The carbomer that gives clearest gel is Polygel HG (3V Sigma USA) and costs MUCH less than Carbopol 940. I would neutralize that with TEA 99% (not 85% as it has DEA) at 1.2:1.0 ratio. Your freeze-dried aloe vera is acidic so you may disperse it with the carbomer. That is the easy part. The more difficult part will be solubilizing all those oils especially the terpenes. Use Polysugamulse D9 (Colonial Chemical) at 5:1 ratio to start and see what happens. If those oils total < 0.50% you may get clarity, but likely not. Finally add preservative and there are many to choose from. Xanthan gum sucks at making gels and sodium hyaluronate doesn’t gel at all. The former is a good emulsion stabilizer, the latter a good skin-care osmotic agent.

[chemicalmatt]

Err…shave it off then grow it all back hoping your follicles’ telogen phase DNA remembers the correct original melanogenesis sequence? Surely you weren’t thinking a topical-applied chemical was going to perform this miracle, right?

[chemicalmatt]

I cannot help but laugh every time I see ingredient “judgement” from self-proclaimed Information Agencies like indie decoder. Yeesh, when will this chicanery ever end? Rant over. This looks like an intelligent formula to me, basically a classic syndet soap bar with some cocoa butter used as a refatting agent (not a bulking agent) and mica thrown in. I would not use this on my hair however, that is just plain idiocy. The stearic acid bulking agent is classic modelling though it would be even better to see sodium hydroxide there along with it. @ketchito I am pretty sure they mean simple betaine (trimethylammonium acetate) which offers no detergency but some type of scalp-care benefit perhaps. All said I doubt many “hobbyists” could do any better.

[chemicalmatt]

First thing: DEL any carbomer in your formula as that was your first error. Carbomers crash in presence of electrolytes and shampoos such as yours are chock full of them, so the carbomer never had a chance. Second problem: all acrylic polymers are anionic and you have THREE cationic polymers in this - another reason for your carbomer failure. The only one compatible is the polyquaternium-7, so you’d lose the other two and increase that one. Use instead acrylates copolymer (Synthalen W600 from 3V Sigma is best) to build viscosity and stabilize & suspend pearlescence - or even rocks, as its yield point is that high. Fortunately PQ-7 also provides the best wet-comb/dry-comb, so you end up with a better formula. I cannot understand your wet-comb problem while PQ-7 is involved. Finally DEL propanediol (???) and revise order of addition: cationic first / amphoteric / anionic / builders / other stuff. Read Des Goddard’s book if you can find it.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 4 days ago by  chemicalmatt.

[chemicalmatt]

That should be fine as long as your oil load is not too heavy. If results are inconclusive, experiment with ratios and always add some cetyl/stearyl alcohol for LLC formation and stabilization.

[chemicalmatt]

Increases micelle formation.

[chemicalmatt]

Everything that @ketchito stated goes for me too. I’ll add one of the best ingredients to add to these systems - mentioned briefly - is a linear alkyl alcohol ethoxylate or PPG/PEG block copolymer. These are suds crushers that also act as enzyme stabilizers and mild detergents. Call it a “three-fer”

[chemicalmatt]

Add & mix glycerin stuff to the Sucragel XL at the very start before adding any oil.

[chemicalmatt]

I am not aware of where she learned of that deactivation property assigned to ethoxylates. Your empirical research clearly shows that it may have been misguided. Some ethoxylates (not all) have been known to deactivate parabens and some others, polysorbate 20 being notorious for that, but phenoxyethanol is entirely different chemistry. I say go with the flow.

[chemicalmatt]

You are definitely in need of a higher ratio of polysorbate 80:lipids. Try 5:1 and see how it turns out. Adding a food grade rheology stabilizer might help too. Carageenan gum comes to mind.

[chemicalmatt]

You will need to revamp that emulsifier blend and increase it. Glyceryl Stearate S.E. @ 4.0% | Polysorbate 80 at 1.5%. Sorbitan Stearate would work better, especially if you added a tad bit of stearic acid (1.0%) with a dram or so of triethanolamine (0.15%) to stabilize.

[chemicalmatt]

@Margaret PNC400 from 3V Sigma is identical to any pre-neutralized acrylic polymer (carbomers included) from any other source. As others have commented, inclusion of electrolytes, especially divalent ones, will crash virtually all of these. The formulations from P&G and Lubrizol likely do not have the usual dentrifices such as dicalcium phosphate, sodium bicarbonate, etc.; they may include silicas and silicates though. This is not a function of pH but crosslinking chemistry.

[chemicalmatt]

@Nikifarokhi I’ll answer best I can:

1. Negative, these are not eutectic, different chemistry and not water soluble

2, Acceptable concentrations: less than 1.0% menthol, less than 0.50% camphor. You’ll know if too much when you take a hot shower - both will sting the eyes when vaporized

3. Sure you can use MIT, especially in a rinse-off.

4 You may use NaOH solution, AMP or tromethamine to neutralize. If you use Synthalen W600 (acrylates Copolymer) from 3V Sigma USA, no need to back-acid titrate, just move on.

[chemicalmatt]

@nathanhamood The classic method of spray anticoagulant is to add a small amount of alkanolamide (lauramide MEA, cocamide DEA, cocoamide MIPA) to the formula; < 0.50%. This also functions as a resin plasticizer.

[chemicalmatt]

@Margaret The answer is yes, these tertiary amines all have an amino odor. Being cationic does not create sticky sensorial as a rule, but being a surfactant usually does.

[chemicalmatt]

@HenryLee With all those anionic acrylic polymers used there I do not foresee this ever being anything but an o/w emulsion. This is basically a Pickering emulsion. Test your pH directly and get on with your day.

[chemicalmatt]

@natiyo123 This is synonymous to canola oil. Use the comedomedic rating for that oil. You can use all you want.

[chemicalmatt]

Check out McKernan [www.mckernan.com] and use a PET cylinder or Boston round for the primary bottle, for a closure use a PP with SS ball/HDPE stem Euromist sprayer would be my recommendation, bottle and closure 20/410 or 20/415 neck finish if 2.0 fl.oz. (60ml) is your jam. Euromists have very small orifice size - why they mist so darn well, right? As for clogging, just add a little alkanolamide to the formula and keep suspended solids out.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  chemicalmatt.