[chemicalmatt]

With all due respect here @Emily2001 all esters are lipids, therefore by definition all are oils. Helping you with this project - obviously from scratch - will entail a professional consulting arrangement. There is way too much ground to cover with just helpful hints.

[chemicalmatt]

Or, you may forget Lubrizol, bypass their powders and use Rapidgel EZ1 from 3V Sigma USA. Liquid format just drops in, already neutralized acrylate polymer, inexpensive, same electrolyte tolerance as Ultrez to stabilize emulsions or form gels. Whatever. Could not be easier, why they called it EZ.

[chemicalmatt]

It is good to remember @Transformize that the HLB System is merely a guideline, never an exact point so you have a lot of freedom here to alter your surfactant ratio. Also, adding a third surfactant will not only be allowable but a good idea. I would add some low HLB alcohol ethoxylate Steareth-2 (HLB ~ 5) to offset the high HLB ethoxylate CT-25 to build stability here. There is always the question of the polarity of y our oil blend to consider also.

[chemicalmatt]

I’ll advise obtaining a degree in chemistry, paying close attention during the three mandatory courses for B.S. degree covering Physical Chemistry, then taking Perry’s Cosmetic Chemistry for Beginners pod course. You will have better results then.

[chemicalmatt]

I second what @ketchito said. That reaction is usually catalyzed by copper coordinate in alkali medium. Research it yourself if this is merely an academic exercise, but that reaction outcome is unlikely to occur within a cosmetic formulation in situ.

[chemicalmatt]

Negative, Mike. I always winged it, having some remorse later in a few areas that I didn’t consult an industrial engineering firm or millwright on.

[chemicalmatt]

Phthalates were very effective fixatives as @fareloz mentions but are discouraged or banned from use now due to safety concerns. Private use of phthalates is no problem but should you go to market with this try using triethyl citrate or ethylhexylglycerin.

[chemicalmatt]

@JoongRi I am with @fareloz here: acrylics require some water to hydrate and gel, even if just a little. Rapidgel EZ1 from 3V Sigma will thicken a system like that quickly (it’s a PEG-6 solution already) but only if there is 3.0% water inside. Why not switch to a higher mw PEG? Viscosity increases with the polymer length.

[chemicalmatt]

@himanshu_bhonde26 the stickiness may be mitigated by adding a glycol such as propylene or butylene glycol perhaps 1 - 2 %. As for the spray problem, that is due solely to the HYA polymer. Polymers do not like to atomize; very few do and only those having low mw chain lengths. Try a lower Dalton HYA and see what happens.

[chemicalmatt]

@Zymurgist try adding an emollient ester to that mix. These are compatible with those butters & waxes and you’ll get better dry comb. I would also suggest dimethicone but I glean that a Leucidal user would be averse to using silicone too.

[chemicalmatt]

I can add here @ntina that your 45C ACC sample will generally fail if this is an invert (w/o) emulsion. Virtually all invert emulsions are thermodynamically unstable. We classify these as meta-stable. I have 10-year-old w/o samples that still basically look fine but have the same small amount of syneresis they had at 24 months at RT. The ACC sample was disjoined at 30 days as I recall. The world of invert emulsions (w/Si are same) is a topsy-turvy one.

[chemicalmatt]

@Juliatrudie the term “surfactant” is synonymous with “emulsifier” in this and 99% of other cases, just to clarify. Not all surfactants are viable emulsifiers, but nearly all emulsifiers are surfactants.

[chemicalmatt]

I’ll counter here that MoCRA regulations are not a big deal and are more significant for what they omit than what they contain. I’ve worked in FDA registered drug producing establishments nearly my entire 40-year career and have compiled export docs to Asia, EU, China, LatAm also during that time. There is nothing novel about MoCRA and in fact facilities that are solely Chapter V producers are entirely exempt from it. What is significant is what they left out. No harmonization of the ingredient “denials” in all 50 states - a major flaw - and no language anywhere for label review of claims or other criteria. Posting your label into the Product Listing portal is only “optional” not mandatory, not that it would matter as there is NO FDA LABEL REVIEW mechanism or acceptance criteria. The product label chicanery and greenwashing (i.e. “natural vegetable glycerin”) will continue in the USA whereas EU, China and even Canada took steps to counter this. As a certain orange-hair narcissist freak of an ex-president would have tweeted: SAD

[chemicalmatt]

First of all, kids, is why is putting Epsom Salt into your hair anything approaching a good idea? This smells of a weird unfathomable TikTok trend. PVP is doing the heavy lifting there, trust me. It is also doing the flaking. Sorbitol makes this way too sticky, although propylene glycol mediates that, why we ALWAYS add propylene glycol to high glycerin formulations, right? Same true for sorbitol. BTW, ethanol is only there to allow faster drying, the isoceteth-20 is only solubilizing the fragrance oil. And @Chetna : diazolidinyl urea is not a hair conditioner but a very good preservative, one of those scary formaldehyde donors. I use it all the time and why you ask? ‘Cuz I aint scared a’ nuttin’.

[chemicalmatt]

@Ahassan22 At least you intelligently resolved the bad actor here by DoX - a good chemist you are. Many will just shake their heads and dial up this blogspot for answers. That BTC quat (Stepan?) is your issue when using with TEA. The white ppt may be the quat salting out. This raises the issue why adjust pH to the high side when a quat is the main surfactant (and disinfectant). No need to build pH like other HI&I products. The TEA is unnecessary. If you HAVE to include then add a hydrotrope to this like sodium cocoampodiacetate or a phospho-ester.

[chemicalmatt]

Best surfactant-emulsifiers for these high internal phase (HIP) invert emulsions are the polyglycol alkyl-modified silicone materials. Hands down the best. Check out ShinEtsu, Dowsil, Momentive, A&B Specialty for these.

[chemicalmatt]

Hey @JRB we don’t get our “feet wet” but we do get our hair wet in this trade. Joking aside, you likely have a tech grade AOS, one with too many “cats & dogs” as we call those many side-products in surfactant synthesis. Among those olefins lurk poly-unsaturates, all of which decompose to darker color when heated for extended periods. Try using less heat and longer dwell time, adding a little hydrotrope to help this along.

[chemicalmatt]

For safety? No problem there, but for stability, yes you will have many problems. Compatibility leans on the relative charge-mass ratio of the anionic and cationic materials to combine. In your case TEA-Stearate has a high c/m ration while BTMS-50 a moderate one. That is not likely to be stable resulting in a mess. BTW, this is why so many cationic charged polymers work so well in anionic-amphoteric shampoo formulas. Most of the polyquats have very low c/m ratios allowing better cooperation.

[chemicalmatt]

Without knowing your location, Glenn Corp. (Azelis) in the Midwest should carry all of the Evonik line as they have for over 30 years.

[chemicalmatt]

I’ll answer for Perry here (he’s a busy guy), YES, reduce the pH to 4.5 - 5.0 using lactic acid or citric acid. You had an unpreserved product all this time! Yeesh! Just curious here: this hair gel sounds like a gummy thing with no fixative properties. What application does it serve?

[chemicalmatt]

I’ll second @ketchito and offer the cocoamphocetates, and also echo the ratio proposition. If you have 2:1 to a 1:1 ratio (solid-state) anionic : amphoteric and a little builder this should be very viscous. That is, unless you start adding the accursed glycerin to your formula.

[chemicalmatt]

All of that aluminum ion is going to crash just about any rheological additive in existence save for Veegum or another colloidal clay derivative. Xanthan may work if at high concentration but then you’ll have a gummy mess of a product.

[chemicalmatt]

I have up UL Prospector and covalo during my day, sometimes x-referencing at SpecialChem4Cosmetics. I must say Knowde was not impressive at first but they have improved the site recently plus I can easily access HI&I and CASE chemicals there when I need them since I delve into those formulation applications often.

[chemicalmatt]

I will add to @gordof comments. Rice starch is not abrasive or any way harmful, nor will it wet out and be gummy like rice flour will. No need to certify as it already certified by the supplier. It will adsorb sebum and organic dusts very effectively and leave a silky soft sensorial on your hair, making it ideal as a dry shampoo base. As Gordof stated it will mattify too so if shine is your jam, you’ll want to look elsewhere. Agrana is a fine Italian source, but if you are in North America you’ll find it easier to obtain Activederm RP from 3V Sigma USA.

[chemicalmatt]

Well said!