[chemicalmatt]

@Zahra, what exactly does a “keratinizer” do? Help us understand.

[chemicalmatt]

@MattTheChemist For volumizing I’ll take the polyurethanes any day, hands down. Look into DynamX from Nouryon. This is a urethane/acrylic co-polymer so you get the curl retention too. Be advised not all polymers will atomize and you mention a spray. DynamX will spray as will PVP K30. You don’t need heat to activate with most either.

[chemicalmatt]

@Camel not all carbomers are the same. (Perhaps I’ll run a seminar on that some day?) Use Polygel HG from 3V Sigma USA and neutralize with AMP-95 at a ratio of 0.80 to 1.00 Polygel. At 0.50% you should obtain 50,000 mPas, at 1.00% you will get closer to 100,000 mPas. Turn that jar upside down and jiggle: nothing comes out. The bonus: that material will cost you half as much as Lubrizol stuff. Better results at half the price, can’t beat that. Using TEA is good too, as Perry suggests, but just be sure to use 99% not 85%. The latter has 10% DEA in it; not wanted or allowed in California.

[chemicalmatt]

@samsal sounds like you are searching for a hair fixative, not thickener here, right? None of the above greenies will do that. Closest you will get is Biostyle XH or another starch copolymer. Not going to do as well at holding as Amphomer, though. Good luck. 

[chemicalmatt]

I’ll recommend Kelly Dobos for this.  Perry knows how to contact her.

[chemicalmatt]

I’ve often recommended a shade tree.  :smiley:

[chemicalmatt]

That’s a good  question, @chemeng. I wouldn’t mind knowing myself. There are so many variables with a compounded product and free radicals can be quenched as soon as they are generated.  Might need to look back through the Journal of Society of Cosmetic Chemists archives to check if anyone did this before.

[chemicalmatt]

Thanks Perry! I was having a good hair day when we filmed this too. Maybe a cover-grey shampoo next with self-experiment? Next episode (filmed yesterday) will be a glycol-stearate type deodorant stick - with nearly all renewables. Watch for it later in March.

[chemicalmatt]

@Mondonna I cannot advise using any natural preservatives in anything. Your best bet is to reduce the water activity (Aw) to the very lowest then add your Leucidal or whatever….good luck with that.
@samiditsamir_roubahi please begin a new thread, you have highjacked the one started by Mondonna here - not a good start, my friend.

[chemicalmatt]

Hard to help without knowing the constituents of your “liquid foundation o/w”. With all those minerals the easiest outcome would be to reformulate as an invert w/o or w/Si system. That’s the method of choice for these things. 

[chemicalmatt]

@Paprik I’ll go with @Abdullah and @GeorgeBenson here: I’ve never had good results with HEC and alkyl glucosides, or with many other surfactant combinations. The resin to use here is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Methocel F4M or 40-100 from DOW) otherwise called HPMC. 

[chemicalmatt]

@BettiB Affirmative, you do run that risk, why I only use the lowest speed setting when mixing viscous formulations or those that foam.  The higher speeds on the KitchenAid work fine for emulsification and dispersion when the batch is liquid at higher temps. Also, I’ll disperse carbomer with it at RT, then stop, let air vacate, then put on low speed with the dough (planetary) blade to neutralize and form an air-free gel.

[chemicalmatt]

Invert emulsions will destabilize if you over-homogenize them. You may have homogenized above the inversion temperature - turned out OK, then tried same only below inversion - not so good. 

[chemicalmatt]

@Abdullah I would characterize this as adequate for the purpose. This is a low torque/low shear mixer but you can compensate with your homogenizer.  Looks like a 0.75hp motor, ought to be OK for 50GL (200L). I like the stabilizer ring.

[chemicalmatt]

@tecnico3vinia, Synthalen W600 (acrylates copolymer from 3V Sigma) will do the job nicely once neutralized. No more separation anxiety.
Ultrez-10 will crash when your surfactants are added. 

[chemicalmatt]

Your mathematics are correct. This will incease pH - guaranteed. Now there’s one way to find out the answer to your other question: try it and find out.

[chemicalmatt]

@Rimbaud16 this is exactly what @ketchito describes: HDPE will soften, become less rigid and implode when many oils are stored inside. Castor Oil is notorious here too - just your (bad) luck. Switch to PET or BOPP to get out of this mess as suggested. Those appear to be the “soft touch” PE. If that is the case then there are “soft touch” BOPP bottles out there. BTW, this is especially acute in Chinese-made HDPE containers. 

[chemicalmatt]

The silicone situation is currently acute. Back-orders of 8 -10 weeks not unusual. Prices 200% mark-up not uncommon either. Try A&B Specialty Silicones in Illinois for an alternate source, they use Bluestar (NV) base materials and do a fine job at low costs. 

[chemicalmatt]

You are looking at a 50GL (200L) jacketed 316SS vessel with a 3-5hp gear-driven side-sweep agitator, plus a clamp-on or imbedded 1.5 - 3.0hp turbine mixer, preferably gear-drive but direct drive will do. A flush-fit bottom ball or gate valve and a Wilden M8 style double-diaphragm pump, some Tygon 1.5 in hose and 304 or 316SS sanitary fittings and you are on your way. Add some VF power invertors for controls for good measure. Assuming you are using low-pressure steam then a board rating of 25psi should be fine. Be advised the smaller kettles are the hardest to source on the used market. You may find many 1000 - 2000 GL kettles with that set-up all over the world, but a 25 - 100GL one? Be patient or have one fabricated.

[chemicalmatt]

@Karo_lina This is too vague a question to answer effectively I am afraid. You’ll need to divulge the physical form, all constituents, outcome desired….much more than here. Be advised the term “active ingredients” is confusing for us veteran formulators. What activity is inferred?

[chemicalmatt]

The paddle blade will approximate it if you are using a 600ml beaker. Honestly, counter-rotating a 316SS spatula with a strong right arm while the impellor (3-blade propeller in this catalog) runs at low speed works best for  me. For larger batches use a KitchenAid blender at the lowest speed and the planetary attachment.

[chemicalmatt]

Respectfully @Pharma, and I do respect you, your advice is unsound. Lactic acid/sodium lactate at pH 5.0 - 5.5 is by stoichiometric definition a buffer system and HAS been proven to maintain a urea-bearing system at a pH 5.0 - 5.5, the sweet spot for stability minimizing decomposition into ammonia and biuret. I’ve discovered in my research on rice starch that is was shown - as was potato starch - to stabilize urea solutions at that pH too. The research paper mentioned that as a side note not as a breakthrough idea. Upon reading this the little light bulb went off inside my head: another means of stabilizing urea, how cool is that!. Since then I’ve formulated 20% urea creams using the classic lactate buffer approach backed up by 3.0% rice starch and have seen nothing but success. @Graillotion is exhibiting the same romance with triethyl citrate that I have. I think I’ve enabled her and perhaps an intervention may be needed. 

[chemicalmatt]

Tromethamine (TRISamino from Angus Chemical) Use 80% of the amount calculated for TEA99%. Especially if you are formulating with stearic acid/TEA in lotions & creams.

[chemicalmatt]

Trying to understand here…purpose? If this is a formula then the purpose of NaOH is to keep that carbonate from fizzing away as CO2. 

[chemicalmatt]

@Graillotion - kudos for the 411 on rice starch vs. silicone elastomers. You rock! @Perry :smiley: late night on ‘XRT no doubt, where the swingers and jogglers listen?