[CosChemFan]

Thank you for responding and correcting @pma.
Thank you for responding @markbroussard.

Your answers have been very helpful. I really wanted to be clear on that. I’ve often read and heard that a pH of 6-7 for hair products could result in the fiber feeling dry and straw-like. But I have made styling aides in that range and the hair felt fine. Albeit, a tad dry from the pvp . Thank you again for you responses.

[CosChemFan]

Hello @Belassi!

I must say that you have become one of my favorite members on this forum. Your post are always so insightful, thank you for responding. 

I appreciate the material suggestions, but I can’t find a source for them (I would LOVE to try Polyquart H81) as I’m just a…hobbyist I guess you would call it. When I got no feedback I just went for it and made a test batch of the product using carbomer and PVP for hold with Glyceryl Stearate & PEG 100 Stearate as the emulsifier. I got the p.H. to 5.35 and everything is stable so far. I added some Peg-8 Dimethicone for slip and moisture and PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate for shine and as an emollient.

I tried some of it out on my hair and my hair looked great and had a lot of hold. Almost too much hold. My hair felt dry and crunchy which subsided after 3 days of letting it wear. But that wasn’t quite what I was going for. It also leaves a bit of a greasy residue, which could be from the 10% of oils I added. I’m going to tweak the formula and try another batch tomorrow with a different polymer and emulsifier. 

Question, I know pH is important to hair care, but I’m aware that there are products on the market for hair that don’t have a p.H. between 4-5.5 (many hair gels) and are still popular. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Sidenote: Sorry for my lengthy post. There so much information that I want to pick from the members of this forums brains haha.

Regards,

CosChemFan

[CosChemFan]

Hi @Liset

I completely understand where you are coming from. I have unprocessed afro-texture hair myself. But at the same time I agree with @Bobz that shampoo should clean. It has me on the fence with my formulations because though I understand the science (mostly), I’ve been taught to believe that my hair needs special treatment.

Perry posted a while ago that as long you use a good conditioner after shampooing then it doesn’t matter what shampoos you used. I tried this on my hair one night to test it. I made a VERY basic shampoo with “the hair killer” SLES and used a good conditioner I had laying around. My hair felt squeaky clean from the shampoo, but felt great after conditioning. So many the wheel doesn’t really need to be re-invented for afro-texture hair?