[natzam44]

@mikethair That passage does mention “and/or protecting them”.

You could say that anti-pollution claim is justifiable because it is protecting the skin/hair from pollutants.

[natzam44]

I tried plantservative in 3 products:
- Basic hand lotion
- Water-based hair pomade
- Spray leave-in conditioner

[natzam44]

I used plantservative at 1% (maximum recommended by the supplier). When it didn’t work the first time, I increased it to 1.5% out of curiosity and though it faired slightly better, it was still terrible compared to all other preservatives I have used in the past.

I have since tried it in two other formulas and have had similar results, with the best sample making it to 2 months before there was visible microbial growth.

[natzam44]

Plantservative is horrible. 

I have tried it in four different formulas and every time they have lasted a grand total of 2-4 weeks. You may as well just keep your product in the fridge.

Natural preservatives just don’t do the job well enough. I should also mention that if you want your product to be “natural” to use it as a marketing term, that you are probably better off just using synthetics. The market for “natural” mouthwash is very small and it isn’t a market which I would personally try to get into.

[natzam44]

1. Use less essential Oils. Like <1%.
2. How thick is that formula? Between the waxes and the cetearyl alcohol, it seems like a lot.
3. Using that much wax seems like it would produce a heavy product and the hold is likely to be TOO high.

These would be the main 3 for me.

[natzam44]

natzam44 said:

I’ve personally never experienced this problem. 
I’ve also never heard of phenoxyethanol being deactivated by non-ionic surfactants before.

I should add that phenoxyethanol can be weakened by large amounts of ethoxylated surfactants but this is usually a non-issue.

[natzam44]

I’ve personally never experienced this problem. 
I’ve also never heard of phenoxyethanol being deactivated by non-ionic surfactants before.

[natzam44]

@Gunther
Thanks for the input.
I was indeed able to thicken this formula with 2.5% crosspolymer. You may want to add more or less depending on your preferences for shampoo thickness but it generally does the job.

[natzam44]

@ngarayeva001

Thanks for the reply. 
I shall give that a go!

[natzam44]

@Dtdang
I wouldn’t use WebMD as a source when it comes to ingredients in cosmetics. I find that they often exaggerate both the uses of a drug/ingredient and exaggerate the side-effects. For the most part, they seem to list all of the claims made about a product and call it a day.

[natzam44]

Technically speaking, you cannot fix “damaged” hair because hair is not living. The term “damaged hair” is used as a marketing term. 
What you can do, however, is use a variety of ingredients to help improve the look of the hair.

That being said, to make a shampoo you will need some surfactants, thickeners, preservatives and possibly more depending on your formula. You can start by looking at the ingredients list of your favourite shampoos as a base. You can also look on websites such as Making Cosmetics which offer some pre-made formulas.

[natzam44]

I agree with @ngarayeva001

There is no evidence that essential oils have any benefits for the skin or hair. They act only as fragrances when in formulas but they are easily outshined by fragrance oils.

As for grapeseed oil, I dont think there is much scientific evidence that it benefits the skin. Many of the oils used in cosmetics are still unproven because the use of “natural” oils in cosmetics is a rather new trend.

[natzam44]

If the pH is currently 2.2 with around 1% citric acid then do some test batches using lower amounts.

Make some samples using 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.4%, etc.

To get a pH of 4.5 you will have to experiment with the amount of citric acid present.

[natzam44]

Smell is subjective so I doubt you will find a definitive answer on the smell. 

As for being good for the skin, there are no proven benefits to using essential oils on the skin. From what I’ve read, the opposite may even be true.

Frankly, if you want something which smells good then I would look into buying some fragrance oils instead of essential oils. I find that they work far better than essential oils ever could.

Hope this helps.

[natzam44]

These are all great points!

I never imagined that this question would spark such a discussion 

[natzam44]

natzam44 said:

I agree with @Fekher .

You should lower fragrance oils to something closer to 0.5%.

I would also avoid using so much beeswax since it tends to become problematic at high levels. I usually use a maximum of 20-25% beeswax in oil-based products.

I forgot to clarify that the high amount of beeswax was likely the culprit. At high percentages, it tends to leave small beads in the hands when warming up.

I believe this is due to crystallization but I could be wrong. 

[natzam44]

I don’t have a whole ton of experience in selling products but with the little knowledge that I do have, I would say that adding claims ingredients usually pays off in the long run. 

While those who are more informed may not care if there are no claims ingredients in your formula, they surely won’t mind if any are present. As for people who are not as informed, the claims ingredients should help you attract their attention from your competitor’s products. 

I would say that adding claims ingredients usually pays off.

[natzam44]

I agree with @Fekher .

You should lower fragrance oils to something closer to 0.5%.

I would also avoid using so much beeswax since it tends to become problematic at high levels. I usually use a maximum of 20-25% beeswax in oil-based products.

[natzam44]

Everyone on this forum uses formulas which are measured in percentages. If you would like help, it is advised that you convert your formula to percentages and that you list all of the ingredients.

[natzam44]

@MarkBroussard
@ngarayeva001
Thanks for the replies. I’m pretty sure I now have an idea of the vague constraints which I will have to work within. 

[natzam44]

I would personally not use a body wash with pH 8.5.

I would keep the pH at 5.5-6 and try to correct the slip using other methods.

[natzam44]

Thanks @Perry and @EVchem for your replies. That answers every question I had perfectly!

[natzam44]

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I did a search to find the claims which you mention but all I found was multiple sources which claimed that the product was completely safe. As far as I can tell, there is nothing “disputed” about polyacrylate crosspolymer-6.

[natzam44]

To get any real help it is recommended that you post your full formula.

[natzam44]

I am assuming that you are using high amounts of candelilla wax in your formula.

When you use a high amount of wax and not enough oils then you tend to create a harder, more brittle product which can break if poured too hot.

I would recommend trying to pour at a lower temperature or reducing the amount of candelilla wax used, or even both.