[ngarayeva001]

Swift’s conditioning shampoo bar formula (with hydrolysed proteins and BTMS). You can see BTMS crumbs in this batch, but it’s my bad, I used BTMS-80 which is also impossible to melt. It looks better with 50.

[ngarayeva001]

@Cafe33, I feel your pain. There are different types of SCI and most of them are absolutely impossible to melt. CAPB will start boiling earlier than SCI gets even slightly soft. You have more chances with Iselux if you insist on melting it (Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate sold here: https://www.aliacura.de/produkte/tenside/sodium-lauroyl-methyl-isethionate/#cc-m-product-8097631576)

I make swift’s shampoo bars with SCI. I don’t melt anything and just mix it with my hand (in a glove) like a dough. It takes a week to harden and works fine.

[ngarayeva001]

@ToddZiegler69 , the reason why I said Sepimax Zen, is that it’s very easy to work with, and you said “plant extracts”. Having limited information I thought some of them might be high in electrolytes and in that case Zen would be the best (and safest) choice. Also, even if this particular product won’t go well, you will find other applications for this ingredient, so your money won’t be wasted. If you use it for emulsion, add it to the oil phase. If you use it as a gel maker for a waterbased product, you might need to leave it to hydrate overnight. It’s very slippery and I prefer mixing it with sodium carbomer (for water-based gels), but it’s a matter of preference.

[ngarayeva001]

How much dimethicone? What type of lotion?

[ngarayeva001]

I don’t think you can get Sepimax Zen’s performance from any natural alternatives. It is hard to get the same performance even from other synthetic materials. It’s a superstar. 

[ngarayeva001]

Thank you @Fekher. I will try to add myristyl myristate instead of stearic and up petrolatum. Stearic is there for extra creaminess but I don’t see it at high percentage in lipbalms and this is probably the reason.

[ngarayeva001]

Thank you @EVchem. I tried to change octyldodecanol to other oils and it became stiffer. The amount of beeswax is due to the fact it’s very soft. Even with that level of waxes and fatty alcohols. I guess I need to add some low polarity wax like they did in chapstick. 

[ngarayeva001]

You are very welcome. It’s a great broad-spectrum preservative and it is useful for many types of formulas.

[ngarayeva001]

Hey Guys,

There is a little bit of blooming (as I predicted) after a couple of months. May I ask you to advise how to fix it? I would rather not make drastic changes, but maybe it’s a matter of knockin out one ingredient?

Thanks!

[ngarayeva001]

If you want to use an emulsifier because you expect it to make the formula “thick” then you are looking in the wrong place. You need a rheology modifier, and sometimes rheology modifiers are emulsifiers at the same time. I think the answer you are looking for is Sepimax Zen.

[ngarayeva001]

Interesting. I tried to reverse engineer Lotion P50 (which is basically gluconolactone, lactic acid, salicylic acid and a couple of useless extracts) and even at 8% in the water it only changed the ph from 7 to around 6. I haven’t checked 2 hours later but now I will.

[ngarayeva001]

I am not a hair styling products expert, but you don’t have anything for a hold. You need PVP.

[ngarayeva001]

As per my experience glycols reduce stickiness of glycerin. Also when there’s high amount of petrolatum is used in a formula glycerin ‘doesn’t feel’ much. 

[ngarayeva001]

Interesting. I think panthenol is sticky but I didn’t compare afterfeel. 

[ngarayeva001]

https://lotioncrafter.com/products/germaben-ii

[ngarayeva001]

Germaben II is perfect for clear products. I use it in acid toner with glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid (pH 3.2) and it’s crystal clear.

[ngarayeva001]

@Perry, I noticed that olefin sulfonate is the best (definitely better than SLES) for solubilizing fragrance (no need to add specialized solubilizers). I can deal with 0.5% of lavender EO without getting cloudy. The downside, it’s yellow.

[ngarayeva001]

Unfortunately there’s no easy answer. It depends what fragrance and how much, so you would need to experiment.

[ngarayeva001]

Good luck.

[ngarayeva001]

Well the good thing about England is that everyone delivers here. Makingcosmetics is sold on Amazon here (although expensive). The best option is this ingredient MakingCosmetics - GelMaker® EMU - 4.2floz / 125ml - Cosmetic Ingredient https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01G0RIV20/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nonSDb0HG0A50
Probably get something else to justify this ridiculous delivery price. It’s a very versatile and easy to work with ingredient. Reduce emulsifiers, reduce heavy oils and add 1% of this gelmaker.

[ngarayeva001]

@bella82, let me start from saying that your formula is ok. If you are not happy with the aesthetics, you can do the following:
1) Decrease your oil phase to 20% total (I would even say 15) but if it’s for dry skin, keep 20.
2) Keep the petrolatum - it’s amazing and reduces TEWL
3) If you already have isopropyl myristate, reduce the cocoa butter and macadamia oil to the minimum and add isopropyl myristate. You don’t get a nice silky feel because you have chosen draggy and heavy oils.
4) I am a bit concerned about stability when it gets to cyclopentasiloxane because it’s a bit on the high end and your emulsifiers are not specifically designed for silicones. You should either decrease it to 2% or introduce silicone emulsifier. It’s up to you. 
5) Although cyclopentasiloxane is great, just for your information, another option if low viscosity dimethicone (say dimethicone 5 or dimethicone 10)
6) The most important thing, you should add polymeric emulsifier to get that silky smooth feel. If you let me know where you are based I will recommend the DIY supplier that have those. But I am generally talking about a class of ingredients that are called hydrocolloids derived from acrylic acid. For example Aristoflex AVC, Sepinov EMT 10, Sepiplus 400, Pemulen Ez4U etc.

[ngarayeva001]

If I may, Cyclopentasiloxane is not restricted! It is poisonous for aquatic life, and thus it WILL be restricted soon in the EU in rinse-off products.

“products containing either ingredient (D4 and D5) in a concentration higher than 0.1% will not be allowed on the European market after Jan. 31, 2020.”

Source: https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/regulatory/region/europe/EU-Effectively-Bans-D4-and-D5-in-Wash-Off-Products-474982233.html

It is totally safe to use so if this is for personal use and in a body lotion just continue to enjoy these wonderful volatile silicones! 

[ngarayeva001]

I found this but it’s not precise: 
Product Name                                 CAS NO                  WT %

Sodium Lauroyl Methyl
Isethionate
928663-45-0        8 - 15

Cocamidopropyl Betain 61789-40-0                           7 - 11

Sodium Methyl Oleoyl
Taurate
137-20-2                    5 - 9

Lauryl Glucoside 110615-47-9                                   1 - 5

Coco-Glucoside 68515-73-1                                      1 - 5

Sodium Benzoate 532-32-1 0.                                    1 - 1

You probably need to write to your supplier. I like the combination of Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate and CAPB but I have them all separately. A bit time consuming to melt but gives more flexibility in formulation

[ngarayeva001]

Thank you @Aziz. I will have a look.

[ngarayeva001]

14% of Niacinamide? Why so much? I have not seen evidence that it’s getting more effective at higher than 6%. Was it the client’s request?