[ozgirl]

I remember seeing an old dishwashing liquid formulation with similar raw materials but I think it contained less benzene sulphonic acid (maybe 5 - 10%) and also had cocamide DEA.

Try looking for dishwashing liquid formulas.

[ozgirl]

Check out companies like Stepan for formulas for fabric softeners.  

[ozgirl]

Although it is possible to make your own powder at home it is unlikely that you will get the performance of commercially available powders because you will not have access to the optical brighteners, enzymes and anti-redeposition agents that are used in these products.

Here are some formulations that might give you an insight into what is in commercial laundry powders.

http://www.airproducts.com/~/media/files/pdf/industries/i-i-formularies-laundry-commercial-powders-110-12-021-us.pdf

The Economy Powder for low temperature Laundry on page three is probably the closest formulation that you would probably be able to make at home.

Also check out the book Advanced Cleaning Product Formulations, Volume 1 By Ernest W. Flick. You can get lots of starting formulations in this book. You can view large sections for free on google books.

You might be able to buy sodium carbonate from the supermarket under the name washing soda rather than making it.

The surfactants used in laundry powders are usually non-ionic as they are lower foaming than anionic surfactants. Do not mix DDBSA with your sodium carbonate as this will just cause a neutralization reaction.

For at home you only really have the option of the blending process.

[ozgirl]

I suggest Dissolvine GL (Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate).

http://sc.akzonobel.com/en/personalcare/Pages/product-detail.aspx?prodID=6647

[ozgirl]

I came across this list the other day on the IFRA website. It is a list of chemicals reported to be included in fragrances.

http://www.ifraorg.org/en-us/ingredients#.VLWrAC6zExJ

With over 3000 chemicals included on the list it is no wonder we see such different behavior from different fragrances even when used in the same base.

[ozgirl]

Here is a starting formulation that might help you get an idea of quantities to use. These are basically leave-on products because you don’t rinse them off so the concentrations of surfactants are very low.

http://www.colonialc…formulation.pdf

Also don’t forget to include a preservative.

Hope this helps.

[ozgirl]

That’s what I was thinking. I just started to overthink it and started to doubt myself!

Thanks

[ozgirl]

If you can provide an ingredients list of the cheap lotion that is made in your country we may be able to help you identify what they are using as emulsifiers.

Is it possible for you to order ingredients from an international supplier that will ship to your country.

[ozgirl]

Check out this blog (swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com) for some basic lotion recipes and plenty of useful information.

Unfortunately you will find that it is not necessarily cheaper to make your own lotion. Large companies have the advantage of being able to buy raw materials in bulk at much cheaper prices.

[ozgirl]

I agree that one of the fragrance ingredients is most likely the culprit. However, the two moisturizers that cause a reaction both contain shea butter (Butyrospermum Parkii. This might be causing the effects you are experiencing. 

[ozgirl]

Thanks for a great forum! Looking forward to lots of interesting discussions in 2015!

[ozgirl]

Thanks for sharing!

Dihydrogen monoxide is dangerous stuff!

[ozgirl]

Check out swiftcraftmonkey’s blog for some great starting formulations and loads of information on formulating shampoos etc.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com.au/p/hair-care.html

[ozgirl]

Metal ions can interfere with the efficacy of some preservatives. I would be very careful about adding this even with a chelating agent.

[ozgirl]

Thanks. I will give that a go and see if it works.

[ozgirl]

Thanks milliachemist!

Would something like PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate or Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters work in this application?

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

[ozgirl]

Can you substitute some of the French Green Clay with the lower pH Kaolin? This might reduce the irritancy.

[ozgirl]

I have only ever seen Zirconium in combination with Aluminium (Aluminium Zirconium Tetrachlorhydrex gly).

I have seen a couple of non Aluminium antiperspirant actives that were based on a sage extract. I did a quick test with one but didn’t get great results in terms of antiperspirant action. I think the one I used was from Greentech.

Where are you located because the only antiperspirant actives approved in the US all contain aluminium (Antiperspirants are considered OTC drugs in the US).

[ozgirl]

Beeswax and Castor Oil can be combined to create a Vaseline type product.

Here is an example

https://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/Non_Petroleum_Baby_Jelly_Recipe_s/433.htm

[ozgirl]

I also agree with steering clear of PEG-150 distearate due to the difficulty incorporating it into the product.

We swapped to Versathix over a year ago and have found it to work very well in our shampoos (some with sulfate and some that are sulfate free).
 

[ozgirl]

Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Magnesium Chloride and Magnesium Nitrate are part of one preservative. This product is sold under various trade names but is commonly known as Kathon CG.

http://www.dow.com/assets/attachments/business/pcare/kathon_for_personal_care/kathon_cg/tds/kathon_cg.pdf

Kathon CG is usually on used in rinse off products such as shampoos, conditioners and body washes.

Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin are part of a preservative sold under the trade name Euxyl PE9010.

http://microsites.schuelke.com/wet-wipe-preservation/leaflets/euxyl-PE-9010-englisch.pdf

Citric acid is usually only used pH adjustment of a product and is not a preservative.

Disodium EDTA is usually added to boost preservative efficacy by complexing any metal ions in the sample that can interfere with preservative function.

Hope this helps.

[ozgirl]

I was actually referring to the carcinogenicity issues related to the Diethanolamine (DEA) content of the Lauramide DEA rather than the dioxane content but both are worth considering.

[ozgirl]

I am wondering about the Lauramide DEA content of the Plantaren APB blend. Is this subject to the same classification as Cocamide DEA with regards to it being a possible carcinogen (Lauramide DEA is the major component of Cocamide DEA).

It is probably worth checking with BASF, You don’t want to start using a blend and then run into regulatory or customer perception issues and then have to reformulate your product.

[ozgirl]

As others have mentioned you need to have a pH around 7.

Be careful about using fragrances especially for cats as many fragrance ingredients and essential oils that are ok for humans can be toxic for animals.

[ozgirl]

Talk to your distributor and see if another local company is buying the product that you want in bulk and would be willing to repackage a small amount for you. You will often pay a bit more for this but it would be cheaper than a reseller. We have been on both sides of this before and it works well.

For one product we only wanted a small amount (~15kg)  for a one off project and couldn’t get it in less than a 200kg drum. So we convinced the distributor to order us in 30 x 500gram samples and paid for the samples. It was a bit of hassle but meant that we weren’t left with 185kg of product that we didn’t want.