[yq1]

lara, we don’t have any emulsifier at the moment, but may need to try adding one.  

[yq1]

thanks bobzchemist, will have a look into your suggestions and see if it will work for us!

[yq1]

Lara, we are using hydroxypropyl starch phosphate.  May I know how you worked through the water separation at room temperature, and why did you have this issue? 

Bobzchemist, we were aiming for suspension in our emulsion.  Any suggestions on what we could do or try?

[yq1]

Oh, sorry!  Hope it works this time…

http://www.evernote.com/l/AaLBlIxuZR5OLboDUpgHvB5Xc-8UM6ZTeWU/

[yq1]

Thank you chemicalmatt and bobzchemist for your advice.  We have asked VMI and our suppliers to see if they have any suggestions as well.  will keep you posted on our progress.

Thank you!

[yq1]

Thanks everyone for the explanations!! Learnt a lot here! Will give it a try and hope things work out this time! 

[yq1]

Thanks so much MarkBroussard for the step-by-step!! 

Is there a reason for step 2, heating and holding? Usually the aloe just dissolves as I stir it and there is no need to add heat. Or is the heating for the chelating agent to work better? 

Why is Sodium Lactate your preference over TEA? 

[yq1]

Is there any reason for the thinning? Could it be due to the solvent of the fragrance?

Ah…ok, I added AFTER dilution. I will try before dilution to see if its better. 

Thanks!! 

[yq1]

Hi, I’m starting to add fragrances to a base shampoo formula. I find that some fragrances/essential oils will thin out the shampoo, is there a reason for this? 

Another thing is that the fragrances all make an otherwise clear shampoo cloudy, is this normal? I don’t mind the appearance so much, I just worry whether it is stable.

Thanks!!

[yq1]

I used powdered Aloe vera (200x). Just measure pH at 1% in solution it is 4.5! Bobz, I think this could be the problem, Acid + Base = Salt, seems to make sense!

After adding aloe, I added TEA until I reached pH7 (that’s the only time I measured the pH) but didn’t measure pH of final product after adding carbomer. 

If I add EDTA, I suppose no need to change to Ultrez 20? Or maybe I should anyway?

Finally, how can I know that EDTA works?? Really don’t want to wait 6 months before knowing! Is there any kind of tests I can do to find out? 

Thanks everyone! I think we are getting to the bottom of this!! 

[yq1]

When I add aloe to the water the solution becomes acidic so I would need to add TEA to bring the pH up to around 7 so that it can gels. 

will try again when I can get hold of some Ultrez 21

[yq1]

ok…I’ll give it my shot…just very very beginner here working from home kitchen! If you take me step by step hope I work it out. 

This batch was made by normal mixing using KitchenAid slow-medium speed. Basically I leave it overnight to hydrate and don’t stir it around too much afterwards.

No, I don’t have a homogeniser …I just bought an overhead mixer VMI brand and still experimenting with it so I can go to high shears if that’s needed. Haven’t bought a homogeniser head yet, just have a “normal” blade.

I used Sodium Carbomer, its pre-neutralised and can be bought online from http://www.lotioncrafters.com. I need to look for a local supplier where I can by Carbopol from. 

Unfortunately six months ago I didn’t take the pH ….viscosity seems not much change. 

I did some search about the “fish eye” effect, I understand it seems like a mixing issue? The formations in my gel look more like crystals and its only observed after I left it for some time. At the time of bottling it all seemed quite “clear”.

really appreciate the help here!

[yq1]

Mark, if I send the sample to you would you be able to do some analysis work for me?? 

[yq1]

could you explain a little more about this please? 

[yq1]

Its just a very simple carbomer gel….

water 95.5%

carbomer 1%

aloe vera 1%

liquid germall plus 0.5%

propylene glycol 2%

TEA for neutralisation

I didn’t use de-ionised water, just RO water from my home filtering system. 

Without aloe vera it seems fine….so I’m thinking its the aloe. 

[yq1]

I suppose is safe for oral products??

[yq1]

great, thanks!

[yq1]

I’m working on a mouthwash too, i don’t mind parabens so much but its not easy to buy sodium methyl paraben online…could a paraben blend be possible? such as Germaben II (Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben) or Paraben DU (Propylparaben, methylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, propylene glycol)? 

[yq1]

Thank you everyone! I think I might go for the handyfiller!  

[yq1]

Hi! My name is Grace, I’m from Hong Kong, my friends call me YQ an abbreviation from my Chinese name. Thanks Perry for creating the online course and creating this forum and to everybody helping with answers! I’m a beginner in cosmetic formulating with little to no chemistry background except for what has been taught in high school which was many years ago. My company branched out into skincare from first researching about what makes life tick, what causes our life problems, illnesses and emotional and financial turmoil. Since 2000 we have been working with “alternative” ways of helping people getting through life crisis. We come up with different types of products and therapies and have been quite successful at it. We also offer courses to people who want to learn about what we do. About 2 years ago people commented that they had been looking younger and having skin quality while using some of these products so we started to branch out into the skincare business. Some trusted clients put together a fund for us to start the business. Without knowing anything about the business and the chemistry behind skincare (my major is architecture!!) we ventured out to try something new. Feedback on our products have been quite good but we still need a lot of professional advice and help to make sure our products are safe and stable for the market. Looking forward to learning more from everyone in this forum!!