top of page
Search

Chafing Ointment Experiment (exclusive)

Formula;

phase A

  • 1% xanthan gum soft

  • 5% propanediol 1,3

phase B

  • 65.1% distilled water

  • 0.4% sodium carbomer

phase C

  • 2% polysorbate 60

  • 1% caprylic capric triglyceride

phase D

  • 25% tapioca starch

  • 0.5% liquid germall plus


100 gram recipe / batch;

phase A

  • 1 gram xanthan gum soft

  • 5 grams propanediol 1,3

phase B

  • 65.1 grams distilled water

  • 0.4 grams sodium carbomer

phase C

  • 2 grams polysorbate 60

  • 1 gram caprylic capric triglyceride

phase D

  • 25 grams tapioca starch

  • 0.5 grams liquid germall plus)


Directions;

  • Combine the xanthan gum soft and propanediol 1,3 in a beaker and mix.

  • In a separate beaker combine the distilled water and sodium carbomer. Mix in the carbomer as much as possible (note; sodium carbomer will chunk up at first & take a little bit too dissolve in the water. Come back and mix it periodically. Also if you use a hydrosol, essence water or add in aloe vera powder/liquid it will drop the pH of the distilled water causing the sodium carbomer not to activate. Sodium carbomer only works in a pH around 6ish. Hydrosols, Essences, and Aloe Vera usually have a lower pH so you may need to raise the pH in order to activate the sodium carbomer.)

  • Once the sodium carbomer has fully dissolved in the distilled water pour phase A into phase B and mix. Set to the side.

  • In a separate beaker combine both ingredients in phase C.

  • At this time you will have one beaker with both phase A & B in it and the other beaker only has phase C.

  • Fill a pan with about an inch of water and place on your stovetop over medium high heat and place both beakers in the water. Let heat until the polysorbate 60 in phase C has melted.

  • Once both are around the same temperature you can pour phase A/B into phase C and hand mix. (You could also use an immersion blender if you prefer, but I noticed I didn't need one)

  • Let cool to 100°F / 40°C and add in the phase D ingredients mixing in between each ingredient you add.

  • Pour into desired bottle (I used this one) and let cool before putting on and closing the lid.

pH adjusting; don't need to adjust the pH. If you lower it then you could possibly destabilize the sodium carbomer.


Benefits/Purpose of each ingredient

xanthan gum soft - thickener and gelling agent (can feel tacky if you use too much in leave on products)

propanediol 1,3 - humectant (hydrates skin)

sodium carbomer - Gelling agent and thickener (has a very "water like" feel and has no tackiness) Unlike other carbomers, sodium carbomer has already been neutralized. That means you don't need to adjust the pH after adding it into water. Other carbomes have a lower pH. So you need to raise the pH in order to get the carbomer to activate and thicken. With sodium carbomer you do not need to do that.

polysorbate 60 - non ionic emulsifier. Blends oil into water. Commonly used to emulsifier smaller amounts of oil like essential oil or fragrance oil into water. It is a yellowish/brown thick liquid. It needs heated when you work with it because it is so thick. It is soluble in water and alcohol but insoluble in oils. Fun fact, it is actually one of the ingredients in emulsifying wax NF.

caprylic capric triglyceride - A non-greasy and light weight oil like liquid. It comes in the form of an oily liquid and mainly works as an emollient, dispersing agent and solvent. It is a great ingredient to use in oil free products.

tapioca starch - It helps add a really soft and smooth feel to the skin. It is commonly used as a talc replacement in cosmetics and can help add a fast drying sensation to products. For those looking to make a homemade deodorant, this could be a great ingredient to try. There is even a version called modified tapioca starch that can help create a gorgeous velvety dry feel to cosmetics. They can even help with blurring wrinkles and pores in cosmetics.(knowledge.ulprospector.com)

liquid germall plus - Extremely easy to use water soluble preservative. Best preservative to use for beginners.


Substitutions;

substituting ingredients will change the final feel, viscosity, and overall effect of final product. percentages and formulating procedure may need to change with substitutions. these substitution suggestions are just suggestions and have not been tested to work.

xanthan gum soft - You can try using a different gelling agent or try just using the sodium carbomer. If you have a different type of xanthan gum you can use that.

sodium carbomer - you can try using just the xanthan gum soft

polysorbate 60 - try polysorbate 80 or maybe some emulisfying wax NF or Ritamulse SCG.

liquid germall plus - any water soluble preservative; e.g. euxyl PE 9010, geogard ECT, Euxyl K 903, Tristate Eco, optiphen plus (I hate using optiphen plus in emulsions though)





Comments

bottom of page