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How to make Face Wash Pt 2; Formulating for Beginners

Updated: May 13, 2022


Welcome back to the formulating for beginners series. If you are new, go binge watch the rest of the videos in this series so you can be caught up.

In the last post I talked all about the different ingredients needed to make a face wash and ingredients commonly used in face washes. You can watch that video here.


Now we will actually be putting all those ingredients together to make a few different face washes. I'll be making a face wash for dry/sensitive skin, mature skin, oily/acne prone skin, and one for all skin types. Each face wash will be formulated with a different thickener and a different surfactant system. This way you guys can get a good idea on how to use different thickeners, surfactants, and how to formulate for different skin types.

Keep in mind that there are millions of different ways to make a face wash these are just 4 examples.


SOOTHING CUCUMBER CLEANSER

The first face wash we will be making is a soothing cucumber facial cleanser for dry sensitive skin. I'm using xanthan gum as the thickener because this creates a gel like texture that feels soft on the skin. I chose cucumber extract because this adds to the story of the face wash and it soothes the skin. Cucumber hydrosol does the same thing, but it also adds a natural scent to the cleanser. I chose plantapon as the cleansing surfactant since this is a "green" and very mild and gentle cleansing surfactant.


CUCUMBER CLEANSER FORMULA;

phase A

phase B

DIRECTIONS;

  • add all ingredients together in phase A & mix

  • add all ingredients in phase B together and mix

  • pour phase B into phase A and mix until combined

  • check and balance ph

  • let sit until tomorrow then bottle up

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CLEANSER

This cleanser is formulated for oily acne prone skin. I chose crothix as the thickener since this creates a really smooth gel like face wash which has a lovely feel on the skin that oily skin loves, since it feels so seamless. It works up into a lovely lather due to the higher percentage of surfactants used. These surfactants are also much stronger surfactants that will help strip the skin of dirt and oil. ACV extract can help dry out over-active sebaceous glands which can help with reducing acne break outs.


APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CLEANSER FORMULA

DIRECTIONS;

  • add all ingredients together in order and mix

  • NOTE - if crothix chunks up just keep mixing, I promise it will eventually incorporate.

  • check & balance ph

  • cover and let sit over night and bottle up the next day

COCONUT MILK CLEANSER

I formulated this face wash to suit any skin type. I chose some surfactants that lather really well, but used them at a lower percentage so the cleanser is more gentle than the ACV cleanser, but more cleansing power than the cucumber cleanser. I also chose coconut milk extract since this has lovely moisturizing and conditioning properties, which it's so important for everyone to keep their skin conditioned and moisturized, even oily skin. I also chose the coconut milk extract since it compliments the guarcat. Guarcat is the thickener we will be using. This is a cationic thickener. Even though it is cationic, it's okay to use with anionic surfactants. Guarcat offers a really lovely slip and glide to products and leaves your skin so soft and conditioned. You just gotta try it.


COCONUT MILK CLEANSER FORMULA

phase A

phase B

DIRECTIONS;

  • add all ingredients together in order in phase A.

  • mix until the guarcat dissolves

  • once dissolved add both ingredients from phase B into phase A and mix

  • check and balance ph

  • NOTE - product won't thicken until ph is 7 or lower

  • let sit over night and bottle up next day


WATERMELON CLEANSER FOR MATURE SKIN

This cleanser is formulated for mature skin. One of the most important parts about having mature skin is keeping the skin moisturized. Moisturized skin is less likely to produce wrinkles. So I wanted this cleanser to have some kind or oil. I decided to go with watermelon seed oil, as this caters to the story of the face wash, but watermelon seed oil also has moisturizing, regenerating and restructuring properties. I chose watermelon extract since it pairs perfectly with the watermelon seed oil and it is rich in potassium, Vitamins A, C, and B, amino acids, and lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps minimize the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and age spots. I use sepimax zen as the thickener since this is an emulsifier and it creates a gel like consistency, but since I did add coco glucoside to this product it causes it to have more of a creamy feel. Coco glucoside is a gentle and mild non ionic surfactant. I also used foaming apple as the main surfactant since this is anionic, but it is also very mild and gentle on the skin.


WATERMELON CLEANSER FORMULA

phase A

phase B

DIRECTIONS;

  • add ingredients in order in phase A making sure to add the sepimax zen last.

  • sprinkle the sepimax zen on top of phase A and DO NOT MIX.

  • let the formula sit for at least 8 hours. (I let mine sit overnight)

  • after 8 hours give it a mix and then add in the ingredients in phase B and mix

  • if you want to add coloring you can add it now.

  • check and balance ph.

  • NOTE - coco glucoside has a really high ph, so you really need to check the ph on this one

  • you may need to let your formulation sit another night before packaging it up as there may still be a lot of foam.

& that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this look at how to make a few different face washes with different thickeners and surfactants. Let me know if you have any questions :)





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