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I don’t think we can find the surfactant blend called LSB any more – in North America at least – as it’s been altered to have a very short shelf life of 6 months, so what can you do as a replacement? The short answer is that you can use any liquid surfactant suitable for...
In the monthly Q&A, Melinda asked, Hey Susan and everyone! Can non-ionic surfactants contain electrolytes? I ask because I am curious if we can use a high ASM of non-ionic surfactants with thickeners that can only handle a certain amount of electrolytes. For example could something like Aristoflex AVC that can’t handle electrolytes at all be...
Welcome to part three of this series on how we might create a “no more tears” kind of shampoo bar using various anionic, non-ionic, and amphoteric surfactants. In part one, we reviewed the surfactants that Alexander noted she has in her workshop – sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI), foaming apple surfactant, decyl glucoside, and Cocamidopropyl Betaine –...
Welcome back to this series on creating a “no more tears” solid shampoo bar! In part one, we reviewed the surfactants that Alexander noted she has in her workshop – sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI), foaming apple surfactant, decyl glucoside, and Cocamidopropyl Betaine – looking at their pH and potential irritation to our eyes. We need another...
In this month’s Q&A, Alexandra asked, I have two kids neither of whom are great at keeping shampoo suds out of their eyes. How would you modify a shampoo bar formula to make it a no-tears one? I currently have SCI powder, decyl glucoside, cocamidopropyl betaine, and foaming apple surfactant in my stash, but I’m happy...