Experimenting With Emulsified Oil Cleansers

[IrishLass]

I'm starting this new thread in which to post my experiments, at the request of Zany , who recently posted her own emulsified oil cleanser formula here. Please feel free to jump into my thread with your own experiences and experiments with this type of cleanser.

I'm fairly new to the world of emulsified oil cleansers, only recently having experienced their wonderfulness earlier this month soon after Zany graciously shared her formula with us, which I promptly made and used to see how it fared at removing my full-overage foundation, to which I'm also fairly new to as well.

My journey into these two new worlds all began when my lovely, make-up enabling niece took me out to Sephora last month to color-match me. Long story short- she's got a natural talent for spot-on color-matching (much better than the people that work there)....... and I absolutely love the full-coverage foundation she picked out for me.... but by golly it's not exactly the easiest stuff to wash off! You can read more about my full-foundation facial-cleansing journey here, where I talk about having found that the shave soap that I make for my hubby works surprisingly well at removing my foundation in a gentle manner without the need for scrubbing or hot water.

Anyway, a few days after I started using my hubby's shave soap, Zany posted her emulsified oil cleansing formula, which I found to my delight worked just as well without any scrubbing or hot water- but is so much simpler and quicker to make (instant gratification!)- and it sent me on a web-reading quest to find out more about it.

I don't know what rock I've been hiding under, but unbeknownst to me this type of cleanser has been around for quite some time........ but boy- the brand-name companies making this type of cleanser sure charge a lot for their product! Thankfully, recipes for making your own far-more-reasonably-priced versions abound on the net, and the ingredients are easily obtainable thanks to LotionCrafters and the Herbarie.

Okay, enough chit-chat. Here are some links to a few of the recipes that I've found:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/olive-cleansing-oil-face-wash.63933/
http://www.lotioncrafter.com/formulary/Olive_Cleansing_Oil.pdf
http://www.humblebeeandme.com/gentle-calendula-cleansing-oil/

While Zany's formula utilizes PS80 as the emulsifier part, the recipes in the above links utilize other emulsifiers, namely Cromollient SCE and Olivem-300, and according to all I've read, they each can be subbed for the other.

I have lots of PS80 on hand, but until yesterday I had neither of the other 2. I ended up buying 8oz of each from LotionCrafter (which I received yesterday) and I proceeded forthwith to whip up a batch of Jen's Olive Oil formula from LotionCrafter (the second link of the above 3) , only I tweaked it a little bit. In place of the olive oil %, I used a combo of hemp oil, castor oil, borage oil and apricot seed oil. Everything else in the recipe remained the same, only I also added a little rosemary oleoresin (2 drops), and I made a small 1-oz batch of it instead of the huge 16-oz amount.

Results: After applying it to my face and massaging all around for about a minute, I applied water to my hands and continued massaging, which made it go all milky/foamy, and then I splashed lukewarm water on my face to rinse off. All my make-up all came off cleanly, but my face looked a little red/irritated right after for some reason. The only things I suspect that could have been the cause of that are either the cromollient, or the hemp oil or the rosemary oleoresin (all ingredients I've never used before), or maybe it's all the pollen that's been flying profusely in the air around here the past few days. I'll do some investigating.

IrishLass

 

[IrishLass]

Well, I used the hemp/cromollient batch again that I made the other day to wash my face last night, and all went well, i.e., no redness/irritation. It must've been something else that was going on that night.

I'm going to make another little 1-oz batch today using this:

12% Olivem-300 as the emulsifier
10% castor
1% Vitamin E T-50
and the remainder of the 77% will be made up of HO safflower, FCO and borage oil. I'm thinking something like this:

32% high oleic safflower oil
30% FCO
15% borage oil


IrishLass

 

[amd]

Irish Lass, do you have specific reasons for the oils you use? Just curious if it was a benefit or just oils you have on hand

Did you notice any difference with the squalene/cromolient compared to the PS80? I'm curious to hear the comparison using Olivem300 as well. I'm currently using Humblebee's recipe (the third link on IL' original post) but subbing in PS80 for the Olivem-300. I've been debating if it would be worth investing in O-300, but haven't done a bunch of looking into what it is and if there are benefits to using it. (I'll be hitting the Google machine later today for that adventure, so don't worry about filling me in. I'll catch up!)

 

[IrishLass]

Hi Amd! Mostly it's because of what I have on hand (I've been looking for a good way to finally use up that 4oz container of borage oil I bought for an experiment I never got around to trying, lol).

Having said that, though, there is a little bit of rhyme to my reason at least as far as the castor oil and hemp oil are concerned. I keep hearing from the folks in the OCM crowd that castor is a cleansing oil that is particularly good for de-clogging pores, and that hemp is particularly good for acne-prone skin. I myself don't particularly have a problem with clogged pores or acne-prone skin, but my lovely niece battles with them. The recipes I'm experimenting with are mostly with her face in mind (she's my willing guinea pig), while my own face is tagging along for the ride and enjoying their gentle make-up removing powers, lol.

I'm glad you brought up Humblebee & Me- I ran into her site several times over the past few weeks during my reading binge on the subject at hand, and I'm really enjoying it! Last night, I ran into her Let's Talk About 'Natural' article and wanted to give her a big hug after reading it, but she could prove to be a danger to me, though......... after reading some of her emulsified oil cleansing recipes that include a little Polawax to thicken things up a little, I'm feeling quite enabled to conduct even more experiments!

I haven't made the Olivem-300 cleanser yet. I was going to do so yesterday, but got sidetracked. I need to make it today, though, because my niece is coming over tomorrow for my piano lesson (she teaches piano and voice) and I want to have a sample bottle ready for her to take home.

As far as differences go between the PS80 cleanser and the Cromollient cleanser, I'm really liking the feel of the Cromollient cleanser once I add water to my face, i.e., it doesn't produce that initial sludgy feeling when first applying water to my hands to emulsify it on my face like the PS80 produces, although adding more water makes the PS80 cleanser glide smoothly out. That's the only difference I've been able to detect so far. Other than that, they both emulsify and clean gently and thoroughly. At this point, I can't see enough of a difference that could justify me spending more for the Cromollient than the PS80.

I'll keep you updated with how the Olivem feels and performs!


IrishLass

 

[madison]

Following !

 

[Zany_in_CO]

^^^^^ Me too!

 

[DeeAnna]

An unobtrusive way to "follow" a thread is to simply click the button labeled "Watch thread." Find this button at the top of your browser screen, right below the thread title. If a person wants to make a post, the thoughtful approach is to say something useful that contributes to the conversation.

I have not made an emulsifying oil cleanser, but I have been following this thread with interest because I have made an emulsifying sugar scrub that works very nicely. A couple of threads on this topic for those who might want to create a scrub that pairs nicely with this type of cleanser --

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/face-scrub-recipes-please.63362/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/sugar-scrub-info.58468/

 

[madison]

Thank you DeeAnna for the information. I am not following to be obtrusive, I wasn't aware of of the watched thread button though. I do have my own exterminations, but my free time to develop my own product is almost coming to the end very soon, I'll be very busy for the next 5-6 weeks. I wanted to be sure that I don't lose this thread in case I couldn't finish my emulsifying oil cleanser experiment to my liking. As for the emulsified sugar scrub I worked on mine, I like the final product, it works for my skin the way I wanted.
Thank you for the links and for taking time to reply.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I don't think that DeeAnna was saying that you were following to be obtrusive, just that there is a way of following a thread without having to make a post, which would notify all followers of the thread that there is a new post, but when they check it there isn't actually anything new.

I do like the idea of this. I have some dry areas but also some areas prone to blackheads (tmi?) so I've been torn between trying oil cleansing instead of soap. But I didn't want to have too much oil left on the skin, so this sort of cleanser might work out really well

 

[DeeAnna]

You're welcome, Madison. A lot of people aren't aware of that button, since I think it's a new addition in the latest update of the forum. In the previous version of the forum, a person could always subscribe to a thread in the drop-down menu right below the thread title, so this option has long been available, although it's been a little hard to locate.

I know typing "..." or "f" or "following" to subscribe to a conversational thread is a common practice on Facebook, but not so much here and that's awfully nice. Even a short but constructive comment is a useful contribution!

And with that ... I'll say thanks to IL and apologize for hijacking her thread.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I have a question which might be a little left field - could this be used for the hair? If oils can be good cleansers, and this will emulsify to make it easier to wash out, what sort of effect might it have?

I know IL has a lot of experience with hair, so it would be interesting. I had thought that it could be like adding lotion to the hair, but this sounds less lotion-y than a usual lotion

 

[Saranac]

I have a question which might be a little left field - could this be used for the hair? If oils can be good cleansers, and this will emulsify to make it easier to wash out, what sort of effect might it have?

I know IL has a lot of experience with hair, so it would be interesting. I had thought that it could be like adding lotion to the hair, but this sounds less lotion-y than a usual lotion

I had the same thought after seeing Zany's thread for cleansing oil with polysorbate 80. I worried about using that much oil in my hair, so I tried making a liquid shampoo with 15% PS80, water, a little ACV to bring the pH down, and some FO. It was thin, didn't lather, but I liked the results; my fair was clean, soft, and seemed less frizzy. Unfortunately, after a week or so, my hair started to get greasy much sooner than when I started. I don't think the PS80 is strong enough to remove enough oil from ones hair--let alone with added oil! I can't speak for the other emulsifiers that IL is testing, but in my limited experience, PS80 needs a little help to cleanse hair.

 

[Joni Whitfield]

Well, I used the hemp/cromollient batch again that I made the other day to wash my face last night, and all went well, i.e., no redness/irritation. It must've been something else that was going on that night.

I'm going to make another little 1-oz batch today using this:

12% Olivem-300 as the emulsifier
10% castor
1% Vitamin E T-50
and the remainder of the 77% will be made up of HO safflower, FCO and borage oil. I'm thinking something like this:

32% high oleic safflower oil
30% FCO
15% borage oil


IrishLass

Have you tried either of these with ps80?
I have just gotten into making natural bath and body products about 3 months ago and have already spent a fortune on all the oils and such. As far as presertives I have ps80, phenonip, and emulsifing wax nf. Do you/does anyone know a few main presertives that would work on the majority of the products without buying all the (SO) many ones that are on different recipes? I have done some researching on substitutes but cannot find an answer to this...
Thanks for any and all help!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Don't get preservative and emulsifier mixed up. Ps80 is an emulsifier. This particular product won't need a preservative as you don't have water or water based ingredients in the recipe

 

[BattleGnome]

I have a question which might be a little left field - could this be used for the hair? If oils can be good cleansers, and this will emulsify to make it easier to wash out, what sort of effect might it have?

I did try a similar recipe on hair, using 25% PS80 and the oils I had on hand. It wasn’t strong enough for the amount of cleansing I want but I could work. (I’m trying to fade some semi permanent crayon colors right now).

If you look up the “no poo” or “conditioner cleansing” methods they rely on surfactants and emulsifiers. Swiftcraftymonkey did have a few articles on making your own, but if I remember right she uses a more traditional hair care method so her musings were slightly more theoretical than from experience. The last google search I did on PS80 cleansing methods sent me to clarifying and fading unwanted dyes.

In short, the trial and error of the right oil mix should work.

 

[DeeAnna]

Gent -- I agree with BattleGnome that the idea is do-able. For an "oil cleanser for hair" I don't know if you'd want to have as much fat as is in a facial cleanser, but I think the idea is worth taking seriously.

I make a solid conditioner to go with my shampoo bar -- it's mostly conditioning emulsifier (generic BTMS) which is a decent but no-frills conditioner for hair all on its own with some fats, cetyl alcohol, and minor additives. When you rub it on wet hair, it emulsifies and forms a thin coating of lotion on the hair. It works fairly well for me, although it might not be for everyone. An "oil cleanser for hair" might work better to deep condition the hair, whereas my solid conditioner is more of a light daily-use product.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

- could this be used for the hair? If oils can be good cleansers, and this will emulsify to make it easier to wash out, what sort of effect might it have?

I don't think the PS80 is strong enough to remove enough oil from ones hair--let alone with added oil!

Straight PS-80 without anything added is great as a clarifier before shampoo or as a gentle cleanser between shampoos. It rinses clean as a whistle. Here are some links:

PS 80 as shampoo
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/shampoo-bars-again.64936/#post-664547

PS-80
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/fun-with-polysorbate-80.69670/

I've also tried shampooing with the Deep Cleansing Oil made with PS-80 linked above (Post #1). It works for hair, but not as well because it does leave a little moisturizing oil behind. For blemishes, maybe add sugar 2:1 - Sugar to DCO. Just be sure to massage gently until the sugar dissolves. Rinse with warm water 5 times before blotting with a washcloth.

 

[dibbles]

I haven't made the Olivem-300 cleanser yet. I need to make it today, though, because my niece is coming over tomorrow for my piano lesson (she teaches piano and voice) and I want to have a sample bottle ready for her to take home.

I'll keep you updated with how the Olivem feels and performs!

IrishLass

Have you tried the Olivem-300 yet? I'm going to be placing an order with LotionCrafters soon, and am wondering if it is worth adding to my order.

 

[IrishLass]

Yes- I have tried Olivem-300. As a matter of fact I just washed my face with the cleanser I made with it.

To be completely honest, after using each of these cleansers the past weeks to wash my face once a day (rotating them each day), I really cannot tell a difference between the ones made with the PS80, the Comollient or the Olivem......other than the initial sludginess of the PS80 cleansers when first applying water to my face to lather it up, that is (which completely smoothes out with the addition of more water).

They each cleanse well at 10% usage rate in my formulas and they each leave the same after-feel to my face (i.e., @ 10% usage rate neither of them make my face feel more thirsty or less thirsty when compared to each other). For what it's worth, if I wait too long to apply moisturizer after cleansing my face with any kind of cleanser apart from just plain old water, my face always starts to feel thirsty. Once the moisturizer is on, all is well and my face is happy.

Having said that, though- there are levels of thirstiness that go up or down in direct relation to the amount of emulsifier used in the formula. For example, the formula I made with 50% PS80 made my face scream loudly for moisturizer when I waited more than 10 minutes to apply moisturizer, but the one made with only 5% PS80 made my face let out only a small yelp. The 10% one is somewhere in between.

I find that I really like using a 10% amount of emulsifier. It works very well at removing my make-up 100% in just one go-around of washing/rinsing, while the cleanser I made with just 5% needed a second application to get everything off. For what it's worth, my make-up is one of those full-coverage/long-wear types. If I were wearing a short-wear/light coverage makeup or none at all, the 5% would do me just fine.

Once I run out of my Olivem and Comollient, I'm just going to stick to the less expensive PS80.


IrishLass

 

[dibbles]

Thanks IrishLass. I have plenty of polysorbate 80, so you have saved me from ordering something I don’t really need.