Liquid Soap Shampoos

[dosco]

"...(I suppose to some extent this depends on if one is using a conditioner based on BTMS-25 (or -50) or cetearyl alcohol)..."

Why do you think this is so? I'm curious about your thinking on this point.

Cetearyl alcohol "is a thickener that brings slip and glide to our products."

BTMS is a cationic emulsifier ... according to Susan (of swiftcraftymonkey) "conditioner is a cationic product" and she goes on to say no cationic stuff = not a hair conditioner.

I'm sure my statement is more a reflection of my ignorance and confusion while I ascend the learning curve of hair conditioner formulation.

As an aside I purchased some "hair conditioner concentrate" which is cetearyl alcohol + stearalkonium chloride. I posted my question/statement before searching swiftcraftymonkey using "stearalkonium chloride" as the search term - stearalkonium chloride is the cationic quaternary compound that makes conditioner what it is supposed to be. I was under the incorrect assumption the primary stuff in my baggie of concentrate was the alcohol (which it is not).

-Dave

 

[DeeAnna]

Okay, I think I see your point now. Conditioning the hair with adsorbent ingredients such as BTMS and/or coating the hair with silicones, a film of oils, etc. is not the same as adjusting the pH of the hair. Yes, I agree a cationic ingredient like BTMS has a positive charge, but BTMS can't do the same chemistry job as H+ (the positively charged hydrogen ions created by acids).

You could make a conditioner that has a lower pH by including a bit of citric acid in the recipe to replace a separate vinegar or citric acid rinse. That is what I have been doing when I've made my last couple of batches of conditioner. My homemade conditioner has always included conditioning emulsifier (generic form of BTMS 25) but my soap-shampooed hair did not respond as well with the original no-citric-acid recipe than it did after I added citric acid to the conditioner recipe. A little dab of citric is plenty -- you don't need much.

I need to add -- Even though I do have a chemistry background and have done some kitchen chemistry experiments with my lotions and potions, I'm definitely not a cosmetic chemist and not the last word on this stuff!