A note about using concentrates:
Each of the listed products is a concentrated blend of surfactants often
used by major formulators of hair and body shampoos, hand cleaners and
bubble baths. The key to these concentrates is for you to test various
formulations to reach your desired product.
Viscosity (or thickness) of the blend can
be adjusted with the use of sodium chloride (salt) at low levels
in some of the products. This can range from 0.5% to 4%-5%.
Viscosity can also be adjusted by the concentration of blend in the finished
product. See formulation for details.
Although the pH of the final product is
often fine without any adjustment, we like to maintain a pH of 6.5 to 7.5.
Things like water quality can effect the final pH. As an added note, we like
to use soft or distilled water although this is not a must. The pH can be
checked with a simple litmus or pH paper. Most often when pH must be
adjusted, pH has to be adjusted downward. We most
commonly use Citric Acid in this case in very low levels, 0.1% ( that's one
tenth of 1 percent).
When adding essential oils, use them at
a level of not more than 2% by weight. Levels of higher than 2% may cause
the ph to fall. Add the EO to the
concentrate prior to adding it to the water. This helps
solubilize the oil into the water.
Preservatives are a must if you anticipate
long term storage. They are required often because of the additional
products that you are adding or because of possible contamination during the
mixing procedure. If you are using these products within 3 to 4 weeks of
making them, preservatives may not be required. As with many products the
selection of preservative is often up to the individual and what they feel
safe with. Germaben II or Phenonip are just some
of the preservatives that can be used as well as grapefruit seed extract at
levels ranging from 0.5- 1%.
If you intend to market your products, always shelf test your product, that
is, allow it to sit several months in a warm area to check on its stability.
All ingredients must be listed on the label.
Cost Factors: Each of these concentrates
vary a little in cost but lets assume
you buy 1 gallon of concentrate for $25.00 and the freight cost is $10.00
(varies for your location) for a total of $35.00 per gallon
of concentrate. To make a premium shampoo it
would take 1 part concentrate to 2
parts of water. Buying in 5 gallon
pails saves both on product cost as
well as freight making your actual costs lower still! |
