Can you substitute one emulsifier for another? This is precisely why many skin and hair care products choose to utilize an emulsion as their delivery system. The extensive selection of products demonstrates the critical significance of emulsions, emulsion making, and emulsifiers.Įmulsions containing small droplets of oils or butter make it easier to apply these lubricants on the hair or scalp, allowing for a uniform coating.īy combining oils into an emulsion, their application and penetration into the hair fiber become easier and more effective. They are all emulsions containing several oils, butter, or waxes emulsified in water using different emulsifiers. The majority of hair care items are emulsions, such as conditioners, deep conditioning masks, treatments, styling creams, and pomades.įurthermore, hair coloring creams, color developers, hair relaxers, and perms also come as creams. Through emulsification, oil and water are effectively combined to maintain stability throughout the product’s shelf life. The viscosity of the final emulsion product depends on a combination of formulation ingredients, choice of emulsifiers, and oils or waxes used in the oil phase. This process results in a white milky liquid which gains viscosity during the cooling process. The emulsification process reduces the particle size of the oil phase. The addition of emulsifiers reduces the surface tension of water and energy barrier while high temperature and rapid agitation facilitate molecular interaction. The mixing speed “rounds per minute” ranges from 1000 – 2000 rpm. In emulsion science, oil components of a formulation are called the “oil phase” while water or water-soluble ingredients are called the “water phase”.Įmulsifiers can be added to either the oil phase or water phase depending upon their melting point and solubility.īoth phases are mixed at an appropriate temperature (generally 70-80 for commonly used hair care formulations). Making Emulsion: Emulsifiers in Action Photo credit: An emulsion is a homogeneous mixture of oils in water. 3 List of Commonly Used Emulsifiers For Hair Products Anionic Emulsifiers Hair products rely heavily on emulsions, which deliver active ingredients to both the hair and scalp.Ĭonditioners, styling creams, waxes, and pomades are all unique examples of emulsified mixtures that combine oils with a water phase using multiple emulsifiers for maximum compatibility. By blending oil with a suitable emulsifier, you can create an even mixture referred to as an “emulsion.” 2 To successfully disperse oil into the water and ensure they don’t separate and stay homogenous for a longer time, the surface tension of the water must be reduced.Ĭhemical compounds that can lower the surface tension of water are called surfactants or emulsifiers. Surface tension is the amount of force/energy water molecules fight against breaking their surface barrier. Blending non-polar oily liquids into the water can be a tricky task due to the higher surface tension of the oil and its tendency to resist mixing. Water, being universal and polar, allows only similarly-polar compounds to dissolve in it. How can we effectively blend the oil and water layers together? We know that oil, being less dense than water, floats on top while water, being the denser fluid remains at the bottom. If you were to mix oil into water, even with vigorous shaking oil and water will never combine to create a homogeneous liquid- the two distinct liquids eventually separate. Oil and water are two elements that simply will not mix – oil does not dissolve or disperse in water, nor does water dissolve or disperse in an oil medium. Additionally, you will learn about some of the most commonly used emulsifiers that are employed in hair care products. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll look into the fundamentals of emulsifiers and how they work to create an emulsion. They are also known as emulsifying agents and play a vital role in hair care formulations and manufacturing processes. They are chemical compounds that can separate oil into water and water into oils. Have you ever wondered how oils in hair products stay so well combined with other ingredients in hair products? Emulsifiers are the answer!Įmulsifiers for hair products are ingredients used to make an emulsion.
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