Addressing Dry and Tangled Hair in Your Homemade Shampoo

Based on your current shampoo formula and the issue of dryness and tangling, it's likely that the high concentration of surfactants like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is stripping too much natural oil from your hair. While your formula includes Lanolin, which can offer some conditioning, it might not be enough to counteract the drying effect of the surfactants.

Adding ingredients specifically designed for hair conditioning and anti-static properties can significantly improve the softness, smoothness, and manageability of your hair.

Here are a few options you can consider adding to your shampoo formula:

• Silicone Hi-Cond: This is a liquid silicone that easily mixes into water-based formulas like shampoo. It's effective at making hair soft, smooth, and preventing tangling by coating the hair strands. You can add this at a concentration of 0.5-1.5% of your total formula.
• Clear-Cond™ (Quaternium-80): This is another highly effective liquid conditioning agent that dissolves directly in water, allowing for clear formulas. It provides excellent conditioning performance, making hair soft and smooth. The recommended usage rate in shampoo is 0.2-2%.
• Hair-Cond™ SM (Small Particle Dimethicone Emulsion): This is a small particle silicone emulsion that mixes easily with water. It helps make hair soft and easier to comb when dry, reducing tangling. You can use this at 0.5-1.5% in your shampoo.

Regarding your question about Vitamin B5 (Panthenol), as the staff mentioned, it is primarily a moisturizer and helps hydrate the hair. While hydrated hair is less likely to break, Vitamin B5 doesn't provide the same level of surface smoothness and detangling effect that conditioning agents like silicones or quaternary compounds do. To specifically address the dryness, lack of smoothness, and tangling, incorporating one of the conditioning ingredients mentioned above would be more effective.

You can try adding one of these conditioning agents at the lower end of the recommended usage range first and adjust in subsequent batches if needed. Remember to mix it thoroughly into the water phase of your shampoo formula.