DIY Head Lice Shampoo Formulation Safety

Hello! Thank you for sharing your formula and asking for advice. I understand your desire to create a gentle and affordable head lice shampoo for children.

The basic ingredients in your formula, such as the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base, water, preservative, and Disodium EDTA, are common components used in hair cleansing products.

However, the most critical and concerning part of your formula is the "lice treatment" ingredient whose exact composition is unknown.

Using an active ingredient of unknown type, source, or concentration in a cosmetic formula or product applied to the body, especially for children with sensitive skin, is highly unrecommended and dangerous.

Reasons include:

• Safety: We do not know what this substance is, its potential side effects, or if it is safe for use on children's scalps at a 5% concentration. It could cause irritation (which you have experienced with other products) or more severe allergic reactions.
• Efficacy: Even if you saw it mixed with conditioner, we do not know how the active ingredient works, what concentration is needed to effectively kill lice, or if it will remain effective when mixed into a shampoo base.
• Compatibility and Stability: An unknown active ingredient may not be compatible with other ingredients in the shampoo formula, leading to separation, degradation, or the formation of harmful substances, rendering the product ineffective or dangerous.
• Quality Control: Manufacturing products for body use, especially those containing active ingredients, requires strict quality control to ensure safety, efficacy, and stability throughout the product's shelf life. This is extremely difficult to achieve when making a product yourself with unknown ingredients.

My strong recommendation is NOT to use the "lice treatment" ingredient of unknown composition in this formula.

For safe and effective head lice treatment in children, you should consult a doctor, pharmacist, or healthcare professional for advice on commercially available children's lice treatment products. These products have been tested and approved for safety and come with clear instructions for use and precautions.

The other ingredients in your formula (shampoo base, water, preservative, EDTA) are suitable for a general shampoo but do not have direct head lice killing properties.

In summary, this formula cannot be made with the unknown "lice treatment" ingredient. The risks are too high, and safety and efficacy cannot be guaranteed.