Shampoo Formula Analysis and Suggestions

Your shampoo formula includes several good ingredients for gentle cleansing and hair care, suitable for sensitive, dry, and damaged hair.

• Gentle Cleansing: Using SulFoam™ (Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate) and Mild-Wash L™ (Sodium Lauroamphoacetate) provides a mild surfactant system, which is excellent for sensitive scalps and dry hair, avoiding harsher sulfates.
• Conditioning & Hair Health: Ingredients like SiliWater™ (Dimethicone Copolyol), Biotin Express™, Urea, Triacetin, Biotinyl-GHK, and Pure Keratin™ are beneficial for moisturizing, strengthening hair roots, promoting growth, and repairing damaged hair. The combination of Urea and Triacetin is appropriate for enhancing Biotin delivery and stabilizing the formula's pH over time, as noted in the ingredient descriptions.
• Anti-Dandruff & Preservation: Dandruff-Guard™ (Piroctone Olamine) addresses dandruff and itching, and Paeonia Preserve™ provides natural preservation. ActiveProtec™ UV helps protect the formula ingredients from light degradation, which is particularly important for light-sensitive ingredients like Biotin.
• pH Adjustment: Lactic Acid is included, likely to adjust the pH to a skin-friendly range (typically slightly acidic, pH 5-6, for shampoos).

Regarding your question about needing a thickener like N8000 or 70:

Your formula already contains ingredients that contribute to viscosity:

• SulFoam™ is a concentrated surfactant.
• Mild-Wash L™ is an amphoteric surfactant.
• Flora Foam™ is specifically designed to thicken formulas containing amphoteric surfactants like Mild-Wash L™.
• Dandruff-Guard™ also has a thickening effect on shampoo formulas.

While you don't have traditional salt-responsive thickeners (like those used with SLES/SLS), the combination of Mild-Wash L™ and Flora Foam™ should provide some level of thickening. The final viscosity will depend on the precise ratio of these ingredients and the overall formula composition. If the current combination doesn't achieve your desired thickness, you might need to:

1. Ensure the percentage of Mild-Wash L™ is sufficient (the percentage was missing in your list, typically 3-5% when combined with other detergents).
2. Optimize the ratio of Mild-Wash L™ and Flora Foam™.
3. Consider adding a compatible polymeric thickener if needed, but try optimizing the current ingredients first.

Your shampoo formula seems well-designed for its purpose, focusing on mildness and hair health.

Conditioner Formula Analysis and Suggestions

Your conditioner formula aims to condition, nourish, and add semi-permanent black color. You experienced issues with texture (not thickening), scalp irritation, and color intensity.

• Conditioning Base: Cetearyl Alcohol, Sensitive Cream Maker™, SiliWater™, Cetrimonium Chloride, Clear-Cond™, and Behentrimonium Chloride form a good base for a nourishing conditioner. Cetearyl Alcohol provides body and emollience, Sensitive Cream Maker™ emulsifies the oils, and the cationic ingredients (Cetrimonium Chloride, Clear-Cond™, Behentrimonium Chloride) are excellent for smoothing, detangling, and conditioning dry/damaged hair.
• Nourishing Oils: Borage Oil and Wheat Germ Oil add valuable fatty acids and antioxidants to nourish the hair and scalp.
• Coloring: SemiColor - Wood Black provides the semi-permanent black color, and Color Fix™ helps improve color adhesion and longevity, which is used at the recommended rate for conditioners (5%).
• Protection & Preservation: ActiveProtec™ UV and Paeonia Preserve™ provide protection and preservation.

Issues and Suggested Adjustments:

1. Texture (Not Thickening): The primary reason your conditioner formula likely didn't thicken properly is the inclusion of Mild-Wash L™ and FloraFoam™. These ingredients are designed for cleansing formulas and can interfere with the emulsification and thickening mechanisms of a cationic conditioner base (like the one formed by Cetearyl Alcohol, Sensitive Cream Maker™, and the cationic conditioning agents).

   • Suggestion: Remove Mild-Wash L™ and FloraFoam™ from the conditioner formula. The thickening should come from the combination of Cetearyl Alcohol and Sensitive Cream Maker™. You may need to slightly increase the percentage of Cetearyl Alcohol (e.g., to 8-12%) or Sensitive Cream Maker™ (e.g., to 1-3%) to achieve your desired cream texture after removing the incompatible ingredients.

2. Scalp Irritation: The stinging sensation you experienced is likely due to the Lactic Acid. While Lactic Acid is useful for adjusting the pH of a conditioner to be slightly acidic (pH 4-5) to smooth the hair cuticle, using it at 4% might be too high for a sensitive scalp, especially in a product that sits on the hair/scalp for a few minutes.

   • Suggestion: Reduce the concentration of Lactic Acid. Start with a lower percentage (e.g., 1-2%) and check the pH of your final formula. Aim for a pH between 4 and 5. Adjust with small amounts of Lactic Acid or a mild base if necessary to reach this range. This pH range is optimal for conditioners and less likely to cause irritation.

3. Color Intensity: You mentioned the black color was too intense at 0.5% SemiColor - Wood Black.

   • Suggestion: Reduce the percentage of SemiColor - Wood Black. The usage rate is 0.1-1.0%. Try a lower concentration, such as 0.1% or 0.2%, and test on a strand of hair to see if it provides the desired subtle black shade.

By removing the incompatible detergent ingredients from the conditioner and adjusting the concentrations of Lactic Acid and SemiColor - Wood Black, you should be able to achieve a better texture, reduce scalp irritation, and control the color intensity while maintaining the nourishing and conditioning benefits.

Remember to always test your formulas in small batches and check the final pH.