Hair Serum (Leave-on) Formulation Advice

Hello! It's great you're starting to make your own hair serum. The ingredients you've listed are suitable for a hair serum. To achieve a non-sticky and fast-drying feel, the percentages of humectants and silicones are key.

Here are some recommended percentage ranges for a beginner, focusing on a non-sticky and fast-drying formula:

• Water or Serum Base: Make this the main part, up to 100%. If using a pre-made serum base, add your ingredients to this base.
• Dimethicone: 2 - 5%. This silicone helps provide slip, shine, and a smooth feel without being too heavy, contributing to faster drying.
• Propylene Glycol: 1 - 3%. As a humectant, a lower percentage helps avoid stickiness while still aiding in dissolving ingredients and providing some moisture.
• Pro Vitamin B5 (Panthenol): 0.5 - 1.5%. A wonderful hair conditioner, but keeping the percentage moderate prevents potential stickiness.
• Citric Acid: Use a very small amount (e.g., 0.1 - 0.3%) to adjust the pH of the final serum to around 4.0-5.0. This is important for hair health and product stability. You will need pH strips or a meter to check and adjust.
• Perfume: 0.1 - 0.5%. Add fragrance as desired.

Important Considerations for Beginners:

• pH Adjustment: Always check and adjust the pH with Citric Acid (or another acid/base if needed) to the recommended range (4.0-5.0) for hair products.
• Preservation: For any water-based product, a preservative is essential to prevent microbial growth. The ingredients you listed do not include a preservative. You must add a suitable broad-spectrum preservative according to the supplier's recommended usage rate.
• Testing: Always make a small test batch first. Adjust percentages based on how the serum feels on your hair (stickiness, drying time, conditioning).

This is a basic starting point. You can experiment with slightly different percentages within these ranges in small batches to find what works best for you.