Hair Spray Formulation for Damaged Hair

You're looking to create a hair spray for colored, frizzy, dry, and coarse hair. Your initial formula, while containing beneficial ingredients, is not suitable for a spray texture because the combination of Silicone Shine and SiliSolve™ will likely result in a thicker, creamy consistency rather than a fine mist, as the staff correctly pointed out. SiliSolve™ is designed to bind water and silicone, and with the amount of Silicone Shine, it will create an emulsion that is too thick for a spray bottle.

To achieve a sprayable texture, you need to choose a base that allows the ingredients to remain liquid. Here are the approaches suggested by the staff, along with suitable ingredients for your hair type:

1. Water-Based Spray

This type requires all ingredients to be water-soluble. It's lighter but might offer less intense conditioning than silicone-based options.

• Base: Water
• Conditioning & Repair:
  • Pure Keratin: Excellent for strengthening damaged hair.
  • Hydrolyzed Silk Protein (Sericin): Helps improve texture and adds a smooth feel.
  • Panthenol (Vitamin B5) ExtraLite™ or Panthenol (Vitamin B5, DL-Panthenol, Powder): Provides moisture and nourishment without stickiness (especially the ExtraLite version).
  • Cetrimonium Chloride (CTAC): A cationic conditioner that helps reduce static and frizz, making hair smoother and easier to comb.
  • Poly-Conditioner Eco: A silicone-free conditioning agent that can improve softness and manageability. You can adjust the percentage based on desired conditioning level, as the staff mentioned.
  • SiliWater™: A water-soluble silicone that provides silicone benefits (smoothness, shine) in a water base without needing an emulsifier like SiliSolve™. Use sparingly to avoid weighing hair down.
• Preservation: You MUST include a water-soluble preservative like Mild Preserved™ COS to prevent microbial growth.

2. Silicone-Based Spray

This type uses volatile silicones as the base, providing excellent slip, shine, and frizz control.

• Base: Volatile silicones like Cyclopentasiloxane.
• Conditioning & Shine:
  • Silicone Shine: Provides intense shine.
  • Dimethicone (Medium/350) or other non-volatile silicones: Can be added for increased conditioning and feel, dissolved in the volatile silicone base.
• Note: This type typically does not contain water, so a water-soluble preservative is not needed.

3. Shake-to-Mix Spray

This approach combines a water phase and a silicone/oil phase in one bottle. You shake it before each use to temporarily disperse the phases.

• Water Phase: Contains water-soluble ingredients like Pure Keratin, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein (Sericin), Panthenol, and Cetrimonium Chloride. This phase requires a preservative.
• Silicone/Oil Phase: Contains silicone-soluble ingredients like Silicone Shine, Dimethicone, and Cyclopentasiloxane. SiliSolve™ can be used here to help the two phases disperse when shaken, but it will not create a stable emulsion.
• Mixing: Requires shaking before each application.

Regarding your specific questions:

• Hydrolyzed Silk Protein (Sericin): While not essential for all hair sprays, it is beneficial for damaged hair like yours, providing repair and conditioning. Including it in a water-based or shake-to-mix formula is a good idea.
• SiliSolve™: In your original formula, SiliSolve™ combined with Silicone Shine caused it to become a cream. If you choose the shake-to-mix approach, SiliSolve™ can be used in the silicone phase to help dispersion, but it will not create a stable sprayable emulsion on its own with a high water content.

Regarding the simple water-based formula proposed by jn_andy (Water, Pure Keratin, Panthenol ExtraLite):

• As the staff noted, this formula is simple and the ingredients are water-soluble, so they will mix.
• However, it lacks strong conditioning agents like Cetrimonium Chloride or silicones, so it won't provide significant frizz control or smoothness for coarse, damaged hair.
• Adding Poly-Conditioner Eco, as jn_andy suggested and the staff confirmed, will improve the conditioning properties. The optimal amount will require testing.
• Crucially, this water-based formula must include a preservative.

In summary, for your colored, frizzy, dry, coarse hair, a spray formula should focus on conditioning and smoothing ingredients. Choose one of the three spray types (water-based, silicone-based, or shake-to-mix) and select compatible ingredients. Remember to always add a preservative to any formula containing water.