Herbal Liquid Soap and 2-in-1 Herbal Shampoo Formulation

Creating herbal liquid soap and 2-in-1 herbal shampoo using a Sulfate Free Shampoo Base is possible, but incorporating certain ingredients like oils and powders requires careful consideration.

Incorporating Herbal Ingredients

• Water-Soluble Ingredients: Herbal extracts or herbal water that are soluble in water can be easily mixed directly into the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base and the water phase of your formula.
• Oil-Soluble Ingredients (Oils, some Powders): Incorporating oils (like Sesame Oil, Moringa Oil, Olive Oil, or Essential Oils) or oil-soluble herbal powders into a water-based system like a shampoo base is challenging. It typically requires an emulsifier to help disperse the oil in water and prevent separation. However, adding oils to shampoo is generally not recommended by experts as it's difficult to stabilize and the primary function of shampoo is to cleanse away oils, which would counteract the added oils. It is suggested that oils provide more benefit when used in a conditioner, which stays on the hair longer.

Essential Components and Usage

Based on the sample formula and recommendations:

• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base: This is your primary cleansing agent. A typical usage rate is around 35% for adult formulas.
• Purified Water: Distilled or purified water is essential. It acts as a diluent to reduce the viscosity of the shampoo base, making the product easier to handle and enabling it to work with a foam pump dispenser. It makes up the remaining percentage of your formula after accounting for all other ingredients. You can replace a portion of the purified water with water-based herbal extracts or herbal water, ensuring the total water phase is sufficient for dilution.
• Glycerin (USP/Food Grade): This acts as a humectant, helping to retain moisture. A recommended usage rate is 5-10%.
• Mild Preserved Eco™: A preservative is crucial to prevent microbial growth, especially when using water and natural ingredients like herbal extracts. The recommended usage rate is typically 1%. Frankincense extract is not confirmed as a suitable cosmetic preservative.
• Guar Cationic (GuarCat™ Standard): For a 2-in-1 shampoo formula, this ingredient provides conditioning and anti-static properties. Please refer to the product page for the recommended usage percentage, which is usually low (e.g., 0.15-1.0%).

Achieving a Foam Pump Effect

The Sulfate Free Shampoo Base is designed to be foaming. To achieve a foam texture when using a pump dispenser, the formula needs to be sufficiently diluted. Ensuring the total formula reaches 100% by adding enough Purified Water (or a combination of purified water and water-based herbal ingredients) will provide the correct consistency for a foam pump.

Example Formulation Structure (for 1kg batch, without oils/powders)

• Sulfate Free Shampoo Base: ~350g
• Glycerin (USP/Food Grade): 50-100g
• Mild Preserved Eco™: 10g
• Guar Cationic (for Shampoo 2-in-1): Refer to product page for % (e.g., 2g for 0.2%)
• Herbal Water / Water-based Herbal Extracts: Variable % (replaces part of Purified Water)
• Purified Water: Add remaining amount to reach 1000g total.

Mixing Method: Generally, mix the water phase ingredients (Purified Water, Glycerin, water-based extracts, Guar Cationic if used) first, ensuring powders like Guar Cationic are fully hydrated. Then gently incorporate the Sulfate Free Shampoo Base. Add the preservative last. Avoid vigorous mixing to minimize foaming during preparation.

Incorporating oil-based ingredients or powders that are not water-soluble will require additional steps and potentially an emulsifier, which adds complexity and may not be stable in this type of product.