Shampoo Formulation for Softness and Smoothness

To create a shampoo with a texture and feel similar to the product you referenced, focusing on softness and smoothness, you can combine several key ingredients available from MySkinRecipes. Based on the ingredients you listed and the staff's advice, here's a breakdown:

Cleansing Agents

The original formula uses Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate and Cocamidopropyl Betaine. These are good choices for creating a gentle yet effective cleansing base with pleasant foam.

• Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate: A gentle anionic surfactant that provides good lather. It's available in powder or solid form. Typical usage is 5-30%.
• Cocamidopropyl Betaine: An amphoteric surfactant that is mild and helps boost foam and improve the texture of the shampoo. It's often used as a co-surfactant at around 15-30% when it's the main detergent, but can be used at lower rates when combined with other primary surfactants.

Other gentle foaming agent alternatives mentioned by staff include AminoWash (Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate), BabyFoam (Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate), and Coco-Foam (Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine). You can experiment with combinations of these to achieve the desired foam and feel.

Moisturizing and Conditioning Aids

• Glycerin: You asked about adding Glycerin for moisture. Glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture. In shampoo, it can help make the product feel more slippery and easier to rinse. The staff recommended starting with around 5% in shampoo formulations to provide this benefit without making the hair feel sticky or heavy after washing.
• PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (Coco Wash): This ingredient, as you noted, helps provide softness and smoothness. It's a gentle non-ionic surfactant but is not primarily for cleaning; its main role here is as an emollient and conditioning aid. The staff suggested a usage rate of 1-10%, with 3-5% being typical in cleansing formulas to add softness without causing greasiness or heaviness.

Conditioning Polymers for Softness and Detangling

Cationic polymers are crucial for providing the soft, smooth, and detangled feel you desire, as they deposit onto the negatively charged surface of the hair.

• Polyquaternium-10 (Poly-Conditioner Pro): This is a key conditioning polymer that helps make hair soft and smooth and reduces tangling. It also contributes to the viscosity of the formula. It's available in different viscosity grades (e.g., 400 mPa.s and 30000 mPa.s). The staff mentioned it as a suitable replacement for Polyquaternium-64.
• Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (GuarCat Clear): Another cationic polymer that provides conditioning, reduces static, and helps with detangling. It also acts as a thickener. The staff noted that using GuarCat alone might leave hair feeling stiff, which aligns with your experience.
• Polyquaternium-7 (Poly-Conditioner Eco): The staff also mentioned this as an economical conditioning option.

Your experience with GuarCat alone and in combination with Polyquaternium-10 highlights that finding the right balance is important. Sometimes, combining different types of conditioning polymers or adjusting their ratios is necessary to achieve optimal softness, slip, and detangling without causing build-up or affecting hair feel negatively. Experimenting with the concentration and combination of Polyquaternium-10 (perhaps trying different viscosity grades) and GuarCat Clear, or incorporating Polyquaternium-7, can help you find the blend that works best for your desired result.

Texture and Viscosity

As the staff mentioned, cationic polymers like Polyquaternium-10 (Poly-Conditioner Pro) and GuarCat Clear contribute to the thickness and gel-like texture of the shampoo. Depending on the desired viscosity, you might need to adjust the concentration of these polymers or incorporate other thickeners compatible with your surfactant system.

In summary, to achieve a shampoo with good texture, softness, and smoothness, focus on a balanced blend of gentle surfactants (Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, and/or alternatives), include Glycerin (around 5%) and PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate (3-5%) for added moisture and slip, and experiment with cationic conditioning polymers like Polyquaternium-10 and GuarCat Clear to find the optimal combination and concentration for your hair type and desired feel.