Usage Percentage of Homemade Herbal Extracts in Shampoo
Asked by: rachoyu
On: January 02, 2020
Product Type:
Cosmetics
Question
I have questions regarding using homemade herbal extracts in a shampoo formula:
- In a shampoo formula, if I want to add Butterfly Pea herbal extract (extracted using ethanol solvent, steeped for 7 days, then evaporated to remove all ethanol), what percentage can I use in the formula?
- Following question 1, if I have more than one type of herbal extract to add to the shampoo formula, should the total amount of all extracts combined not exceed the percentage from question 1, or can each individual extract be used up to the percentage from question 1?
Answer
Subject: Regarding the use of herbal extracts in shampoo
Thank you for your questions about using Butterfly Pea extract in a shampoo formula.
- Regarding the percentage of Butterfly Pea extract: It is difficult to provide an exact percentage for your home-made extract. The appropriate usage percentage for herbal extracts in formulations depends heavily on the extract's concentration, potency, and the desired effect. For commercial extracts, suppliers usually provide recommended usage rates, which can range from 0.1% to typically not exceeding 5% in many cases, but this varies greatly. Since your extract was prepared using ethanol extraction and evaporation, its final concentration is unknown without further analysis. Therefore, a specific maximum percentage cannot be given.
- Regarding using multiple herbal extracts: When incorporating more than one herbal extract into a formula, the total concentration of all extracts is a crucial factor. Using multiple extracts often means that the percentage of each individual extract needs to be lower than if it were used alone, to ensure formulation stability, avoid potential interactions, and manage the overall concentration of active compounds or potential irritants. It is generally not advisable to use each extract up to the maximum percentage that might be acceptable for a single extract; the combined total needs to be considered and is usually limited.
It is recommended to start with low percentages and test the formulation for stability and performance. The variability of home-made extracts makes careful testing even more important.