I never thought I’d describe myself as patient, I am learning just how patient I can actually be. While developing a simple hair milk that can be sprayed on after washing, the hurdles I face along the way show me just how old dogs can definitely learn new tricks. Effectively I am attempting to reverse engineer a hair mist that claims to have water, oils and a few random extracts in it. There is no mention of solubilizers, emulsifiers or even preservatives given that it is largely water that smells pretty in the bottle. Now we all know that water and oil will not mix unless you introduce a few magic beans into the pot. Two attempts later I am nowhere near able to perform such feats of magic, alas water and oil refuse to mix no matter how nicely I ask or croon while making the mixture.
I am an avid reader but not an avid subscriber so imagine my surprise as I register and wait nervously for my application to join a chemists forum on the inter-webs. I’ve no idea what I’ll learn but I give it a go and bite my nails while I wait. Yay the gods of chemistry have deemed me worthy, I am approved. I introduce myself and proceed to post my query, a day goes by and nobody graces me with a response. Impatient me wants to unsubscribe and seethe in silence, but new me is on her unicorn, pipettes raised high yelling let’s do this!
It’s the middle of the night in my time zone, someone has given me a response. The excitement is palpable for miles! I am crestfallen, he is not providing a workable solution, simply pointing out more problems with my formula as if the original problem wasn’t enough. Another can smell my despair and comes to my aid with a possible solution. Alas! I say, that is what I’ve already tried with zero success. I post a picture to show that at least I have tried and I’m not simply looking for an easy solution.
A third wizard chimes in and says I should know Newtonian fluids, critical micelles and other fancy sounding words. Essentially, he says, I need to alter the viscosity of one liquid in order for it to accept the other liquids. Oh! Down the rabbit hole I go in search of answers to my conundrum.
Two experiments later I have successfully created a gel, the glee is too much to contain. I am cackling away like a witch. It is such a beautiful gel but not what I am aiming for, remember this is meant to be sprayable. Light bulb moment! How about I add the rest of the liquids to this beautiful transparent blob? And so I do, it starts to thin out, I am beyond excited again.
I spray a small amount onto my palm, I am so excited, it actually sprays! But wait! What is that burning sensation? I certainly don’t wish to burn myself or anyone else for that matter. What am I missing? Where is Peter rabbit?
Digging tools at the ready I dive back into the inter-webs looking for the rabbit. I think I’ve found his hideout. While I had to alter the ph of the gel, I also have to pay attention to the strength of the solution used for that particular purpose🙍 the one I used was certainly too strong and would result in a burning sensation. Now that is chemistry for another day.
Morals of this story:
When you think you’ve read it all, take a break and read some more
There are lots of helpful professionals out there, take the time to look, read and absorb as much as you can
Developing a recipe from scratch is not easy at all, so kudos to all those ninjas that take the time to do so. If possible pay for their services handsomely. I love that word😊. I have bought a couple of e-books from Susan of switchcraftmonkey.blog, sorcerysoap.com, and thenerdyfarmwife.com to name a few given that my interests are as varied as there are stars in the sky.
There are so many who simply want to copy someone else’s formula, don’t be that person unless the developer specifically puts it out there free of charge.
Approach “free” formulas with utmost caution, booby traps abound
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