What's Cookin' This Week (for hair): Homemade flax seed gel

I'll make this a fairly frequent entry. The true "keepers" will be in the "Recipes and Projects" page. I have a preoccupation (note I did not say obsession) with making homemade hair products. Shampoo and detergent-free hair wash, conditioner, treatments, and of course, hair gel! Sometimes these are made with easy-to-find items, sometimes not. I'll post 'em and you can try them out if you like. And of course, please share your results so we can get a little dose of happy.

Here is an all-natural hair gel which is a work in progress. I'm looking for the right mix of curl enhancement, hold, shine, and softness because I hate crunchy, tangly hair.

Metric conversion: 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 1/2 teaspoons = 7 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml

The Base:©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Boil in 1 1/4 cups water (almost 300 ml) for about 5 minutes (if it is thick now, it won't strain, boil only until thin threads* hang from the fork you're stirring with:
2-3 (30-45 ml) tablespoons whole flax seeds

* I do mean Thin Threads. If your gel hangs in thicker "strings" - it won't strain well. The gel thickens slightly as it cools.

>>>If you love a really thick gel, boil longer, but you're going to need to strain through cheesecloth or the foot of pantyhose and squeeze really hard.

Strain through a metal mesh strainer (it should strain mostly through, use the back of a spoon to press out the gel sticking to the seeds as best you can).
Note: Strain into a glass measuring cup if you have one so you know how much gel you have! If it measures less than 3/4 cup, you may need to reduce the amount of things you add.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Things to Add after the gel has cooled enough to touch (mix and match):

To hydrate and slow water loss:
- 1/2 to 1 tablespoon (7 to 15 ml) aloe vera gel (the edible kind if you can get it) - aloe moisturizes, adds shine, enhances curls.
- 1/2 teaspoon panthenol (2.5 ml) (available through soap and lotion making suppliers) - see below for an alternative (protein)
- 3/4 to 1 teaspoon hydrolyzed protein (3 to 5 ml) (an easy-to-find form is Colorful brand Neutral Protein Filler, available at Sally's Beauty Supply) - good for fine/medium hair or damaged hair, highlighted hair, dry climates, defines and enhances curls and waves, promotes clumping (to avoid stringy hair), holds moisture, adds shine.
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon glycerin (0.6 to 1.5 ml) (humectant - preserves water, may work best when it's neither too dry/arid nor especially humid)
-1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon gelatine (0.6 to 1.5 ml) (dissolve in hot water first, or add to strained gel, re-heat and stir vigorously - protein to hydrate, boost curls - not for coarse or protein-intolerant hair)

Emollients to soften, lubricate and slow water loss:
- 1-5 drops (or a lot more) oil of your choice (coconut oil, grapeseed, sunflower, castor, avocado, olive, canola oil, the oil from a vitamin E capsule), oil holds in moisture, gives a softer, smoother finish
-Hair conditioner, either a leave-in or a rinse out conditioner: from 1/4 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon or more

To thicken:

- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (1.2 to 2.4 ml) (available at many grocery stores as a gluten-free binder). This makes a thicker gel, prevents "stringy" hair and promotes plump clumps of waves or curls. You must re-heat the strained gel after you add xanthan gum and mix well until the gel thickens when adding this ingredient.
-1/2 to 3/4 (2.4 to 3.5 ml) teaspoon corn starch or tapioca starch, mixed with enough cool water to dissolve - then add it to strained, hot gel and re-heat to thicken
- 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon (7.5 to 15 ml) powdered fruit pectin (for making low sugar jam or jelly). This must also be added to strained gel and then re-heated to thicken

To add hold:

- 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons (7.5 to 10 ml) acacia fiber (a.k.a "gum arabic," available at health food stores as a soluble fiber supplement) - this doesn't thicken, but it does add "hold" close to what you get from a commercial gel. Can feel drying, especially with continued use - use with some oil or conditioner.

- fragrance if you like it

- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1.2 to 2.4 ml) honey or agave nectar (or more) - provides strong hold, may cause a "wet" look in silky hair. Honey and agave are very poor hold-providers for humid weather.

- In place of 1 tablespoon flax seeds, use 1 tablespoon whole psyllium seeds for a thicker gel

Blend these into the gel very well in with a whisk (or fork) or an immersion (stick) blender. If you get lumps, walk away and come back later - some will have dissolved. Refrigerate immediately and use within 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. Throw out if the gel changes color or gets cloudy, changes odor, or gains or loses thickness (viscosity).
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
This gel gives wonderful, plump clumps, defined waves and curls, rinses out easily and refreshes with just a spray of water.

A good mix for the beginner/the tentative:
Just use flaxseeds and water, and a small amount of oil and use it as a "curl enhancer/definer" under a stronger-hold product.

Cationic Compounds in Cosmetics

The Good, The Bad, The Weird (And the extremely long-winded post)

Here I’m referring to 2 classes of chemicals: quaternary cationic surfactants and cationic polymers. First off, cationic means something has a (net) positive charge (+). Hair has a net negative charge at the pH environment in which it usually exists (somewhere between pH 4.5 and 5 is average). This charge is mostly because of it’s composition, although damaged hair has more potential bonding sites (negative charges) than less-damaged hair.

I fear I’m about to give the impression that these ingredients are bad for your hair. They are not, in fact, they are responsible for silky, smooth, lustrous hair that holds a style. They help define waves and curls and protect damaged hair/protect hair from damage. They can prevent flyaway hair and the high fluff/frizz factor that comes with wavy and curly hair. What? You have straight hair that frizzes? Then no, you don’t have completely straight hair – you have some waves. These ingredients can be more of a problem for people who do not shampoo their hair often, or who have fine, soft hair, but as you’ll find, shampooing and cationic products is a goofy bit of chemistry.

Quaternary cationic surfactants (and cationic polymers) are the real “conditioners” in hair and skin products. They bond to hair (and skin), whereas most other ingredients in, say, a conditioner are emulsifiers (mix oil and water), thickeners, emollients (oils) moisturizers. These may soften and even penetrate the hair, but they don’t bond to the hair shaft.

Most of us played with magnets in school when we were kids. You’ll recall that the “positive end” of a magnet would attract the “negative end” of another, but repel other positive ends. Opposites attract, likes repel. Thus a cationic (positively charged) conditioner has an electrostatic interaction with your negatively charged hair and it sticks to it (adsorbs). Cationics also resist rinsing off both while wet (as in freshly-applied conditioner) and after drying.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

This is usually a good thing, starting afresh with completely stripped hair isn’t something that would look or feel very nice. Having those ingredients in a formula reduces damage-provoking friction, with the end result of stronger hair.  But have you ever combed your hair or, for wavy and curly-haired people, scrunched or just touched your hair and noticed that your hair was repelling itself? As though you rubbed your head with a balloon? NaturallyCurly.com user Pedaheh coined the brilliant phrase, “conditioner cling” to describe this phenomenon. Like static-cling-y clothes just out of the dryer. This happens frequently with fine hair, which has a lot of surface compared to it’s inner bulk and therefore holds a lot more conditioner relative to its weight than does a thicker hair. How are cationic ingredients involved?©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Quaternary Cationic Surfactants:©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Quaternary cationic surfactants include ingredients such as Behentrimonium chloride, Behentrimonium methosulfate, Cetrimonium bromide, Cetrimonium chloride, Stearalkonium chloride, Dicetyldimonium chloride, Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride. Most of these are not water soluble, but water-solubility doesn’t much matter because they’re bonding to your hair. Imagine magnets – the positive end of the quaternary cationic surfactant bonds to the negative hair. The thing is, it’s a pretty tight grip. Think giant magnets. Electromagnets that are used in scrap metal yards. This is known as “substantivity” in cosmetics chemistry.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Having these ingredients on your hair is not a problem in itself. Not unless you begin to find your hair weighed down, not curling if it should, or repelling itself. Shampooing is not always a solution because most shampoos are based on anionic (negatively charged) surfactants. And now you’re saying, wait, that should mean that it should remove the cationic stuff because it has a negative charge and opposites attract. Yes! But the hair holds the cationics too tightly. The shampoo (anionic) may not be a big enough “magnet” to remove the cationic (conditioner or polymer).©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Which ingredients are “stickier?” Cetrimonium chloride, in low concentration, is thought to be less tenacious than other quaternary cationic surfactants, whereas Cetrimonium bromide is considered highly substantive to hair. Behentrimonium methosulfate (hey allergy people – Behentrimonium is made from canola oil, so unless you’re allergic to mustards, it may work for you) is highly substantive to hair, as is Behentrimonium chloride. You may dislike an ingredient in one formulation and love it in another. The chlorides exhibit especially great substantivity to hair as demonstrated by not rinsing out, by prevention of fading in colored (dyed) hair, and by reducing the force needed to comb hair. But is this simply because the “methosulfates” are relative new kids on the block and haven’t been compared much side-by-side?  Could be.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

One thing “methosulfates” have going for them is that they are less irritating to the skin than chlorides, so sensitive people might want to look for Behentrimonium methosulfate instead of Behentrimonium chloride or Cetrimonium chloride in a conditioner used to cleanse the hair and scalp, on in a skin lotion. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Worrying which one is “stickier” to the hair than another for these cationic surfactants isn’t as important as considering how much is in a product. If you get build-up easily or have very lightweight, fine or thin hair, then having one of these ingredients quite high up in the ingredient list of a conditioner may cause it to be too heavy for your hair. These cationic conditioners actually help some of the lipid component of conditioners - fatty alcohols like cetyl and cetearyl alcohol, and possibly oils, stick (adsorb) to your hair. Good for creating softer hair, not so good for baby-fine, already silky hair.

Cationic Polymers:

Cationic Polymers include polyquaterniums (Polyquaternium-4, Polyquaternium-10, for example). These ingredients are very often water-soluble, but that’s not terribly relevant for us on the product-using end because they also get a tight grip on hair and so they don’t rinse off. Polyquaterniums are used in shampoos and conditioners to provide lightweight conditioning and frizz-prevention and used in hair styling products because they form stiff films over the hair to provide firm hold. They can add body to fine hair because of their hold/fixative-providing and film-forming behavior.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Polyquaterniums are lightweight, but can lead to build-up. Your gel may feel as though it rinsed out, but you’re left with microscopic cationic “soil” (residue) in your hair.

Polyquaternium 4 gives strong hold and may be easier to remove than Polyquaternium 10 or 11, in other words, it is more possible to pry it off with water and a detergent. Certain proteins and quaternary cationic surfactants can bond more firmly with hair than does polyquat-4. There are many other Polyquaterniums (with other numbers following them -7, 37, 44, 67…), all of which will bond more or less tenaciously to hair. Polyquaternium 10 may also be easier to remove than some of the others, there is even a “low residue” version of this polymer available, although it is doubtful that this distinction would be revealed in an ingredient list.

Concentration is important. The more polymer there is, the more the possibility for build up. If you are looking at a product with 20 ingredients and a Polyquaternium is ingredient #15, there isn’t much in there. But if it is ingredient number 3 or 4, there is more present. And even that is misleading because the actual percentage could be pretty low. So it’s best to judge by whether or not you get consistently good results from a product.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

How to Deal With Build-Up
Using an anionic shampoo (such as Sodium laureth sulfate or Ammonium laureth sulfate) may not do a very good job of removing cationic “soil” and the presence of cationic soil may increase anionic build-up on your hair. If you have a serious feeling of build-up and shampoo makes it worse, read the ingredient list very carefully because...

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Alkyl sulfates or alkyl sulfonates are anionic, but are better at removing cationic soils than other “sulfate” detergents (this has been demonstrated through controlled testing). For example, C14-16 olefin sulfonate detergents. These are deep-cleaning detergents, but can be diluted with water for a milder product. 

Additionally, Sodium lauryl sulfate and Ammonium lauryl sulfate, on the other hand, are anionic "sulfate," detergents but may do a better job of removing cationic soils than their laureth-sulfate counterparts because the molecules are smaller, more likely to penetrate hair and therefore more "stripping."

So if you experience conditioner cling, you find your ployquaternium-containing gel stops working wonderfully for you, or your hair gets limp or greasy with too much conditioning, what can you do?

1) Switch shampoos to use different detergents, or switch to styling products that don't feel like they leave residue.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

2) Use a light touch with conditioner and look for conditioners in which cationic surfactants are not at the beginning of the ingredient list. Avoid conditioners with heavy doses of oils and “butters” like shea butter.

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

3) Look for shampoos including Sodium polystyrene sulfonate. This ingredient helps remove 25% more cationic soil than rinsing or shampooing (even with a “sulfate” shampoo).

©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

4) Last-ditch effort (when all else has failed). Use sugar scrubs or baking soda scrubs (sugar mixed with oil, baking soda mixed with a little water to form a paste) massaged into your scalp and hair. This is for gentle abrasion! That which we cannot remove chemically, we can often remove physically. Following a baking soda scrub with a clean water rinse, and then an acidic rinse helps hair return to it’s normal pH (baking soda is alkaline). A cup of water with a tablespoon of vinegar (white or apple cider) or with 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid instead of vinegar will do. A scrub like this is not as damaging to your hair as is brushing and combing, using high-heat appliances or teasing.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
5) If you are only rinsing your hair and scalp between shampoos, skip conditioner on some occasions if you don't need it for detangling.

Shampoos with Sodium polystyrene sulfonate:

Pure & Basic Clarifying (Lite) Citrus Shampoo

Avon ADVANCE TECHNIQUES Body Building Shampoo

John Frieda Blonde Highlight Activating Shampoos

Pureology Serious Colour Care Purify Shampoo

Alterna LIFE Solutions Clarifying Shampoo

Carol's Daughter Rosemary Mint Purifying Shampoo

Paul Brown - Clarifying Shampoo
Ouidad Superfruit Renewal Clarifying Shampoo

  

Sources:

J. Soc.Cosmetic Chem.,43, 259-273 (September/Octobber 1992)

J. Soc.Cosmetic Cthem.,40, 205-214 (July/Augus 1989)

Removal of Cationic Buildup From Keratin Surfaces By Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate

Presented at PCIA Shanghai - March 2002

Riffing on silicones

Silicone, it's in shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, skin lotion and creams. Lately it has come into vogue to eschew silicones completely. Think that one through first, because you might be needlessly limiting yourself. Silicone myths: "It suffocates your hair." "Silicones prevent water from getting into your hair, so it gets dehydrated." To which I say: A) Hair doesn't breathe, suffocation is not an issue. B) Silicones do keep water out, but they also keep water in. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013

Commonly you'll be looking at some form of dimethicone or "silicone oil." Other common silicones are "silicone polymers" or ("siloxanes"). If you pour dimethicone, it is thick, clear, somewhere between "tacky" and "slimy" feeling. It does not rinse off surfaces easily. When wet, it can be wiped off a nonporous surface with some force, but when dry a detergent and scrubbing is required. Silicone ingredients do not tend to irritate the skin. But they don't necessarily wash off easily, which is fine on skin because we're constantly shedding skin cells. Kind of makes you want to go wash the floor, right? Not all silicones are this viscous, some are quite watery.
Silicones are added to skin products to seal in moisture and help the product spread over the skin easily. To hair products, silicones thicken, improve distribution of other ingredients, coat the hair for shine and decreased friction (making hair easier to comb and more resistant to tangles), and adds water resistance.©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Silicones bond to the hydrophobic (undamaged) portions of hair in particular (1). Less friction means less damage to hair and thus stronger hair. Reduced water loss also improves hair strength.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Should you use silicones or avoid them?
Avoid them if: 
-You do not wash your hair with any sort of shampoo. Silicones don't rinse off, they accumulate and you'll end up with heavy, limp hair.
-You have very fine or thin hair that tends to get weighed down easily.
-You don't like the way they make your hair look and feel.

Leave it to cosmetic scientists (one of my Chemistry professors told a class that the money in Chemistry was in cosmetics and petroleum... and he wasn't kidding) to figure out how modify silicones to allow them to rinse off more easily. A chimera of the water-soluble and water-insoluble - the water-soluble silicone!
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Chemically attach a water-soluble ingredient like Polyethylene glycol or a protein to a silicone and now it has a polar end. That polar end (which would prefer to rinse away with water because "like dissolves like") helps drag the silicone away with rinsing or cleansing. So you get the benefits of silicone and none of the residue, or at least far less. If the silicone is attached to a protein, even better because proteins bond to the damaged parts of your hair - so the undamaged parts get a dose of silicone-protection and the undamaged parts are protein-enriched.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
How do you find water-soluble silicones? It would be nice if it were on the front label so we'd spend less time squinting and scowling at labels in the drugstore. Here are some to look for: 
Anything with a PEG-# preceding the "silicone" such as PEG-12 Dimethicone and:
Silicone Quaternium-8
PEG-7 Amodimethicone
Dimethicone PEG-8 Phosphate
PEG-8 Disteramonium Chloride PG-Dimethicone
Dimethicone-PG Diethylmonium Chloride
Hydrolyzed Silk PG-Propyl Methylsilanediol Crosspolymer
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hydroxypropyl Polysiloxane
Dimethicone PEG-8 meadowfoamate
Dimethicone Copolyol
Lauryl Methicone Copolyol
Lauryl PEG-8 Dimethicone

A while ago, I tried spreading different products on a piece of smooth glass, then rinsing them with plain water and, in some cases, some gentle rubbing.
The products which included PEG-12 Dimethicone did rinse off with some extremely light agitation (rubbing very lightly under the tap). 2 products containing dimethicone did not rinse off with water or rubbing and required a detergent - although glass is unlikely to bond with any of the ingredients whereas hair can have far more interactions.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Water-soluble silicones are making an appearance in skin products as well, although the potential for irritancy increases with the addition of other ingredients and the processes whereby that happens.
©Science-y Hair Blog 2013
Update: A 1994 article in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology by Rushton et. al. reported a couple interesting things.
1) Silicones (from a silicone-containing 2-in-1 shampoo) accumulate on the surface of hair for the first 5 uses, but after that, there was no accumulation. There is only so much surface on the hair for silicone to bond to, it does not accumulate indefinitely.
2) 90% of silicone residue was removed with one shampooing with a silicone-free shampoo. The detergents sodium lauryl or sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium lauryl or laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine (possible cocobetaine) are the ones to choose for removing silicone residue.




Koyanagi, A. 2007. Journal of Cosmetic Science 58: 435-441

Welcome!

I thought it might be fun to start up a blog as a dumping ground for all the curiosity I have about hair care, hair science, allergies, recipes for hair care products and skin and such. I'm a scientist, although not in the cosmetics field, similar concepts do apply!

Fire away if you have any questions you want answered and I'll do my best to answer them and refer you to a good source if I can.