TaraLee

🧪👀What is a Surfactant?
“Surface Active Agent”
They help oil & water get along, lift dirt, create foam & lather, & keep formulas stable.

What Surfactants do
✨Cleanse
✨Foam
✨Emulsify (mix oil & water)
✨Solubilize
✨Evenly Spread Products
✨Thicken formulas
✨Condition

🧼Anionic Surfactants
✨Negatively charged & strong cleanser.
✨Big foam & lather
✨Great at removing dirt + oils
Common in: face wash, body wash, bubble bath, shampoo
➡️ Note: often paired with other surfactants.

☁️Amphoteric Surfactants
✨Charge changes with pH
✨Acidic solutions - positive charge
✨Alkaline solutions - negative charge
✨Mild + gentle
✨Boosts foam
✨Reduces irritation from anionics
Common in: face wash, body wash, bubble bath, shampoo

🫧Non-ionic Surfactants
✨No charge
✨Emulsify & Solubilize
✨Help keep oil + water mixed
✨Cleanse, but gently
Common in: Face Washes, Micellar Waters, & Lotions. But can also be found in body washes & Shampoos.

💆‍♀️Cationic Surfactants
✨Positively Charges
✨Amazing Conditioner & Detangling
✨Provides softness & slip
Common in: Conditioners, Hair Masks, & Creams
⚠️Can’t be combined w/ Anionics

👩‍🔬Formulator’s Tip
Play around w/ blending different surfactans.
🧴🫧For a body wash try combining an anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic instead of just using an anionic. You will be surprised by the outcome.
➡️ Example: SCI, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, & Decyl Glucoside

💦🫙When making a toner try adding in a surfactant for better spreadability
➡️ Example: Polysorbate 20, Polyglyceryl-6 Caprylate, or Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside

‼️🔔one more thing...
There is so much nuance w/ formulating. Just because I say things are one way, it isn’t necessarily always true.
🚨For example, earlier I said Cationic ingredinets aren’t compatbile w/ Anionic Ingredints, BUT SOME Cationic ingredients are okay to use with Anionic ingredients. This is why you should always study & learn about each ingredient before using it.

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4 days ago | [YT] | 158

TaraLee

Learn the Secret to making Color Changing Products.
It’s easier than you think! 😄

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 18

TaraLee

✨One of the most important, but often overlooked step in formulating, is pH.

✨pH is the measurement of how Acidic or Basic a solution is.

✨pH is important because many ingredients we use to formulate, like preservatives, ascorbic acid, AHAs,BHAs, polymers, etc are all pH sensitive.

✨How do you measure pH?
➡️ using pH meter or pH strips.
➡️ I don’t like strips
➡️Cheap pH meters (less than $50) only take pH of liquids.
➡️ If you want to take pH of thick solutions, make sure the meter says it works in thick solutions. Often around $100. Affiliate Link to one I use amzn.to/3L8oRC4

✨ To take pH of product, pour a small amount in a 25ml or 50ml beaker and place in pH meter. Let sit for about 1 minute for pH to settle.

✨ You can lower the pH by using a 10% dilution of citric acid in distilled water or by using a 10%, 20%, 30% dilution of lactic acid

➡️ add 1-2 drops of your pH adjusted at a time into your product. Mix in the pH adjusted and wait 1 minute before taking the pH again. Keep repeating process until you reach desired pH. Do not pour pH testing solution back into product.

✨ Raise pH by using Triethanolamine, L-Arginine Powder, or Sodium Hydroxide
➡️ use Triethanolamine, as is(does not need diluted before using
➡️ make a 10% dilution of L-Arginine Powder with distilled water. (Learned method from @revegacosmetics )
➡️ follow proper safety precautions when using sodium hydroxide. Always pour the sodium hydroxide into the water and be outside while doing this. Make a 10% -50% dilution. Or buy a 50% dilution from @formulatorsampleshop

✨ store pH adjusting solutions in cool dark place. No preservative needed. Remake monthly.

🍃Natural & Ecocert methods
➡️ Citric Acid
➡️ Lactic Acid
➡️ L-Arginine Powder

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 189

TaraLee

🎃 Sneak Peek at my final Potion for the Halloween Series. 👻
🐈‍⬛ Luna & I have had so much fun coming up with these spooky themed formulas.

Have you tried any of the formulas yourself yet?
💭Let us know how it went. 🐈‍⬛
💋My favorite so far is the lip stain. I've used it almost daily!

🧪 Formula for the final spooky Potion is currently available on Patreon
www.patreon.com/c/taraleee

Video Coming Soon!

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4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 52

TaraLee

You don't need to preserve oils, you only need an antioxidant.

Body oils, face oils, or anything made with ONLY oil soluble ingredients like natural oils, emollient esters, butters, even oil soluble extracts, do not need a preservative.

Preservatives are used in our cosmetics, to prevent mold, yeast, & bacteria from growing. This can only happen, when water is present in the formula.

Where there is water, there is life. This means there needs to be water present in order for there to be a chance for growing mold, yeast, or bacteria.

But......Natural Oils and products made with oil based ingredients do go RANCID. This means the oil has lost it's potency. The vitamins in it have degraded and it will have this off smell. Yes, it can still make your skin feel soft and moisturized, but all that goodness in the oils have degraded, so you won't be getting those vitamins from that oil anymore.

The perfect way to extend the shelf life of your body oils, face oils, or any other anhydrous formula is to add in tocopherols, aka Vitamin E.

Do not go running to your nearest grocery store and picking up the vitamin E there. That isn't pure tocopherols, it's extremely diluted. What you want is either mixed Tocopherol T-50 or mixed Tocopherols 95%.

Tocopherol T-50 "is a 50% active concentration of natural mixed tocopherols concentrated to contain naturally occurring d-alpha, d-beta, d-gamma and d-delta tocopherols" - purchase on naturalbulksupplies.com

Tocopherols 95% "is a 95% active blend of natural mixed tocopherols isolated from the distillation of soybean oil and concentrated to contain naturally occurring d-alpha, d-beta, d-gamma and d-delta tocopherols." - purchase on lotioncrafter.com

I've heard of people immediately adding in tocopherols to their natural oils to start protecting them from going rancid as soon as possible, but I've never tried that method.

Do you add tocopherols to your natural oils before using them in formulas? What does that routine look like for you?

But what about Vitamin E Acetate?
Vitamin E Acetate is a derivative of Vitamin E. It's a highly stable version of vitamin E that will last much longer in your cosmetics, but it does not help with preventing your natural oils from going rancid. But will add great antioxidant benefits to the skin and is not light sensitive and will be stable for much longer in your cosmetics.

TLDR
Vitamin E Acetate - is used in cosmetics where there is no natural oils presents. (only emollient esters like Caprylic capric triglyceride, coco caprylate, and squalane for example) It adds antioxidant protection to your skin and is much more stable.

Tocopherol T-50 & Tocopherols 95% - can be used to prevent your natural oils from going rancid. Adds antioxidant protection to your formulation and will add antioxidant protection to skin, but degrades faster in formula.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 168

TaraLee

👩‍🔬Time to open up the lab for a little ingredient exploration again!
There are a few actives I’ve never Formulated with...
✨ Tranexamic Acid
✨ Azelaic Acid
✨ Mandelic Acid
Drop your vote below, which one do you want me to deep dive into next? 🧪

✨Tranexamic Acid
treats uneven skin tone

helps treat melasma or stubborn dark spots

helps create a more overall brighter complexion.

Skin type:
Generally okay for all skin types, including sensitive skin, but could cause dryness for some. But should be okay for most people.


✨Azelaic Acid
Can help clear Acne by killing acne causing bacteria.

Can help treat Redness prone or rosacea prone skin

Can help with uneven skintone or mild hyperpigmentation

Skin type:
Great for sensitive, combination, and acne-prone skin. It shouldn't be irritating like glycolic or lactic acid although some people may experience mild dryness or tingling/burning/stinging.


✨Mandelic Acid
An alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from bitter almonds. It penetrates the skin more slowly and is more gentle on the skin due to it's larger structure. It doesn't penetrate the skin as much as glycolic or lactic acid.

Can help treat acne by using it's anti-bacterial & anti-inflammatory properties

Brighten dull skin. Make an overall more brighter complexion.

Combat early signs of aging.

Gently Exfoliates Skin

Skin type:
Great for sensitive skin that may not tolerate stronger AHAs like glycolic acid. Also well suited for acne prone skin due to its antibacterial action.


Sources

www.webmd.com/beauty/health-benefits-mandelic-acid

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10969640/

www.bannerhealth.com/healthcareblog/teach-me/azela…

1 month ago | [YT] | 41

TaraLee

👻 Spooky Season is HERE and she is invading my lab 🧪
🐈‍⬛ Luna and I have been busy brewing up some magical potions.🔮

Can't wait to share all the beauty spells with you 🪄

Dropping this Sunday 9/12

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1 month ago | [YT] | 94