Fun With Hydra Hair

Fun With Hydra Hair

Juliette van der Meer

Hydra Hair is one of our new specialty ingredients, and it is one fantastic hair conditioner!

INCI: lauryl/myristyl polyricinoleate and glycerin

What is Hydra Hair?

Hydra Hair is made from 100% renewable plant based resources, and is COSMOS and Ecocert approved.

How do you use Hydra Hair?

Used from 0.5-5%, Hydra Hair is extremely versatile as well as being compatible with nonionics, anionics or cationics (which makes it rather handy in hair care formulations). It is a liquid so it is easily cold processed with other liquid surfactants.

Studies have shown it to perform as well as, and sometimes even better than, cationic and quat based conditioners (which are not natural, and we do not stock on Essentially Natural).

How does Hydra Hair work?

Due to its chemical structure, Hydra Hair is able to form lamellar-layers which support excellent conditioning benefits. Used on wet hair, it swells and produces parallel 'sheets' on the hair fibers. When rinsed, the slip effect between these sheets generates detangling effects as well as a slippery feel on the hair. In addition, any component of the lamellar liquid having a strong affinity to hair withstands rinsing and remains on the hair strand, generating repair and moisturization benefits.

We've been playing around with Hydra Hair quite a bit and have developed a few great hair care recipes for you to try out. Give them a go!

Formulations with Hydra Hair

Leave-in Hair Oil / Beard Conditioning Oil

Ingredients:

Conditioning Shampoo

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Blend the xanthan gum with the glycerine and panthenol to hydrate then add the water or botanical infusion.
  2. Add the surfactants, argan oil and Hydra Hair.
  3. Give everything a whizz with a stick blender.
  4. Add the preservative, keratin, and essential oils.
  5. Check and adjust the pH down to around 4.5-5. Decant into a bottle and enjoy your all-natural shampoo! Follow up with conditioner as required by your hair type.

Hair Conditioner Cream

This is a more advanced recipe.

Ingredients:

Heated Water Phase

Heated Oil Phase

Cool Down Phase

Method:

  1. Heat the water up to around 75 degrees. If you are making a botanical infusion, use this hot water to do so.
  2. In a larger beaker, blend the xanthan gum with the lauryl betaine, panthenol and water/ botanical infusion.
  3. In another beaker melt together the heated oil phase ingredients.Make sure both your heated water and heated oil phases are at a similar temperature (around 70 degrees).
  4. Pour the water phase into the oil phase and blend with a stick blender to form an emulsion. Once the emulsion has formed (usually in about 30 seconds to 1 minute), continue stirring by hand until cool down.
  5. Add the cool down phase ingredients and stir well to blend them in. Check the pH and adjust to around 4.5-5 if required.

Use your conditioning cream after shampooing. It can be used as a rinse out conditioner in the shower, or leave it in as a mask for an hour and then rinse out.

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Juliette van der Meer

Fascinated with all things Nature, Science, Chemistry and Cosmetic Formulation; slave to four cats; my sweet tooth fuels my sweet nature.

I like to constantly learn new things. I also love crime series, which is totally not a red flag :)

I graduated from Rhodes University with a Degree in Geology but later switched to Cosmetic Science and haven't looked back - proof that flipping your life around can lead to much happiness.

BSc Hons, Adv. Dip. Cosmetic Science


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8 comments

Hi please send me a pricelist for hair products.

Siphokazi

Hi Shirley, I would use the max recommended usage amount, 5% :) It’s fabulous in a conditioner!

Juliette

If I want to use the Hydra Hair in the hair conditioner base, how much would I add?

Shirley Crawford

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