We have seen promotional advertisements for hair care products and cosmetics. There are many brands in the market. While choosing such products, the customers take care of its quality and its effects on the skin, and hair. The essential component, which is used in such products is Silicone Oil Emulsions. It has many properties such as lubricity, non-toxicity, high spreading capacity, film formation. Though the emulsions are effective, they need to be used in a proper proportion as per the requirements. The after-effects of silicone oil emulsions depend on the stability of it. If it can hold stability for a longer period, then it is capable to give desired results. In this article, we would like to share how one can apply various strategies to maintain the stability of Silicone Oil Emulsions.
It is chemically inactive so; it does not damage the area where it is applied. The volume and uniformity of emulsions affect the stability of the silicone oil. The smoothness which occurs on the surface of the hair is due to conditioning effects of the silicone oil. It is insoluble in many of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic solvents hence most of the time, it is used as emulsions.
Conventional methods of Emulsions
These methods involve Homogenization, Ultrasonication, and Mechanical Stirring. There is a disadvantage of energy getting wasted. The usage of surfactants had been started but it also faced some obstacles. A large number of surfactants like stabilizers, electrolytic suspensions, silicone surfactants can cause damage to hair and can create other skin problems. Excess of usage is not advisable. The same problem is faced with the usage of thickeners. The excess usage may lead to the concretion of fluid present in shampoos and conditioners.
These techniques had been used since long but as time passed, and the demands of people shifted towards the better result giving products. The customers started preferring a product which can give them a more satisfactory outcome.
Recent Methods of Emulsions
The latest updates in the usage of Silicone Oil Emulsions have been found out. It is used with well-measured size and uniformity. It is more stable and safer as compared to conventional methods emulsions. The molecules can be distributed through a narrow channel so that it can be mixed without coalescence and Ostwald ripening. In this process, the usage of surfactants gets minimized and it is safe regarding the application. It has given away to produce a better quality of hair care products.
How to prepare Silicone Oil Emulsion
Different formulations are used to prepare Silicone Oil Emulsions like O/W, W/O, O/W/O etc. Conventional methods are used to process silicone oil. We all know the drawbacks of these methods. To establish, stability in the emulsions, one can measure the viscosity of silicone oil regarding droplets size. An experiment was undertaken successfully in which acid-modified emulsifiers were used in various quantity of 0.2, 1.0 and 10 wt%. The process was accomplished with the homogenizer. During this process, it was observed by the cosmetic scientists that an increase in the concentration of emulsifiers, leads to a decrease in the droplet size of emulsion. It resulted in better stability and uniformity of emulsions.
Another way is to use Span -60 emulsifier. It begins the process with a narrow size distribution, but even if there is an increase in the concentration of emulsifiers, it does not affect the stability, once it reaches a particular level. It successfully becomes a stable silicone oil emulsion.
The mixing time of silicone oil is also counted as a part of an experiment. It was analyzed that a proper time limit needs to be fixed for the process. If it is too fast or too slow, then it will be difficult to maintain the desired droplet size. It was found out that due to an increase in the time span, the viscosity was still available for emulsions to stay stable in the ultrasonication method. In case of Span -60 emulsifier using mechanical stirring, the perfect time distribution is very important. If the time is too short, the oil can’t get space to disperse and result in broad size distribution. If the time is too long, the viscosity of emulsions gets raised and it leads to coagulation of droplets. It can affect stability.
Along with the context of the time, one more important factor is the effect of shear force. During the process of emulsions by span -60, the higher level of shear force with perfect timing can break large droplets in smaller one, it helps to improve the stability.
Let’s take another emulsion prepared by Legpal CO-530 in which greater level of shear force Beyond limit can lead to poor stability. With the help of these examples, we can make out that the shear force will be effective only if it is applied appropriately.
Application in hair care products
Hair and care products are having a mixture of polymers and silicone oil emulsions to bring smoothness, softness, and shine. We can understand that silicone oil is essential for the better quality of shampoo and conditioners but it is equally important to use it with proper emulsifiers in a controlled quantity.
This is the way; one can use silicone oil emulsions to get the best results. We hope that this article will be proved helpful while you deal with Silicone Oil Emulsions. We are looking forward for your valuable feedback.