Formulate a gentle apple shampoo
In this series, we provide easy formulations; no ads, no filler and no fluff.
Today’s formula is a request. A reader asked for a gentle shampoo formula that uses an apple-derived surfactant and that, ideally, it won’t sting the eyes. While I tried to make the formula work as a “tear-free shampoo”, this isn’t designed for babies, so please bear this in mind. This formula is probably more for the US readers as some ingredients are not easy to source in the UK/ EU. So let’s do this!
The main component is Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids, sold as Foaming Apple or Proteol APL (trade name). It is a mild, apple-derived anionic surfactant that is gentle and sulfate-free. This will be our primary cleansing agent. I urge you to try the oat or silk versions if you can.
I also added amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants to help create a synergistic blend with excellent cleansing and foaming power. This will increase the costs, but you do get a great mix. Of course, you can use other non-ionic surfactants such as coco-glucoside or decyl glucoside.
As we want to create a tear-free product that doesn’t sting the eyes, pH will matter greatly. Because of this, my gum selection needs to match. Initially, I picked Solagum AX, which can handle pH 3-12, but the blend wasn’t thick enough to my liking. I decided to go back to good old Xanthan gum.
Honeyquat (Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey) provides a lovely moisturising effect and can make the hair feel silky. It is not entirely natural, so I will leave the choice to you.
For soothing and softening, I used panthenol and hydrolysed oat protein. Other proteins can be used, but I picked oat as it is super for dry, sensitive scalps.
HOW TO USE
Use it just like you would any other shampoo. * At the time of writing this, I haven’t trialled this, so I cannot confirm if it is indeed tear-free.
POSSIBLE SOURCES
Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids
THE FORMULA
| Phase | Ingredient | Function | %w/w |
| A | TEGO® Solve 61 MB | Solubiliser, refatting | 3% |
| A | Lavender essential oil* | Fragrance | 0.30% |
| A | Tocopherol 50% | Antioxidant | 0.05% |
| B | Sodium cocoyl apple amino acids | Anionic surfactant | 20% |
| B | Cocamidopropyl betaine | Amphoteric surfactant | 8% |
| B | Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside | Non-ionic surfactant | 2.5% |
| C | Water | Solvent | 54.05% |
| C | Sodium phytate (Dermofeel PA-3) | Chelator | 0.1% |
| C | Hydrolysed oat protein | Conditioning | 1% |
| C | Panthenol | Vitamin,moisturising | 1% |
| C | Honeyquat | Conditioning | 1% |
| D | Glycerine | Humectant | 7% |
| D | Xanthan gum | Viscosity modifier | 1.2% |
| E | Geogard ECT | Preservative | 0.8% |
| F | pH adjuster | pH adjuster | qs |
Method:
Blend Phase A to solubilise oils.
Blend Phase B and add Phase A to it.
Add Phase A/B to C and blend slowly till homogenous.
Prepare slurry ( Phase D) and add to Phase A/B/C. Allow it to hydrate.
Add Phase E and adjust pH to be 6.0-6.5.
Allow the shampoo to hydrate fully before transferring it into bottles.
*All fragrances/ essential oils can be omitted to make it even more gentle