Lotion is too thick

[SudsyKat]

Hiya!

I'm in a quandry. I have a lotion (which is more of a cream, really) that I make that people love. The problem is that I would really like it to be a proper lotion so I can figure out how to bottle it. I've used a tottle bottle, but there's still a ton of product left in it that I can't squeeze out because it doesn't flow at all (it just hugs the container). I have considered just keeping it a cream, but I'd really like to make this into a lotion.

Anyhow, I started with a much richer formula and have increased the water phase several times and made some changes and STILL - it's too thick. Any thoughts on what else I can do or what I might be doing wrong? Here's the current, much watered down formula - thick as ever:

54% water
15% aloe very (very liquid - it's just a 100x powder mixed with water)
3% glycerin
2% sodium lactate
2% hydrolyzed protein

10% rice bran oil
3% shea butter
2% cetyl alcohol
5% Polawax
2% IPM

1% Cyclomethicone
1% Fragrance Oil
.5% Liquid Germall Plus

 

[Lindy]

Here is your problem

2% cetyl alcohol
5% Polawax
2% IPM

You need to reduce your emulsifiers. With Polawax you don't need the cetyl alochol or IPM.

 

[SudsyKat]

Thank you so much! See, with my fragmented knowledge, I know just enough to be dangerous! I don't think of IPM and Cetyl Alcohol as emulsifiers. I use them for their other qualities. Thanks a MILLION for this input!

 

[SudsyKat]

Just wanted to update this post, in case anyone is interested in what I did to fix the problem. I ended up replacing the shea butter with shea oil (butters are thicker than oils, of course) and replacing the cetyl alcohol with cetyl esters, which don't thicken as much, but have pretty much the same benefits of the cetyl alcohol. I also added 1% dimethicone and 1% Vitamin E (since the shea oil doesn't have the great shelf life of shea butter (and frankly, I wasn't sure how old the shea oil is either)). I don't recall why I added the dimethicone (probably because it was in my original formula, which i really liked). In any case, that FINALLY helped to make this a pumpable lotion. It's still really rich and thick, but at least it moves in the bottle when you shake it hard or do the centrifuge move with your arm. The other stuff was absolutely a firm cream that wouldn't budge. So, there you have it. hope that helps someone. Thanks again.