Peppermint Face Wash

This post is going to be a preview to the Cocoa and Mint Series. I will be sharing my Peppermint Face Wash. This formulation is meant for drier skin types, although oil skin can still use this wash. 

The first thing I want to focus on with the formulation is the formulation's Active Surfactant Matter (ASM). The ASM guides my selection of ingredients. If you are completely lost on what that is, I have a couple of posts and formulations that go over it in detail on the Diamond Level Blog. For face washes for dry skin, I will aim for an active surfactant matter of 8%. I like to use surfactant blends in my formulations for ease of use. So for this one, I am going to be using Coco Glucose from Making Cosmetics. (Link) Not sponsored love the product. Coco Glucose is a natural surfactant blend of Sodium Cocoamphoacetate (amphoteric), Lauryl Glucoside (non-ionic), Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate (anionic), and Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate (anionic). It has an active surfactant matter of 42-52%. Since they give a range, I am going to go for the mid-range of 47%. Since I want a peppermint theme, I am going to want that to be the fragrance. For the peppermint, we can go about it in two ways. 1. we can use a peppermint hydrosol. In that case, we do not need to add a solubilizer. 2. Is we can use essential oil. I do not have the hydrosol, so that I will go the solubilizer route, the second way. To incorporate the peppermint essential oil, I will use Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, a natural solubilizer. I have worked with this ingredient before, and I am completely in love with it. The way it enhances surfactant formulations is so fantastic. I do not think it works, and a polysorbate 20 or 80, but it is an excellent option to have. I purchased mine from Formulator Sample Shop (Link) Also not sponsored. Its active surfactant matter is 60%. For 0.10% peppermint essential oil, I will use 10%, which gives us an active surfactant matter of 6%. So we need 1% ASM for the Coco Glucose. I did some calculations and got 47% of 4.26, which gives us approximately 2% ASM. So we will need 4.26%. Don't worry; this formulation will still have nice foam. I have added 1% hemp protein to this formulation to add to the theme to give it a slight green tint. It also serves function purposes as it helps make the wash milder. If you do not have it, refer to the substitutions and alterations. It would not be my formulation if I did not add some Allantoin. I will add some at 0.20%. For stability, I am adding 0.20% Sodium Phytate and 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus. To thicken this formula, I am going to use Xanthan Gum Soft. To add it to the cold process, I am going to add 5% glycerin. That is the formula.

Formulation:

Method:

1. Sanitize all your equipment, containers, and workspace. 
2. Gather all your ingredients and make sure that your notebook is set up. Everything is calculated before you start formulating. 
3. Wear gloves, eye protection, and long sleeves clothes. 
4. In a glass beaker, add all your phase A ingredients and stir well until combined. Not all of the ingredients will dissolve due to the lack of water, and that is okay. 
5. Next, add the water into the beaker to create phase A/B. We need to be careful not to mix it too much not to incorporate too much air. 
6. In a separate glass prep cup, measure out phase C and stir them very well. The method is crucial. 
7. While stirring phase A/B, add phase C. If the mixture turns cloudy or milky, stop the additions and add keep going. Once it turns clear, you can add more until all is used up. 
8. In a separate glass prep cup, measure out phase D and stir them very well. The method is crucial. 
9. While stirring phase A/B/C, add phase D. Make sure to mix thoroughly before adding more. You will notice that the viscosity (or the thickness) will change to be thicker as you add more. 
10. Once everything is mixed, Check and Adjust the pH of the formulation to be 5.5. Note: this is essential with these surfactants as they have a higher pH. You will need a Citric acid solution that is 1:1. I have a free post on how to make this (Link)
11. Be sure to label and date your latest creation. ​

Substitutions and Alterations:
If, for any reason, you are having a hard time finding suppliers. On my Diamond Level Blog, I have an International list of them.
If you want to use a different surfactant/blend, feel free to do so. Like I mentioned before, if you use a peppermint hydrosol, then you will not need a solubilizer. However, you can still add one to make the formulation mild. If you do not have the one that I have, you can use polysorbate 20 at the same amount. If you want to learn more about calculating ASM, I have multiple posts in the Diamond Level Blog. 
If you do not have sodium phytate, you can use another chelating agent or replace the weight amount with water. 
You can add more actives than I have. Since this is a wash-off product, I do not like to add a lot. 
If you do not have Xanthan Gum Soft, you can use what you have. Or you can use a different gelling agent; keep in mind how that would change the method. 
If you do not have hemp protein, you can use another. Keep in mind the coloring of the protein; most are brown or tan. If you still want it to be green, you can add some dye at 0.05%. Take that percentage from the water phase to ensure that your formulation is 100%

If you want to know and make all the other formulations in this series like:

• Cocoa & Mint Cleansing Balm
• Cocoa Face Serum
• Cocoa and Mint Lip Scrub
• Coco and Mint Lip Balm
• Cocoa & Mint Lip Gloss
• Cocoa and Mint Body Lotion
• Cocoa & Mint Body Balm
• Cocoa & Mint Hand Lotion
• and finally Cocoa & Mint Hair Mask

These formulations will make great last-minute gifts too!
I would love to hear your feedback on the formulation. Let me know if you have tried it out. Use the #cosmeticyourways to get featured.

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