The best solution is prevention. Mix your hec with glycerin before adding water. But if it has happened, allow it to stay a bit and use an overhead stirrer
If I want to achieve a solid gel that I can hold in my hand, should I heat HEC or can I still dissolve it in cold water? If I need to heat it, what is the maximum temperature I should heat it to and how slow should the heating process be?
Thank you for the video. Pls I was trying to make an African black soap shower gel, I used 20.8% of distilled water to mix 1.5% of HEC, after mixing for about 2mins, it formed a thick lump. What can I do to avoid this? Is the DW too little to mix HEC in or ? Thanks as I anticipate your response
It's a great vids, thanks for sharing it. But I do have one question. I'm making coco glucoside based shower gel. I need it to be transparent, is HEC suitable for it?
Not at all. If you want transparent gel, use carbomer. Sadly, it is a toxic ingredient that needs neutralization with another toxic pH adjuster, Triethanolamine (TEA).
Thanks for this video. Just want to understand how we can make transparent look lubricant like Durex massage lube. I have added HEC but it is giving a little off-white look in lube gel. Please suggest a formula that can give slippery and should not be sticky and greasy.
That is not how formulation are made. They are made by percentage, then you can scale up from there. Determine the amount of HEC you want to use which starts from 0.5 to 2% in most cases, they determine the amount of other ingredient you want to add and start formulating.
Natural Skincare School thank you! I tried using it with 77% distill water and realized I should use some some of distill water rather when the whole 77% . Thank you.
@@greenbeautychemist. I only use nonionic surfactants, Since you said in ur video that hec is non ionic. Ohhh so you mean, i should add it to my water phase first before the surfactant. Is it okay to add it on room air or needs to be hot? Do you have tips on preventing it to have too much bubbles?
1%. Note: It won't hold well as HEC is not strong enough for making high alcohol gel or high surfactant products. It will hold a bit but not too strong
@@greenbeautychemist. I tried to make high alcohol gel with xantham gum, but it separates or with 70% alcohol it "eats" the gum. Then I tried with guar gum powder but it just sank down. (the gum). I am not sure what can I use now?
Hec will give a light hold as long as it is fully hydrated. You can also try synthetic thickener like Carbomer for stronger hold. you can also try Hydromethyl cellulose
No, you can use an immersion blender or hand mixer but let it stand for at least 60 minutes before using it. By that it will have thicken well. No you don't need an homogenizer to mix HEC. However if you are making a product to sell, please invest in an homogenizer, I will explain this better in another video. You can also use a strong overhead mixer like this amzn.to/3dboiB2
@@greenbeautychemist. I used KOH to make a salt from a weak acid and add it to my gel. I made a gel 3 weeks ago and it became a bit liquid. I didn't use a blender, just a spoon but I used heat. Is it mandatory to stir hardly? Thank you so much!
Blending is mandatory to hydrate HEC even if you used heat . Using a spoon can't do the job. Get yourself a good immersion blender or homogenizer. It will become stable for long if you blend it.
I’m so happy I found your video! I’ve been searching for African beauty chemist based in Canada (assuming from windy point product that you used) for so long 😩 I have a question. I used HEC to make leave-in conditioner before but as my hair dried (type4 hair), I got lots of white flakes from my hair... is there any tip on reducing flakiness of HEC? God bless☺️
To reduce white flakes in creams and conditioners, you can't use a thickener like HEC, there is more that goes into a leave in conditioner. You need an Organic Alcohol, PEG-40 castor oil, Cyclomethicone (not the natural cyclomethicone), stearalkonium chloride, and many more ingredient. There is no truly organic haircare products, you have to use these chemicals to keep the flakes away. In your own case, if you are making it for your own use, I recommend you reduce the amount of HEC you are using or remove it altogether. Replace HEC with Cationic Guar Gum and see if that reduce the flakes. Also be careful of Canadian Suppliers Selling Expired Ingredients. Most of them do. The HEC version at WindyPointSoap is not a suitable cosmetic grade HEC, try the one at PureBlendNaturals.com Also be careful, don't buy any Cosmetic Ingredient from a popular cosmetic ingredient supplier in Brampton, Ontario. According to my students at StableCosmeticFormulas.com, a cosmetic raw material supplier in Brampton often sells expired ingredients.
@@greenbeautychemist. Thank you for the fast response! Yes, I used the Brampton Suppliers located close to Steeles Ave and Kennedy before and I would never go back there. For my conditioner, I use: 4% BTMS50, 2% Cetyl Alcohol, 4% Oil, 2% Glycerin, 1% HEC, 0.5% Germall Plus, and Distilled water to reach 100%. The consistency was perfect but once it dried, I had white flakes all over the shaft of my hair... very disappointing to say the least. But I never tried Cationic Guar Gum so I will try that and see the end result :)
Hi there! I used the 0.5% HEC in water to make a DIY clear serum with some aloe vera.. Great consistency at first! However the formula turned into complete water in about 3 weeks in the amber bottle dropper. Is this supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent this from happening. Thank you!!
@@greenbeautychemist. I used cosmetic grade aloe vera (already had citric acid and a small dose of preservative) however I used more water than Aloe. Then I added the HEC. However did not add the liquid Germall plus. So I’m thinking the bacteria that was created after a month ate the HEC completely? What do you think.. Am I correct? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR your response ☺️
We work by formula here and not by grams. If making a gel, use HEC at 1% in your formulation. Your distilled water content will vary depending on how you set your formulation worksheet. In a formulation on our website, we used 97% water to make hyaluronic acid gel and 0.5% HEC (naturalskincareschool.com/how-to-make-hyaluronic-acid-gel-solution-serums ). It all depends on what you are formulating
I can't suggest a suitable thickener if I don't know what you have in your formula. For your own safety, please don't share your formula with anyone. Take care.
So when making say for a gel mask which do recommend xanthan gum or this one ?Also how much do you recommend For the gel mask as well as should you add this first before adding other ingredients or could be added during any formulation time frame ?
@@Iamfiance56 A mask is a thicker consistency, so 2% xanthan gum soft (make a slurry with glycerin and xanthin gum soft first and let it hydrate a bit before adding water phase), Or 2% Hec... then follow as she recommends by letting it hydrate.
Hello , does HEC work with decyl glucocide surfactant? Also I am adding hec in water using Homogenizer and allowing it to hydrate and then adding surfsctants and other things using a Homogenizer. In the end i see hard powder lumps on surface. What to do ? Please guide
Hydoxyethyl cellulose is a lovely gelling agent. What I find however is that there is a slight separation of the water and oil phase after about a week. It can easily be remedied by shaking the bottle. It only happens with cleansers and not with serums. Any thoughts on why that might happen?
@@greenbeautychemist. You are correct, I make a rinse off enzyme serum like product. I like how it gels my enzyme "serum like" product. I should call it something else;)
I would like to enquiry: after dissolve HEC in water, the final product (gel) have some dust like particle in it.. Added 0.7% in water only.. Is it not enough homogenize? Thanks.
When making serum, use 50% from the distilled water amount in your formula to mix HEC. Allow it to hydrate for 30 to 60 minutes before continuing with your formulation.
8yrs of experience and you didn't know that Hydroxyethyl Cellulose ca not be mixed or hydrated properly with a hand mixer; or that it would take more than 30 minutes to hydrated? 🤷♀️🤦♀️ I suggest you do your research if you're posing your products as "Natural" when using this product. The product you are using is not Natural, in fact it's synthetic. It mimics the natural cellulose down to an exact match; but it's been genetically modified in labs for commercial use in skincare.
Subscribe to the Channel at ua-cam.com/channels/LILyRkEkHoKqOwcKpUAJuA.html for more Natural Skin Care, Health and Beauty Formulation Tips👍
Great video, question.....can I add Citrix Acid powder to the gel to make a cleaning gel?
no. that is not how to make a cleaning gel.
Hec vs xanathan gum what's your point of view please?
both ok. It depends on your end goal Xanthan for lotion, HEC is for gel
How to repaire or dissolve lumps of hec in the bottoms of liquid..please🙏🏽
The best solution is prevention. Mix your hec with glycerin before adding water. But if it has happened, allow it to stay a bit and use an overhead stirrer
I used hand stirring to blend HEC with water, but it form lumps on top, what do i do to blend it well, since yesterday.
Add hec to glycerin mix it first before adding water
If I want to achieve a solid gel that I can hold in my hand, should I heat HEC or can I still dissolve it in cold water? If I need to heat it, what is the maximum temperature I should heat it to and how slow should the heating process be?
Hello, can I add this to a vitamin c serum that contains ferulic, hyaluronic, ethoxidiglycol and vitamin e and euxyl pe 90?
Sure you can use it to make serum.
Thank you for the video. Pls I was trying to make an African black soap shower gel, I used 20.8% of distilled water to mix 1.5% of HEC, after mixing for about 2mins, it formed a thick lump. What can I do to avoid this? Is the DW too little to mix HEC in or ?
Thanks as I anticipate your response
HEC is not good for alkaline products. You can't use hec for african black soap it will foam clumps. Try xanthan gum
Hi thanks for this tutorial. Pls how can I use HEC to make my aloe vera gel?
Will upload soon
@@greenbeautychemist. That'll be awesome, Thanks
How do use hec in a hair gel without flakes. 1% flakes.
It will flake unless you add a quaternary agent.
@greenbeautychemist. ok
Which is good one?
Hello , can this be used in oil, acid and water immersion ? I’m looking for an alternative to agar to make a gel
How to mix HPMC without lumps?
Hi can l use HEC to thicken my dishwashing liquid
No it doesn't work with some surfactant.
It's a great vids, thanks for sharing it. But I do have one question. I'm making coco glucoside based shower gel. I need it to be transparent, is HEC suitable for it?
Not at all. If you want transparent gel, use carbomer. Sadly, it is a toxic ingredient that needs neutralization with another toxic pH adjuster, Triethanolamine (TEA).
@@greenbeautychemist. awww I was looking for something very clear as well.
Do this feels sticky on the skin?thank you
no
Thanks for this video. Just want to understand how we can make transparent look lubricant like Durex massage lube. I have added HEC but it is giving a little off-white look in lube gel. Please suggest a formula that can give slippery and should not be sticky and greasy.
Use Clear Xanthan Gum USP at pureblendnaturals.com/products/clear-xanthan-gum-usp-transparent-cosmetic-grade-canada-usa
Can hec be use to make a geled sugar scrub
yes
Hi can i have water ratio ?
My question now is how much HEC would be needed for 25 liters of water to make it a gel solution?
That is not how formulation are made. They are made by percentage, then you can scale up from there. Determine the amount of HEC you want to use which starts from 0.5 to 2% in most cases, they determine the amount of other ingredient you want to add and start formulating.
Hello can Ouse this at 0.5 percent and add it to hair conditioner during the water phase or during cool down?
water phase. Hydrate it first with some of your distilled water.
Natural Skincare School thank you! I tried using it with 77% distill water and realized I should use some some of distill water rather when the whole 77% . Thank you.
Hi thanks for what you do! Quick question: do you add the HEC first before the surfactants in face wash diy?
HEC may not work with certain surfactants. Hydrate HEC first and add it to your water phase before adding surfactants
@@greenbeautychemist. I only use nonionic surfactants, Since you said in ur video that hec is non ionic. Ohhh so you mean, i should add it to my water phase first before the surfactant. Is it okay to add it on room air or needs to be hot? Do you have tips on preventing it to have too much bubbles?
@@greenbeautychemist. thank youu by the way. You give me hope
Hi maam can i ask a question anionic surfactant need anionic cellulose?
Hi! How much HEC do I need if I want to make a gel used to make disinfection gel 70% alcohol? Thanks for answer
1%. Note: It won't hold well as HEC is not strong enough for making high alcohol gel or high surfactant products. It will hold a bit but not too strong
@@greenbeautychemist. I tried to make high alcohol gel with xantham gum, but it separates or with 70% alcohol it "eats" the gum. Then I tried with guar gum powder but it just sank down. (the gum). I am not sure what can I use now?
Hec will give a light hold as long as it is fully hydrated. You can also try synthetic thickener like Carbomer for stronger hold. you can also try Hydromethyl cellulose
What % will be needed if you are making a liquid detergent & dish washing liquid?
Not suitable
@@greenbeautychemist. what thickener do you recommend for cocomidopropyl betaine?
Could you please suggest me, Which Thickner I use for handwash? Besides salt.
It all depends on the surfactant you plan to use. HEC will work for non ethoxylated surfactants. For Ethos surfactants, use cationic guar gum.
@@greenbeautychemist. I use SLES, CAPB and AOS for making handwash. Now it's easy for you to explain me, about thickening agent for handwash.
Cationic guar gum
@@greenbeautychemist. is it good idea to mix anionic surfactants with catatonic?
If I may ask a question. :) Would I need a homogenizer to properly mix the Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Powder?
No, you can use an immersion blender or hand mixer but let it stand for at least 60 minutes before using it. By that it will have thicken well. No you don't need an homogenizer to mix HEC.
However if you are making a product to sell, please invest in an homogenizer, I will explain this better in another video. You can also use a strong overhead mixer like this amzn.to/3dboiB2
@@greenbeautychemist. Ohhh lovely, very good to know...and thank you for your quick response. I look forward to watching your next video :)
@@elainemarie6284 Thanks
Can HEC work with ph 8.0-8.5? Thank you so much for the info provided here.
It should if it is not a surfactant product.
@@greenbeautychemist. I used KOH to make a salt from a weak acid and add it to my gel. I made a gel 3 weeks ago and it became a bit liquid. I didn't use a blender, just a spoon but I used heat. Is it mandatory to stir hardly? Thank you so much!
Blending is mandatory to hydrate HEC even if you used heat . Using a spoon can't do the job. Get yourself a good immersion blender or homogenizer. It will become stable for long if you blend it.
Hi i go weak acid + KOH and when it is 25 Celsius i add HEC on magnetic mixer and not working, any idea? Thank you
@@sarinvx2 25ºC are not enough... Try higher, 60-70ºC.
Ma'am, is this good to thicken cream ?
Yes, it is
Can i used only HEC make thickener for shampoo
No. Use cationic guar gum
please how can we mak body oil gel?
and thank you dear 🥰
I don't make DIY on demand. thanks
Can i use this for dishwashing liquid soap ?
It depends on your ingredients. HEC is not that suitable for making soap.
Do I wait until it thickens before I add a preservative?
yes
hi! i have a question, can we use cellulose gum to thicken lip gloss base? and is it okay if i'm gonna mix it with some oils too?
HEC (cellulose gum) is not compatible with lip care products. It is only for skincare and haircare products
I’m so happy I found your video! I’ve been searching for African beauty chemist based in Canada (assuming from windy point product that you used) for so long 😩
I have a question. I used HEC to make leave-in conditioner before but as my hair dried (type4 hair), I got lots of white flakes from my hair... is there any tip on reducing flakiness of HEC?
God bless☺️
To reduce white flakes in creams and conditioners, you can't use a thickener like HEC, there is more that goes into a leave in conditioner. You need an Organic Alcohol, PEG-40 castor oil, Cyclomethicone (not the natural cyclomethicone), stearalkonium chloride, and many more ingredient.
There is no truly organic haircare products, you have to use these chemicals to keep the flakes away. In your own case, if you are making it for your own use, I recommend you reduce the amount of HEC you are using or remove it altogether.
Replace HEC with Cationic Guar Gum and see if that reduce the flakes.
Also be careful of Canadian Suppliers Selling Expired Ingredients. Most of them do.
The HEC version at WindyPointSoap is not a suitable cosmetic grade HEC, try the one at PureBlendNaturals.com
Also be careful, don't buy any Cosmetic Ingredient from a popular cosmetic ingredient supplier in Brampton, Ontario.
According to my students at StableCosmeticFormulas.com, a cosmetic raw material supplier in Brampton often sells expired ingredients.
@@greenbeautychemist. Thank you for the fast response!
Yes, I used the Brampton Suppliers located close to Steeles Ave and Kennedy before and I would never go back there. For my conditioner, I use: 4% BTMS50, 2% Cetyl Alcohol, 4% Oil, 2% Glycerin, 1% HEC, 0.5% Germall Plus, and Distilled water to reach 100%. The consistency was perfect but once it dried, I had white flakes all over the shaft of my hair... very disappointing to say the least. But I never tried Cationic Guar Gum so I will try that and see the end result :)
Hi there! I used the 0.5% HEC in water to make a DIY clear serum with some aloe vera.. Great consistency at first! However the formula turned into complete water in about 3 weeks in the amber bottle dropper. Is this supposed to happen? Is there a way to prevent this from happening. Thank you!!
I also didn’t use preservative, so I think that might be why. Can bacteria kill the component of HEC
if u used raw aloe vera. it may be the cause. use cosmetic grade ingredients
@@greenbeautychemist. I used cosmetic grade aloe vera (already had citric acid and a small dose of preservative) however I used more water than Aloe. Then I added the HEC. However did not add the liquid Germall plus. So I’m thinking the bacteria that was created after a month ate the HEC completely? What do you think.. Am I correct? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR your response ☺️
the mix can still transparent ? if the base is transparent?
How can I use this gel for makin g shampoo liquid?
Not possible
can we add it for food as thickener?
The one I demonstrated here is cosmetic grade. Not for food.
@@greenbeautychemist. is there a food grade quality of this?
Is there any (safe) way to speed along the cross-linking of the HEC gel if you want a thicker gel?
Heat it
Also, if trying to speed up the gelling phase by heating, do I stir while heating or I should use my immersion blender while heating? Thank you
Please stir while heating gently. Do not use an immersion blender. You can use an overhead stirrer
That's very helpful!Thanks for sharing this!
Can Hydroxyethylcellulose be used to emulsify Oil in water emulsions? Or at least suspend oils in water?
No hec is not an emulsifier. It is a gelling agent.
@@greenbeautychemist. Thank you!
Then what emulsifier can be added
Hi, If I want to make a gel at 1oz how much water and Hydroxyethyisellose I need thanks
We work by formula here and not by grams. If making a gel, use HEC at 1% in your formulation. Your distilled water content will vary depending on how you set your formulation worksheet. In a formulation on our website, we used 97% water to make hyaluronic acid gel and 0.5% HEC (naturalskincareschool.com/how-to-make-hyaluronic-acid-gel-solution-serums ). It all depends on what you are formulating
Hi, I have a question.. Can I use HEC in handwash?
I don't suggest using HEC in hand wash as it will turn very slippery. It will defeat that purpose. It is best used for Serums, Shampoos and lotion
which thickner can i add for pine oil base floor cleaner for best result of thickning and stability of product
I can't suggest a suitable thickener if I don't know what you have in your formula. For your own safety, please don't share your formula with anyone. Take care.
How much HEC I have to use for thick and stable emulsion of floor cleaning product without any seperation ??
I have a question does the temperature of the water matter
hot temp at 70 C will hydrate it faster and better. Take care
@@greenbeautychemist. I work with klucel and I’m looking for the best method to fully dissolve the klucel in the batches I make daily
I don't use klucel. What is the inci name
I like to thicken my liquid detergent by hec .is it possible?
Yes and no. It depends on the surfactant you used. Hydropropyl Guar gum will do a better job
@@greenbeautychemist. hi can i use hydroxypropyl methylcellulose for dishwashing?
@@cuentaph2254 yes hpmc is much better and easier
So when making say for a gel mask which do recommend xanthan gum or this one ?Also how much do you recommend For the gel mask as well as should you add this first before adding other ingredients or could be added during any formulation time frame ?
0.3% of xanthan gum or 0.2% HEC
@@greenbeautychemist. That would be enough for a gel mask ?
I tried it at 1.00 and it seemed a bit watery for some reason i tried water content of 55 and then another of 75
@@Iamfiance56 A mask is a thicker consistency, so 2% xanthan gum soft (make a slurry with glycerin and xanthin gum soft first and let it hydrate a bit before adding water phase),
Or 2% Hec... then follow as she recommends by letting it hydrate.
where can I buy HEC???
Hello , does HEC work with decyl glucocide surfactant? Also I am adding hec in water using Homogenizer and allowing it to hydrate and then adding surfsctants and other things using a Homogenizer. In the end i see hard powder lumps on surface. What to do ? Please guide
No hec will not work with most surfactants it will form hard lumps. Use cationic guar gum.
@@greenbeautychemist. Thank you for the quick response! Can you please tell which surfactant you are using ?
I use different blend of surfactants. I don't use one.
Whats with the subliminal messaging flashes...
Thank you so much for sharing!
You are welcome
Is salt compatible with HEC?
no
That means i can't put have hoth salt and HEC in a formulation?
I love how hec gels. But i find it seperates and i cant figure out why. Im making a shampoo. And it seperates after a day. Why is that
HEC is not compatible with some surfactants that is why it separates in Shampoo.
@@greenbeautychemist. which surfactants are compatible
@@Fiiscreativemoods why u just can't look it up....
@@LatoriaMartin ofcause it was the 1st thing i did before asking. I cannot find any information on the HEC powder, not even from suppliers.
Hydoxyethyl cellulose is a lovely gelling agent. What I find however is that there is a slight separation of the water and oil phase after about a week. It can easily be remedied by shaking the bottle. It only happens with cleansers and not with serums. Any thoughts on why that might happen?
HEC is not meant to make serum as it is a natural gelling agent. Not as strong as the synthetic gelling agents.
@@greenbeautychemist. You are correct, I make a rinse off enzyme serum like product. I like how it gels my enzyme "serum like" product. I should call it something else;)
Can i soak HEC with small sodium hydroxide if it is lumps and it not melt at the time i blend it.
No
Thank you!
You're welcome!
does this work as a surfactant
No it is not.
@@greenbeautychemist. thank you
I would like to enquiry: after dissolve HEC in water, the final product (gel) have some dust like particle in it.. Added 0.7% in water only.. Is it not enough homogenize? Thanks.
0.5% of HEC is enough to make a gel. Take some water from the distilled water of your formulation to mix hec.
No quantity of hec powder to water ?
When making serum, use 50% from the distilled water amount in your formula to mix HEC. Allow it to hydrate for 30 to 60 minutes before continuing with your formulation.
Depending on what you are formulating, the usage rate starts from 0.5 to 3%. For serums, use 0.5%
Good
great
8yrs of experience and you didn't know that Hydroxyethyl Cellulose ca not be mixed or hydrated properly with a hand mixer; or that it would take more than 30 minutes to hydrated? 🤷♀️🤦♀️
I suggest you do your research if you're posing your products as "Natural" when using this product. The product you are using is not Natural, in fact it's synthetic. It mimics the natural cellulose down to an exact match; but it's been genetically modified in labs for commercial use in skincare.
Good