Emulsifying Wax: What exactly is it and how does it work?

Emulsifying Wax

Emulsifying wax is among the essential ingredients in making creams. Consider it the “glue” which will hold your recipe together. We’ve all seen how oily salad dressings separate after sitting for a while. After this you shake the bottle until it looks mixed, but when you look at it closely, you will notice little balls from the oil suspended within the liquid. Left to sit down, the dressing will again separate into its different properties.

Lotions and creams are made from the combination of water and oils. With no addition of emulsifying wax, everybody would separate back to water and oils.

Adding emulsifying wax for your recipe will keep the oil and water from separating by creating an emulsion between the oil and water. An emulsion is really a system that includes a liquid dispersed in an immiscible liquid. Immiscible means not compatible: unable to mix together to make a solution. Oil and water are a good example of two immiscible liquids. Emulsifying wax will also thicken your creation. If it were not as part of your recipe, you'd end up getting a combination that resembles the consistency of salad dressing! Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix, so how does the wax make this happen seemingly impossible task?

Emulsifiers actually focus on a molecular level, by attracting both water and oil to different sites simultaneously. Water is really a polar material. Things that like water are also called polar materials. Polar materials will also be called hydrophilic. Hydrophilic materials are water-loving materials. Non-polar materials like olive oil are hydrophobic. Hydrophobic means water hating. An emulsifier has a hydrophilic portion and a hydrophobic portion. This essentially implies that it can effective bind both water and oils. This means that some structures from the emulsifier attract oil, while some take in water like a sponge. Each part traps the liquid keeping it from breaking liberated to separate. As an added bonus, since the oil remains mixed with the water, the wax helps the oil penetrate the skin, thereby replacing lost moisture.

No, you don’t have to be a chemist to savor making your own lotions and creams! However, you now know why emulsifying waxes are extremely vital that you your end product and how they work. Not just may be the information useful in making soaps and lotions, but also your friends will be impressed with how smart you're!

Choosing an emulsifier can be rather confusing, but learning a bit about those that are available can help you come to a decision. The most common emulsifiers utilized by hobbyists include: Emulsifying Wax NF, Cetearyl Alcohol/Ceteareth 20, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 20, Ceteareth 20. Let's see exactly what the differences are:

Emulsifying Wax NF: Make use of this waxy material to emulsify your water and oils together. Usage varies based on the mixture of thickeners but normal usage rates are between 3 and 6% of the total weight of the recipe. This really is one of the easiest emulsifiers to use and it is utilized by most home crafters of creams.

Cetearyl Alcohol/Ceteareth 20 - Used as an emulsifying wax in lotions, this is a waxy pastille that is used in concentrations of 2 and 6% of the lotion recipe and can supply in combination with emulsifying wax. The product creates a thicker, waxier end product, and it is excellent for foot and elbow creams which traditionally require a thicker, waxier cream.

Cetearyl Alcohol - Fatty alcohol based on skin oils and fats (cetyl and stearyl alcohol) that can be used to thicken and stabilize formulations. Cetearyl Alcohol imparts an emollient feel towards the skin. Recommended usage level: 1-25%.

Glyceryl Stearate - Emulsifier and emulsion stabilizer. Typically combined with another emulsifier, for example polysorbate 20 or ceteareth 20. Typical Usage Rate: .1-3%

Polysorbate 20 - Excellent oil in water emulsifier/solubilizer. To be used in body mist, room spray, skin cleansers. Recommended me is 1/1 or 1/2 ratio of fragrance oil or essential oil to polysorbate 20.

Ceteareth 20 - Utilized in oil-in-water emulsions. Provides exceptionally stable emulsions when used in in conjunction with another emulsifier such as glyceryl stearate.

The waxes listed here do not reflect an entire listing of the emulsifiers that are available, but they are some of the more popular ones utilized by the soapy lotion enthusiast. There are many recipes to make lotions and soaps, which will probably indicate the type of emulsifier used and just how much ought to be put into reach the desired effect. Learning more about emulsifiers are used will help to take the mystery from why and how they are used. You may even want to experiment with your own concoction to produce a product that is uniquely yours!