Formulate a Maracuja Conditioner Bar for Healthy Hair Days

This is where I purchased my key ingredients:

Emulsense HC — INCI: Brassicyl Isoleucinate Esylate (and) Brassica Alcohol

Dicaprylyl carbonate — INCI: Dicaprylyl carbonate

Xyliance — INCI: Cetearyl wheat straw glycosides and cetearyl alcohol

Check your usual suppliers for the remaining ingredients. Passionfruit seed oil, glycerine, panthenol, arginine, and tocopherol are all widely available. Emulsense HC is a more specialist ingredient, so you may need to look beyond your regular supplier for it.

Method

1. Blend Phase A ingredients and heat till liquid (around 75°C).

2. When molten, remove from heat and add Phase B. Stir well.

3. Add Phase C and stir well.

4. While still runny, fill up the mould of your choice and leave the bar to set.

5. Once the bar has fully set, check the pH. Prepare a 10% dilution by dissolving 1g of bar flakes in 9g of distilled water, then test with pH strips or a meter. I tend to use the remainder in the beaker, so I don't need to destroy my bar. You're aiming for pH 3.8 to 4.5. My bar came out at 4.32, so no adjustment was needed. If yours falls outside that range, increase or decrease the arginine on your next batch. The first batch is always a test run with this emulsifier.

Most conditioner bar recipes online use BTMS and stop there, which is fine, but it means a lot of formulators only know how to build a conditioner around one ingredient. This project puts you through a different set of decisions:

pH management at a lower range: The target here is 3.8 to 4.5, which is lower than most hair products. You won't know whether your formula hits that range until you test the finished bar. If it doesn't, you adjust the arginine and make another batch. That cycle of test, adjust, retest is one of the most useful habits you can build as a formulator.

Choosing emollients for hair rather than skin: The oils and emollients in a conditioner bar need to condition without weighing hair down or leaving it feeling coated. Learning to think about emollient weight and finish specifically for hair products is a different exercise from formulating a body butter or a lotion.

Scenting around a strong base ingredient: Some raw materials have their own distinctive smell, and the essential oil blend needs to work with that rather than pretend it isn't there. That's a practical consideration that comes up more often than you'd expect, and it's worth practising with a simple blend like this one.

Using an alternative cationic emulsifier: If you've only ever used BTMS, working with a different cationic system gives you a better understanding of how conditioning actually works at the ingredient level. It also means you have options when BTMS isn't available or isn't right for what you're trying to achieve.

If you want to change the feel of this bar, the emollient pairing is the place to start:

Maracuja oil → argan oil, camellia oil, or broccoli seed oil: Argan is richer and suits thicker, coarser hair. Camellia is lightweight and absorbs beautifully, making it a good option for fine hair. Broccoli seed oil gives a natural silicone-like slip on the hair, which works well for frizz-prone types. Keep the percentage the same.

Dicaprylyl carbonate → C12-15 alkyl benzoate or isopropyl myristate: Both are dry-feel emollients that work well in hair products. Isopropyl myristate is slightly heavier, so it suits drier hair types. Keep the balance with the primary oil in mind, because the dry-feel emollient is what stops the bar from feeling greasy.

Essential oil blend: The scent is a matter of personal preference, but the base material has a strong scent of its own, so you'll need oils that can hold their own alongside it. Citrus top notes tend to cut through well, but being top notes, they "evaporate" fast. If you want help building an alternative blend or checking safe usage levels for rinse-off products, Fiona, our AI Lab Assistant, can walk you through it.

Once you understand how the emollient balance and pH requirements work together in this formula, you can start adapting it for different hair types and conditioning needs. That flexibility is what comes from working through it properly the first time.

Safety Note

This formula is designed for personal use as a rinse-off hair conditioner. It is not a leave-in product and should be rinsed thoroughly after use.

If you're using essential oils, check the IFRA guidelines for maximum safe usage levels in rinse-off products. Pink grapefruit oil is phototoxic in leave-on products but is generally considered safe in rinse-off formulations at these levels. Always verify with your supplier's documentation.

Always perform a patch test before using a new formulation. Apply a small amount to the inside of your wrist or behind your ear, leave for 24 hours, and check for any irritation.

When sourcing your ingredients, make sure you're purchasing from reputable suppliers who provide Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and Safety Data Sheets (SDS). For essential oils, request the IFRA certificate.

This blog post is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace cosmetic safety assessments required for commercial sales. If you plan to sell products, a formal safety assessment by a qualified assessor is a legal requirement in the UK and EU.