Hair styling gels and 'liquid gels' - effect of formulation / composition on viscosity and performance [Disclaimer: I am aware that this is a very 'first-world problem', 'light-hearted' kind of question, given the health crisis we are still going through. Just to avoid offending anyone, here's an easy solution: no need to continue to read if you disapprove :) ]
I have 3 brands of 'liquid gel', each with rather different characteristics.
Here are their compositions:
Brand 'A': Alcohol Denat., Aqua, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Panthenol, Parfum, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Isoamyl p-Methoxycinnamate, Benzoic Acid, Linalool, Aminomethyl Propanol, Citric Acid.
Brand 'B': Alcohol Denat., Aqua/Water, Acrylates/t-Butylacrylamide Copolymer, Niacinamide, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxyaldehyde, PEG/PPG-4/12 Dimethicone, Aminomethyl Propanol, Limonene, Panthenol, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum, Fragrance.
Brand 'C': Aqua, Alcohol Denat., VP/VA Copolymer, Polysorbate 20, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Panthenol, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydrogen Peroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Piroctone Olamine, Citric Acid.
My favourite brand is 'C'.
The shops where I used to buy it are no longer stocking it, they replaced it with the same stuff (same commercial name and 'strength'), but in 'gel' form, which I really don't like.
The composition of the gel is similar to the one of the liquid gel, up to a point:
Brand 'C-gel': Aqua, Alcohol Denat., VP/VA Copolymer, PVP, Propylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, (PEG-12 Dimethicone - removed), Panthenol, Parfum, Linalool, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydrogen Peroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Piroctone Olamine, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid.
Question 1: does anybody know what specific components, if any, are responsible for 'C' being liquid and 'C-gel' being indeed a rather thick gel ?
Question 2: could one turn the gel into a liquid that can be sprayed, and if so, how ?
This is no academic question: I would actually like to do that. I tried diluting the gel with water, but those formulation chemists did a very good job: it stayed quite gel-like and viscous, until I really diluted it a lot, like 1:3 or more, and even then it was still a viscous liquid that the spray bottle could not spray well at all.
Could a change of pH perhaps loosen it ? By which I mean a small change; not planning to turn this into battery acid or lye :)
Question 3
When using the liquid gels (applied on wet hair and dried either naturally or with a hairdryer), I noticed very different performances.
'A' results in a very unpleasant, 'doll-like' feel and look, and a lot of static electricity, when you comb your hair. And it doesn't smell nice.
'B' is marginally better, it sort of works in terms of disentangling your hair, but it tends to get a bit sticky, and they put something in it that smells absolutely repulsive (at least to me). I hope it's not the 'fragrance'.
'C', as I mentioned, is my favourite (despite being the cheapest): it smells good, it makes your hair very smooth and easy to comb, it does not stick, and even when dry your hair stays soft and tidy (unlike with B and especially A).
So: can you identify any components, or any formulation features, in A, B and C, that cause the performance I am describing ?
E.g. what might be responsible for 'A' turning your hair into individual doll-like plastic-y, electrostatic strands?
Or, do you know if any of the components of 'B' has a particularly offensive smell ?
Or, is there any specific component in 'C' that 'lubricates' hair and prevents it from sticking?
Thanks!
Question 1: Carbomer
Question 2: Not sure about the question, but anyway. Sure you can create a spray (theoretically), but the process is really hard (please, do not make it at your house) because you need a propellant. By the way, such a high concentration of Parfum.
Question 3:
Part1:
According to your observations, in my own opinion, the concentration of these components maybe are too high: Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Niacinamide, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde.
Part2:
Maybe because of the oxidation of hexyl cinnamaldehyde to Cinnamic acid you can feel a very unpleasant smell. But it is hard to tell because everything you describe is not in a detail (for example, the scent, what reminds and etc..)
Part3:
VP/VA Copolymer, PVP makes your hair shiny and not sticky.
Panthenol makes your hair not dry.
JUST A REMAINDER:
It does not mean, that those components which I have mentioned are very good or very toxic. It all depends on concentration and experimental data. We use poisons' as drugs, but lethal and effective concentrations differ.
I answered what could possibly be in my own subjective, but a trained opinion based on your poor objective/experimental data. Try to say more about what you smell, what you feel, and there many databases of components like (found some reliable databases for you):
Official Cosmetics ingredients review database: https://www.cir-safety.org/ingredients
Cosmetics and their function (easy to use database): https://www.cir-safety.org/ingredients https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
Chemical compounds database: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/