"Runners' companion": Foot Deo and cooling gel and spray

Even the least sporty of us become more active in summer: running, climbing, biking,hiking, skating etc. shake the winter tiredness out of our bodies (and minds) and challenge our feet and legs.

A couple of weeks ago we shared this tutorial for a whipped avocado and hemp oil butter which was made by a runner for runners and this week I'm going to share two products that cool and pamper your tired feet, cool them and deodorize them.

Even if you are not a sporty person, you may need some foor deodorant every now and then or just want to cool and refresh your feet after a long and exhausting day on your feet (a long day on an trade exhibition, workshop or a craft market for instance).

I've prepared a gel and a spray with the same principle but slightly different formulations (logic), you can make and use either of them or make a twin product and use/sell both of them. I personally prefer the spray for day time and the gel for an intensive pampering before going to bed.

About th eingredients:

The main active ingredient in both products is Dermosoft decalact deo with the INCI name: Sodium caproyl/lauroyl lactylate, triethyl citrate, salvia officinalis oil

We've been working with this ingredient for about one year and, hold your breath, we're going to share some amazing natural underarm deodorant formulations with you during the coming weeks but for now, let's make these foot deodorants.

Dermosoft decalact deo is a lipophilic ingredient and when you apply it in an aqueous formulation without any oil phase (a gel or a water based spray for example) you'll need a solubilizer to incorporate it in the formulation. I've used Symbiosolv XC in these formulations. You can use any other "natural" and PEG-free solubilizer instead of Symbiosolv clear and Symbiosolv XC. Just keep in mind that all solubilizers are surfactants and foam more or less. The optimim ratio between the solubilizer and your lipophilic ingredients (essential oil, dermosoft decalact deo and preservative) should be determined by trial & horror .

You don't want to overdose your solubilizer both because of increasing price and because of excessive foam that you want to avoid.

I didn't use any menthol in this product. Menthol which is derived from mint is a fabulous cooling ingredient used in toothpaste, mouthwash and even in foot/body cooling products. If you decide to use menthol keep in mind that:

1- you need to dissolve the menthol in alcohol

2- Keep the menthol concentration between 0,2-0,3%

I've used alcohol-free witch hazel hydrosol (good news for all of you. We've finally sourced organic, ecocert certified and preserved hydrosols and are going to add them to our shop during the coming weeks) and peppermint extract. Witch hazel is an astringent, soothing and anti-inflammatory properties and mint extract for its cooling astringent, refreshing and disinfecting properties. This was boosted with peppermint essential oil with its cooling, refreshing, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial properties.

Now let's go to formulations:

1- Cooling foot spray

Procedure:

1- Blend phase A in a beaker (a magnetic stirrer would be a great help)

2- Blend phase B in a smaller beaker (you can use a magnetic stirrer or blend this phase with a spatula or glass rod)

3- When both phases are uniform, slowly add phase B to A

4- Prepare a 10% dilution and measure the pH. The product shall have a pH of min. 5 as you add the preservative. If the pH is lower, increase it by adding a Sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or L-Arginine solution (to the original solution and not to the 10% dilution)

5- Add the preservative. It slightly increases the pH.

6- Make another 10% dilution and measure the pH. In our case it was 5,26 which is perfectly in range. You need the pH to be between 5,0-5,5 for this product and preservative. Increase or decrease the pH to this range by adding an acid (lactic or citric acid to decrease the pH) or a base (Sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or L-Arginine to increase the pH). If you are using another preservative system adjust the pH according to your preservative system.

7- Take your stability samples as well as your micro kit samples and fill the rest in a spray bottle.

Disclaimer: The required dosage for Versatil BL is between 1,5-2,5%. Since my hdrosol and extracts are already preserved, I reduced the preservative dosage. You may need to adjust the preservative concentration depending on other ingredients you are using. We always recommend to find the optimum and required preservative dosage by running several mini-challenge tests and a final challenge test in case you're going to sell a product (which should be performed by a professional lab).

2- Cooling foot gel

Procedure:

1- Blend phase A in a beaker (a magnetic stirrer would be a great help)

2- Blend glycerine and the gum in a small beaker

3- Disperse the gum phase in phase A

4- Blend phase C in a smaller beaker (you can use a magnetic stirrer or blend this phase with a spatula or glass rod)

5- Add phase C to phase [A+B]. The gum should be completely dispersed as you add phase C. You need to do it slowly and gently to avoid excessive foam which would be created if you agitate the blend after adding the solubilizer phase

6- Prepare a 10% dilution and measure the pH. The product shall have a pH of min. 5 as you add the preservative. If the pH is lower, increase it by adding a Sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or L-Arginine solution (to the original solution and not to the 10% dilution)

7- Add the preservative. It slightly increases the pH.

8- Make another 10% dilution and measure the pH. In our case it was 5,96. We've used 80% lactic acid to reduce the pH to 5,3-5,5. You need the pH to be between 5,0-5,5 for this product and this preservative. Increase or decrease the pH to this range by adding an acid (lactic or citric acid to decrease the pH) or a base (Sodium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate or L-Arginine to increase the pH). If you are using another preservative system adjust the pH according to your preservative system.

9- Take your stability samples as well as your micro kit samples and fill the rest in a suitable bottle.

If you're inspired by this tutorial feel free to send us your photos and comment either per mail or to our Facebook page. If you post any photos on Instagram, don't forget to tag @SkinChakra.

BeHappy and have fun