Manufacturing protocol / Bonner Biotech LLC

SHM-01 Manufacturing Instructions

Sensitive Scalp Shampoo and Conditioning Gel. One batch = 2,000 g = 8 × 8 oz (250 g) bottles.

Formulation ref SHM-01 Issued September 2026 Batch size 2,000 g Yield 8 × 8 oz bottles
01

Read before every batch

Five things that will ruin a batch.
  1. Shampoo pH must finish between 5.4 and 5.6. Below 5.2 the sodium cocoyl sarcosinate comes out of solution and the batch separates in the bottle over weeks. It will look fine on the day.
  2. Hydroxyethylcellulose is slurried into glycerin before it touches water. Added dry it forms lumps that never disperse.
  3. Hydroxyethylcellulose goes into plain water before anything else. It will not hydrate once surfactants are in.
  4. Panthenol and niacinamide go in below 35 °C. Never let the batch exceed 70 °C after they are added, and never reheat.
  5. Cannabinoid premix goes in below 38 °C.
The preservative is named by its INCI throughout — gluconolactone (and) sodium benzoate. Geogard Ultra and NeoDefend are the same material from different sellers and are interchangeable at the same weight. Record for every batch: batch number, date, raw material lot numbers, hold temperature at each phase, initial pH, citric acid used, final pH, final batch weight, operator initials, and every quality check result. Retain 2 years.
02

Equipment and PPE

Equipment — verify all before batch start
ItemSpecificationNotes
Beaker, primary vessel2,000 mL borosilicateBorosilicate only. Soda-lime can crack under sustained heat.
Hotplate / stirrerControlled, ±2 °CDigital or a controlled water bath. Analogue dials do not hold temperature.
Overhead stirrerVariable speed, low-shear paddleNeeded for the 30–45 minute thickener hydration. A magnetic bar will not move a thickening batch.
Probe thermometerCalibratedImmerse in liquid, not against the wall. Do not trust the hotplate readout.
pH meterCalibrated, ±0.01Calibrate with pH 4.0 and 7.0 buffers immediately before use.
Digital scale0.1 g, capacity ≥ 3 kgTare before each addition. No volumetric measures for actives.
Small beaker150–250 mLFor the glycerin and thickener slurry.
8 oz bottlesPET or HDPE, sanitised8 per batch. 70% IPA, air-dried before filling.
PPE — required throughout
ItemNotes
Nitrile glovesChange between ingredient batches. Not latex.
Safety glassesCitric acid, hot surfactants, pH adjustment.
Lab coatLong-sleeved.
Closed-toe shoesHot liquid spill risk.
03

Advance preparation

Prep 1Citric acid, 50% stock solutionRoom temperature
  1. Weigh 100 g citric acid anhydrous into a clean glass jar.
  2. Weigh 100 g deionised water.
  3. Add water to acid, stir until fully dissolved. No heat needed.
  4. Label with the date. Store sealed at room temperature, use within 3 months.

One preparation covers many batches. Usage is roughly 8 g per shampoo batch and 6 g per conditioner batch, but always add to pH rather than to a number.

Prep 2Thickener slurry — do this for both productsRoom temperature
  1. Weigh the glycerin into a small beaker. Shampoo 80 g. Conditioner 60 g.
  2. Weigh the hydroxyethylcellulose. Shampoo 12 g. Conditioner 10 g.
  3. Sprinkle the thickener into the glycerin while stirring until every particle is wetted and the slurry is smooth. It will look like thin wallpaper paste.
  4. Use immediately.

Glycerin is a non-solvent. It wets each particle and keeps them apart until they meet water individually, which is what prevents lumps.

Prep 3Cannabinoid premix — shampoo onlyBelow 40 °C
  1. Weigh 4 g cannabinoid extract.
  2. Weigh 4 g caprylic/capric triglyceride. C8/C10 only — check the CoA, no C12.
  3. Combine in a small vial, warm to hand warmth, stir until dissolved. Do not exceed 40 °C.
  4. Use within 4 hours.

Total 8 g, giving 1 g per finished bottle.

04

Shampoo

Shampoo — batch sheet, 2,000 g
PhaseIngredientGrams%
AAqua, deionised — initial charge1,04052.00
BGlycerin USP804.00
BHydroxyethylcellulose120.60
CSodium phytate60.30
CSodium citrate40.20
CGluconolactone + sodium benzoate301.50
DSodium cocoyl sarcosinate, 30% active30015.00
DPlantapon LGC Sorb20010.00
DCocamidopropyl betaine, 30% active1678.35
ECannabinoid premix80.40
Fd-Panthenol301.50
FNiacinamide301.50
GCitric acid 50% stock, to pH~8~0.40
GAqua, top-up to weight~85~4.25
Total2,000100.00
Phase AWater, sanitation hold70 °C, hold 5 min
  1. Charge 1,040 g deionised water to the beaker. Probe thermometer immersed.
  2. Heat to 70 °C and hold 5 minutes.
  3. Cool to 40 °C, stirring gently.

Nothing else goes in during the hold. The water must be plain when the thickener meets it.

Phase BThickener — the slow step40 °C, 30 to 45 minutes
  1. Confirm 40 °C and still plain water.
  2. Add the whole glycerin and thickener slurry with the overhead stirrer at moderate speed.
  3. Nothing will happen for 4 to 25 minutes. This is normal. Do not add more thickener.
  4. Stir 30 to 45 minutes until smooth and clear to slightly hazy, with no gel particles visible against the beaker wall.
  5. Drop to low speed. Avoid aerating.

Do not move on until it is smooth. If it is lumpy now it will be lumpy in the bottle.

Phase CChelator, buffer, preservative40 °C
  1. Add 6 g sodium phytate. Stir until dissolved.
  2. Add 4 g sodium citrate. Stir until dissolved.
  3. Add 30 g gluconolactone + sodium benzoate. Stir 2–3 minutes until fully dissolved.

The sodium citrate holds the pH steady on the shelf. Without it the batch drifts acid over months and moves into the range where the surfactant separates.

Phase DSurfactants38 to 45 °C
  1. Confirm the batch is not above 45 °C.
  2. Stirrer on low. Agitation makes foam that is slow to collapse.
  3. Pour 300 g sodium cocoyl sarcosinate slowly down the inside wall. Stir gently 2 minutes.
  4. Add 200 g Plantapon LGC Sorb the same way. Stir 2 minutes.
  5. Add 167 g cocamidopropyl betaine slowly. Stir 2–3 minutes until uniform with no streaks.
  6. If foam builds, stop stirring and rest 5–10 minutes. Do not increase speed to fight it.

Total active surfactant is about 10%, deliberately mild for a sensitive scalp. Moderate foam is designed in.

Phase ECannabinoid premixAt or below 38 °C
  1. Confirm 38 °C or below.
  2. Add the 8 g premix. Stir gently 3–4 minutes until evenly distributed.
  3. Check visually. No undissolved material should remain.
Phase FActivesAt or below 35 °C
  1. Confirm 35 °C or below.
  2. Add 30 g d-panthenol. Stir until incorporated. It is freely water-soluble and needs no heat.
  3. Add 30 g niacinamide. Stir 2–3 minutes until dissolved.
  4. Do not reheat the batch after this point for any reason.

Both are heat-sensitive, and they interact: overheated panthenol produces a breakdown product that then attacks the niacinamide. Keeping the batch cold protects both.

Phase GpH and top-up30 to 35 °C
  1. Confirm 30–35 °C. Adjusting at a consistent temperature gives reproducible batches.
  2. Calibrate the meter with pH 4.0 and 7.0 buffers. Rinse the electrode between readings.
  3. Take an initial reading and record it. Expect around pH 6.
  4. Add citric acid stock in 0.5 g steps, stirring and waiting 30 seconds before each reading.
  5. Target 5.4 to 5.6. Stop the moment you are inside it. Expect about 8 g.
  6. If you go below 5.2, stop. Record it and hold the batch. Do not try to correct upward.
  7. Tare the beaker on the scale and add deionised water to reach 2,000 g.
  8. Stir 2 minutes. Take a final reading and confirm 5.4–5.6.
FillBottle fill25 to 30 °C
  1. Cool to 25–30 °C. Filling hot deforms bottles and causes condensation under the cap.
  2. Let any residual foam collapse fully.
  3. Tare with an empty bottle. Fill each to 250 g.
  4. Cap immediately.
  5. Label: product name, formulation ref, batch number, date, net weight.

Viscosity continues to build slightly as the batch reaches room temperature.

05

Conditioning gel

This is a conditioning gel, not a cream. A conventional conditioner gets its thickness and its slip from a fatty alcohol crystallising with a cationic surfactant. Fatty alcohols are excluded from this formulation, so the product is a light translucent gel. That is correct and expected — describe it that way on the label. Polyquaternium-10 is the only conditioning agent, at 0.8 %; it is a cationic cellulose with no fatty chain anywhere in the molecule, which is what makes it the right choice for a scalp product. Three phases, no melting step, no activation step — this is the simpler of the two products to make.
Conditioning gel — batch sheet, 2,000 g
PhaseIngredientGrams%
AAqua, deionised — initial charge1,70085.00
BGlycerin USP603.00
BHydroxyethylcellulose100.50
BPolyquaternium-10160.80
Cd-Panthenol201.00
CGluconolactone + sodium benzoate201.00
CCitric acid 50% stock, to pH~4~0.20
CAqua, top-up to weight~170~8.50
Total2,000100.00
Phase AWater, sanitation hold70 °C, hold 5 min
  1. Charge 1,700 g deionised water. Heat to 70 °C, hold 5 minutes.
  2. Cool to 40 °C.
Phase BPolymers40 °C, 30 to 45 minutes
  1. Add the glycerin and thickener slurry to the plain water. Stir at moderate speed 30 to 45 minutes until fully hydrated and smooth.
  2. Sift 16 g Polyquaternium-10 slowly onto a steady vortex over 3–4 minutes. Never in clumps.
  3. Stir a further 5 to 8 minutes until clear with no visible particles. Rub a drop between finger and thumb — any grit means it is not finished.

Sift it onto a moving vortex, never drop it in as a mass. A mass hydrates on the outside and traps dry powder inside, and that core will never dissolve.

Phase CActives, preservative, pH and top-up30 to 35 °C
  1. Cool to 30–35 °C.
  2. Add 20 g d-panthenol. Stir until incorporated.
  3. Add 20 g gluconolactone + sodium benzoate. Stir 2–3 minutes until dissolved.
  4. Calibrate the meter, take a reading, and add citric acid stock in 0.5 g steps to reach pH 4.0 to 4.5.
  5. Tare on the scale and top up with deionised water to 2,000 g.
  6. Stir 2 minutes. Confirm final pH 4.0–4.5.

The lower pH target here is deliberate. There is no sarcosinate in this product, the preservative is most effective at or below 4.5, and cationic deposition onto hair improves as pH falls.

FillBottle fill25 to 30 °C
  1. Cool to 25–30 °C.
  2. Fill each sanitised bottle to 250 g on a tared scale.
  3. Cap securely. Label as for the shampoo.
06

Quality checks

On every batch, immediately after filling and again after 24 hours at room temperature.

Release checks
CheckShampooConditioning gelMethod
pH5.4 – 5.64.0 – 4.5 Calibrated meter at room temperature, at least 10 minutes after the last acid addition. A shampoo reading below 5.2 is a reject.
AppearanceClear to slight haze, amber-green tintTranslucent, uniform Against a white background in natural light. Any oily or creamy layer at any depth is a reject.
ViscosityPourable with body, not water-thinLight gel, pourable Record a value if a viscometer is available, otherwise a pour test against a retained standard.
OdourFaint coconut and amino acid, subtle hemp noteFaint, near-neutral Rancid, ammonia, fishy or fermented is a reject. A faint amine note in the shampoo suggests the panthenol was overheated.
Fill weight250 g ± 3 g250 g ± 3 gWeigh a capped bottle, subtract the empty bottle weight.
FoamForms within 10 seconds, moderate and creamyn/a 2 g on wet hands, rub vigorously. Weak foam may mean the pH is out of range.
Slipn/aClear slip, no grit Rub 2 g between fingertips. Grit means undissolved polymer — reject.
Batch passes when pH is in range, appearance is uniform with no second phase, odour is normal, fill weight is within tolerance and the functional check passes. Any single out-of-range result holds the batch pending investigation.
Two tests before any commercial sale. Preservative efficacy testing to ISO 11930, and a stability study of at least 3 months at 40 °C with freeze-thaw cycling. Check pH at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months to confirm the buffer is holding, and track viscosity.
07

Temperature summary

Every temperature checkpoint
StageProduct°C°FWhy
A — sanitation holdBoth701585 minutes on plain water, nothing else present.
B — polymer hydrationBoth4010430–45 minutes and it cannot be rushed. The thickener will not hydrate once surfactants are present.
D — surfactantsShampoo38–45100–113Above 45 °C degrades foam structure.
C — conditioning agentConditioner40104Add after the polymers are fully hydrated, then acidify to activate.
E — cannabinoid premixShampoo≤ 38≤ 100Heat-sensitive. Terpenes volatilise above this.
F — panthenol, niacinamideBoth≤ 35≤ 95Never above 70 °C at any point, and no reheating after this phase.
pH adjustmentBoth30–3586–95Consistent temperature gives reproducible readings.
FillBoth25–3077–86Hot filling deforms bottles and causes cap condensation.