Formulation Library

These are the notes we hand over the counter, written up properly. Real quantities, materials you can actually buy in Nairobi, and the mistakes that cost people a batch.

Nothing here is secret. The formulation is the easy part of this business, consistency, costing and packaging are what separate a hobby from a product. Every guide links to the exact materials used so you can price the batch before you mix it.

Before you mix anything

Water matters more than people expect

Most of Nairobi and much of the Rift is on hard water. Calcium and magnesium in the water react with your surfactant, which is why a recipe copied from a foreign video foams beautifully there and disappointingly here. A sequestrant such as EDTA or STPP, or simply softening the water first, fixes it. If you are on borehole water, assume it is hard until tested.

Salt is a thickener, up to a point

Sodium chloride thickens SLES-based systems, but the curve turns over: past the peak, adding more salt thins the product again and you cannot undo it. Add it as a brine solution, slowly, and stop as soon as the viscosity is right.

Preservative is not optional

Anything water-based, sitting in a warm store in a jerry can, will grow something. A broad-spectrum preservative added at the right stage costs very little and prevents a product that separates, smells or goes cloudy on a customer’s shelf.

Cost the batch, including the packaging

Small manufacturers routinely price the chemicals and forget the jerry can, the cap, the label and the transport, which together are often a third of the cost of a 5 litre pack. Our packaging page lists those prices so the sum is honest.

Want the whole set as a PDF?

Message us and we will send the current formulation pack, including the batch costing sheets, at no charge.