Murray's Beeswax (Pomade) Ingredients:
Petrolatum, Select Australian Beeswax, Fragrance
DreadheadHQ Dread Wax Ingredients:
Beeswax, Microcrystaline wax, Mineral/White Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Vitamin E.
Knotty Boy Dread Wax Ingredients:
Beeswax, Certified Organic Hemp Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, Jojoba Oil, African Shea Butter, Vitamin E
Above are the ingredients listings for three of the most common dread wax products in use (if you know of another please let us know). Note that in the above lists the ingredients appear in the order of quantity, with the highest quantity ingredients appearing first. In all of the above ingredient listings beeswax appears first, meaning all of the above products contain mostly beeswax.
Beeswax is commonly referred to as an emulsifier, but it technically is not, it is only an "emulsifier" in the sense that it can bind oil with butter or another wax (all hydrophobic substances). But beeswax on its own does not have the chemical composition to take a hydrophobic substance, such as oil, and make it hydrophilic (water loving). Beeswax "adds hardness and works with borax to emulsify ingredients." If a water/oil emulsion is created without the use of a chelating agent (ie borax), it is likely done through continual agitation of the water/oil combo, which redistributes the water molecules - but only temporarily. Without repeated agitation this emulsion will not remain stable. Parafin, soy, candelilla wax - all of these are simply wax compounds very similar to beeswax that lend thickness to a cream, but cannot bind water molecules on their own.*
Therefore when you see a dread wax or other product that contains beeswax but no emulsifier, you should avoid it. After the beeswax binds with the oils, you will want a beeswax/oil ratio of at least less than 1:4 beeswax to oil, so that the beeswax can be washed out of your locks within a few washings.
It's easy to make your own beeswax if you cannot find a product that meets this criteria, however.
Here's a recipe we tested creating and were happy with the results. After preparing a small batch, we tested the wax by applying some to a towel and attempting to wash it out with our normal Dr. Bronner's and Tea Tree Oil solution that we recommended for keeping your locks clean.
(Type the results of this testing here...)
DREAD WAX RECIPE
Emulsifier:
1 tablespoon organic, unbleached beeswax (should be dark brown in color and smell faintly like honey)
1/16th of a tablespoon (3 dashes) of borax
Base/Carrier Oils:
(choose hemp seed oil, shea butter and any two others; we've listed them in our order of preference)
1 tablespoon organic hemp seed oil
1 tablespoon raw, organic shea butter (should be yellow in color not white)
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil
1 tablespoon organic aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon organic jojoba oil
1 tablespoon organic mango butter
1 tablespoon organic sweet almond oil
Essential Oils:
(choose tea tree oil and any two others; we've listed them in our order of preference)
15 drops tea tree oil (good for treating dandruff, lice and fungus)
5 drops peppermint oil (good for treating dry or oily hair/scalp by pH-balancing)
5 drops clary sage oil (good for treating dandruff and soaking up excess oils from the hair/scalp)
5 drops lavendar oil (good for treating dandruff or dry hair)
5 drops spearmint
5 drops patchouli (good for treating dandruff)
5 drops cedarwood oil (good for treating dandruff)
5 drops rosemary oil
5 drops witch hazel oil
5 drops gratefruit seed oil
5 drops ylang-ylang oil (good for treating dry hair)
5 drops sandalwood oil (good for treating dry hair)
5 drops rose oil (good for treating dry hair)
* This paragraph quoted from the user Earthchild's post at the following URL: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... b9ce818b33