Synergistic effects of high molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO) and cationic cellulosic polymers on conditioning properties of hair care products [corrected].

A hair cleansing composition containing both high molecular weight PEO and cationic hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) was found to provide superior conditioning performance. Hair treated with a formulation containing both cationic HEC and high molecular weight PEO showed 30% better wet combing reduction than the formulation containing cationic HEC only. In conjunction with PEO, cationic HEC-dependent deposition of silicone oil and octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) onto hair was enhanced 27% and 25%, respectively. When examined with a polarized microscope, the appearance of the polymer-surfactant complex (coacervate) of the diluted formation differed in the presence of PEO. In particular, the particle size of the coacervate in the formulation containing both PEO and cationic HEC was smaller. This result indicates PEO reduces the size of the deposition precipitate by preventing the coacervate from agglomerating. Surface analysis also showed that the presence of PEO in formulations containing cationic HEC deposited insoluble actives more evenly on the hair surface.