Hair conditioning composition and low energy method of producing the same

A hair conditioner produced by diluting with water by 10 times a conditioning composition that comprises:

• (a) 20 to 50% by mass of one or more components selected from higher alcohols having 16 carbon atoms or more, higher fatty acids having 16 carbon atoms or more, and/or derivatives thereof represented by following formulas (I) and (II):
• R1—O—(—(CH2)y—O—)x-H (I)
• wherein R1 is a straight chain or branched fatty acid residue having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, and each of x and y is an integer of 1 to 3,
• R2—COO—CH2—CH(OH)—CH2-Q (II)
• wherein R2 is a straight chain or branched fatty acid residue having 9 to 23 carbon atoms, and Q is H or OH;
• (b) 5 to 35% by mass of a cationic surfactant;
• and
• (c) one or more selected from propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, isopentyldiol, glycerin, and/or polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 5,000 or less,
• wherein (a) and (b) form an α gel in the composition, wherein endothermic peak of the a gel is 70° C. or less as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC),
• wherein water content is 10% by mass or less, wherein molar ratio of (a) to (b) is 2.5 or more to less than 6.0, and wherein the hair conditioning composition is a solid or paste form when a melted mixture of the-components (a), (b), and (c) is cooled to 20 to 40° C.;
• and the hair conditioner is in a gel state.

A hair conditioner produced by diluting with water by 10 times a conditioning composition that comprises:

• (a) 20 to 50% by mass of one or more components selected from higher alcohols having 16 carbon atoms or more, higher fatty acids having 16 carbon atoms or more, and/or derivatives thereof represented by following formulas (I) and (II):
• R1—O—(—(CH2)y—O—)x-H (I)
• wherein R1 is a straight chain or branched fatty acid residue having 10 to 24 carbon atoms, and each of x and y is an integer of 1 to 3,
• R2—COO—CH2—CH(OH)—CH2-Q (II)
• wherein R2 is a straight chain or branched fatty acid residue having 9 to 23 carbon atoms, and Q is H or OH;
• (b) 5 to 35% by mass of a cationic surfactant;
• and
• (c) one or more selected from propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, isopentyldiol, glycerin, and/or polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 5,000 or less,
• wherein (a) and (b) form an α gel in the composition, wherein endothermic peak of the a gel is 70° C. or less as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC),
• wherein water content is 10% by mass or less, wherein molar ratio of (a) to (b) is 2.5 or more to less than 6.0, and wherein the hair conditioning composition is a solid or paste form when a melted mixture of the-components (a), (b), and (c) is cooled to 20 to 40° C.;
• and the hair conditioner is in an α gel state.