Wax softeners

Wax softener ear drops (cerumenolytics) are aqueous- or oil-based products which either directly soften, loosen and partially dissolve excess earwax, or indirectly through mechanisms such as aiding water penetration into the wax, or mechanically dispersing the wax. Generally, cerumenolytic preparations take several days to produce a noticeable effect, and are unlikely to completely dissolve and remove severely compacted wax plugs as a monotherapy. However, if ear syringing is required, drop use would facilitate this process. 

A concentrated cationic substantive amide wax softener containing over 95% active solids. This product may also be used in the preparation of stock softener products at 25% active levels. This material is essentially recommended for Cotton and synthetics/Cotton blends of fabrics. 

A substituted fatty anide condensate wax concentrate, designed for use in the preparation of stock softener solution or suitable softener products at 20%-27% solids. This material requires the use of acetic acid in order to produce a cationic softener system. This wax softener is recommended for cotton synthetics, and blends of these fibers. 

Ear drops These are simple solutions of drugs in water, glycerol, and propylene glycol for local use in the ear and include antibiotics, antiseptics, cleaning solutions, and wax softeners (xylene). 

Staybdite . [Hercules] Rosin derivs. or esters thermoplastic resin to adhesives tacklfier, plasticizer, processus aid to rubbers, laminations, barrier coatings, chlorinated rubber finishes modifier for film-formers, elastomers, waxes softener/plasticizer for chewing gum. 

Polyethylene is a wax-like thermoplastic softening at about 80-130°C with a density less than that of water. It is tough but has moderate tensile strength, is an excellent electrical insulator and has very good chemical resistance. In the mass it is translucent or opaque but thin films may be transparent. 

Soon after World War II the hard thermoplastic floor tile was developed. These tiles use coumarone resins as a binder for the other ingredients, which may contain fibrous fillers such as asbestos, inert fillers such as china clay and softeners such as paraffin wax. 

To facilitate moulding a softener is incorporated. These may include soft industrial pitches or heavy tars, coumarone-indene resins or waxes. 

When the material is allowed to cool it solidifies again. This cycle of softening by heat and solidifying on cooling can be repeated more or less indefinitely and is a major advantage in that it is the basis of most processing methods for these materials. It does have its drawbacks, however, because it means that the properties of thermoplastics are heat sensitive. A useful analogy which is often used to describe these materials is that, like candle wax, they can be repeatedly softened by heat and will solidify when cooled. 

Carbamide peroxide—aids in removing earwax by softening and breaking up the wax... 

The oils and waxes described as lubricants in section 10.10.1, as well as talc, can be used as softeners but have now been superseded by more effective products. These may be non-reactive or reactive and may be cationic, anionic, nonionic or amphoteric. Although many compounds have been patented, by far the most important are cationic quaternary ammonium compounds and various silicones. Until quite recently the field was led by the cationic types but there is now evidence that aminofunctional polysiloxanes have become the most important product group [482]. 

Many other products can be used as softeners but are less important commercially because of greater cost and/or inferior properties. Examples are anionic surfactants such as long-chain (C16-C22) alkyl sulphates, sulphonates, sulphosuccinates and soaps. These have rather low substantivity and are easily washed out. Nonionic types of limited substantivity and durability, usually applied by padding, include polyethoxylated derivatives of long-chain alcohols, acids, glycerides, oils and waxes. They are useful where ionic surfactants would pose compatibility problems and they exhibit useful antistatic properties, but they are more frequently used as lubricants in combination with other softeners, particularly the cationics. 

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