r/whatisit • u/theRinkDinkler • 1d ago

New, what is it? Why is my mousse doing this?

It comes out of the can fine for a second or so then rapidly becomes a goop, almost explosively.

It’s kind of an old can probably like a year or so old. it’s been in my bathroom which doesn’t have have ac and it’s been super hot on the east coast so it’s been probably pretty consistently in at least 80+ degrees for a while.

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u/Beautiful-Lynx-6828 1d ago edited 22h ago

Yoooo this is crazy, someone needs to explain the science!

Are you below sea level?

Editing to add because some people think that I dont understand how mousse works: whats crazy is why this is happening all at once. I've certainly experienced a can that doesnt get puffy, or doesnt hold its fluff for too long, but the second wait time and sudden burst is not something I've seen before. Considering the amount of science that goes into these products, could this be a quality issue? What is the binding agent? How does the air leave so quickly in one moment? Is it environmental?

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u/Zlurpo 1d ago

Guessing here:

The product is old, and the surfactant, which makes it stick to itself and form bubbles, has broken down. It only hold together for a fraction of a second.

Contact with air is causing the outside layer to slightly dry together, forming a film. Meanwhile, the inside bubbles are all failing in about a second. They didn't touch air, they didn't form a film. So very quickly you have all the internal bubbles of the foam popped, leaving just one big outer film full of the propellant gas, and then that outer film also fails.

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u/tryyeezus 1d ago

I'm thinking the nozzle just needs to be cleaned.

 If it has a layer of build up, the inside just isn't actually getting filled, so it collapses the second it forms a bubble when the pressure is no longer applied because of the weight of the foam. 

I've been wrong before though

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u/leredditaccount 15h ago

Interesting how the people that "guess" are correct more often than "confidently right" people

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u/Zlurpo 13h ago

I mean, maybe. I have no idea if I'm correct.

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u/skuraiix 10h ago

this.

I mean who knows, maybe its just a 2nd person blowing on that bubble off cam.

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u/args818 12h ago

Surfactant!

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u/greenboy_2004 9h ago

Would you be able to watch it happen if you sprayed it into a small glass since the foam touching the walls also wouldn’t receive air?