Tips and Tricks

 

We'll be adding new tips and tricks regularly, so check in often :D Just a few problem solving thoughts picked up along the way. Want to add a great tip or trick? Email it to me and we'll put your info in too. Alice

 

Lotions, Body Butters and Cremes

 

Creating a Formula of Your Own

 

Before making lotions and body butters decide what properties you want the finished product to have. Then....decide on texture. If you go with just texture and scent, you will create a lotion that probably feels very nice and smells good, but if you want it to "DO" something, experiment with different oils, butters and additives.

 

Prior to doing so, it’s important to research what the different oil and butter properties are. As an example before creating the formula for my Sun Lovers Lotion, I did considerable research on which oils were good for sun damaged skin, aging skin, dehydrated skin, wrinkled skin etc...then I created the formula. Same thing with a moisturizer. Sometimes just the slight addition of a special additive makes all the difference.

You can make a very simple face crème with two ingredients like a butter and an oil. It will probably feel okay, but is it going to impart good things such as cell regeneration, hydration, moisture retention, conditioning, anti‑wrinkle defense, etc. There is a time for "simple" and a time to let the creative juices flow :D It is hard to sell something if it just looks good and feels okay, you have to know what it does. What benefits will it impart with long‑term use.

 

Grainy Butters

 

Often when mango butter has been incorrectly heated or stored (sometimes by the supplier) it forms little fat granules or crystals that make it feel lumpy or grainy. To correct this simply heat it in a double broiler to 170‑185 degrees and maintain for 15 ‑ 30 minutes. If it happens with Shea butter, heat to the same temp. and maintain for about 15 minutes.

 

Sometimes the culprit is melting in the microwave during formulating at a temp that’s too high. A double boiler on the stove really is best, but if you use the microwave at least do it on 50% power for short periods of time.

 

When formulating and melting other harder butters like cocoa and maybe emulsifying wax, try just stirring the lighter butters in to these dense or brittle items that are already melted.

 

It really helps to melt the butters like shea or mango on very low heat and for as short a time as possible. Once poured into the tubes, put into the fridge right away for about 30 minutes.

 

Oily feel to Lotions & Butters

 

It is common for lotions and butters to end up feeling a bit oily. If you condider the ingredients that are providing the great properties in these formulas, then it is just their nature to feel like that....they are made with oils and butter. But alas we still strive to diminish the oily feel a bit.

In my experience there are two additives that can make a difference. One is the use of a silicone in the blend (see our Silky Silicone Blend) which provides an easy glide and tends to make the usual oily feel a bit more silky. The other thing that is really helpful is the use of a vegetable starch. Modified Tapioca and modified wheat starch come to mind. They are often listed under the suppliers name for it such as "Velvet Glide" or "Natrasorb". Both should be used just a little bit at a time and then till you get the feel where you want it.

Don't go with a pre‑set % higher than the minimum suggested because overuse can have a negative effect on the texture. I have also found that he use of Allantoin can be very beneficial, as can Isopropyl Myristate.

 

Blending Water and Oils in Lotions

 

I have found that most recipes don't suggest doing this, but it works extremely well. When I'm getting the oils and butters ready for the blend, I put the water on to warm. The reason this is good is because it helps the butters to not harden to quickly when you mix the water in. With the water warmed, it lets the heated butters and oils stay a little warmer themselves while the emulsion is occurring, thus the oil mix cools more slowly making for a smoother blend without the possibility of semi‑ hardened flecks of butters in it which may not blend in well.

 

It does require stirring/blending a few more times because you may see the oil try to separate out just a touch while it’s warm. No worries, just stir a few more times over the next 10 ‑ 15 minutes as it cools.

 

Measuring Water

 

Water is the only ingredient that will weigh out the same whether you are measuring in liquid or volume. Example: 32 oz. of water "weighed" will be exactly the same as 32 oz. measured in a measuring cup. So...when you are doing those bigger recipes that call for 100 oz. of water, just measure out 28 oz. from a gallon of distilled water, you will have 100 oz. left. Easier than trying to weigh out 100 oz. of water. Hydrosols may measure out the same, but you’d have to try it once to be sure.

 

Measuring Oils & Butters

 

 

Often times it is easier to measure out the butters and oils a bit ahead of time. I do it while my water is warming. Measure your butters first always starting with the hardest like cocoa butter. Melt all the hard butters first on the stove in a double boiler if you have it, if not I recommend stainless steel on low temp. When they are melted, add the softer butters and see if they will melt by stirring, without additional heat. Add additional low heat if needed, till melted. Then add your liquid oils to this mix. You want to blend you water in shortly as the butters will start to reharden.

 

Scent Fixatives

 

Geranium ~ is a balancing oil and sometimes used as an anchor to keep the lavender scent in soaps.

 

Benzoin Gum ~ is supposedly a good scent fixative. I've heard it can go granular in soap or lotion, so play with that aspect a bit.

 

Litsea Cubea ~ is good to fix citrus scents, but of course you have the citrus/sun issue to think about.

 

White Kaolin Clay ~ is also used as a scent fixative. Add 1 tsp‑1 tlbsp. per pound of base oil in cold process soap. Add to the warmed oils. Course that won't do well in lotion, at least not as far as I know.

 

Patchouli ~ (blends nicely with citrus) is often used to fix other scents as well. A unique combination of three 'fixative' essential oils: patchouli, gum benzoin and sandalwood can be used in the right blend where they would also be tolerated for their scent.

 

Vetiver ~ oil is used extensively in perfumery for its fixative effects as well as its fragrance.

 

Juniper/Cedarwood ~ is also used in perfumes to fix scent.

 

Orris Root Powder ~ Not sure about in lotion though probably worth a little more research, Orris Root is often used in perfumery and making potpourri as a scent fixitive.

 

Isopropyl Myristate ~ is often added to lotions and perfumes and acts as a fixative because it is a light wax that readily penetrates and carries and holds the essential/fragrance oils. I also very much like the extra "glide" and "slip" that IP gives to lotions and crèmes.

 

Possible Problems and Remedies with CP Soap

 

No Trace ~ It depends on the oils that you choose. Some oils take approximately 90 minutes to reach trace. If you use some beeswax, trace speeds up. Beeswax can also prevents soda ash coming out on the surface of the soap, so can castor oil.

 

 

Separation ~ This becomes apparent after you have poured your soap into the mold. A significant layer of oil or grease sits on top of the mixture. If the layer of oil is thin, it’s probably caused by the essential oils and will be reabsorbed during the curing process. If the layer is thick, you have a caustic soap that should be discarded. Sometimes this can be caused by using old oils or measuring wrong and ending up with unsaponified oil that comes to the top.

 

Curdling ~ Oils , lye or both poured at too high a temperature; irregular stirring, or the stirring process was too slow. If you don’t have a stick blender and thermometers, invest in them.

 

Soft Soap ~ Too much water/to little lye. Leave the soap in the mold until it hardens. If it hardens eventually it should be fine to use. Consider putting it into a pre‑heated oven to 200 degrees and leaving it in there for 12‑24 hours with the light on. This will help some of the excess water cure out quicker. Use caution however in putting milk soaps in the oven, it can burn the milk and make the soap orange or brown.

 

Hard, Brittle Soap ~ Too much lye. Do not use these bars. They are probably quite alkaline. Not recommended for re‑batching. Sometimes just using a bit too much Palm oil can make for a bar that is a bit to hard, you can use this soap or it’s be great for re‑batching.

 

Crumbly Soap ~ Too little water or too much lye. You can use the soap for re‑batching. Water discount of up to 45% is popular however, so consider experimenting with water discount in smaller batches and starting with a lower %.

 

Dry Soap ~ Possibly too much coconut oil. It’s best to keep it at less than 30% of your total oils. Consider re‑batching.

 

Lye Pockets w/ Liquid or Powdered Lye ~ Too much lye, stirring process too slow, insufficient stirring. You should toss this soap.

 

Mottled Soap with specks ~ Uneven stirring. This is an aesthetic problem only, and the soap is probably still usable, but you should test before use to make sure the specks are not lye pockets.

 

Small White Chunks in Soap ~ Too much lye or inadequate stirring. The white areas are caustic and the soap should be discarded. Sometimes titanium dioxide can leave tiny floury looking clumps if not stirred in extremely well, but they are not toxic. Clays can do the same so putting powdery additives through a fine mesh sifter will help tremendously.