Smacky

Try softening your hard butters instead of melting them. Melt your beeswax with your grapeseed, sao and jojoba. Then add the softened butters and the rest of your ingredients to a cooled down beeswax and oil combination. You could then whip it if you choose or dispense it into containers. HTH

Definitely lavender.

I measure out fo's into small stainless steel cups. I pour it from the bottle, resting the lip of the bottle onto a pipette. The fo just slides down the pipette into the cup. I splashed some fo on a wooden table one time. It truly sucked. Melted the finish and had to fix it later on.

It is showing in the link that SYR provided. Third column If you look around, most suppliers already have that information available on the site. For example here on this link http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=26&category_id=12 on the page it shows under the pic, " More Details " it is another link that contains the INCI. Sweetscents has a separate link on the bottom of her pages that says INCI. http://www.sweetscents.com/inci.htm If a supplier doesn't supply that information on the site, send them an email requesting that information. A lot of the suppliers that I use list that info on the product packaging. It sure makes it so much simpler!

I'm surprised to even see this thread. I am not one of those brave souls that do without the goggles. My eyesight is just too precious to me, and I will not take any chances no matter how slight with them.

Sorry to say this but,if you aren't happy with the base as it is, you need to find another base. Lots of the suppliers sell samples of the bases. Once you start adding things to make it thicker you will be probably heating it up as well. That could ruin the preservative. Also all the sudden your preservative percentage is off in the original lotion with the added ingredients. It might go bad. If you have to add so much to make it what you want, why not make it from scratch and you would have all the control. You aren't selling it, so you have the time to invest in formulating and testing your own lotion.

For scent you go by percentages. For most fragrance oils 1 to 2 % is all that is needed. Some fragrances even less. You have to experiment with each scent. For coloring you need to take it easy and use colorants specifically made for bath and body products. I use liquid colorants and micas if I color anything and the liquid I use is added drop by drop to a very pale pastel. For lotion your feel and end use is the test of how good it is, not scent or color. How it performs on your skin and others, glide, and a lot of other stuff. If you like the base on its own you have a good start already. If it isn't what you are really looking for, then you have a problem.

Awesome Cathy!

That turned out so cute. Looks like you sew very well too. Awesome. I love that fabric. Guess it's why I have yardage of it in my fabric armoire!

How pretty. Bisbee! That place is a fun place to go. Darling old mining town, not a ghost town either. Lots of nice shops and interesting sites to see. Funny how you go further south and it is actually cooler. I wish we had more of the higher elevations here! I love being nestled in the mountains.

If you come out here, pm me and we can exchange phone numbers and arrange to meet somewhere. I have met quite a number of the people from the dish and I'd love to meet some from here as well! September is still hot, major warning. Spring, late fall and winter are primo! I know how it is when you live in Maine and you aren't used to the climate. People up there used to pass out from the heat when it would hit 85 degrees. (I lived up in Limestone and Presque Isle as a kid. 1st through 4th grades. My father was stationed in Limestone at the USAFB.) I have a friend from the dish that lives up there too. I got to meet her when a group of us met in Mass. to attend another dishers wedding. She had invited us all to it, but really never thought anyone would come. It was such a blast to surprise her! We all lived so far away from her and most of us flew in, another one lived nearby and picked us up from the airport on different days. We stayed for an extended long weekend. It was wonderful! I thought the gal was gonna faint, over and over again as individually we hopped out of the van we were in. OMG yes that road....it is harrowing enough when there are 2 vehicles of a normal size in opposing lanes. LOL a UPS truck is a tight squeeze! I think I would pinch up my butt cheeks so tight, that I'd get taller in my seat if one passed by us.

I was out all day with my daughter and granddaughter. On my way over there, the clouds were so low and thick you couldn't even see the mountains. Later on it slightly cleared up and now...(I just got back)...On my way home, it was n a s t y raining dark and yech. Off and on it has rained for most of the day. Tonight sure is shaping up for more nasty! And it is COOL! We actually had to turn on our heat.

No, but very close. I live in far, far east Mesa. My daughter lives in AJ, very close to Gold Canyon, her views are even better, closer and slightly different. My views are more of the western part, the more "famous", hers are more of the southwestern face. The views are all incredible, no matter what part you look at. I love going to that old mine town! For a treat go further down the road and enter into the Canyon Lake area. The views are TDF and for lunch or dinner head further down that road to Tortilla Flat and head into the resturant. You can't miss it. It is the only one there! I took a few friends there that attended the AZ. Gathering one year. They stayed longer so I could take them around to a few places in the state. (Old Town Scottsdale, Flagstaff, Sedona, and my home were the other places.) We ordered 1 single order of nachos. The 4 of us were full from that one order. HUGE best of all it was delicious. My doors and windows are open today taking in the wonderful fresh air. Summer is when we close all up. Keeping it dark and cave-like to keep out the heat. In the "winter" we open up and drink it all in! Perfect weather IMHO. You should come back and visit!

Pam, I only wish that would work!!!! I'd sure go for it. :yay: Cathy, the views are what I adore here, and the mountains...I feel at home near them. At peace. It's very calming and relaxing, and I never tire of seeing the changes in them. The light and the shadows, how they play across their faces all day long. The colors also inspire imagination.

Depends on your look, but you could try this: Tie your bundle of reeds tightly in raffia, make sure to make a knot and leaving longer tails. Then tie the bundle around the neck of the boston round bottle and make a bow. That way your bundle will stay together even if the bow comes loose. Easy to retie the bow if necessary.

The post above is the absolutely best advice you could get. Your supplier should know all the answers you might have on the products that they carry. If for some reason they don't they should find out for you from the manufacturer. If you don't get anywhere with them, re-think your supplier. Some of the preservatives are heat sensitive, so if you heat them up they would be ruined. If you add in other things such as proteins, they are bug food (attract germs), you would need to add more preservative. Ask questions and give them info. on what you plan on adding, then they can give you the best answer.

No problem! It also loves to "fly around". Take care when handling it, it's a very fine powder and is easily airborne. Keep fans off too. Handle gently when moving it to keep it in its place. HTH

Welcome! I live close to the Superstition Mountains in Mesa, Arizona. Great views of the Phoenix area here.

You can touch it, just don't breathe it or let it get into your eyes. Face mask and goggles. Both good quality and tight!

Welcome Mike! I think you will like it here, friend.

OMG what a cute site!

I have had very good luck with the online labels. I make a lot of lotions, creams and hair conditioner, they all get either water on them all the time or product, and they do very well, no blurring or bleeding. HTH

Really those are just lovely!

Oh shoot. I recently used a home made furniture polish, and man did I ever like it. I WISH I had the recipe for it. It was an emulsified cream that had beeswax, honey and even some water in it. There was also some ground cinnamon in it, just a tich and some cinnamon eo. With the eo in it I was hesitant at first to use it. That was why it took me so long to try it out! Was worried about it messsing up the finish. It didn't, and it smelled so good. It was made by someone that had the username Red Rosie, and got it in a Christmas swap one year. I used it on an old rocking chair that belonged to my father and it looked gorgeous afterward, still does BTW. *label says: pure vegetable oils, distilled water, coconut oil, raw beeswax, parrafin wax, sweet orange eo, cinnamon, cinnamon extract, preservative.

I know that it must smell as pretty as it looks! Fabulous