Jami

The typical usage rate for menthol crystals is 1.5 - 2%. If you are using 10% that is WAY too high in my opinion. I haven't used wintergreen EO in lotion bars but in lip balms the usage rage is 1 - 3%. I have used peppermint in lip balms at 2% and that was almost too much. I couldn't imagine 30% of the EO on my body. I don't see how that would be very skin safe. I would seriously consider cutting way back on both.

My supplier recommends .1 - 1% to prevent rancidity or .5 - 1% of the formulation. I use .3% in my oils then add a tad more for my formulas. I also have a dorm size fridge that I keep my oils in. I really try hard to get oils that have the longest shelf life but there are a few that are just so lovely that it is hard to pass up lol

I buy distilled water from wally world because my water is horrible. I boil my distilled water before I use it with ANY of my BB recipes. I have seen several who don't. :undecided I am not taking any chances with my products. I am not a soap maker (yet) so I can't contribute to that side of it.

Do you shrink wrap your balms? Regardless of what type labels I use, I put the perforated shrink wrap tube over top of the labels and it protects the labels. http://tinyurl.com/yrkw2l I like 1.8 x 1.8 labels for mine but I have seen others use address labels and full sheets that they cut themselves. The size and type is all a personal preference.

I have used them (bought from WSP) in scrubs and suspending shower gel. It only takes a little pinch. I put them in one batch of emulsified body butter and it was just kind of strange to have these lil beads to rub in. They did melt it was just weird to me lol

Well those are the ones I had seen a while back but I just realized they are aluminum and won't work for lotions, creams, and emulsified body butters *sigh* I know there are beading pots with cases. They are made of polysterene and other materials. I just have to find the one good for bath/body products.

This is driving me NUTS!! lol I KNOW someone has the 1/4 oz pots with a case because I looked at it and said that is PERFECT for carrying samplers around, giving one to a shop that has all of my products and one for my sales rep. I need 3 of these and can't for the life of me remember who had them. I thought it was Bittercreek but I am not finding it. I will keep searching and let ya know where it was I saw it!

Someone was teaching a class on a yahoo group for these. I thought I had seen the recipe she was using somewhere and this was it!! They are easy to make and awesome in the tub!!!

I think they hit the hemp and got stoned first I love watching the creative ideas of others flow!!

I normally ignore petty remarks that I see posted but this is one I have to post on..... Count me in on the group that "doesn't know better" I love the cream that I make with it and so do my clients. I happen to know MANY very experienced "doesn't know better" people who use it as well. I participated in a swap and sent this out. I only had one person out of 12 who was "neutral" and the ONLY reason she was neutral it was because it felt "cool/cold" at first when applied BUT she did say that she loved how it made her skin feel. I guess we have 12 more people to add to this list who likes "garbage". They couldn't believe the cream was made with FM. The cream that I make is VERY similar to the Body Shops "body butter". This is a great product to use for summer/warm weather body products. It goes on with a cool refreshing feeling but soaks in and leaves my skin soooo soft and silky. If this is "slime", I will take my "slime" any day FM is NOT a "so called miraculous product" nor is it a premade product. It is an emulsifier and thickener just like a combination of btms, polawax, stearic or cetyl to be used in conjunction with other products to create lotions, creams, and body butters. Just like with any product, without the right combination of oils, butters, additives, it may not work for someone. With the right combinations, it makes a NICE finished product. There are people who don't care for it and there is nothing wrong with that. I have tried products I don't care for either but that doesn't make those products "garbage". Oh and by the way, I have some products made "the old fashioned way" too, shame on me. It looks to me like someone else "doesn't know better" because they couldn't formulate it

I ran out of jojo and had to make up a batch of the body butter recipe. I subbed it with Macadamia Nut oil and Meadowfoam Oil. I really liked how that batch turned out and felt on my skin. Rice Bran Oil is another light oil to sub with. I don't think it penetrates as easily as the 2 I used but it will still work. Carebear - I was just reading about the benefits of the cherry kernel oil on the TNS website. I am going to have to get some to try. Do you use just a little of it in place of another light oil or go full force and use it to the full % of another oil?

Ziploc baggie method for me as well. It was the easiest way to mix with the least amount of clean up. Snipping that corner makes packaging a breeze. I use quart size for smaller batches and gallon size for bigger batches.

I have just been whipping up shea butter, mango butter (total 60%) with emu oil, jojoba oil, meadowfoam oil and a little vitamin e (total 40% oils) for my daughter. She LOVES this stuff uses it from neck to toes lmao She said she gets instant relief from the itching when she puts it on. She had some serious stretch marks from her waist to her knees from her first pregnancy. They were the purple painful marks. I wasn't making BB products 4 years go but she sure is thankful I am making them now lol I am constantly researching oils trying to find the best oils to keep her skin moist. Stretch marks are going to happen depending on your skin type no matter what you do. BUT keeping the skin moist helps the itching and keeps the skin lubricated so it may help minimize the strech marks. I do think that after the baby is born, I am going to have her rub emu oil directly on the stretch marks to help "heal" them or minimize them faster. Emu oil is just a miracle oil for scarring among a million other skin conditions. She definitely hates being my guinea pig at times because I even have her try rubbing some of my carrier oils directly on her belly lol When are you due soynut? My daughter is due on July 4th

I never thought about using the stainless steel cups. Thanks for the tip. Guess who is going to walmart tomorrow? :tiptoe:

Looks wonderful. I wish all the suppliers weren't taking off a couple weeks for the holidays so I could order some kokum butter lol I am definitely going to have to try this as soon as I can get some! Thanks for sharing!

I must be an "odd duck". If I am looking for a product like this and they don't divulge the ingredients for my labels, I will NOT buy it. I will find a supplier that has something I CAN list on my ingredients. I won't risk being sued over an issue that could have been caused from that "proprietary" blend, especially when I can't even answer what it is. There are several suppliers out there with products that will help EO's & FO's emulsify and you WILL know what the ingredients are. Just my opinion

I make one big batch of my lip balm recipe. Then, I store it wide mouth jelly jars. After that...... I use the oyster glass tealight cups for small batches. They hold 2 oz of melted balm. I do it this way so I can make several flavors. I nuke them in the microwave on 50% power until it is almost all the way melted. Then I put the glass on a candle warming plate to finish melting. I add my flavor and use pipettes to fill the tubes. Once I am down to a very thin layer on the bottom of the glass, I stick a paper towel in the glass to absorb the balm then use another to wipe them out. For a bigger batch of one flavor, I use glass custard cups. These hold 4 oz of melted balm. Very easy method and I can make as little or as much as I want.

Be Delicious, Midnight Pomegranate and Pink Sugar are my best sellers in addition to the Heavenly.

I use Liquipar or Germall Plus as well. I still have a jar from the first batch I ever made (6 or 7 months ago). It has held up wonderfully. This is the only stuff my daughter will wear. I didn't wear it during the summer but back to using it again since the cold weather has kicked in. My daughter swore by it this summer after her tanning sessions.

I use cyclo/fco for body spray but I buy the room spray base from Candle Source. I wouldn't suggest using cyclo as a room spray for 2 reasons....1 it is an expensive room spray and 2 when that light mist of dry oil hits lineoleum or hardwood floors, it makes them slippery. I have fallen when I hit it on my floors. I didn't think it would do that but it left a little film on the floor. I sell 2 oz cobalt blue bottles or 2.5 aluminum bottles for the designer fragrance dupes the most for room sprays. I use 8 oz bottles for room spray.

Great job!!! I LOVE the fusion. I have used it for several months. I have never had any problems with it breaking down. I have a jar of my first batch and it is still as creamy as the day I made it. I LOVE how my skin feels after using my recipe with this. It is definitely addicting so WATCH OUT:pYou will have a new "up do" hair style for a longgggg time now lol

Just a thought but how about adding just a little bit of shower gel to it? I have used the almond paste from JS which appears to be identical with the exception of almond shells added to JS ingredients. The consistency should be able to handle the shower gel. Just another idea.......It already has SLS in it, how about adding SLSa? - At least that wouldn't cause more ingredients on a label like the shower gel could.

Those are the same type of clear sealing discs from WSP for the link I posted. I thought that was the only type there was. Thanks for making me feel like I am not TOTALLY losing my mind lol.

The Chemistry Store FBB base already has 2 different preservatives in it according to the ingredient list, as well as, EDTA which assists the preservative. If you are adding more, you could be creating problems. If you feel the need to add more, please call your supplier BEFORE adding additional preservatives. There are some bases that do no include a preservative. Research your ingredients so you know what you are working with. I am one that the FBB majorly dries my skin out. Because the majority of feedback I received stated the same thing, I quit making it. I make my own emulisifed scrub now and everyone loves it MUCH better, including myself.

The last time I made whipped shea butter, I ended up with little grains. I played it off by saying they were just extra moisturizing beads that will melt on your skin. I REFUSED to waste 2 lbs of shea. I had someone ask me for more of that stuff with the little beads. Oooppssss, it is MUCH easier to explain sometimes that is the nature of shea than try to create "moisture beads" ROFL