TheQueen

Since this is not a leave-on product, you don't have to use costly ingredients. A nice inexpensive oil and regular sea salt (I buy mine from the grocery store) work nicely. I find that folks don't really care if there are "exotic" ingredients as long as it works well for them.

The Chemistry Store (www.chemistrystore.com/emulswax.htm) sells a vegetable-based e-wax and here's an explanation of stearic acid (www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4747). However, petroleum is also a "natural" substance since it comes from the earth.

Also, where is your preservative???

I make all my products from scratch because, I too, like to have control over the ingredients. I don't sell lotion but do make small quantities from scratch for my personal use. In my never-to-be-humble opinion, a product is NOT handmade if it is made from a base. Yes, you have added a fragrance, but that does not make it handmade because you did not make that base. If you tout your product made from a base as handmade, you are defrauding your customers.

I've been testing bath and body products for quite a while and the feedback from my testers has been positive. Soooooooo, I'm about to launch my small product line locally, nothing spectacular online or anything like that, but I'll be sending samples to everyone I know to get this thing going. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! One of the items that surprised me that has been so well-received is my lip balm. Well, not surprised that folks love it, but surprised that it's the item that gets the most remarks. It's a really simple formulation but the testers have loved it. Actually, all my products have simple formulations that work well. Simple formulations from a simple mind! I've posted my sugar scrub recipe on this forum at least twice, so it's not a deep dark secret at all. Just a nice formulation that folks really like.

Anyhoo, thought I'd just throw this out there to encourage others to follow their dreams, too. It has been my dream to have a small business like this to have fun with. I'll never be able to retire on this income, but that's really not the important thing. My wish is to provide a quality product to those around me and have fun doing it.

Hey, give the rest of us a chance to respond! Here is a pretty good tutorial on lotion making found at this website: www.mommamuse.com

\Nov 9,2006 by Judi

Many different oils can be combined in varying percentages to create an endless variety of lotion blends, each with their own qualities benefiting your sking in different ways.

To read about the oils we commonly use and their beneficial qualities, read Ingredient and Oil Properties for Soap, Lotion, Serums, Bath and Body.

For our basic lotion recipe, we generally follow these percentages:

74% liquids of choice

Chose liquids based on the qualities you wish to add to your lotion. Lotions can be made using distilled water, milk, hydrosols or teas.

12% oils of choice

Oils should be chosen for their qualities. To help chose, spread a little oil on your own skin. If it feels good, try it. Try one oil, or a blend of oils to create the perfect blend for your skin needs.

5% glycerin (a humectant)

5% emulsifer (blends the oils and water)

3% stearic acid (thickener)

1% fragrance of choice (optional)

Unscented, qualitity fragrance oils, essential oils, or let your hydrosols scent it naturally.

Preservative used in recommended percentage, usually .1%-1% (chose one specifically for water-based products)

Simple instructions for making lotion:

- Combine all ingredients, except fragrance and preservative, heat to melting.

- Blend with mixer or stick blender until cooled.

- At approximately 120 degrees or so, add fragrance and preservative.

- Pour into sterilized containers.

Here's my particular sugar scrub recipe (in generalities); I usually make 500g batches (with 500g of sugar added at the end) which is approximately six (6) of the 4oz containers.

25% Cocoa Butter

10% Stearic Acid

8% Cetyl Alcohol

51% oils of your choice

3.5% Polysorbate 20

1.5% Fragrance

1% appropriate preservative of choice

Sugar at 100% of the above total

Makes a darn good, very firm scrub.

You will find that the sugar scrub will begin to "disintegrate" as soon as you introduce water to it, as in the shower or the bathtub--I dampen my skin then scoop out the scrub, thereby adding water to the scrub in my hand.

And please DO remember that the water introduced into the scrub container when scooping it out is reason to add the preservative.

What is KY and can you put the web sights addy please. I would like ot try some. Tanks

Sure. Here's Kentucky Candle and Wax Supply's website:

www.kycandlewaxsupply.com/

Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Millcreek's Amber Romance in soy. It's divine.

My nose never detected anything amiss with the soy whip from KY. But everyone is different and some smell things that others don't as with FOs.

I don't ever start at the maximum scent load because some fragrances will just make you wanna slap somebody they're so strong. I start at the minimum and see how that holds up and go up from there if necessary. Did I mention how much I love that stuff? :rolleyes2

Yes Yes Yes I use it straight from the jug, sometimes with FO and sometimes without, and absolutely LOVE this stuff.

I got my Amber Romance from Millcreek and I can tell you it is DIVINE to my nose. I keep a lighted soy candle scented with it in my bathroom all the time when I'm at home--the throw is great. However, I don't know how Millcreek's stands up to any one else's.

I agree, zap the top with a heatgun. If you must melt and repour, push the stick of balm up as far as it will go, cut it off, melt and repour into the tube. That would be the extreme solution. Double pour is a pain in the hiney but ya gotta do it sometimes.

HTH

Not much----I poured four soy candles, three for gifts and one for ME, and made milk baths and bath salts to go with all four candles. YIPPEE!

1. These are AWESOME candles--oh, my, how talented you are!

2. You are not a horrible photographer

GOOD JOB!

I've used my mineral makeup mixed into a little moisturizer on days where my skin was a bit dry. Works great.

You know, I tried that but it was such an awful mess that I gave it up. What is YOUR secret to doing this successfully? Did you use a lotion-type moisturizer or a more solid buttery type?

Has anyone here ever made their own LIQUID foundation? I've made mineral makeup and love it, but my skin is far too dry in the winter to use it then. Summer is OK, but not in winter.

Phenonip here, too. It's a very good broad-spectrum preservative.

I know that TDF was carrying them a few months ago, you may check them out. Extasy is right - be very careful when formulating things that have a danger potential, I would check and double check your recipe and perhaps post to get some feedback.

I know this is an old thread but I am looking for a supplier for aluminum oxide crystals. My question is: what (or who)is TDF?

For every person who likes plain, there's another who likes fancy. quote]

Apparently not since they're not buying them. If I made a particular style of candle and couldn't sell any of them, I'd certainly rethink that style.

OK, this is a "for what it's worth" post. This is a beautiful candle but I wouldn't buy it because it's too fancy for my taste. My overwhelming preference in candles is plain pillar or container with no embellishments whatsoever. Even a nice layered candle in a clear container is fine. Perhaps I'm not the only one who thinks this since so many of you who have posted said this type of candle doesn't sell. Just thought I'd throw that out there . . .

Do you make your own soap? If so, why not try making liquid soap? If not, why not try? A friend of mine makes it and says it's really not very difficult. I think if you scrounge around on here you'll find some really good information on how to do so. If not, just ask, I'm sure someone will help you. And GOOD FOR YOU!

There will be lotion made, some milk baths, bath salts, sugar scrub, maybe even a salt scrub, some small soy candles, all for gifts to my friends and family.

Have fun everyone!

E-wax? Polawax? Beeswax?