mychellec

Just make a new batch sized according to the extra percentage of preservative, let it set up completely, and whip the two batches together. You don't need to re-melt the original batch, as that will compromise your preservative.

I have made lip balm and body butter with chocolate chips and they have held up just fine - and been delightful! Chocolate is fat-soluble (not water-soluble), and has a very long shelf-life. As long as water is not introduced into the product there is no environment for mold and bacteria to grow. Add a preservative if that makes you feel more secure about the product. Play with it in small amounts and see what you think!

The amount of e-wax is dependent on the amount of oils in your recipe. Typically, e-wax would be 25% of the oils in your recipe. So if you had 15% oils, you would use 3.75% e-wax. Stearic and/or cetyl is used to lend extra thickness to the mixture, and act as co-emulsifiers, making sure the mixture holds together. I usually use cetyl at half the amount of e-wax, or you can skip it for a thinner mixture. BTMS is a little different in that the usage rate depends more on the desired consistency than a specific usage rate. Check out lotioncrafter or the herbarie for info on BTMS. I hope this helps!

Shea tends toward graininess. There are a lot of theories as to why, but it seems mostly do do with temperature variations. Some people recommend heating and holding at a certain temperature, some recommend quick cooling, tempering like chocolate, etc. A lot of people use Butter EZ from Lotioncrafter for a portion of their butters, which is designed to help with this problem. I use the ultra-refined High-Melt Point Shea from MMS in my shea-heavy products, and haven't had a problem with grainies since using it. Sometimes shea grains, sometimes it doesn't. You just have to play around and find what works for you!

The subject of endless debate it seems! Many sources say to add your oils to the water, though I've read that this is more about blend-ability, and many say water to oils. I've done it both ways and the one-pot method, have always had the same stability and feel regardless of the method. Swiftcraftymonkey blog has a whole section on phase inversion that goes into this in major detail. Though I get confused, and just end up pouring the smaller portion into the larger portion. Works for me!

Hmm...a body butter is typically 50-60% water and the rest butters, oils, emulsifiers, etc. I would try adding in more butters, e-wax, and a little stearic. That should thicken it up. If you are still having trouble then post your percentages and we can fix it. Good luck!

I love shea butter & olive oil in a lotion. Cocoa is nice as well, but will add a little more thickness so maybe add a little less. Coconut oil is also amazing, but will also add a touch of thickness (palm is just too heavy IMO). I love a blend of coconut or fractionated coconut, olive, and avocado oils. Play around and see what you like. Let us know what you come up with!

I re-melt all the time. Go for it! Be gentle with your shea so it doesn't go grainy, but you should be fine.

Sunflower oil is a little heavier than grapeseed, but is still a nice light oil. Apricot kernel oil is a great substitute, as are mac nut oil and avocado. All lovely oils that don't leave skin greasy. Olive would be heavy in comparison to grapeseed.

I use a version of the glossy acrylic coating that I got at Wal-Mart for about $5. It does work great for keeping my labels from smearing, but it smells terrible!! I lived in a crappy apartment years ago and there was a drug lab in the complex - that is what the smell reminds me of! Luckily it doesn't linger in the labels. But while I'm pregnant my DH won't let me spray labels. He does it for me now.

Yes, I would say avocado butter is a little greasy. I also find cocoa butter a touch more greasy than kokum, but I love it. Cocoa butter and shealoe sounds divine!

It sounds complicated, but it's really not! I would say more involved than complicated. Here's an example of a very basic lotion formula: 68% water 2% glycerin 20% oils or oil/butter combo 5% e-wax 3% stearic or cetyl .5% - 1% preservative (according to manufacturer's recommendation) 1% fragrance This will make a creamy lotion that isn't too thick or too thin. Follow lotion-making instructions (there are good instructions on this board) and voila! Lotion! You could do 73% water and omit 5% oils/butters for a lighter lotion, replace some water with proteins and/or silicones, add extracts and esters and get all kinds of fancy. You could use BTMS instead of e-wax for a more dry, powdery feel. The options are endless! Or you can keep it simple and make a basic lotion that will feel great and hold together. Fun!

Second this. Shea, aloe, avocado, kokum, almond, etc - all seem to melt into skin beautifully. I adore cocoa butter (I use natural cocoa butter), and it is my favorite butter to use in lotion bars and body butters because it melts so nicely as you massage it in. Maybe soften it up a bit with some oils. It feels all greasy and decadent. Right now I am in love with a kokum, hemp butter blend, and virgin coconut oil combo. It melts instantly but isn't greasy - my skin is left so soft.

Beeswax and borax do work, but are much more difficult to work with, and much less stable, than a more sophisticated emulsification system. I have also made it work many times, but the feel and stability of a lotion made with emulsifying wax, BTMS, polysorbates, etc is just far superior (IMO) than one made with the ol' beeswax/borax combo. Less greasy, smoother feel, better absorption, more dependable emulsification. I guess it depends on the feel you are going for. This particular recipe will be quite thin and greasy based on the oil/water to emulsifier ratio. Also, remember that borax is known as a skin irritant. I've never had a problem with it, but many do. As a rule, shoot for your e-wax being 25% of your oil phase. So if your oil phase is 15% or your lotion, the e-wax should be at 3.75%. I usually do stearic or cetyl at half the e-wax percentage, or equal to it if I want a thicker cream. I prefer cetyl for glide, but regularly use stearic for a little more thickness and the lovely white color. Play around and see what you like. Fun! And yes, preserve!! I love an all-natural product, but not so natural it supports life! And it will without a proper preservative - even when you can't see the bacteria, it will thrive in any environment with water. I used to think small batches and refrigeration was suitable, but research and experience has proven otherwise. There are many options these days for paraben and formaldehyde-free preservatives (optiphen is a good one).

Grapeseed oil is such a nice, light oil that absorbs into skin quickly. I use it in lotions and butters, but it does have a 3-6 month shelf life so I only make small batches. If you enjoy Middle Eastern cooking at all, grapeseed oil is a staple!

That was going to be my suggestion! Swift's blog is a great place to have all of your questions answered. I would suggest starting with a basic e-wax and stearic acid emulsifying system. It's almost "all natural" and really easy. And inexpensive - very important. :smiley2: Then maybe get into the sorbates, etc when you've had a little practice with the easy stuff.

:cheesy2:

I'm not sure how much lecihin you would want to use - I have never used it to thicken something up. You could toss in some stearic or cetyl, or go for the spray lotion. Though if you need to add more water to do that, you might end up with emulsification issues. E-wax is a "mostly natural" substance; it is a blend of fatty acid emulsifiers such as Cetearyl Alcohol and Polysorbate 60, or Cetearyl Alcohol & Ceteareth 20, etc. It is so reliable and easy to use! There are some natural co-emulsifiers out there, such as the olivates (sp?) and orza-mule (new), though these need to work in junction with other emulsifiers as they are not usually strong enough to work on their own. It sounds complex, but it's fun experimenting and finding what works for you!

Could you soften some shea and keep adding it until you have the consistency you like? I think making it into a salve is a nice idea. Play around with adding beeswax and maybe some lanolin. I have made some lovely products out of mistakes!

Put TWO bottles in the cup - genius! The things we never think about, you know? I do the zip-lock bag with the corner cut off method, and it seems to work out if I go slowly. I'll look into the piston syringe!

You'll probably want to invest in some e-wax and cetyl alcohol or stearic acid if you want to pursue lotion-making, just to avoid frustration! I am familiar with your recipe (Janice Cox's books) and it's a good place to get started, but beeswax/borax emulsions are not stable over the long term, and tend to be thin and greasy. You can use lecithin, lanolin, xantham gum, and stearic or cetyl to thicken up the lotion you made. Or you can just chalk it up to experience and start over with some solid emulsifying agents and a really good recipe. MMS, PvSoap, Lotioncrafter, etc, all have great recipe sections. Good luck!

Great idea! Thank you!

Hello Curlywhirl! I would contact your supplier. They won't give you measurements for the product, but will instruct you in measurement guidelines for additives, and how much you can add before needing to add extra preservative. Good luck!

Hello PassionSunKiss! E-wax is an emulsifier, which means it will bind together oils and water to create a stable formulation. Stearic acid and cetearyl alcohol are co-emulsifiers and thickeners/hardeners - they will help to keep and emulsion stable but can't do it on their own, and they will add thickness to a cream or hardness to a bar. Stearic and cetearyl (and cetyl alcohol) are interchangeable with each other depending on the feel you like (stearic has less "slip" than the others), but none are interchangeable for the e-wax. E-wax, polawax, BTMS, and sometimes the old beeswax/borax method are required to create stable emulsions. As for the butters, cocoa butter and kokum butter have similar densities and can be interchanged freely. Shea butter is much softer, and can be exchanged for a variety of butters (mango, almond, etc), but will not lend the hardness to a bar or cream that cocoa or kokum will. I hope that helps!

Thank you Red! That sounds wonderful, and more emollient than what I was doing!