D'Lightful Creations Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Hi everyone, my name is Angela. This is my first post, but I have been reading/lurking for awhile. My husband and I have found a new hobby in soap making. I have made a batch of sugar scrub, which turned out great, so we decided to try lotions. After 6 failed batches, we come you with recipe in hand, to see if any guru's can find the problem. We know there isnt any preservative in the recipe, but will be added in the next batch (any natural preservative suggestions?)We chose this recipe because they are natural ingredients. The first 2 batches were not this recipe, but the last 4 have been, and this is what we have gotten, A BIG OILY, GREASY MESS!! This last time we added about 100 more grams of water, and of course it was runny. But mainly, its just heavy, oil, greasy, messy.HELP???OIL PHASE:325 g olive oil50 g Sweet Almod oil25 g castor oil40 jojoba oil10 g cocoa butter75 g beeswaxWATER PHASE:443.5 g distilled water (tonight to "cut down the greasy feeling" we added another 100 g, nd too runn)10 g borax15 g glycerin6 g frangrance oilWhich of the oils should we cut down to, and by how much? We tried a lotion calculator, but no luck.....THANK YOU for anyone who might could help us tweak this recipe...Angela and Malcom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachael Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I would take out the borax and the beeswax and use an Emulsifing wax.Other than that you could use a little Dry-Flo powder to take out some of the greasy feel.HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Your oil % is higher than your water %, no doubt it is going to feel greasy! I would imagine you are going to have a difficult time ever getting those proportions to emulsify properly with beeswax and borax. I would start with 75% water 25% oils and see how you like that. And yes, lose the beeswax and borax and get some ewax and stearic acid!Edited to add: You may want to lower your OO a bit and use some lighter/penetrating oils like rice bran oil, apricot kernel or grapeseed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callmaker Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 coco has given you the most effective advice , her ratio's and elimination of certain products should give you the results you are looking for. I never use beeswax in lotion, keeps it to greasy, not good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Lightful Creations Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 Thank you all for your advice! Im leary of adding the e-wax and stearic acid to this recipe because I want to keep it as natural as possible. We will definatly tweak, and more than likely tweak some more *wink* and hopefully it will work out. Ang and Mal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBE Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I've added up to a teaspoon of beeswax along with e-wax and stearic in a lotion/butter recipe with good results. Gives it a more "body butter" feel. The less water you use, the more thicker your lotion will be. If I'm making a more penetrating, intensive body cream/butter/lotion, I use around 45% water. If I want a lighter body cream/lotion, I up the water to around 75% like Coco suggests. If you need to cut down on the "greasy" feeling of the lotion, try adding cornstarch or isopropyl myristate to your recipe. Both work wonders to help cut down on that greasy feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidsngarden Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 Thank you all for your advice! Im leary of adding the e-wax and stearic acid to this recipe because I want to keep it as natural as possible. We will definatly tweak' date=' and more than likely tweak some more *wink* and hopefully it will work out. Ang and Mal[/quote']stearic acid (n.) A colorless, odorless, waxlike fatty acid, occurring in natural animal and vegetable fats and used in making soaps, candles, lubricants, and other products.Sounds pretty natural to me! I know ewax can be petroleum based. It will require a lot of experimenting to find a recipe that will stay emulsified without it, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachael Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 I use a 65%/35% makes a medium thick lotion .And I agree on the ewax and stearic ,from all I have read the beeswax and borax either doesnt work or takes alot of trial and error to get it to work.I like the effect of adding Dry-flo as well to help with that little bit of greasy feel left after it sinks in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheQueen Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 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??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Lightful Creations Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Anne, As mentioned in the OP, the preservative is not added, it will be once we get the recipe perfect As for the stearic acid, I know its components and what it derives from, I just know several of my friends who turn their nose up if its added in. Im not opposed to using either, and just did not want to steer to far off the recipe, but do know that we can not continue making crappy batch after batch. Ideally, I would love to see this recipe work, with a silky feel, not thick, not thin, not greasy LOL I know, I assume perfection in everything, I am a capricorn *wink* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3bees~1flower Posted April 9, 2008 Share Posted April 9, 2008 stearic is only needed if you want a thicker lotion...you can thicken lotion/cream by using hard butters as well...another thought is that www.theherbarie.com carries several natural emulsifiers...HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Lightful Creations Posted April 9, 2008 Author Share Posted April 9, 2008 Thank you 3bees~1 flower! I totally forgot about theherbarie, thank you for reminding me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greensoaper Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 First let's address this stearic acid thing, shall we.It's really silly to avoid it because of "natural" issues. Do your friends also turn their noses up when you use cocoa or shea butters? Both are around one-third stearic acid. Even if you're using unrefined butters, it's still not coming to you unaltered. Every ingredient we use has been altered.Now, why are you afraid "to steer to far off the recipe" of a formula that's not working? It sounds like you need to let go of some preconceived notions before you'll really accept help from the knowledgeable folks here.BTW, the only time I've seen a borax/beeswax emulsion work is in a water-in-oil cold cream formula. This is much too oily/greasy for an average lotion. You are going to need an effective emulsifier to make an oil-in-water emulsion/lotion.And don't get me started on "natural preservatives":tiptoe: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I don't even begin to attempt to call any of the lotions/creams I make "natural" but I do know that I wouldn't want Borax sitting on my skin. Risks Associated with Borax Borax is natural, but that does not mean it is automatically safer for you or for 'the environment' than man-made chemicals. Although plants need boron, too much of it will kill them, so borax can be used as an herbicide. Borax may also be used to kill roaches, ants, and fleas. In fact, it is also toxic to people. Signs of chronic toxic exposure include red and peeling skin, seizures, and kidney failure. The estimated lethal dose (ingested) for adults is 15-20 grams; less than 5 grams can kill a child or pet. For this reason, borax should not be used around food. More commonly, borax is associated with skin, eye, or respiratory irritation. It is also important to point out that exposure to borax may impair fertility or cause damage to an unborn child. Now, none of these risks mean that you shouldn't use borax. If you do a bit of research, you will find risks associated with all cleaning products, natural or man-made. However, you do need to be aware of product risks so that you can use those products properly. Don't use borax around food, keep it out of reach of children and pets, and make sure you rinse borax out of clothes and off of surfaces before use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debk Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 I have been trying to find a lotion receipe that is like BC's hand lotion. Has anyone a receipe to share? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'Lightful Creations Posted April 16, 2008 Author Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks everyone for replying. Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carriegsxr6 Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 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???ditto that, Polawax is a vegetable e-wax and you can also use palm steric as your steric acid.Germall Plus, Liquid is a great preservative and containes no parabens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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