Question about improving lotion and b. butters

[Dana Mae]

Well I made my first lotion this weekend. I also made an emulsified sugar scrub, and a whipped body butter.

I tried to do some research (hard when the forum was down) but one thing I didn't like about the products I made was the greasiness, and also the (drag?) against my skin.

What type of products help with the feel/slip/glide on the skin?

THanks

dana

[coco]

I use conditioning ewax and dimethicone in all of my lotions and butters and they give slip/glide with a powdery non-greasy feel.

[Dana Mae]

I did use e-wax...I did not have dimethicone (have to look that up!). One thing I came across on my searches when this board was down that steric can be bad (draggy) and that the following products might be helpful: IPM, cetyl alcohol, PS 80, BTMS. I am trying to learn what these are and also what to use (one? all? in addition? in place of something?)

But I am having trouble finding resources.

SIGH

Thanks tho for your input!

dana

[CBE]

I find that adding some Hydrovance or glycerin to your water before heating it up helps tremendously with glide. BTMS works wonders too... I usually add about 1oz. along with the e-wax and stearic... and sometimes I just drop the stearic all together when I use BTMS. Cetyl/Stearyl alcohol gives an emoillent feel to the skin, this can be used in place of stearic also in a forumulation, or I sometimes add it at 1% in a recipe.

For the greasies... yep... IPM or cornstarch would help.

Isn't making lotions fun???

[Dana Mae]

I find that adding some Hydrovance or glycerin to your water before heating it up helps tremendously with glide. BTMS works wonders too... I usually add about 1oz. along with the e-wax and stearic... and sometimes I just drop the stearic all together when I use BTMS. Cetyl/Stearyl alcohol gives an emoillent feel to the skin, this can be used in place of stearic also in a forumulation, or I sometimes add it at 1% in a recipe.

For the greasies... yep... IPM or cornstarch would help.

Isn't making lotions fun???

I have hydrovance and glycerin (yea!).

So I can use some of these things or all of these things?

I feel like the mad scientist........but yes, tis fun. Cept for this stuff I made that I don't like, feels like a waste.

Well, except for the emulsified scrub. Not perfect, but usable. The other stuff, not loving them so much. But the process was fun!

Thanks for your help! Time to get online and order stuff again!

dana

[Di_in_AZ]

Going through what you are Dana, greasy batches are good for the feet, just slap it on and pull socks over them and they will absorb and leave your feet feeling great.

[Dana Mae]

"greasy batches are good for the feet"

I don't know why, but that made me laugh! What a slogan

Well, we'll find a fix huh! I know lots of people have the same issues...

It will be fun (sigh, albeit expensive) trying all the new ingredients to improve and tweak!

Thanks for chiming in! I love to hear other people's input!

dana

[Di_in_AZ]

I am reading this thread because I am doing the experimenting. Don't have the dimethicone, but have the others. I just made a batch, slightly greasy that is almost gone and now have new ideas to try.

[coco]

I did use e-wax...I did not have dimethicone (have to look that up!). One thing I came across on my searches when this board was down that steric can be bad (draggy) and that the following products might be helpful: IPM, cetyl alcohol, PS 80, BTMS. I am trying to learn what these are and also what to use (one? all? in addition? in place of something?)

But I am having trouble finding resources.

SIGH

Thanks tho for your input!

dana

I was talking about BTMS when I mentioned conditioning ewax (some sites call it that), it really does help quite a bit and I don't use stearic with it as it contains cetyl. You would use it instead of ewax, or use a little of both. The hydrovance (LOVE IT) goes in with your water phase. Some people don't like to use silicones, but I just can't live without my Dimethicone! I love the slip and texture it gives. I have never had any luck with cornstarch personally, it gives a strange super powdery, dry afterfeel to me. I find that if my lotions or creams are too greasy, I will just up the water % a bit and replace some of the heavier oils with lighter oils. Happy experimenting, be careful it's addicting!

[Dana Mae]

Addicting, indeed! Thanks for the info Coco!

dana

[Dana Mae]

So a lot of the products mentioned to try will help with a less greasy feel, (not too much of an issue, soaks in pretty fast) but also with glide so it doesn't drag on the skin (I really am not happy with that).

But what about the shine/sheen it leaves on the skin? Will they help with that too?

I really don't like that shiny look even after it is soaked in....

Thanks

dana

[Dana Mae]

Bumping.....

as I have searched and searched to find posts about a remedy for lotions that make a sheen on the skin or leave it shiny.....

What can I do to remedy that? Any suggestions?

thanks, sorry to keep bothering everyone! :embarasse

dana

[Di_in_AZ]

Did you try DryFlo/cornstarch? Also I see Coco said she ups the water a % and replaces heavier oil with lighter oil. I am going to play around and try lighter oils. Once I have time to make a batch, I will post my results.

[Dana Mae]

Sounds good.

My lotion doesn't feel greasy at all after a few minutes when it is soaked in.....but the skin has a greasy/shiny sheen for hours.

I don't like that at all.

Do you know what I mean?

Maybe I'm the only person who doesn't like that, or has that problem. Not too many responses so far on this thread on that issue.

I thought everything I used was pretty light, but I will double check the recipe.

Guess it will just be trial and error!

Let me know how it goes for you! Thanks!

dana

[CBE]

I'd do like Coco suggested and up your % of water. Maybe you're not using enough water. (maybe if you post your recipe, we can scrutinize it for you. ) It also could be you are using a combo of heavy oils along with using butters. Which oils are you using? Which butters are you using? Sometimes, ya gotta tweak and tweak till you get what you are looking for. I can't tell ya how many batches of lotion/creams/butters I made because it wasn't coming out exactly like I wanted it to. LOL I just give away my experiments to family and friends. They LOVE getting experiments. LOL

If you're going to add the cornstarch... add it while your lotion is still hot and liquidy, and SB the heck out of it. I find it dissolves alot better... and helps with that powdery feel you sometimes get with using cornstarch.

[coco]

Dana, post your recipe so we can troubleshoot it for ya. I have never had an issue with shinyness (with the exception of body butters), but we can probably figure out the cause pretty quick if we can see the recipe. Assuming you have changed the original that is..

[Dana Mae]

I did change the recipe, because I didn't have all the ingredients it called for.

I am at lunch atm, but will post it so you can see.

Granted, for my first try I am *very* pleased ... I just don't like the shinies!

Now my body butter on the other hand, yuck. I'll try emulsified next time!

Will post again when I get home. Thanks so much. I am so new at this, and all these oils and butters and additives get confusing...and expensive lol!

I have a bottle of the lotion at work that I use because we all wash our hands constantly. Everyone really likes it. (One girl said it was ok for hands, not sure she would not want it all over her body? I use it that way.) I'm soft, but shiny lol!

Thanks again all

dana

[Dana Mae]

Dana, post your recipe so we can troubleshoot it for ya. I have never had an issue with shinyness (with the exception of body butters), but we can probably figure out the cause pretty quick if we can see the recipe. Assuming you have changed the original that is..

I think this is my changed version of the lotion recipe that kidsngarten used in her lotion class (which I followed). I subbed for what I did not have.

I used:

23oz distilled H20

0.6 oz hydrovance

0.6 oz steric

1.4 oz ewax

5.6 oils (I used 3 oz AKO, 1.3oz RBO, 1.3 SWO)...no particular reasoning

0.4 oz phenonip

And that's it! A little less "draggy" and a LOT less shiny and it would be perfect for me...

Thanks for taking a look at it.

I know it is a good recipe she shared, it may be the oils I chose?

Dana

[CBE]

I don't see anything unusual about the recipe. Looks ok to me.

Maybe sub that AKO to another light oil like jojoba, sunflower, cherry kernel... or even up your RBO... (I'm still for the life of me can't figure out what you mean by SWO...lmao)

But the apricot kernel shouldn't make a big difference. Try to up your water a bit maybe.... up to 75% (I think it's only at 63% when I plugged it in the lotion calc)

Hmm.... I'd say try adding some cornstarch too...

I'm even playing around with adding a bit of kaolin clay to lotions... I'm playing around with making a facial lotion... and adding kaolin clay for it to "suck up" the oils on my face.

I'd play around and see what you come out with....

Maybe someone else will chime in to see if they recommend something else.

[coco]

I don't see anything unusual with it either, your oils are all light and shouldn't leave a shine. Are you using FO or EO and how much? Try these percentages and see how you like it (based on 32 oz not 31.6). I'm not sure how accurate your scale is, but I would suggest going to the MMS site and use their calculator to convert to grams for better accuracy.

H20 74% 23.68 oz.

Hydrovance 1% .32 oz.

Oils 17.5% 5.6 oz.

Ewax 5%

Stearic 2% .64 oz.

Phenonip .5% .16 oz.

If you get your hands on some dimethicone, use it at 1% and subtract 1% oil. If you get some BTMS, try 3% BTMS and 2% ewax. If using FO, remember to subtract that percentage from somewhere so you are still at 100%. Hope that makes sense!

[Dana Mae]

(I'm still for the life of me can't figure out what you mean by SWO...lmao)

Oh typo...Should have been SAO? Sweet Almond oil, ha ha........

Thanks for the suggestions the both of you! I'll be eager to get new goodies and try them out.

dana

[Dana Mae]

I used FO at 1%......thanks to you also for the suggestions! :highfive:

dana

[gippersmom]

I tried lotion today too for the first time. I used the recipe that was from Lotion Crafter's called silky something or other. My first problem came when I got down to the C phase of ingredients and discovered that I didn't have any of some ET51 or something like that...it is some sort of silicone dimethicone thingee. Well, I already had the other stuff going and didn't want to throw it out, so I improvised...BIG mistake. Either I didn't do something right, or I chose the wrong "substitution" or I didn't do something right..lol. This stuff was really thick, and I thought it was supposed to not feel greasy...I found that I did not like the feel of it staying on my hands, however, if you put it on then wash dishes, your hands feel smooth and siky, does that make sense? Sorry if I sound ignorant (but I am at lotions) but this is all new to me I've been searching for a recipe for a lotion that is simple, but not greasy...I have TONS of ingredients, no kidding, I have all the stuff Dana mentioned and then gobs more (don't even know why I ordered half of them...and of all things, forgot the one thing I needed for that one recipe) All I did today was succeeded in making a big mess, because the "small" test batch I was supposed to be making, exceeded capacity of a quart jar...now WHAT am I going to do with over a quart of pre-hand washing lotion? lol.

**sigh** back to the drawing board.

[Deb sturdevant]

Why does my lotion leave my skin feeling wet? I don’t want it greasy but want a pumpable yet rich lotion/thx!

Debs Thick lotion

78% water

2% glycerin

12% oil

4%BTMS

2% steric

1% shea butter

1% preservative/optiphan 

 

 

[NightLight]

Remove Shea and stearic. Shea is greasy. Stearic will thicken but has no glide. Your oil should have properties of lightness. There are greasy oils, ones that stay on skin for awhile before absorbing, or those that absorb quickly.

Add IPM cuts greasy feeeling as well, half oil half IPM. First reduce Shea and stearic and test.