How to thicken a lotion

[Reg]

I have made my very first lotions. Since I was so impatiend to make it, I found a recipe that did not call for e-wax or stearic acid (since I don't have those things on hand). It came out quite liquidy, and the recipe said "light lotion", so I assume it is supposed to come out thin. But is there a way to thicken it? I remember reading somewhere a recipe that used corn starch in a lotion. Should I try adding some corn starch? Better ideas?

[Faerywren]

I believe the corn starch is used to take away the greasy feeling and impart a "powdery" after feel.

[Reg]

I believe the corn starch is used to take away the greasy feeling and impart a "powdery" after feel.

It kind of sounds interesting, maybe I'll experiment with a few ounces of my lotion and add corn starch. Just not sure if I can just add a spoon-full and mix, or I need to warm up the mixture....?

[adillenal]

What emulsifier did you use?

[Faerywren]

What emulsifier did you use?

I'm guessing none. *shrug*

[Reg]

What emulsifier did you use?

here's the recipe

1/8 tsp borax powder

1/2 cup distilled water

1/2 cup sunflower oil

1/2 tablespoon grated beeswax

so I am not sure if borax is emulsifier in this case? It did come out opaque white like a lotion, but very thin consistency.

[fairylite]

Borax and beeswax is not an effective emulsifier combo, and you'll notice separation in your product sooner or later. It's also easier and more accurate if you convert your recipe to percentage. 5 grams is more black and white to measure out than 1/2 cup of liquid.

To thicken up your lotion, you could try adding cetyl alcohol or stearic acid. Cetyl alcohol will produce a lotion-like texture, whereas stearic will add some drag to the product where it'll feel more like a body butter.

[Ravens]

A friend of mine makes B&B products and she uses either xantham gum or cellulose powder to thicken her products. HTH

[mychellec]

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!

[Reg]

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!

Do you know how much lecithin to add per 8 oz of this lotion? I actually like this lotion, exept it's hard to handle, since it's so runny.

I am not very familiar with e-wax (seen it in a bunch of recipes), is it natural?

[Red]

Do you know how much lecithin to add per 8 oz of this lotion? I actually like this lotion, exept it's hard to handle, since it's so runny.

I am not very familiar with e-wax (seen it in a bunch of recipes), is it natural?

Maybe it is more of a spray on lotion? can you try it that way?

[Reg]

Maybe it is more of a spray on lotion? can you try it that way?

Fabulous idea!

[mychellec]

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!

[Reg]

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!

Do you by any chance know of a website or book that would explain a little more about things like "Polysorbate 60", "Cetearyl Alcohol" or other B&B ingredients? I don'd know if they are natural or anything. I want to make lotions and other B&B products for mylsef and my kids, so I want them to be as naural as possible.

[adillenal]

I love this site for all things related to formulating.

www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com

[Reg]

I love this site for all things related to formulating.

www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com

I took a peek at this site, and it's great! Thanks for posting it!

[mychellec]

I love this site for all things related to formulating.

www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com

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.

[Reg]

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.

I actually ordered e-wax and stearic acid , and it came a couple of day ago! Now I have to find a recipe that appeals to me, and some free time of course.

[beau's mama]

I learned to make lotion from a couple of people on this board and from this site http://soapnuts.com/lothelp.html I only used the basic instructions, not the recipe, and tailored the instructions to fit my recipe.

There's not a lot of lotion instructions on-line and even though these instructions may seem a little loopy, it's the only thing that made sense to me. I needed to see what my e-wax/stearic lotion should look like as it's emulsifying, and this is the only thing I found that had pics. It also helped me to understand and formulate with percentages. If you decide to check out the site, you may want to print out each page and then put them in the correct order. The way it is set up now, the 1st page should really be the last page.

As far as a thickening agent, I like vegetable stearic and my lotion doesn't have a drag, but I also add Shea butter b/c I like a thicker lotion, but not as thick as a body cream. You'll find that by experimenting you'll get a good feel for what you like and what works for your skin.

Try playing with your stearic & e-wax at 3-5% each. The percentage of water, as well as oils and/or butters will also have an impact on how thick or thin it will be.

I didn't see you list a preservative in your recipe. Lotion is a breeding ground for the yuckies...yuckies that start happening well before you can see it.

It may take a while to get it exactly how you want it, but have fun while learning and you won't notice exactly how much money you've spent on the process

HTH

[Reg]

I learned to make lotion from a couple of people on this board and from this site http://soapnuts.com/lothelp.html I only used the basic instructions' date=' not the recipe, and tailored the instructions to fit my recipe.

There's not a lot of lotion instructions on-line and even though these instructions may seem a little loopy, it's the only thing that made sense to me. I needed to see what my e-wax/stearic lotion [i']should look like as it's emulsifying, and this is the only thing I found that had pics. It also helped me to understand and formulate with percentages. If you decide to check out the site, you may want to print out each page and then put them in the correct order. The way it is set up now, the 1st page should really be the last page.

As far as a thickening agent, I like vegetable stearic and my lotion doesn't have a drag, but I also add Shea butter b/c I like a thicker lotion, but not as thick as a body cream. You'll find that by experimenting you'll get a good feel for what you like and what works for your skin.

Try playing with your stearic & e-wax at 3-5% each. The percentage of water, as well as oils and/or butters will also have an impact on how thick or thin it will be.

I didn't see you list a preservative in your recipe. Lotion is a breeding ground for the yuckies...yuckies that start happening well before you can see it.

It may take a while to get it exactly how you want it, but have fun while learning and you won't notice exactly how much money you've spent on the process

the yuckies before they become an issue.

HTH

I will check out that web site, thank you!

The recipe I used was from the book, and it did not have any preservatives listed (and I don't even have any, I need to do some research in the preservative field as well). This lotion is supposed to have a short shelf life.

[simplybeelightful]

I would have to argue that beeswax and borax are not compatible as emulsifiers. I have made my formula with the two for many years and continually have had to add water to thin down my lotion. My recipe is pretty much the same (more or less) as that described.

[mychellec]

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).

Edited September 12, 2010 by mychellec
because I cnat psell

[simplybeelightful]

oh, sounds complicated!

[mychellec]

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!

[Reg]

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!

Thanks for posting this! I'll probaby use this as my starting point (as soon as I get some preservative) Which oils and butters would you recomend for a beginner batch. I do have olive, coconut and palm oils, and cocoa and shea butters on hand.