A few weeks ago I made a batch of lotions to try out the "natural" preservatives along with the olive-based emulsifier. I do think with further trials and adjusting the formula it could all be made to work fine. This would involve quite a bit more studying, money, and time, and so in the end I will not be pursuing lotions.
I had split one batch into two, adding Synercide Asian Fusion to one half (Water, Caprylyl Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Wasabi Root Extract, Ginger Root Extract, Garlic Bulb Extract), and Leucidal (Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate) to the other. Before splitting the lotion I had added a few preservative extracts (elderberry, aspen bark, and willow bark.) I also included helichrysum extract, which isn't a preservative, but does help with preserving. So far both batches have held up, but it's too early to tell if the preservative systems are working properly. And without challenge testing, I won't know for sure how safe they are.
I had hoped to test each preservative separately (with the exception of the helichrysum extract, which is not a preservative), but I realized I didn't have enough appropriate containers to do so. I'm also unsure if splitting the batch in two is better than creating two separate batches for testing.
I used Olivem 1000 (Cetearyl Olivate and Sorbitan Olivate) for the emulsifier with Oliwax (Hydrogenated Olive Oil, Olive Oil, Olive Oil Unsaponifiables) to help stabilize the emulsion. Using xanthan gum instead of the Oliwax might have worked better, but I really wanted to try the Oliwax. One of the biggest issues I had was melting the Olivem. If I use it again, I'll need to find a better way to melt it, since my pathetic double boiler set up did not work well.
I'm not sure if the emulsifier hadn't melted properly or wasn't properly blended in, but the Synercide half did not emulsify well. This was the bottom half of the mixture, with the Leucidal half being poured off into another container. The lotion with Synercide is thin and runny, and the water separates out to the bottom when sitting for awhile. I just shake it and use it, but it is gross looking at it when it has separated. The Leucidal lotion has not experienced any of the separation and has a thicker consistency.
Fragrance, beauty, and business.
Showing posts with label Lotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lotion. Show all posts
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Learning About Lotions Part 4 - Other Ingredients
I've concentrated on preservatives and emulsifiers, since those two are key ingredients that are to find in a natural and effective form. After those two ingredients, it should be easy to find everything else as close to natural as you care for it to be.
Water- The simplest choice is distilled water (not purified or tap, since those might introduce things to your lotion you don't want). You can also try hydrosols and aloe vera juice, plus some other things I'm sure I'm not thinking about. Some hydrosols and aloe do include preservatives, so you might want to consider that when choosing your liquid.
I wonder if you could use wine or beer in a lotion, like you can with a soap. Though you might end up smelling like you've been at a bar all night and had too much to drink.
Oils- So many kinds, including the butters like cocoa, butter, and shea. I use strictly plant based oils, but there are animal oils (lanolin, emu, etc.) that are available. Looking at some suppliers, I'm surprised to see all the oils I never knew existed!
Humectants- Humectants draw in water or help to retain it, making the lotion a better moisturizer for your skin. Glycerin is a well known natural humectant, with the disadvantage that it can be kind of sticky. I've taken to using sodium lactate instead of glycerin, since I think it feels better, and it also can be added to soaps help them harden. Sodium lactate is derived from the fermentation of sugars, usually from corn or beet. Since I began looking into lotions, I've become interested in Honeyquat, a conditioning humectant derived from honey.
Antioxidants- Use these to extend your oils so they don't rancid too quickly. Rosemary oleoresin extract (ROE) and Vitamin E T-50 are both good choices- I often use one or both in my oil based products.
Additional Additives- There are a lot of additional things you can put in lotions- waxes, thickeners (like xanthan gum), and extracts, plus other ingredients depending on your goal. If you want to add a little color to your lotion, you can add a bit (not too much, since you don't want to color your skin!). Use essential oils for a natural scent or fragrance oils if you're fine with using those. For colors and fragrance oils, make sure you're only using things that are safe for the skin.
Water- The simplest choice is distilled water (not purified or tap, since those might introduce things to your lotion you don't want). You can also try hydrosols and aloe vera juice, plus some other things I'm sure I'm not thinking about. Some hydrosols and aloe do include preservatives, so you might want to consider that when choosing your liquid.
I wonder if you could use wine or beer in a lotion, like you can with a soap. Though you might end up smelling like you've been at a bar all night and had too much to drink.
Oils- So many kinds, including the butters like cocoa, butter, and shea. I use strictly plant based oils, but there are animal oils (lanolin, emu, etc.) that are available. Looking at some suppliers, I'm surprised to see all the oils I never knew existed!
Humectants- Humectants draw in water or help to retain it, making the lotion a better moisturizer for your skin. Glycerin is a well known natural humectant, with the disadvantage that it can be kind of sticky. I've taken to using sodium lactate instead of glycerin, since I think it feels better, and it also can be added to soaps help them harden. Sodium lactate is derived from the fermentation of sugars, usually from corn or beet. Since I began looking into lotions, I've become interested in Honeyquat, a conditioning humectant derived from honey.
Antioxidants- Use these to extend your oils so they don't rancid too quickly. Rosemary oleoresin extract (ROE) and Vitamin E T-50 are both good choices- I often use one or both in my oil based products.
Additional Additives- There are a lot of additional things you can put in lotions- waxes, thickeners (like xanthan gum), and extracts, plus other ingredients depending on your goal. If you want to add a little color to your lotion, you can add a bit (not too much, since you don't want to color your skin!). Use essential oils for a natural scent or fragrance oils if you're fine with using those. For colors and fragrance oils, make sure you're only using things that are safe for the skin.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Learning About Lotions Part 3- Emulsifiers
Water + Oil + Sodium Hydroxide = Soap
Water + Oil + Emulsifier = Lotion
That's if all goes well, and there's obviously more to both of them than that. When I learned about lotions a few years ago, I heard about emulsifying wax (sometimes called E-Wax). It's a popular emulsifier for homemade lotions and it works well. Melting the wax and blending it in while still hot to your oils and waters creates your lotion.
A bit later I read about BTMS 50 (INCI: Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol), a conditioning emulsifier. It works well in conditioners, and when used it lotions it can give a powdery feel to the skin. This is a cationic emulsifier, so some preservatives might not work with it.
Some makers use beeswax and borax to create a natural emulsifier, but it doesn't create a stable emulsion. These will need to be shaken to mix the water and oils back together. I find separated lotions kind of gross, and usually toss any I have once they do separate. These lotions were using different emulsifiers and took a couple of years to separate. I'd be disappointed if I had one breaking down so soon.
In my recent experiments I am trying Olivem 1000 (INCI: Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate). An olive derived emulsifier sounded cool, plus it emulsifies by forming liquid crystals. But it does have some issues with stability. Adding a thickener like xanthan gum or a co-emulsifier helps stabilize it.
There are a lot of other emulsifiers out there, but these are the three I've tried. I haven't tried (or been tempted to try) the beeswax and borax method.
I'm not particularly interested in emulsifiers, but here are a few things you might want to look into if you are:
Use of silicones
Types of emulsion: Water in Oil, Oil in Water, Water in Silicone
Cold Emulsions
Self-emulsifiers (you don't need to add additional oils to some of these)
Type of product (lotion, conditioner, spray, etc.)
Cationic/non-ionic/anionic
Co-emulsifiers
Stabilizers
Water + Oil + Emulsifier = Lotion
That's if all goes well, and there's obviously more to both of them than that. When I learned about lotions a few years ago, I heard about emulsifying wax (sometimes called E-Wax). It's a popular emulsifier for homemade lotions and it works well. Melting the wax and blending it in while still hot to your oils and waters creates your lotion.
A bit later I read about BTMS 50 (INCI: Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol), a conditioning emulsifier. It works well in conditioners, and when used it lotions it can give a powdery feel to the skin. This is a cationic emulsifier, so some preservatives might not work with it.
Some makers use beeswax and borax to create a natural emulsifier, but it doesn't create a stable emulsion. These will need to be shaken to mix the water and oils back together. I find separated lotions kind of gross, and usually toss any I have once they do separate. These lotions were using different emulsifiers and took a couple of years to separate. I'd be disappointed if I had one breaking down so soon.
In my recent experiments I am trying Olivem 1000 (INCI: Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate). An olive derived emulsifier sounded cool, plus it emulsifies by forming liquid crystals. But it does have some issues with stability. Adding a thickener like xanthan gum or a co-emulsifier helps stabilize it.
There are a lot of other emulsifiers out there, but these are the three I've tried. I haven't tried (or been tempted to try) the beeswax and borax method.
I'm not particularly interested in emulsifiers, but here are a few things you might want to look into if you are:
Use of silicones
Types of emulsion: Water in Oil, Oil in Water, Water in Silicone
Cold Emulsions
Self-emulsifiers (you don't need to add additional oils to some of these)
Type of product (lotion, conditioner, spray, etc.)
Cationic/non-ionic/anionic
Co-emulsifiers
Stabilizers
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Learning About Lotions Part 2- Preservatives Continued
While there are several preservatives available now, the most important thing is that the preservative used works. When I made lotion the first few times, I just followed a basic recipe and didn't give much thought to inhospitable conditions for the preservative. Looking into them more now, there are various factors to consider. I've listed a few of them below.
1. Temperature
This one is an easy one to adjust for. Find out the temperature at which it's safe to add, and then during cool down, check the temperature and add the preservative when it's low enough. A few can withstand higher temperatures, so you might be able to add those to the water phase (possibly oil phase, though I don't recall seeing one that's added to the oil phase).
2. pH
This is one of my favorite considerations. You get to play with pH test strips or a fancy pH tester, though for now I'm sticking with the test strips. Preservatives seem to prefer acidic environments, though some will work at higher pH levels.
3. Reactions & Compatibilities
You need to make sure your preservative won't react with another ingredient, leading to something like benzene in your lotion. You need to make sure it works with all ingredients, such as cationic/non-ionic/anionic surfactants and your emulsifier.
4. Light exposure
I've only seen this so far in reference to Tinosan, but if you use that preservative, you should make sure to avoid exposing the preservative to light, and you will need to test the final product if you use anything other than opaque bottles. Tinosan actually sounds fairly interesting since it contains silver citrate. I think that sounds pretty cool.
5. Benefits
Some of the natural preservatives offer benefits on top of preserving your product. For example, willow bark extract is a natural source of salicylic acid-like ingredients, so it can improve your skin.
6. Broad Spectrum
If the preservative used kills only one type of nasty (bacteria (gram positive and negative), yeast, fungus, or mold), you'll need to add another to kill the others.
7. Solubility
Usually you add preservatives to products that contain water, but you might add one to an oil-based scrub that will be exposed to water. In this case you need to find a preservative that is soluble in anhydrous solutions.
1. Temperature
This one is an easy one to adjust for. Find out the temperature at which it's safe to add, and then during cool down, check the temperature and add the preservative when it's low enough. A few can withstand higher temperatures, so you might be able to add those to the water phase (possibly oil phase, though I don't recall seeing one that's added to the oil phase).
2. pH
This is one of my favorite considerations. You get to play with pH test strips or a fancy pH tester, though for now I'm sticking with the test strips. Preservatives seem to prefer acidic environments, though some will work at higher pH levels.
3. Reactions & Compatibilities
You need to make sure your preservative won't react with another ingredient, leading to something like benzene in your lotion. You need to make sure it works with all ingredients, such as cationic/non-ionic/anionic surfactants and your emulsifier.
4. Light exposure
I've only seen this so far in reference to Tinosan, but if you use that preservative, you should make sure to avoid exposing the preservative to light, and you will need to test the final product if you use anything other than opaque bottles. Tinosan actually sounds fairly interesting since it contains silver citrate. I think that sounds pretty cool.
5. Benefits
Some of the natural preservatives offer benefits on top of preserving your product. For example, willow bark extract is a natural source of salicylic acid-like ingredients, so it can improve your skin.
6. Broad Spectrum
If the preservative used kills only one type of nasty (bacteria (gram positive and negative), yeast, fungus, or mold), you'll need to add another to kill the others.
7. Solubility
Usually you add preservatives to products that contain water, but you might add one to an oil-based scrub that will be exposed to water. In this case you need to find a preservative that is soluble in anhydrous solutions.
Monday, April 7, 2014
4 Day Bath & Body Boot Camp at The Nova Studio
I attended the 4 Day Bath & Body Boot Camp at The Nova Studio back in October 2010, and this week I'm returning to volunteer as a teacher's assistant for the perfumes portion of the camp. It looks like it's changed a little, since they're now teaching lip tints and gloss, but for the most part the same classes are offered. You don't learn to make soap, but you learn to make a wide variety of bath and body products, plus information on packaging.
You can take individual days if you're not interested in everything, but if you're traveling, it's a great way to learn about a lot of products in a short time. Some are pretty easy, and you can probably make as soon as you return home, like bath salts and salt scrubs. Lotions are a little more complicated, but seeing them go through it step by step will hopefully give you the confidence to try it on your own.
I had shied away from making perfumes after first taking the class- many of the essential oils cost a lot, including those wonderful floral middle notes. When they needed a teacher's assistant for the class about a year later, I agreed to do it, since it is a fun class. After that, I pursued perfume whole-heartedly, first with Mandy Aftel's workbook, and then attending her classes. I recently took my fourth class with her, and I now have a Level 3 certificate- I was really excited to receive it. I'm working my way through her second set of workbooks now- quite the undertaking I must add.
The perfumes class at The Nova Studio introduces you to several top, middle, and base notes, and you walk away with three new perfumes. The stand alone class is a bit different now, but in the bootcamp you make one each of oil-based, alcohol-based, and solid perfumes. The perfumes class this Thursday can be taken alone, or as part of the boot camp. It's a great class for anyone interested in learning to make natural perfumes, or for aromatherapists who want to make their blends smell nicer. If you're creating naturally scented products, you can also apply your perfumery knowledge to creating unique scents for your products.
You can take individual days if you're not interested in everything, but if you're traveling, it's a great way to learn about a lot of products in a short time. Some are pretty easy, and you can probably make as soon as you return home, like bath salts and salt scrubs. Lotions are a little more complicated, but seeing them go through it step by step will hopefully give you the confidence to try it on your own.
I had shied away from making perfumes after first taking the class- many of the essential oils cost a lot, including those wonderful floral middle notes. When they needed a teacher's assistant for the class about a year later, I agreed to do it, since it is a fun class. After that, I pursued perfume whole-heartedly, first with Mandy Aftel's workbook, and then attending her classes. I recently took my fourth class with her, and I now have a Level 3 certificate- I was really excited to receive it. I'm working my way through her second set of workbooks now- quite the undertaking I must add.
The perfumes class at The Nova Studio introduces you to several top, middle, and base notes, and you walk away with three new perfumes. The stand alone class is a bit different now, but in the bootcamp you make one each of oil-based, alcohol-based, and solid perfumes. The perfumes class this Thursday can be taken alone, or as part of the boot camp. It's a great class for anyone interested in learning to make natural perfumes, or for aromatherapists who want to make their blends smell nicer. If you're creating naturally scented products, you can also apply your perfumery knowledge to creating unique scents for your products.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Product Spotlight: Monoi Lotion & Massage Bars
Spotlighting a discontinued item might seem strange, but I want to call attention to these wonderful little bars while they're still available. They won't ship well over the summer- there's a good chance they'll melt if they're left on someone's hot doorstep or if they spend a long time in a hot USPS truck. I might bring them back next fall, but with a few changes to the formula and possibly in tube of some sort, for easier usage.
So what is a lotion/massage bar? It's a combination of oils, butters, and waxes melted together and poured into a mold. The result is a solid bar that melts with your body heat- I find it easier to use my hands to get it to melt, but it can also be rubbed directly into the desired areas. When used as a lotion, the ultra rich formula is great for dry skin, and is best used right after you towel off from your bath or shower. This will help lock in the moisture. The oil it produces can also be used like a massage oil- since it's in solid form, you don't have to worry about oil spills like you would with traditional massage oils.
I started with Monoi de Tahiti- coconut oil that has had tiare (gardenia) blossoms steeped in it. A lot of Monoi de Tahiti on the market has added synthetic fragrance to it, since the natural scent isn't very strong. The one I use has no perceptible floral scent to it, so each one is scented with natural essential oils. As some of you may know, coconut oil has a low melting temperature- it can be solid or liquid depending on the temperature of the room it's in.
Shorea butter and mango butter firm the bar up a bit, and add moisturizing qualities. Rice bran wax, which maintains some of the benefits of rice bran, keeps it solid. Each one is scented with a single note or a blend of essential oils.
Our Monoi Lotion & Massage Bars can be found in our Etsy shop sales section, along with a few other items.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
New product ideas and other thoughts
When selling items in person, I notice that what I think is normal in terms of products, other people either haven't heard of them, or think they're strange. Mostly in terms of the oils I sell. Hair oil? Wouldn't that make your hair greasy? Only if you glob it on. With hair oils, you only need a small amount. If you're using it as a hot oil treatment, then you would add a lot more. But as an alternative to a leave-in conditioner, just a small amount works.
Same thing with face oils. A small amount is all that's needed for the face, and if the right oils are used, you shouldn't feel oily. I spend a lot of time researching oils and experimenting with them to make sure they won't feel gross. You do need more for your body, but again, the right oils will absorb quickly and won't leave you greasy.
So now that I'm thinking of new products, and testing them out, I'm wondering what people really want to buy. Current ponderings include things like dry shampoo, facial cleansing grains, scrubs, and bath salts/teas. I am also considering lotion, if I can sell one that I'm comfortable with in terms of naturalness and safety. Also expanding my selection of soaps. But since I can't expand every which way, I need figure which items people really want or need. Any feedback would be welcome.
Also, I have secret products in development. Because even if I want to figure out the products people know about and want, I also want to create things they didn't know they needed until they saw it.
Same thing with face oils. A small amount is all that's needed for the face, and if the right oils are used, you shouldn't feel oily. I spend a lot of time researching oils and experimenting with them to make sure they won't feel gross. You do need more for your body, but again, the right oils will absorb quickly and won't leave you greasy.
So now that I'm thinking of new products, and testing them out, I'm wondering what people really want to buy. Current ponderings include things like dry shampoo, facial cleansing grains, scrubs, and bath salts/teas. I am also considering lotion, if I can sell one that I'm comfortable with in terms of naturalness and safety. Also expanding my selection of soaps. But since I can't expand every which way, I need figure which items people really want or need. Any feedback would be welcome.
Also, I have secret products in development. Because even if I want to figure out the products people know about and want, I also want to create things they didn't know they needed until they saw it.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Giveaway! Lavender Herbal Monoi Lotion & Massage Bar
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We have all of our Monoi Lotion & Massage Bars for sale on Etsy now through February 14, including those in sets!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Women and Science
I love science. There is so much out there in science, and I really regret not pursuing it in college. I was rather good at chemistry, did well in biology, and had so much fun in bacteriology. I never did physics, mostly because I wasn't going to be able to get into "honors" class since I didn't take the "honors" Algebra II class. I'm not much of a math person, though I did well in the classes that I did take. My chemistry class in college was simpler than the chemistry class I took in high school, and while it was interesting, it was practically a joke.
I see stuff in the news about getting little girls interested in STEM subjects, with Goldie Blox and what not, but I think there needs to be more focus on keeping teenage girls interested in science, and let them know what studying science can lead to career-wise. I'm more interested in science (in particular the parts that relate to beauty products and scent), but technology, engineering, and math probably have interesting career paths that should be considered and promoted.
Science feels like it's come up a lot for me personally in the last few years. Being married to a software engineer (who reads physics textbooks for fun) certainly helps with that, but in other ways as well. At my most recent show, I was asked by a few people whether I had a science background. While most of the beauty products I make don't involve complex scientific knowledge, there is still science to them. I study the properties of different oils and butters- the types of fats in them can change how they work, so the oil you need depends on the type of product you're making.
Soap making is fun, because it involves a chemical reaction right before your eyes- lye (either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in water) combines with oil to make soap! At least real soap, not the detergents you'll see sold at most stores. You need to use some math (not scary math, and there are calculators available online just for this purpose) to calculate how much lye you need to saponify your oils. Different oils have different requirements for lye, and typically you're using more than one type of oil to make your soap. This goes back to the above, where the composition of the oils bring different properties to your soap. Since you don't want any lye left over in your soap, you superfat your recipe, which means you need to calculate your lye so that not all of the oils are saponified. Superfatting means you're left with some left over oils in your soap, which makes it good for you skin.
Lotions present a different set of science issues- like soap, you're combining oil and water, but you want different results.An emulsifier is needed to keep the water and oil from separating. You have water phases and oil phases, you keep track of their temperatures, and combine them into a magical creamy lotion. Then you need a preservative- this is where biology and bacteriology come in. Lotions are good breeding grounds for all sorts mold, bacteria, fungus, etc., so a preservative slows that growth down.
I've been getting my science fix that way for awhile, but now I'm spending more time studying chemistry in regards to perfumery. There's the components of the essential oils, plus I'm reading up on some of the aromachemicals out there.
I see stuff in the news about getting little girls interested in STEM subjects, with Goldie Blox and what not, but I think there needs to be more focus on keeping teenage girls interested in science, and let them know what studying science can lead to career-wise. I'm more interested in science (in particular the parts that relate to beauty products and scent), but technology, engineering, and math probably have interesting career paths that should be considered and promoted.
Science feels like it's come up a lot for me personally in the last few years. Being married to a software engineer (who reads physics textbooks for fun) certainly helps with that, but in other ways as well. At my most recent show, I was asked by a few people whether I had a science background. While most of the beauty products I make don't involve complex scientific knowledge, there is still science to them. I study the properties of different oils and butters- the types of fats in them can change how they work, so the oil you need depends on the type of product you're making.
Soap making is fun, because it involves a chemical reaction right before your eyes- lye (either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide in water) combines with oil to make soap! At least real soap, not the detergents you'll see sold at most stores. You need to use some math (not scary math, and there are calculators available online just for this purpose) to calculate how much lye you need to saponify your oils. Different oils have different requirements for lye, and typically you're using more than one type of oil to make your soap. This goes back to the above, where the composition of the oils bring different properties to your soap. Since you don't want any lye left over in your soap, you superfat your recipe, which means you need to calculate your lye so that not all of the oils are saponified. Superfatting means you're left with some left over oils in your soap, which makes it good for you skin.
Lotions present a different set of science issues- like soap, you're combining oil and water, but you want different results.An emulsifier is needed to keep the water and oil from separating. You have water phases and oil phases, you keep track of their temperatures, and combine them into a magical creamy lotion. Then you need a preservative- this is where biology and bacteriology come in. Lotions are good breeding grounds for all sorts mold, bacteria, fungus, etc., so a preservative slows that growth down.
I've been getting my science fix that way for awhile, but now I'm spending more time studying chemistry in regards to perfumery. There's the components of the essential oils, plus I'm reading up on some of the aromachemicals out there.
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