A thought on small batch product making

If you're just starting out or trying a new recipe, consider making small batches of products, maybe 100 to 300 grams to start. (And yes, I recommend using metric because there's nothing more frustrating than having to figure out what 40% x 8 ounces is when you're in the middle of measuring in the workshop!) I realize this isn't a lot - sometimes a 100 gram bottle makes as little as 2 ounces/60 ml if you're using a lot of butters and oils - but it means you aren't wasting supplies on things you might hate!

There is a down side to using small amounts - it's really easy to mis-measure. For instance, let's say you're making a 200 gram batch of lotion and require 2% hydrolyzed oat protein (so a total of 4 grams of hydrolyzed oat protein in the product). All it takes is a little hand slip and you have 5 or 6 grams instead of 4. Not a huge deal - maybe you wanted a little extra? - but make sure you write it down in your trusty workshop notebook!

Where it does become a big deal is when you have a situation like this: If you have 10 ingredients and you end up with 0.1 gram extra for each ingredient, that's now an extra gram you have in your product. Again, not a huge issue (for the most part), but if you add 0.5 grams of each ingredient, then you have 5 grams extra, and that is a big deal for 200 grams of product (2.5% more than you expected).

This might mess up the emulsification or it might mess up the preservatives, which is one of the reasons I suggest using the maximum allowable preservative in our products. Or you might be making a product you love but can't recreate because of that tiny difference, so make sure you check your measurements twice and write everything down!

If you are going to be a small batch maker, consider getting a scale that weighs down to the 0.1 gram, like this one. This is an epoxy scale I bought from a hardware store for about $30. This is a great way to weigh your smaller things like preservatives, Vitamin E, and additives that might go into the cool down phase. It's also fantastic for mineral make-up.

For more information on how we measure in bath and body products, click here! And for more information on why we use percentages, click here!