Formulating and creating lotions: The new e-book is here!

Thank you to everyone who offered their suggestions about the new e-book! It's finally here - Formulating and Creating Lotions! I've designed this to be a second level lotion making e-book with information for those of us are experienced at making lotions and wanting to start formulating our own emulsified products from scratch.

I have included everything I know about making lotions, including the template recipes, the process of making great lotions, modifying and tweaking those recipes,  creating drier feeling products, learning how to substitute, as well as making minimally processed products (aka natural products) and more information than you wanted on the HLB system. I've included questions and comments from readers like you, and I've tried to include some pictures that might be helpful (although you all know I'm not the greatest photographer!). And I've included a ton of information on working with esters, including ingredient write-ups and recipe ideas. In short, I've tried to pack everything I know about making lotions and creams into this 224 page e-book!

Click here if you want to take a look at the table of contents! And look to your right to see the other e-books I've written! (Back to Basics, Hair Care Products, and Lotion Making 101!) 

If you donate $26.00 to our Rated T for Teen youth programs, I'll send you out a copy of this e-book by e-mail as our thanks for your generosity! I'll also be sending out the charts that came with the Lotion Making 101 e-book as well as a sample HLB calculator in Excel format!

As a note, if you want it sent to someone else as a present, for instance, please note this in the comments section. And include anything else you want in the comments section - although I'll know you're donating for this book based on the donation amount of $26.00.

To those of you who have donated in the past - thank you so much! Every single penny from these e-books goes to support our youth programs. It is because of your kindness that we can continue our programs! And to those of you considering donating, thank you for considering us. I can never convey how grateful we are for your support!

What does your $26 buy for our groups? Xacto knives, scissors, glue sticks, pencils, pens, paper, and everything else we need for this week's card making group. It purchased buttons for last week's fun with fleece group and next week's beeswax so the kids can make Christmas presents.

What's next? I'm taking a few days off writing before I start the facial products e-book that is begging to be written! Then the mineral make-up e-book! 

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Creating products: Labels!

We don't necessarily think of labelling our products as being an essential part of product creation, but when you accidentally use mentholated foot lotion as a facial moisturizer, you'll realize that we must label everything!

Original post from January 24, 2010...Why you must label everything! 

Look at the picture to the left. Look at the picture to the right. If the sun wasn't shining through the window and you were using the same bottles, the products would look very much the same. The one on the left is leave in conditioner. The one on the right is summer time peppermint spray.

So in my eagerness to be more organized this morning, I decided to add the tiny bit of leave in conditioner in one bottle with the larger bottle. It wasn't until I smelled mint after my shower that I realized what I had done!

In this case, the mint spray has many of the same ingredients I would put into a leave in conditioner - panthenol, hydrosols, hydrolyzed proteins - so really the only down side is the fresh scent of mint that follows me instead of oatmeal, milk & honey (which smells a lot like marzipan to me - and I love marzipan!).

Again, I can't stress this enough - label everything!

When I'm making a prototype recipe for myself, I like to include the name of the product, a few ingredients, and the date I made it for future reference. I might include something like "especially for mom" or "great for Raymond", so the intended user knows it's for them. I recognize these aren't pretty labels - my handwriting is terrible and the layer of packing tape will come off eventually - but it is the best way to track which products I'm liking this week!

From the post originally written on December 9, 2010...Some ideas on how to make labels! 

Tara made this comment in this post: I love the pictures you post of your products. Maybe somewhere down the road, you could do a post on label making.


I admit the aesthetics of our products is not one of my strengths. I'm the mechanic - I figure out the formulas, create the recipes, tweak the products, and so on - and despite my love of English, I suck at creating cute or interesting names. And don't get me started on my inability to take nice photographs! But I do like to create what I consider nice labels.

I consider putting labels on my products essential because I need to know which version of which product I'm using. I generally write out the labels by hand for around the house (which is why you don't see a lot of them), but when I'm gifting my products, I want to make my labels lovely (and believe me, my handwriting is neither lovely nor legible).

I generally invest in full sheet labels because I can put a ton of different labels on one sheet and cut them out when I feel like it. Ensure you have the right type for your printer - you can use laser labels on inkjet, but you can't use inkjet on a laser printer. If you can't get the full sheet labels or don't feel like cutting them all out, I find the 4 x 2 shipping labels to be the most multifunctional for my needs because I can make them smaller as necessary. I've tried Avery and I've tried generic Staples' labels - the Staples' ones were just awful and I took them back the next day, so I have to suggest Avery.

I use Printshop for the Mac for my labels, but you can use any program that makes labels in the right size. Microsoft Word works okay, but I've found it can sometimes be a little off and you have to make sure your labels are well within the boundaries when you're creating them on the screen. (Your experience may vary by printer and ability to make a nice label!)

I can't draw or design a label to save my life, so I find interesting backgrounds, wallpapers (computer and real life), or pictures of fabrics to create a nice backdrop. Digital scrapbooking papers are fantastic for backgrounds, and you can find some great free kits out there. I love the Shabby Princess downloads and I covet the Pixel Decor tiles (very retro!). I collect fonts, and I admit I tend towards the retro. You can find great free fonts at the Font Diner (I love the diner fonts and holiday leftovers!) and Dafont.com for my fonts, but you can find some great ones at scrapbooking sites.

When you're gifting a product, you don't need to use the INCI names because that can get a little confusing for your giftee. I tend to use the proper names for things like my oils, but I will use the generic name for my surfactants. I will put in brackets what the ingredient might be - for instance, liquid Germall Plus (preservative) - because I want my giftee to know what's in the product and I won't assume they know Latin!

Click here and here to learn more about INCI names. These are essential for those of you who sell or are considering selling your products! If you're making products for sale, ensure you are following the labelling laws in your county, state, province, area, region, or country! And make sure you're using royalty free images. 

There are a few ways to make your labels waterproof. I used to have an Epsom printer with waterproof inks and they worked really well. But I've switched to to a Canon Pixma ($30 for an all in one!) and the ink runs. So I use the Krylon product Make it Last, clear sealer, to keep my labels pretty in the shower or bath. I make up my labels, spray them, wait about 10 minutes, then put them on my bottles. (I found mine at Michael's, but apparently you can get it at art stores!)

And now we come to cleaning bottles. I spray mine with rubbing alcohol, wait a second or two, then wipe it off with a paper towel. This ensures you don't have any surfactants or oils or other stuff that will get in the way of the product sticking.

Original post from December 10, 2010...An example of how I create labels. 

So here's an example of a label I use on my foot scrub bars. I package these in cellophane bags and close it with the label.

I like to include three major pieces of information - the name of the product and fragrance, instructions for use (if it isn't obvious), and a simplified ingredient list. (If you're selling your products, the simplified list isn't an option - please check your local authorities for their requirements.)

I try to use a really legible font for the instructions and ingredient list - in this case, I'm using American Typewriter in 8 point - with a cute font for the name. I generally make the background a little more opaque - I turn the opacity on the picture to 50% to 70%, depending upon the colour scheme - and I tend to make the background for the instructions and ingredient list white so it's easy to read.

Why the instructions? Sometimes it isn't obvious what to do with a product - I've seen the foot scrub bar and my sugar scrub used as facial products, despite the description of what it is and the instructions - so I find it best to include some guidelines on usage, especially for something like a foot scrub bar where someone could use it in the shower and slip! I like to write a little story in this section, something to whet the user's interest, and I tend to use a ton of adjectives (which might be a little cheesy, but anyone who knows me knows I love cheesiness!).

Here's an example of my Manly Man Body Wash label. I put the ingredients on a little label I put on the back of the bottle so as to preserve the minimalist nature of the presentation. I figure men aren't into hearts and flowers so much, and I needed a label that shouted "I am body wash! Use me and smell manly!" I think this might be my favourite label.

I do have a girls' version of the Super Girl Action Wash with the warning that it "should only be used by girls who want to be super heroes when they grow up!" because I figure we all secretly long for an invisible airplane and lasso or a stake like Mr. Pointy and the ability to take on six ninjas in a fight without breaking a nail.

Original post from January 3, 2011...Downloadable labels

I've been asked to post my recent labels as a PDF, so here you are. (I have instructions on how to modify them in the PDF). I don't know how useful they will be as they are designed to fit on the bottles I own, but if you like them, then I'm a happy camper!

It's so much easier to use the laser printer than the colour printer in our house (I have to actually hook the computer up to the colour printer, whereas the laser is accessible from anywhere around the house - did I mention Raymond is also a computer genius?), so I started making black and white labels that looked like apothecary type labels. I love this style - if I ever had a business, I'd find it hard to choose between this style and the funky retro obnoxious type patterns with lime green and hot pink I normally love.

I found the idea from Slightly Off-Center (click here for her amazing labels), and I used her labels as templates originally - this is my beard conditioner "Hey Beardo". But I needed a larger one. So I went into The Print Shop 2 software and chose a frame that I liked. Then I found a line that had a decorative end. It's nothing fancy, but I'm happy with it. For the Hey Beardo, I added the instructions and ingredients on a separate label on the back of the container (but didn't think to take a picture of it).

I can't remember where I found the suggestions for these fonts, but visit DaFont.com and download Mouse Deco, EcuyerDAX, and Masquerade for some great old timey looking fonts.

Some links to great label templates can be found here.

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Creating products: Filling our bottles

Original post from July 13, 2009, modified today...

Filling containers can be such a huge pain in the bum! Here are a few things I thought I'd share...

Since I'm a surfactant junkie, I make a lot of bubble baths, body washes, and shampoos that need bottling. I find the easiest way is to get a funnel and pour it in. With a tottle or malibu bottle, I put the bottle into a Pyrex container and then pour it into the funnel. This keeps at least one hand free to clean up messes or get another bottle ready. (I try to have quite a few ready at a given time because once that funnel's full, I gotta move on very quickly!)

I find the bane of my existence is filling lotion containers. I always wait until the lotion has cooled completely before filling the bottles, and it's always a huge mess. I've taken to using piping bags - I have disposable and canvas ones - and I find these work well. I did try to use the cut-a-hole-in-a-sandwich-bag method, but I found I made a huge mess. (But then again, I am a very messy person, so it's not a surprise!)

I've tried using a syringe (sans needle) to fill the bottles and it worked very well. Syringe into container, suck up product, squish into bottle. The only problem is that the largest syringe I could find was 60 ml or about 1/4 cup. Fine for smaller bottles, not so much for larger ones as I found myself going back for more four or five times! It was great for topping off a container, like adding that extra teaspoon to a bottle! 

Again, line up the containers so you're ready, fill your piping bag, and go down the line. I usually fill them up about 3/4, then bang on the table to get the air out, then top it off. This is the annoying part - just as I think I've got a full container, I find another air bubble and have to top it off again!

If you're selling your products, you might have to weigh them before you cap them off. As I'm just giving mine away or keeping it for myself, I'm not that picky about bubbles or weights! 

I like filling jars...it's so easy! Scoop, bang on the table, and cap. If you want your jars to be very fancy, you can put these jar disk liners (also called dust covers or jar liners) on top of the product, then put the cap on it. When your friend/family member/customer opens it, she'll see this white cap making the product look very fancy and proper! 

If you have any suggestions, please comment! There are so many ways to fill bottles poorly, any ideas for doing it well are always welcome! (There are some great ideas in the original post, so I encourage you to check that out! But please comment as we're always looking to share great ideas!) 

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Creating products: Packaging - too many choices!

Packaging our products is more than just putting them in a pretty bottle! We have a few things to consider, such as what we're packaging in the bottle and what kind of plastic we need for specific products. Here are two posts from the past to give you some things to think about when it comes to packaging!

(Originally posted July 11, 2009) With so much to choose from, how do you choose the right bottle or jar for your products?

Consider a few things before choosing a container...

1. Cost: If you need 1 or 2 containers, then a penny here or there isn't going to make a huge difference. But if you need 100, 5 cents can change your mind very quickly. Shop around - take into consideration shipping costs and whether you need to buy caps separately - before buying.

2. Product functionality: A toner is going to leak out of your malibu or tottle bottle, and a pump bottle isn't the best choice for a thick sugar scrub.

3. Usage by humans: Consider you're going to use your product. Will you use it in a slippery shower with wet hands or leave it in a purse for days on end? How much shelf or night-side table space do you want to give up to this product? Are you going to be going back for more or will you be able to apply enough with one squirt or pump? Is there another way to apply this product?

I like to package my toner in a spray bottle. I saw this being done when I attended a "spa party" by a big company that will remain nameless. Although I wanted to scream at all the inaccuracies being spouted by the saleswoman, I thought it was a good idea, meaning I didn't have to pour toner on a cotton pad before applying. I always use too much and that's wasteful! By switching to a spray bottle, I can spritz my face and let it evaporate or use a cotton ball.

I like to package my sugar scrubs in a low profile jar. I started using them because someone gave me a few and I found it mad it easier to get into the product and get a lot of it when I was in the shower.

And I stopped packaging my foot lotion in the malibu containers because I realized I was always going back for more after the first application, but my hands were really sticky and greasy and it made getting the product out a pain in the bum. Plus the container was then really sticky and greasy. So I switched to a pump bottle - it's a little more expensive, but I can put it in a really big pump bottle, and I don't make my normal horrible mess.

4. Prettiness: This is always a factor. If I'm making my 1 litre of leave in conditioner, I'm going to choose something functional for storage. But when I give it to someone, I want to have a lovely bottle that shows off the contents. I need to apply labels, so I need something that is going to be fairly normal shaped so the labels don't warp or buckle.

The adjunct to prettiness is perception. Take these two bottles - the one on the right is a 250 ml cosmo oval bottle. The one on the left is a 500 ml Boston round. Now if you pick them up, you'll know the Boston round is heavier and larger than the other. But just sitting on a shelf, it may appear that one costs more than the other but is slightly smaller!

5. Interchangeability: When I'm buying a larger number of bottles, I consider if the caps are interchangeable with other bottles because I never know if I want a disc cap, turret, spray, or pump cap.

6. Your ingredients: Essential and fragrance oils are not going to play nice with many plastics. You've no doubt noticed this! They're fine in small quantities, but if you're making a fancy perfume or roll on that contains - say - 20% fragrance or essential oils, considering using glass instead.

7. Brand unity: If you're selling things, you might have a specific colour, size, or shape that says you!

I like the cosmo oval bottle for most applications. It's not very costly, and I like the look of it because it's nice and tall and shows off the clarity of a surfactant system nice (although it also highlights when it's not so clear!). It fits nicely in my hand when I'm using it as a spray. And I find it works well in the shower when I need to squeeze out the last drop of body wash with slippery hands! I find it easy to change the caps around when I need something different, and they store well in the giant box I use to store bottles.

I like the tottle bottle for in shower body wash or shampoo, and lotions where I won't be needing to apply more after the first dose.

Sizewise, I find I use 4 oz bottles and jars the most (although I like sugar scrubs in 8 oz containers so I can go crazy with it in the shower!) because I tend to like to change out scents and ingredients. Four ounces is a nice size for a body wash for a few weeks or for hand lotion for a few months. (And I find a 4 oz leave in conditioner is a very good size - any larger than that, and I tend to drop it regularly. But then again, I am a serious klutz!)

Here's a great post on the CPS blog - 5 packaging know-hows! A good read if you are thinking about how to package yourself for sales!

Finally...storage. I have no idea how to store bottles well. I keep them in bags and boxes and everywhere I have space. You'll want to keep them in a safe place where they won't be covered in dust and spiders (EEEEK!!!!) and you'll want to keep them handy so you can do an occasional inventory before creating something - 'cause there's nothing worse than finding out the only bottles you have on hand are tiny 2 ounces with sprays for a sugar scrub!

(Originally posted July 12, 2009) You've chosen a shape, but have you considered the composition of your bottle? We have tons of different plastics to choose from, but each has their advantage. Most of these can't be filled at over 160F, but we aren't going to be bottling anything that warm, are we?

HDPE: High density polyethylene - Good for everything, unless you're using a ton of essential oils

HDPE usually comes as a translucent, flexible bottle that is compatible with just about everything. (Look right - the frosted or the completely white bottles tend to be HDPE). Except things with a lot of essential oils. If you've ever put something high in essential oils - 1% in a lotion is just fine - you'll see it start to buckle and warp. Not a good idea. And don't put anything over 160F into this bottle! You can squeeze and drop it without creating huge dents.

When you find the white bottles that I tend to think of as storage bottles, those are HDPE as well. Great for shampoos, conditioners, and the like.

PET: Polyethylene terephthalate - Good for products containing a lot of alcohol or essential oils, as well as pretty much everything else.

You'll recognize this one from pop bottles. They work well for alcohols and essential oils. These aren't very squeezable and tend to dent from dropping or pressing. You can find PET bottles in every shape and size - Cosmo oval, Boston round, bullet (the picture to the right), and so on.

PVC: Polyvinyl chloride - Good for squeezing and good resistance to oils.

Good resistance to oils, but general more expensive. These are used a lot for shampoos and conditioners. They are squeezable, which makes them appealing for hair care products or other products when you want to get out every drop. Very good for small, sample sized bottles as well because you can squeeze it nicely. (And it uses less petroleum than the other bottles, so it may be considered slightly more environmentally friendly than the other bottles.)

LDPE: Low density polyethylene - Less chemically resistant than HDPE, good for squeezing.

These are much softer bottles and less chemically resistant than HDPE. They tend to be translucent, and are intended for squeezy applications.

Good for...when you need to get every drop out of a bottle.

Having said all of this, I still prefer using glass or aluminum bottles for something with lots of essential oils, but that's my preference.

Check out this great post at CPS Plasticology 101 for more, in-depth information on packaging!

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Creating products: Cool down phase

We've chosen a good recipe, we've assembled our ingredients, we've heated and held, and we've mixed! It's time to add the cool down ingredients. 

What do we put into our cool down phase? (Click here for the original post.) We put in the ingredients that might be sensitive to heat, such as our silicones (cyclomethicone and dimethicone), essential and fragrance oils, some preservatives, and extracts, amongst other things. For most ingredients, it's easy to find out whether they are heat sensitive or not - your supplier should have some information, and I've tried to include it in the information I've written about ingredients (look to your left and down a bit!) 

There are, however, some ingredients about which there is a dispute. For instance, I've seen allantoin recommended for the cool down phase but my supplier (and my textbook) recommend it for the heated water phase. If you're in doubt, talk to your supplier or do some experimenting. For instance, I've found allantoin in the cool down phase for me tends to result in shards, something I've not experienced by including it in the heated water phase. (For a longer, more in-depth post about how to figure out the right phase for your ingredient, click here.) 

After I've finished mixing, I like to assemble my cool down phase in a small container so I can clean up my counter to get ready for the packaging phase. Many times, a plastic shot glass is more than adequate to hold all the heat sensitive ingredients, but you can add the cool down phase directly into your product when it reaches the right temperature. Take notice if you have to dissolve the ingredient first - for instance, an extract or a powder - before adding it to the container. There's nothing worse than a powder that doesn't dissolve into your lotion, thereby ruining all that hard work! 

I like to let my product cool to about room temperature - so 20˚C to 25˚C - before packaging. 

Join me tomorrow for fun with packaging our products! 

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Creating products: Questions about mixing

There's been a lot of interest about mixing our products, and a lot of questions have arisen, so let's take a look at a few of the comments from the post on this topic!

Anonymous asked this question: Hi Susan thank you for the wonderful information so generously given here. After reading you post on blending lotions I wonder if I am over stirring my lotions. I have tried manual, stick blending & mixer but always end up with same result: even thought the finished lotion looks smooth when I put in the pots, the next day or so it starts to look like whipped milk cream that has been over whipped, kind of congealing which gets back to smooth texture after a bit of manual stirring but it doesn't stay smooth for long I have to keep on stirring every few days. Hope you can help me solve the mystery, thank you.

This doesn't sound like a mixing issue: It sounds like your lotion has failed. (Click here for the original and entire post.) If you have to keep stirring it to keep it smooth, it means that you don't have an emulsion - you have an oil phase and and a water phase that don't want to stay together.

Remember, we need three things to make an awesome emulsion in our products...

• chemical emulsification - this is where our emulsifier comes in. Pick a good emulsifier and use it at the right percentage! 
• heat emulsification - in general, solubility of our ingredients increases when they are heated. Click here for more about the heating and holding phase of our products. 
• mechanical agitation of some kind - mixing ingredients so they will stay emulsified. 

If you have a great emulsifier but aren't using it at the right amount, you'll get a fail. I don't think the issue is overmixing...I think the issue is a failed emulsion that has been temporarily held together by a lot of mechanical agitation! Take a look at your recipe and make sure you have the right kind of emulsifier and enough emulsifier for your oil phase, and ensure you are heating and holding for 20 minutes. If you're doing all of these things and you're still experiencing lotion fail, write to me with all the information (recipe, procedure, and so on) and I'll see if I can help further!

Vanillagirl writes: My emulsions are wonderfully stable (thanks to your info) but I find they end up with quite a lot of bubbles. I have been doing 500gm batches as I am new to this and am wondering if stickblending for 20 minutes to emulsify is too long. I subsequently add cooldown phase and sb a further 10 mins to ensure the ingredients are well mixed in. Am I blending too much? Thanks. 

I think you are. Twenty minutes is a long time and although it doesn't seem like you're ruining your emulsions, you're getting bubbles in them and you're taking a total of 30 minutes to mix a lotion. I'm all for mixing, but 30 minutes - that's time in which I could make something else!!! If your lotions are working well, then try mixing for a shorter period of time - say 5 minutes for the combining phase, 5 minutes for the cool down phase - and see if you have fewer bubbles. If your lotions are staying together through sheer will and mechanical emulsification, you might see some problems. But if you're using a well thought out recipe, you'll be just fine!

Leman writes: Also, my creams froth a lot when I use a milk frother. I mean I can hardly fill 50ml into a 100ml jar and I am thinking I must be doing something wrong or frothing too much or the fact that it is a milk frother!. Any ideas anyone? 

I wouldn't use a milk frother to mix your products...it's intended to froth milk, so it's going to mix a ton of air into the product. If you want to mix small batches, consider using a hand mixer with only one beater (I find this works great for my 100 gram batches!) or even mixing by hand (see below)

What's the best way to mix your products? 
Lise comments: I feel incredibly old fashioned-- I mix pretty much everything by hand unless I am doing a whipped butter or whipped cream (I have a whipped cream cleanser that I've done for years). Even then I only use a stick blender. I feel I have much better control this way. I also do whipping cream (the kind you eat) by hand too. :)

I love the fact that we have to clarify what whipping cream is to a group of bath & body crafters! Did I tell you about the time I smeared cake icing all over my hand to test if it was done? Yep, I make more products than I do food...but I digress...

melian writes: i use a stick blender, in fact until this blog i didn't realize you could make a successful (long term stable) emulsion without high-shear blending! i also don't spend 10 minutes (or more) with the sb, either. i think that if i continued with the sb until it cools, i'd have whipped cream rather than a nice lotion. i create the emulsion, then let it sit and stir it with a spoon now and then until it is at the temperature i want for whatever i'm doing next. i have discovered that adding eo or fo when it is cooled down is not the best idea, as unless i hit it with the sb again for a couple of minutes, it will sometimes seep out and gather at the top of my tube of lotion (in other words it wasn't emulsified into the lotion). using the sb at cool-down causes all sorts of whipped cream effect and foam and stuff.

And I like to use a mixer - it can get a bit foamy on top if I go a little crazy, so I do it on a slow speed with the beaters, not the whisk attachments. I also like to use a Kitchenaid if I need to do a large batch, but again I do it on a slow speed with the paddle attachment. If I'm making a body mousse or sugar scrub, I'll do it on about level 4 with the whisk attachment and I'll let it go for a while. Some people love the stick or immersion blender - I find it spatters for me, and my husband likes to reserve it for food.

The key to all of this stuff is to read what you can, then get into your workshop and try out what you've learned. It might work, it might not, but you'll learn something in the process! Then come back here and tell us your experiences so we can learn more!

If you're making little batches, I have a few suggestions for mixing...

• It sounds like a milk frother might be small enough, but it adds extra air, which isn't necessarily a good thing. 
• When making small batches, find something that works for you, like a hand mixer, stick blender, or mixing by hand (Click here for my post on the topic of small batch production). I can't imagine making something smaller than 100 grams - so much fiddly work and so many places to make mistakes thanks to 0.1 grams more than you intended. 
• A tall container - like a beaker - is a better choice than a wide container. I like to use the taller Mason type jars - 250 ml, not wide mouth - to make smaller batches. A shallow container makes it harder to mix. 

Well, that's it from me today. Share more of your experiences and thoughts in this post or in the original post - it's great we can learn from each other!

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Creating products: Combining the two phases!

After heating and holding, should we add the water phase to the oil phase or the oil phase to the water phase? My first instinct is to add the oil phase to the water phase as, generally, my water phase container is larger than the oil phase container. But then I read something two years ago that encouraged me to add the water phase to the oil phase, some stuff about phase inversion and the like. (Click here for that original revelation!)

But a comment from this post from Anonymous got me thinking yet again! Hi Susan, what I understand from reading the Dr. Z explanation you linked is that the oil phase can be added to the water phase and phase inversion will still occur. Dr. Z described adding the oil phase to the water phase and having an initial w/o emulsion form because of the lack of H-bonding and low HLB of the heated emulsifier. It then said that at the Phase Inversion Temperature the emulsion changes to o/w. It did not mention anything about adding the oil to the water or the water to the oil and any effect of either on phase inversion occurring so I don't understand why you say the water phase must be added to the oil phase.

To get some context, either visit the linked post or read these two documents - Dr Z link and a paper on choosing emulsifiers. 

Great question! So I went off to find stuff to show this reader why I wrote what I wrote. But I couldn't find anything! Everything I found was silent on the issue, or stated something like "add phase B (oil phase) to phase A (water phase) after heating". Hmm. I checked my textbooks - no luck. I checked a ton of data sheets from various companies - including the data sheet on Polawax - and found nothing indicating we should be adding the water to the oil. 

But I know I read it somewhere or at least heard it from a very reputable source, because it would have to be on good authority to get me to change what is a lot easier - pouring the oil into the water, which means I'm only using two containers - to something more annoying that required further cleaning! I was about to give up for the day, when I thought I'd check the Dish forum for posts that happened around the day I wrote this post because obviously I had seen something interesting there from Liz. I followed the trail and found this from the mighty LabRat...(I really hope it's okay to post this from the forum because I think it's such valuable information!) 

What are the adverse effects if any of mixing the water into the oil? 

I suppose technically, adding water to the oil could make a better emulsion. When you add the first few drops of your water phase to the oil phase, you are forming a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion. As you add more water, your emulsion changes from a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion to an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion. This is called a phase inversion. Emulsions that go through a phase inversion are supposed to be better emulsions. This has been supported in the technical literature, 

Most cosmetic emulsions are O/W emulsions. There is more water than oil in the formula. It's easier to add a small amount of oil to a large amount of water. When large batches are being made, due to the physical configurations of the main mixing vessel and the stirrer, most often, the stirrer does not reach down far enough to stir the oils as the water is being added.  

And these are Liz's comments from the thread that started my brain working! 

In an O/W emulsion you add the oil phase to the water phase. For a W/O emulsion you add the water phase to the oil phase. That is because the emulsifiers for each type O/W or W/O is designed to make that particular type of emulsion. Phase Inversion as it is called is reversing these phases which can result in a more stable or unstable product. These methods usually use PIT ( Phase Inversion Temperatures) along with certain types of emulsifers that would offer more stability. I have done it with success a few times. Many other times I ended up with messy separated emulsions. 

Very true as well as the addition rate (how fast or slow) will influence the phase to volume ratio for "catastrophic" inversion to take place. Non-ionic O/W emulsifiers typically will go through phase inversion as heating occurs anyway and then settle to the most stable morphology. I think this is what people experience with their varied methods here. Lab Rat mentions heating to the same temp kills bugs but it also will allow for phase inversion to take place or not depending again on temperature, surfactants used, which phase is added first, how much and at what rate (how fast etc.) cooling temp and rate, shear etc.. However this is not to say inversion always takes place to produce a more stable emulsion. Many things can influence stability of emulsions, not just phase to volume ratios. The problem with "catastrophic" inversion and why I personally don't do this method more often is you really don't know the precise time of inversion nor the actual physical conditions you end up with. So I follow the more conventional methods for now.

Uncontrolled phase inversion is typically what we do and it is a hit or miss for stability. The plus to a controlled and hopefully in our uncontrolled phase inversion the end result is a finer and more stable emulsion. At least this has been my understanding how it should be. Ideally in making any emulsions you want to use the least amount of time, energy and emulsifier to produce the best possible emulsion. 

So the gist of it all is this: Although adding water to the oil phase can result in a more stable emulsion (and is backed up by science), for us as homecrafters, we seem to have just as much of a chance of messing it up as getting it right because we really don't know when that phase inversion might happen. As both Liz and LabRat are suggesting that the homecrafter should be adding the oil phase to the water phase, I am going to go with this suggestion from now on! 

We can add the oil phase to the water phase when making a lotion and still get a great lotion. 

Thank you to Anonymous for posing these questions! You've really made me think and change my mind on the topic. I will be updating the various posts on water into oil or oil into water over the next few days!

I really credit the way Anonymous wrote the comments above. Here are a few thoughts I had yesterday on how to approach someone - specifically me - with contradictory evidence. It was done in a curious and respectful way, as one seeker of knowledge to another, with no insults or personal attacks. I really appreciate that approach! 

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Creating products: Equipment for measuring pH

pH indicators: You can get pH strips from your local supplier, and there always seems to be a great debate about whether or not they are useful. There's always a place for testing your pH in bath and body products, but my experiences with strips have been spotty at best.

I've tried three different kinds of pH strips and none of them made me happy! I didn't feel I was getting an accurate reading on my products. (If you've had a different experience, please share it in the comments.) I've had products that registered as having a neutral pH (around 7) that have registered as 5.5 with my meter!

If you've had good results with the strips, please make a comment! And include supplier information so we can all share in the awesomeness. (But remember, if you're a compnay, please don't write just so you can get your URL listed on the blog! I check every link!) 

pH meters: I love my pH meter, and I won't part with it, but if you can't get one, that's okay. (I make sure all my recipes are pH balanced, so you don't have to!) If you're making a lot of surfactant based products with surfactants that will register as more alkaline - decyl glucoside, for instance - it's not a bad investment. Make sure you get one that is easy to calibrate and doesn't need a ton of replaceable bits, like the tip or strips. And if it can measure temperature, make sure you get it in your local measurement (mine's in Fahrenheit, and I had to get a conversion chart for the workshop).

Here's some information on pH meters!
Calibrating your pH meter
Adjusting the pH of your products
Not worrying about adjusting the pH of your products

Tomorrow I'll address some of the questions that have arisen from the last few posts!

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Creating products: Equipment (part 2)

Let's get back to our look at equipment! 

Mixers: There's always this great debate about mixers - do we go with a stick blender, hand mixer, Kitchenaid, or whisking by hand? Yes.

I went into a little detail in this post about mixers, and you can use any of those mixers listed above when making lotions. If you're making a large batch (say 4 kg), the Kitchenaid is an appropriate mixer. If you're making a small batch - say 100 grams - then not so much. 

I have purchased mixers that were too powerful - I want my first setting to be a leisurely mixing, not some crazy, can't hold on to the mixer, things are spewing everywhere kind of power - and I've used ones that weren't powerful enough, but those tended to be of the "my mom got this as an inappropriate Christmas gift instead of diamonds" variety from the 1970's. I think any mixer you buy these days will be more than powerful enough. 

If you can, I suggest getting one with a whisk attachment, as those come in very handy for making whipped butters and sugar scrubs, as well as icing for bath bombs (and regular cupcakes, come to think of it.)

If you want to know a little more about thickening and shear rates, click here! 

As a note, you know you make too many bath and body products and not enough real food when you see a stick blender on the Food Network and think, "You can use those for food?" Or when you mix a few pounds of icing in your Kitchenaid for a craft group, and instead of tasting it, I rubbed it on my hand! 

Spoons: Wooden, metal, plastic - spoons have such an important place in our workshop, but we don't talk about them much! I think I mentioned it in the past, but I went to a restaurant supply place and bought 25 for $5 so I always have a clean one nearby. The nice thing about buying cheap spoons? You can throw them out when they start to get bendy or tarnished! 

Forks: Forks also have a place in our workshop! A study found that it was more effective to stir coffee with a fork in a back and forth motion, rather than a stirring motion, so I do this with surfactant based products to integrate the water and surfactants better. I have a large wooden fork, and I bought 25 forks for $5.00 at HY Louie.

Oops, look at the time! I better get ready for work and craft group tonight! The final post on your equipment tomorrow! 

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Creating products: Equipment (part 1)

The more you create, the more it seems you need to buy special equipment for your crafting...but it doesn't have to be that way. I'll give you an idea of which things I feel I really need and which I don't (and I hope you'll chime in with your favourite toys for the workshop)

Scale: This is is essential. I'd suggest getting a digital scale that can weigh to 1 gram. You've seen my scale over the last few days - a grey Escali - but I'm debating getting this one with the glass top because it might be easier to clean. Having said this, I'm worried the glass might not be all that durable. (I find my plastic scales eventually look really dirty with all the oil and things spilled on them over time, hence the wanting something that cleans up easily!)

I have a smaller scale that can weigh down to 0.1 grams for those smaller things like cosmeceuticals or extracts. I've had epoxy scales in the past, but I've purchased a new one from a jewellery shop and I'm pleased with it. I had a scale from London Drugs (click here to see the Salter scale), but it wouldn't work again once I replaced the batteries. My current one as a backlight, an on/off button that actually works, and weighs down to 0.1 gram (I can't find a picture of it, so I'll take one later today!). I've only had it two weeks, so I'm not comfortable recommending it, but it was $16.99 (as opposed to the $40 everyone seems to want) and it takes AAA batteries instead of those expensive button batteries. So I'm a fan so far. 

Pipettes: I love these things! I buy them in packs of 100 from Aquarius Aroma & Soap (although you can get them from various locations, like Lotioncrafter and Voyageur, and probably a 100 other places). You can find different sizes, and I prefer the 3 ml or 3.5 ml (Lotioncrafter and Aquarius, respectively) because the tube part is larger and I find it easier to read. 

Pipettes are supposed to be one time usage type things, but I have found you can clean them for things like fragrances. Fill a container in the sink full of hot water with dishwashing liquid. Suck the soap up into pipette, then squish it out. Suck up some clean water (warm, preferably) and shake. Do this a few times until you're sure the suds are gone. There! You've cleaned a  pipette!

When I'm crafting, I'll get one for something like hydrolyzed oat protein and either keep it in the bottle or beside the bottle so I'm not using a new one every time I need a bit of oat protein. 

Heating and holding containers: I covered this topic more extensively in this post, but I'll remind you that you want something that is heat resistant and sturdy. Something with a handle is a good thing - but if you want to use a beaker or Mason jar, have some tongs or dish cloth/oven mitt handy to remove the containers from your double boiler. 

Do you know why Pyrex works well against heat? Because it's glass made with soda lime, which is heat resistant and less likely to break. The labware is made with borosilicate glass, which is more resistant to heat, but the soda lime is more resistant to breaking when dropped, which Pyrex considers more important in a household! (Click here for a very defensive statement from Pyrex!)

You don't want to go very hot to very cold or very cold to very hot with a Pyrex (or competitors') container. I regularly go from my double boiler to the freezer for things like lotion bars, but there is a risk your container could shatter. We had this happen in the double boiler once - it just cracked, no shards or anything, but the liquids in the container were ruined! We weren't going very hot to very cold or vice versa, but I think doing that often is what caused the shattering.

Join me tomorrow as we look at other equipment you could use in your workshop! 

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Creating products: Assembling your ingredients - weighing and measuring

When I've prepared my space by cleaning and tidying it up, I get ready to measure!

I like to get some fresh water into my double boiler, then set the dial to the highest setting to get it to the boiling point. (If you want to learn more about my electric fondue pot that I use as a double boiler, click here.) I turn it down when I'm heating and holding, but I like to get it to a rolling boil to start.

Get all your ingredients and containers together. (In cooking, I think this is called mise en place or everything in place.) On my workbench, I tend to organize them into heated water, heated oil, and cool down phases. After use, I tick off the ingredient in my notebook, then put it on the other side of my workbench. This way I know what I've used and what I haven't!

We weigh all our ingredients in bath and body product creation into heatproof containers. Although I love my beaker, I tend to use Pyrex jugs of all sizes because I can't afford to have tons of beakers around. (Although the new shape of the Pyrex jugs are annoying because you can only get one into the double boiler at a time! This will not do!) Mason jars are good as well as they can take more heat. Get a wire ring to put into your double boiler so the jars don't touch the bottom of the container.

Why do we weigh our products? Because it's more accurate! Learn more in this post! And click here for learning how to convert percentages to weights and click here for learning how to convert weights to percentages!

When you've measured out your various phases, it's time to put your containers into the double boiler and heat and hold. But wait...let's take a moment to review some equipment you might consider buying for crafting fun! Join me tomorrow for that topic!

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Creating products: Assembling your ingredients - preparing your space

I'm not an organized woman, but I think I'm doing okay in the workshop. I have all my ingredients organized into different bins. If you look at at this picture, on the bottom row (from left to right) I have boxes of surfactants, oils, extracts and hydrosols, other ingredients, and powdered ingredients that aren't salts (they are in the box on the second to last row on the right). On the second shelf from the top I have my box of solid oils (babassu, coconut, virgin coconut oil) and my box of butters (shea, cocoa, mango, and so on). This organization might make sense only to me, but I'm the only one who has to know where everything is! (I have a few other boxes and those consist of things I just bought, things I want to use, and things I want to keep in my line of sight because otherwise I'll forget to use them, and a cupboard of fragrances and colours!)

The other shelves are really messy because I have a ton of Pyrex jugs and plastic jugs and wooden spoons and molds and other supplies I use for craft group, but otherwise everything has a home.

When you get into your working space, make it clean and tidy. Get the things you need close by - paper towels, spoons, mixing devices, scale, pipettes, thermometers - and make sure you have your notebook open and a pen right next to it.

For cleaning, some people insist on an as-close-to-sterile as possible workspace. This means cleaning the counter and equipment with alcohol and ensuring all the utensils and containers are newly washed. For some people, using a finger to scrape things off a spoon into a tin can is adequate (click here for video - and no, I don't know what bee's oil might be! Whatever you see in this video, do the exact opposite in your own workshop and you'll be just fine!) Wearing plastic gloves is always a good idea and goggles can be very useful as well. A lovely apron or lab coat will protect your clothes, but I always make a point of wearing an old shirt and shorts as well as my apron because at some point, I will get greasy! (Yes, I buy Spray & Wash and OxyClean in bulk!)

I've put down some spare pieces of laminate flooring on my workbench to make it easier to clean, and I have a glass cutting board on top of that (easier to clean up!). I've got one of those anti-fatigue mats on the floor, so I can remove it and clean it off when it gets covered in those inevitable spills!

Cleanliness is essential, but tidiness isn't. I've found, though, that having your workspace organized and free of clutter is a good thing. You'll find fewer things are knocked over, and you'll have more space to do everything you want to do! I might be the Queen of Clutterdom, but I can't stand having my wonderful and useful counter space taken up with stuff! 

My mom is laughing as I write this as I really am the reigning monarch of messiness. I'm a flat surface abuser who tends to be more floor-ganized than organized, and I'm telling you about the dangers of clutter! I think I might have to find her some kind of medication because she's rolling around the floor now, holding her sides, trying to breathe as she does that thing with her hands that women always do when we're laughing really hard saying, "Stop, stop. Too much!" Wow, I didn't think she'd find it THIS funny! 

Create a cool down and filling space. We don't think or talk about this part of making products much, but when you've finished one project and want to get into a second one, that 8 cup Pyrex jug of lotion will get in your way! Find a flat clean space, and put your product there to cool with a dishcloth or other fabric thing loosely draped over the top. (I don't use plastic wrap because I don't want condensation plus I really hate plastic wrap! It's never easy to get off the roll and it clings to itself. Nope, I use a nice clean towel that I can use again and again!) Don't put your product into the fridge when it's warm as you run the risk of heating up your fridge! Clean this space, if necessary.

Prepare this space as well. Get your bottles ready with funnels or other filling things nearby, and make sure you have paper towels handy. Make sure the space is easy to wipe down if/when you spill.

Join me tomorrow for some helpful hints on the weighing and measuring of our ingredients!

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Creating products: Assembling your ingredients - obtaining supplies

The second step in creating products is to assemble and weigh your ingredients into the proper containers. Let's take a look at obtaining our ingredients in this post.

Where can you buy ingredients? At a bath & body product retailer, of course!

I'm fortunate in that I have three retailers within driving distance - Suds & Scents, Aquarius Aroma & Soap, and Voyageur Soap & Candle - and another with overnight delivery by post - Soapcraft. If you can, I really recommend having a supplier you can visit in person. I know this isn't possible for some of you, but if you have the choice between mail order and saving a few dollars or getting to know your local retailer and spending slightly more, I'd go with the local retailer every time. It's not just about supporting your local, but you'll have someone with whom you can discuss new ingredients and recipes and someone who can offer advice on that recipe that tanked. (And let's be honest, most of the people in your life will get that glazed look when you start going on about cationic polymers or fatty alcohols, but you can always count on your local supplier to get just as excited as you are!)

If you aren't sure where to find ingredients, check out the these posts with the information kindly provided by readers like you! (Look under frequently asked questions on the right hand side of the page for permanent linkage.)

Where to get supplies in Asia?
Where to get supplies in America? 
Where to get supplies in Australia/New Zealand?
Where to get supplies in Canada? 
Where to get supplies in Europe? 

What ingredients should you consider as a newbie bath & body products crafter? If you want to make lotions, I recommend getting the following...

• an emulsifier - an easy to use, all in one emulsifier, like Polawax or e-wax (although I recommend Polawax as it tends to be more forgiving than any of the e-waxes. I hate to recommend it as I'm mad at Croda, but it really is good for beginners). If you think you'll be making hair care products, BTMS-50 is a good choice as well (but it does make for a drier feeling lotion and some of us - including me - aren't big fans of that!) 
• a thickener - something like cetyl alcohol or stearic acid. These aren't expensive ingredients, so if you want to buy a little of each, that's not a bad thing. (I think each of them is about $6 a pound? I do know they are often the least expensive ingredients we use!) 
• a broad spectrum preservative - this is not optional. I won't go into my preservatives speech here, but if I suspect any of you are leaving out the preservative, you will hear it yet again! 
• a humectant - glycerin is a great choice as it's inexpensive and effective, but there are others like sodium lactate, sodium PCA, and honeyquat. 
• an anti-oxidant - something like Vitamin E or ROE (rosemary oleo extract). This is kind of optional as you won't be making huge batches of product that will sit around for up to a year. 
• a few oils and a butter - click here for some of my recommendations or click here for the listing for all the oils I've reviewed. 
• bottles and jars - you will need these for packaging your products. You can't re-use containers because the oils might go rancid, so you'll want to order a few bottles (maybe some with pumps, some with disc caps, some with turret caps - the choices are endless!) and jars to ensure you have a lovely, clean environment for your amazing creations! 

Warning: Looking at packaging can be addictive. You will spend hours pondering how your creation would look in a cosmo oval or boston round, pump vs. disc cap, clear vs. coloured, and frosted vs. clear. Seriously consider the cost of shipping if you're ordering packaging from far away sites. Bottles generally come in huge containers, and I have found that you can spend up to the cost of the packaging on the postage or delivery costs! So beware! 

You can go out and buy extracts and proteins and silicones and all kinds of wonderful ingredients, but these are the basics for a lotion.

So you've got your ingredients - now what? Join me tomorrow for more on assembling your ingredients for product creation! Any suggestions to add to this post? Please comment and share your experiences and thoughts!

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Creating products: Choosing your recipe

Choosing which recipe to make can often be the hardest part of creating products. I can spend hours in the workshop looking at my ingredients, thinking about what I could make with those lovely new esters or surfactants, doing an inventory of what I need to make for my personal needs or for gift giving, and before I know it, it's time to go to work! So I always try to have an idea of what I want to make before I get into the workshop! 

What are you going to make? Are you in the mood to play with surfactants or do you want to make a lotion? Do you want a hand, foot, or body lotion? Do you want a thick, buttery cream or a light moisturizer?

What kind of lotion do you want to make? Click here for a post on that topic! 

How do you define a lotion, body butter, cream, or moisturizer? Click here for more! 

Let's say you've finally decided that you want a thick, greasy body butter to fight your dry, flaky elbow skin - where do you find a recipe and how do you know that it's a recipe that will work?

At the risk of sounding arrogant, I'd like to suggest that you might find some recipes you might like on this blog. I think I've created for almost every type of product - except for a successful eye cream, CP soap, and a bubble bar - and I hope they can be considered good recipes. For instance, here's my basic body butter recipe that we can modify like silly to suit your needs and your supplies. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of blogs offering recipes for bath and body products. Some are good, some are great, and some scare me. Take everything you see with a grain of salt and ask yourself a few questions before spending your time and supplies to make that recipe. 

How can you tell if you have found a good recipe? Click here for my checklist! 

If you're an experienced bath and body crafter, you could create your own recipe! Here's a link to the start of the learning to formulate lotions series with a ton of links to help you out. If you're a newbie, here's a post on why I don't think you should formulate your own recipes until you have more experience. 

Your supplier is always a good resource for recipes. My favourite recipes tend to come form Lotioncrafter, The Herbarie, and Voyageur Soap & Candle. I also like the Majestic Mountain Sage blog and The Soap Queen blog for ideas. 

One of the down sides of using suppliers' recipes is that they often use ingredients we don't have at home. What can you do? Substitute your ingredients for the suggested ones! (Click here for the posts on substitutions.) This is one of the reasons I harp on and on and on about knowing your ingredients. You don't have to buy a ton of new oils to create that body butter recipe! You can use what you have and still make something great! (Here's an example of how to modify a lotion with ingredients you have on hand.) 

Learn your INCI names (click here and here)! Many suppliers will change the name of their ingredients to reflect the philosophy for their company, and the easiest way to waste money is to order the same ingredient from two or three different suppliers and not realize you've done it! (And yes, there might be a test so study hard!) 

I've tried to organize information on ingredients on this blog by category. So click here for the emollients, here for the extracts, here for surfactants, and here for preservatives. (Look to your right for the permanent links!) As well, you can find information on various ingredients on the right hand side of the blog. 

When you're crafting, make notes. Make lots of notes. Make more notes than you think you need, then write some more. For products that might be affected by heat or humidity, write the temperature and weather. Write down the type of mixer you used - hand mixer with whisks, hand mixer with beater, Kitchenaid, stick blender, spoon, and so on. Write down everything you think might be relevant. 

The way to successfully tweak a product is to make many many many notes so you know what you want to do next time. Get a fantastic notebook or binder for the workshop (you don't want to be jabbing away at an iPod touch or iPad or other computery thing when you're covered in oils and other liquids) and create a file on your computer for all those observations you'll be making when things are bubbling and mixing. If you know what you did right or wrong this time, it makes it easier to create an awesome product next time! 

To sum it all up...

1. Choose a recipe you know works well from someone you trust.

2. Substitute those ingredients you don't have with those you do. 

3. Make lots and lots of notes! 

Join me tomorrow for some thoughts on measuring our ingredients. 

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