# Shampoo and Facial Creams



## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

Can someone tell me which ingredient (a) thickens homemade shampoo and (b) allows homemade facial creams to be solid/stable at room temp?

For the first question, I tried xanthum gum in the past, and it was kind of gooey and mostly sat on the bottom of the bottle rather than integrate. Regarding facial creams, I used olive oil, avocado, coconut, and some cocoa butter. It stayed hard in winter, but during summer would melt at room temperature. Also it was not "creamy" or easy to apply. 

Thank you


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## Saponista (Nov 26, 2014)

Did you use emulsifier in your facial creams? If you post your full recipe people will be able to help more. I can't help with the shampoo I'm afraid as I've not made any.


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## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

Saponista said:


> Did you use emulsifier in your facial creams? If you post your full recipe people will be able to help more. I can't help with the shampoo I'm afraid as I've not made any.



Sure, I just basically mixed all the oils mentioned (coconut, olive, avocado, and cocoa butter).  

I thought the cocoa butter and coconut oil would keep the cream somewhere between hard and soft and it does most of the year, but in winter it gets very hard and in summer it melts. So I need an emulsifier to make this work? Which would you recommend?

I am from the soap section and never make facial creams. My mother wanted one for Christmas last year and I tried it. This year I wanted to try to make a better one. Thank you


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## JustBeachy (Nov 26, 2014)

Go here. Great place to start.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1020026/introductiontolotionmakingthingie.pdf


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## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

JustBeachy said:


> Go here. Great place to start.
> 
> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1020026/introductiontolotionmakingthingie.pdf



Very informative, thanks. So I definitely need the emulsifier. She mentions polawax and incroquat btms as the popular choices. Are these considered all natural/organic? My mother is old and I don't want to put chemicals on her skin. If not, is there an all natural emulsifier?


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## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

This website says beeswax with borax is the only natural emulsifier. Is this true?
http://allnaturalbeauty.us/emulsions.htm

Does any company make that combination, or do you have to purchase both and mix yourself?


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## lsg (Nov 26, 2014)

You might try this blog.  It contains a wealth of information.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/


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## JustBeachy (Nov 26, 2014)

lsg said:


> You might try this blog.  It contains a wealth of information.
> 
> http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/



That's who wrote the pdf i linked. She's definitely a in depth kind of girl :razz:


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## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

Thanks all.

Darn, it looks like there is no natural emulsifiers so I will have to scrap this project. I can't give my mom chemicals (or borax) in good conscience. Someone mentioned Beeswax and Rosewater as a possible option but said it spoils faster. I might try that out of curiosity for my own face.


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## Dahila (Nov 26, 2014)

I usually use polawax and bmts 50 and emulsimulse, two weeks ago I made a very nice hand cream with Ewax which is generic polawax.  The cream is really stable
Add something like glycol alcohol to get the glide in cream.


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## lsg (Nov 26, 2014)

smeetree said:


> Thanks all.
> 
> Darn, it looks like there is no natural emulsifiers so I will have to scrap this project. I can't give my mom chemicals (or borax) in good conscience. Someone mentioned Beeswax and Rosewater as a possible option but said it spoils faster. I might try that out of curiosity for my own face.


I paraphrase Susan, (Swiftcraftymonkey), "Just because something is natural, doesn't mean it is good for you.  Our natural world is made up of chemicals, so do your homework to see what is eco friendly.


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## smeetree (Nov 26, 2014)

lsg said:


> I paraphrase Susan, (Swiftcraftymonkey), "Just because something is natural, doesn't mean it is good for you.  Our natural world is made up of chemicals, so do your homework to see what is eco friendly.



I did read that.

And borax (like lead, arsenic, etc) does occur naturally but that doesn't mean it's great for skin. I just can't see encouraging my mother to put that on her face. The trademarked waxes and synthetics don't list all ingredients, but we know by default they can't be all natural since only beeswax/borax is all natural. So this leaves me no options. :cry:

Oh well, I will just make her some nice soap. When I moisturize my face at home many times I'll just use cocoa butter or a mix of a few oils and put them in the fridge to keep from spoiling. I am now thinking this was a good idea...I first did it out of laziness but it's probably the only way to be chemical free.

After reading a lot of the material I now understand why many doctors and alternative media question skin creams. It was all very informative thanks for the info everyone.


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## dreadhead (Nov 26, 2014)

smeetree said:


> Thanks all.
> 
> Darn, it looks like there is no natural emulsifiers so I will have to scrap this project. I can't give my mom chemicals (or borax) in good conscience. Someone mentioned Beeswax and Rosewater as a possible option but said it spoils faster. I might try that out of curiosity for my own face.



I like olivem1000. An emulsifier from olives.


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## new12soap (Nov 26, 2014)

Okay I am going to skip right over all the talk of natural and chemicals.

Emulsions are harder to do and they MUST be preserved, so let's keep it simple and make a nice anhydrous butter (a cream has water and oil and an emulsifier and a preservative, you want a butter).

Cocoa butter is both very heavy and very hard, try whipping shea butter. Mix it with some coconut oil and you will have a really nice body butter. If IPM is not a problem for you, a little of that will make it feel much less greasy. Some people use a tiny bit of cornstarch or arrowroot powder mixed in to help cut the greasiness.

As for thickening your shampoo, that is harder. Again, I recommend spending some serious time looking around the swiftcraftmonkey blog. Are you using surfactants? Or is this a liquid soap? Sometimes a little bit of a weak salt solution works beautifully to thicken shampoo, but sometimes it makes it cloudy and sometimes it actually thins it. That is really a matter of both research and trial and error.

HTH


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## Dahila (Dec 1, 2014)

check emulsimulse it is considered Organic emulsifier
will  link http://www.saffireblue.ca/shop/emulsifiers/emulsimulse#.VH1Nw8ntge0 I really like it for a hand lotion it has a talk qualities; dry 
EmulsiMulse is  a natural source self-emulsifier for oil in water   emulsions.  It is ECOCERT approved for use in Certified Organic   products.  EmulsiMulse is an excellent stand alone emulsifier that is   non-ionic and can withstand temperatures up to 130°C .  EmulsiMulse,   when used in lotions and creams, will provide a soft, conditioned,   talc-like feel to skin.   		

This raw material can be used in the formulation of cosmetics certified   according to the ecological and organic standards of Ecocert, France
 INCI Name: Glyceryl Stearate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate


Recommended usage: 2-10%.
Physical Form: Off-white Flakes.
Melt Point: >50C
Solubility: Oil soluble
Natural Vegetable Source


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## Obsidian (Dec 1, 2014)

I really like straight avocado oil for a moisturizer, I also use evening prime rose oil with a tiny amount of lime EO.


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## Dahila (Dec 1, 2014)

I tried rosehip oil but it was just to greasy,  Avocado oil is an awesome oil for substituting Olive oil in salads.  I love that oil.  I like to add some to my soaps too)
I can not put the straight oil on my face due the instant breakouts


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## awinant (Feb 5, 2015)

I'm curious as to your shampoo recipe, and as to the answer for a thickener! It's so tough getting it right because if you take out enough water of a KOH soap, it solidifies. I'm wondering if arrow root would so the trick, I think I'll experiment with that!! Please, more feedback!


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## kchaystack (Feb 5, 2015)

smeetree said:


> Thanks all.
> 
> Darn, it looks like there is no natural emulsifiers so I will have to scrap this project. I can't give my mom chemicals (or borax) in good conscience. Someone mentioned Beeswax and Rosewater as a possible option but said it spoils faster. I might try that out of curiosity for my own face.



So, if you don't make her something, will she end up buying something off the shelf in a mega-mart?  If so, she is going to get a bigger dose of chemicals than if you made her something with a little ewax and a preservative.


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## Dahila (Feb 5, 2015)

smeetree said:


> I did read that.
> 
> And borax (like lead, arsenic, etc) does occur naturally but that doesn't mean it's great for skin. I just can't see encouraging my mother to put that on her face. The trademarked waxes and synthetics don't list all ingredients, but we know by default they can't be all natural since only beeswax/borax is all natural. So this leaves me no options. :cry:
> 
> ...


She must use some moisturizer?  Natural ) look at the ingredients my dear


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## Birdie Wife (Feb 6, 2015)

I like to use all-natural ingredients too but I compromise a little with face and hand creams out of necessity. You need an emulsifier (I use E-wax), probably a thickener (I use cetearyl alcohol) and definitely a preservative. I use a Geogard, which has  high eco-credentials, rather than a paraben-based one, which means the cream stays good for about 9-12 months rather than indefinitely (!) but my customers like that I put a Best Before data as they recognise it's got far fewer harsh chemicals in it than the shop-bought alternatives.


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## Dahila (Feb 6, 2015)

Birdie Wife said:


> I like to use all-natural ingredients too but I compromise a little with face and hand creams out of necessity. You need an emulsifier (I use E-wax), probably a thickener (I use cetearyl alcohol) and definitely a preservative. I use a Geogard, which has  high eco-credentials, rather than a paraben-based one, which means the cream stays good for about 9-12 months rather than indefinitely (!) but my customers like that I put a Best Before data as they recognise it's got far fewer harsh chemicals in it than the shop-bought alternatives.


Optiphen plus is not paraben based 
Geogard ultra is a preservative in question.. read the comment on this post, please or test your products.  The Ph is off in it, and lotions, serums fail after 6 months.  
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/10/preservatives-geogard-ultra.html


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## Birdie Wife (Feb 8, 2015)

Dahila said:


> Optiphen plus is not paraben based
> Geogard ultra is a preservative in question.. read the comment on this post, please or test your products.  The Ph is off in it, and lotions, serums fail after 6 months.
> http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/10/preservatives-geogard-ultra.html



Oh dear  Optiphen isn't easy to find in the UK but I'll try again.  Thanks for the info.


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## Saponista (Feb 15, 2015)

I have used plantaserve e birdie. It's available from mystic moments and it's paraben free. 


They also make a 'completely natural' version (link below) but I haven't tried that. 

http://www.mysticmomentsuk.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=902


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## Birdie Wife (Feb 16, 2015)

Saponista said:


> I have used plantaserve e birdie. It's available from mystic moments and it's paraben free.
> 
> 
> They also make a 'completely natural' version (link below) but I haven't tried that.
> ...



Thank you  and after a little digging, I found out that another name for it is Euxyl PE 9010. Guess what I bought last month to preserve liquid soap?! *Happy days*


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## Saponista (Feb 16, 2015)

Yay happy days indeed. Where did u buy yours from? I might have a look and see if it's cheaper.


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## Birdie Wife (Feb 17, 2015)

I got it from the Soap Kitchen: info link it's now labelled as *Phenoxyethanol EHG* rather than Euxyl PE 9010, £4.65 for 100ml. It looks like it's a little cheaper than Mystic Moments (and it does seem to be the same thing, as the active ingredients are the same) :-D


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## Saponista (Feb 17, 2015)

Cool, thanks birdie.


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