# BTMS-50 and Polawax



## Soapman Ryan (Jun 26, 2014)

Lotioncrafter.com has stated you can you BTMS-50 as a co-emulsifer with Polawax. Has anyone used both these emulsifiers together? What ratio would I use them if I wanted to use both in one lotion recipe? I know that they are both used at 25% of the oils, do I use each 50/50, or do I need more polawax than BTMS-50? I've used them both, but only one at a time in different lotions.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 27, 2014)

I've used both. The ratio you choose depends on what you want to accomplish. Using one or the other or both is not a huge deal. I do want to clarify -- the combined percentage of the two should be about 25% of the oil-phase ingredients (fats + thickener) -- you would not use each one at 25%. 

Using 25% emulsifier when developing a recipe is always a safe place to begin, but it's not an absolute rule. My latest favorite body lotion recipe has emulsifier at only 20% of the oil-phase weight. Polawax/e-wax is 20% of the total emulsifier weight with BTMS as the balance.

E-wax/Polawax is non-ionic (no electric charge), so it does not adsorb (stick) to skin or hair. This means it will wash off fairly easily after application. In a body lotion, adsorption not a big deal, but if you want a longer-lasting hand lotion or an effective hair conditioner, adsorption might be a desirable quality. E-wax/Polawax has a "glidy" skin feel, so a lotion spreads more evenly and smoothly over the skin. Once applied, however, I think a lotion with 100% e-wax/Polawax can feel a little too greasy/oily on my skin for too long.

BTMS/emulsifying conditioner is cationic (electrically charged) and will adsorb to the skin or hair, so it does not wash off as easily after application. It provides some oil-free moisturization, so you can reduce the % of oils/fats/butters to lighten up a lotion a bit -- nice for a summertime product. It feels more powdery or drier on the skin, so it doesn't smooth over the skin quite as evenly and nicely as E-wax/Polawax, in my opinion. But I like the powdery feel of BTMS after application better than an oily feeling -- but that is a very personal thing.

So blending the two emulsifiers gives me the best of both worlds. What works for me, however, might be quite different than what works for you.


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## Soapman Ryan (Jun 27, 2014)

DeeAnna said:


> Polawax/e-wax is 20% of the total emulsifier weight with BTMS as the balance.



I like the powder, dry feeling and the matte finish, of the BTMS in a lotion. But, I have decided to try to add in some e-wax to help it apply a little easier (with more glide). Are you using 10% Polawax/e-wax and 10% BTMS? Maybe I'll just have to try splitting it in half to see how the results come out. I'm working on a face lotion with a low percentage of oils (13%), so I think I'll stay at the 25% for now. I might try 12.5% BTMS and 12.5% Polawax/e-wax.


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## DeeAnna (Jun 27, 2014)

No, I am not -- in my original post I said I was using "...Polawax/e-wax is 20% of the total emulsifier weight with BTMS as the balance...." Said another way, the ratio of emulsifiers is 20:80 polawax:btms for that particular lotion.

Edited to add this example: If your recipe calls for 20 g of fats+thickener and you're using the rule-of-thumb of 25% to be the weight of emulsifier, then you would want to be using a total of 5 grams of emulsifier. Of that 5 g of emulsifier, you'd use 20% (or 1 g) of polawax and 80% (or 4 g) of btms.


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