# Is Heat & Hold Necessary For Lotion?



## PuddinAndPeanuts (Jan 18, 2015)

I've spent an inordinate amount of time on the swiftcraftmonkey blog, and was under the impression that Heat and hold was kind of a non-negotiable necessity when making lotion.  Just poked around the WSP website, and they don't seem to do that in their from-scratch lotion recipes.  Can someone educate me here?


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## Lindy (Jan 18, 2015)

Heat and hold is necessary for 2 reasons.  One it tempers the oils & butters plus it also sterilizes the ingredients.  This gives your preservative the best chance of holding your lotion.


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## Obsidian (Jan 18, 2015)

The only lotion I've had mold, were batched that I didn't heat and hold. I'd rather take the extra time to do what I can to help prevent spoilage.


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## cmzaha (Jan 18, 2015)

We always heat and hold ours also


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Jan 18, 2015)

Yeah, that's what I was guessing, but wanted to double check.  As I mentioned in another post, I've recently learned how unreliable the WSP site is, but thought I'd double check.  Would have been nice to find out it's an unnecessary precaution.


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## lsg (Jan 18, 2015)

I always heat and hold both my water and oil phases.  I heat them up in the microwave and then hold them at 160*F in my oven for 20 minutes.  I always heat a little extra water to compensate for evaporation.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=heat+and+hold


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Jan 18, 2015)

lsg said:


> I always heat and hold both my water and oil phases.  I heat them up in the microwave and then hold them at 160*F in my oven for 20 minutes.  I always heat a little extra water to compensate for evaporation.
> 
> http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/search?q=heat+and+hold



I love the idea of using an oven.  I'm going to remember that one!


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## lsg (Jan 18, 2015)

You might check to be sure your oven is holding at the right temp.


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## maya (Jan 19, 2015)

I know it's already been said but yes, it is absolutely necessary. <------ necessary enough for me to take the time to look up *thanks google!* how to spell necessary.


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Jan 19, 2015)

maya said:


> I know it's already been said but yes, it is absolutely necessary. <------ necessary enough for me to take the time to look up *thanks google!* how to spell necessary.



Please excuse me.  Spelling has never been a strength of mine.


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## maya (Jan 19, 2015)

Excuse you for bad spelling? I really did try three times, then finally googled it. I cannot spell. I wasn't making fun of anyone except myself.


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Jan 19, 2015)

Ah-  gotcha.  I totally misread your tone...   Sorry if I was snarky.


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## bugtussle (Jan 20, 2015)

I do use the "Heat & Hold," but what about the FO added at cooldown?  Can that contaminate the lotion?


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## seven (Jan 21, 2015)

yes. i heat and hold. i cleaned and sprayed with alcohol each utensil, but still who knows what's still there. 

about the FO/EO, i think that's when preservative comes into play. if you heat and hold, at least the FO went into a clean environment (less job for the preservative). please cmiiw.


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## bugtussle (Jan 21, 2015)

Seven, I think you are probably correct.  I asked on another forum about the condensation on newly made and poured lotion.  How could the condensation contaminate the preserved product.  Isn't this the same thing as FO/EO?


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## Aline (Jan 21, 2015)

bugtussle said:


> I do use the "Heat & Hold," but what about the FO added at cooldown?  Can that contaminate the lotion?



I don't believe microbes can grow in FOs or EOs


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## Lindy (Jan 22, 2015)

bugtussle said:


> Seven, I think you are probably correct. I asked on another forum about the condensation on newly made and poured lotion. How could the condensation contaminate the preserved product. Isn't this the same thing as FO/EO?


 
The problem with condensation is that the preservative doesn't migrate with the condensed water so it now carries mold and bacteria cells.  I've seen this happen and it's not pretty.  My best advice is to leave the bottle open until it is fully cooled before putting your lids on.


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## lsg (Jan 22, 2015)

Lindy is correct, to prevent condensation do not apply closures to the containers until the mixture reaches room temp.  I cover my containers with paper towels until I am sure the lotion has reached room temp.


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## Dahila (Jan 22, 2015)

I use two seperate pots with water bath for heat and hold,  oil is easier to control, it keeps steady the temps but water is another story No lotion went bad so far.  Some is like 2 years old


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## Dahila (Jan 26, 2015)

when I am done with lotion , I leave it on my table in the beaker, covered with paper towel so no dust goes there.   More or less 14 hours then I put it in the container to the fridge but no closing it.  For another few hours.   It solves the problem with condensation.
BTW I wonder what you guys think about my spelling  English is my second language ............


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## shunt2011 (Jan 26, 2015)

Dahila said:


> when I am done with lotion , I leave it on my table in the beaker, covered with paper towel so no dust goes there. More or less 14 hours then I put it in the container to the fridge but no closing it. For another few hours. It solves the problem with condensation.
> BTW I wonder what you guys think about my spelling  English is my second language ............


 
Your spelling is stellar!   Better than some whose first language is English.


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## Lindy (Jan 26, 2015)

Dahlia you do quite well.


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## maya (Jan 27, 2015)

PuddinAndPeanuts said:


> Ah-  gotcha.  I totally misread your tone...   Sorry if I was snarky.



 I apologize for making you feel bad or made fun of.  Or if I came across like a xenophobe or a bully.


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## DeeAnna (Jan 27, 2015)

Heat and hold not only sanitizes the ingredients, but it also prepares the emulsifier to do the most efficient job of emulsifying the lotion. There's some neat chemistry going on with the heat and hold step. 

As far as ingredients that cannot tolerate the heat and hold step, such as preservative, fragrance, some humectants, etc. These ingredients are usually included as a small %, compared to the water, emulsifier, thickener, and fats. That means they are less likely to be a source of major contamination. You are counting on your preservative to overcome any microbial contamination in those ingredients. Since these ingredients are usually added in small quantities, that's a pretty safe risk to take.


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## momma_mayham (Feb 4, 2015)

A question for the members who heat and hold in the oven. How do you do it exactly? Just chuck it in, as is, or put the containers on a baking sheet? I just started making lotions! Totally addicted! 
I've used the stovetop (double boiler) and my crockpot, but the crockpot doesn't get hot enough. Well it's about 10 degrees to cool. Thanks guys!


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## DeeAnna (Feb 4, 2015)

Preheat the oven. Fill a suitable sized pan with about 1 inch of water. Preheat this water bath to temperature, either in the oven or on the stovetop. 

Heat all ingredients to temperature in the hot water bath or -- much faster -- use the microwave. When the ingredients are up to temperature, put the containers in the water bath, if needed, and start timing the holding period. 

It's not any easier or simpler than doing a water bath on the stovetop or crockpot, just that you're using the oven to maintain heat. I wouldn't bother using the oven for small quantities, but it makes sense for larger amounts.


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## momma_mayham (Feb 4, 2015)

Thanks DeAnne! I didn't even think about the water bath for the oven. Your awesome!


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## DeeAnna (Feb 4, 2015)

The water bath will help keep your lotion ingredients at a more even, reasonable temperature just like using a water bath on the stove. The oven burner going on and off can make the air temp go up and down quite a bit, so the water bath protects your ingredients from those wide swings. 

Glad to help!


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## Lindy (Feb 4, 2015)

SwiftCraftyMonkey (Susan Barclay-Nichols) does not recommend using the microwave to melt your ingredients but rather to do it stove-top.  Once it's melted you can go into the oven.


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## DeeAnna (Feb 4, 2015)

I agree she doesn't recommend using the microwave for the hold phase, but I can't find anywhere that she absolutely cautions against using a microwave for initial heating.

I will agree it can be easy to overheat ingredients in the microwave, but with care, I don't see the harm in taking advantage of the microwave's speed when it is reasonable to do so. I routinely bring my water phase up to temperature in the microwave while I'm heating my (much smaller) oil phase in a hot water bath. When the water phase is up to temp, it goes in the water bath too. 

"...We can't use a microwave to heat and hold our ingredients: We can heat, but we can't hold!..."
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-do-you-want-to-know-how-can-we.html

"... I suggest using a double boiler instead of the microwave. You have better control over the temperature of your ingredients - you can test the temperature regularly with a candy thermometer - and you can increase or decrease the water temperature as you wish...."
http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2011/01/heating-and-holding-are-your-products.html


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## Lindy (Feb 5, 2015)

DeeAnna said:


> ...SNIP
> 
> "... I suggest using a double boiler instead of the microwave. You have better control over the temperature of your ingredients - you can test the temperature regularly with a candy thermometer - and you can increase or decrease the water temperature as you wish...."
> http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2011/01/heating-and-holding-are-your-products.html


 
That is the one I saw....


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## Ella75 (Feb 17, 2018)

Lindy said:


> Heat and hold is necessary for 2 reasons.  One it tempers the oils & butters plus it also sterilizes the ingredients.  This gives your preservative the best chance of holding your lotion.



So what do you think of this:
https://formulabotanica.com/6-reasons-why-the-heat-and-hold-method-is-a-myth/


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## Zany_in_CO (Mar 11, 2018)

Ella75 said:


> So what do you think of this:
> https://formulabotanica.com/6-reasons-why-the-heat-and-hold-method-is-a-myth/


I recently came across that article too, I also do heat & hold and would like to know what others think.

Anyone?


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## homesteaders (Apr 6, 2018)

Zany_in_CO said:


> I recently came across that article too, I also do heat & hold and would like to know what others think.
> 
> Anyone?



Is this thread too old for another reply? I used to always heat and hold, but after seeing that article about a month ago I stopped. Too soon to know. Do any of you use the microbial test kit from Lotioncrafter http://www.lotioncrafter.com/microbial-test-kit-lotioncrafter.html ? They are out of stock now, but I am thinking about ordering some when they are back. Just wondering what people who have used them think about them, and if anyone has compared results from lotions with and without heat and hold. Maybe this should be a new thread. ???


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## Relle (Apr 7, 2018)

Please start a new thread, re this conversation.


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