Alright, help a newb please!

[Mockingbird Ramble]

I have been making soap for a few months now (I think I am up to 15 small batches) and I just bought some shea and avacado butters as well as some beeswax and lanolin to make some lotion bars.

My question is there specific percentages that I need to follow like in cold process or it is more free form?

What are some must knows about working with the butters? If I go over x% will the bar be to soft and things like that.

Also fragrance, can I add it is it the same PPO as cp?

 

[AngelMomma]

Shea butter is high in stearic acid so it will add hardness to your bar.

 

[pamielynn]

I can tell you what "I" do - about 20% beeswax, 25 percent "soft butters", 15% "hard oils", 40% liquid oils. I keep lanolin at 5% in my "soft butter" category.

 

[dcornett]

My question is there specific percentages that I need to follow like in cold process or it is more free form?

What are some must knows about working with the butters? If I go over x% will the bar be to soft and things like that.

Also fragrance, can I add it is it the same PPO as cp?

You won't have to be as specific as with the soap, by any means. But to get the right "hardness/softness" you might want to follow a general rule of thumb. I do 1 part oils, 1 part butters and 1 part wax with just a little modification because I use candelilla wax, and it is much harder than beeswax. So depending on what you use, you may have to just do some trial and error type testing to get a lotion bar you love. but experimenting is part of the fun. ;-)