Ok. If you say it works, I'll try it. I'm waiting on my emulsifying wax to get here and then I'll give it a go. I ordered INCI: cetearyl alcohol & ceteareth-20 instead of emulsifying wax NF after reading up on all the different emulsifiers on HB&M. Hope I picked right.
Help me make my first lotion
- Thread starter Servant4Christ
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I use FCO in my lotions more often than regular CO, just because my skin likes it better.
Please let us know how you like that emulsifier combo after you try it.
I haven't had any trouble using E-wax NF, although I notice that some of them melt more easily than others, depending on the supplier.
Please let us know how you like that emulsifier combo after you try it.
I haven't had any trouble using E-wax NF, although I notice that some of them melt more easily than others, depending on the supplier.
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What xanthan gum would you recommend? I'm guessing soft, but it's out of stock at lotion crafter and processing speed looks slow everywhere else. Lol. Is there a xanthan gum I can buy locally or on Amazon that would work? I see Lorann brand at Michaels (local) and Perfected Xanthan by Modernist Pantry at Amazon.
I got mine at a local health food store. I even saw it at a local bulk food store last time I was there.
I also use the regular xanthan gum from the grocery store or from Amazon. So far, so good.
I use Ewax NF quite often because it is very stable with either thick or thin lotions. Always check that your choice of preservative is safe to use with your choice of ingredients, especially emulsifiers and additives. Here is a good website to research Preservative Reviews -
I think I'm overthinking again. Lol. I used to keep xanthan gum on hand for gluten free baking, but I keep reading that it needs to be cosmetic grade and then there's clear vs soft.... I really gotta stop going down every rabbit trail or I'll never actually make a thing! Similarly, I read about all the nuances of cp soapmaking for more than a decade before actually making soap and I learned at least 20 times more inside of 6 months of actually making soap than all those years of just reading about it.
I'm just going to buy food grade xanthan gum locally and give it a whirl.
I look at it this way... generally speaking, if it's safe to put IN your body, then it's safe to put ON your body. The reverse isn't always true.
Today I bought some xanthan gum and MCT/fractionated coconut oil in addition to other items I needed to restock for my soaps. As I browsed the shelves, I realized that most lotions I've used/liked have fractionated coconut in them instead of regular, which is why I grabbed it. I already know not to put raw coconut on my own skin or I break out so I hope this works well with the shea that I already have on order. I really don't want my first attempt to go grainy. Also, I changed my emulsifier to emulsifying wax NF because I realized that the cetearyl alcohol/ ceteareth-20 I originally ordered would've shipped from the UK! Whoops!
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@Misschief @AliOop I probably should've mentioned sooner: I actually have DIY B&B's lotion concentrate recipe but after a miserable past experience with one of her other recipes, I hadn't even considered trying it until now. If I were to make the concentrate using e-wax NF and MCT/fractionated coconut, what recommendations do you have for my first actual lotion? I am thinking the honey and oat recipe (unscented) to try on myself and if all goes well, I can gift some at Christmas to a couple friends with dry skin/eczema. Do you use/like the honey and oat recipe as written or do you change any of the amounts or additives?
Oh, and as an aside, have you ever tried this with BTMS-50 as the emulsifier? I know, I am ever the curious one.
Oh, and as an aside, have you ever tried this with BTMS-50 as the emulsifier? I know, I am ever the curious one.
I started with the Basic lotion recipe - it so easy, and has a minimum number of ingredients. It's a great place for a beginner to start. That being said, I do like the honey & oat recipe, too, and it's not complicated. Once you've made the base, making any of the other formulas is pretty simple.
Alright, I'm rubbing my hands together and waiting on my shea and e-wax to arrive and then I'll give it a try. I'll have to settle for making more soap until then 
Yay, can't wait to see how it turns out for you!
Edit: just realized I never answered your question about using BTMS-50 as the emulsifier. I haven’t tried that, mostly bc it is pricier and bc I have an embarrassingly large supply of e-wax.
Some was due to over-ordering, and some was acquired over time via purchases of local destashes that included e-wax with other things that were the primary reason for the purchases.
Edit: just realized I never answered your question about using BTMS-50 as the emulsifier. I haven’t tried that, mostly bc it is pricier and bc I have an embarrassingly large supply of e-wax.
Some was due to over-ordering, and some was acquired over time via purchases of local destashes that included e-wax with other things that were the primary reason for the purchases.
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I haven't used BTMS-50 as my emulsifier as, I too, have several other e-waxes, including e-wax NF. Apart from that, I make the base as written. You can use the MCT/FCO as part of your additives but I would make the base as written.
The Oatmeal and Honey lotion is one of my best sellers. I scent it with Oatmeal Milk & Honey FO.
Aw man! I purposely bought the MCT to use in the base because the raw coconut's comedogenic rating is higher. Oh well, it'll get used one way or other. After all, HB&M has a super easy non greasy lotion recipe that uses MCT as it's only oil.
Do you mind me asking which OMH FO you use? Seems there's a million of them out there.
In my base recipe, I use FCO instead CO, and mango instead of shea. So far, so good.
The OMH I use is from Voyageur
Good to know!
It's been about 36hrs since I made lotion from the DIY B&B concentrate and I can see it's finally getting a bit thicker. Thank goodness! It looked more like body milk all day yesterday.
Question: Will the chemically smell from the Optiphen Plus go away or lessen at some point or is it here to stay? I prefer unscented lotion and really don't care for that school glue type smell.
Question: Will the chemically smell from the Optiphen Plus go away or lessen at some point or is it here to stay? I prefer unscented lotion and really don't care for that school glue type smell.
Mine is usually fully-thickened in 24 hours. I'll have to check my notes to see how much water I use.
I honestly don't smell the Optiphen at all, even in my unscented batches. But everyone's smeller is different, so maybe someone else who can smell it will be able to chime in here. If it doesn't go away in time, you could try a very tiny amount, like .5%, of a scent that you can tolerate. I typically use 1%, and can only smell it right when I put it on. Within minutes, I no longer smell anything. But since my smeller apparently isn't as strong as yours, I don't know if that will work for you.
I honestly don't smell the Optiphen at all, even in my unscented batches. But everyone's smeller is different, so maybe someone else who can smell it will be able to chime in here. If it doesn't go away in time, you could try a very tiny amount, like .5%, of a scent that you can tolerate. I typically use 1%, and can only smell it right when I put it on. Within minutes, I no longer smell anything. But since my smeller apparently isn't as strong as yours, I don't know if that will work for you.
