Just starting B&B formulation

[Cellador]

Hi everyone!
Since I started making soap, I've also started looking into formulating some other oily products such as body butters and body oils. Of course, now I'm getting interested in other products containing emulsifiers and preservatives (lotions, body scrubs, etc.).

I bought some traditional E-wax on sale and some phenonip, and I made some decent lotion. Reading on SCM, I now realize that the polysorbate 60 component of E-Wax probably shouldn't be used with phenonip, although I see all sorts of recipes that use those products together.

So, I guess my question is...where am I supposed to start? LOL :-?

Should I start with a type of emulsifier and choose a preservative based on that? Or is there a place that really has tried and true, wouldn't-lie-to-you recipes (I see SCM mentioned here a lot)? Should I pick two ingredients that "go" together and get comfortable with the process before I worry about different formulation ideas?

Thanks in advance for your help. My brain is overwhelmed.

 

[jewels621]

Following......I so get that "brain overwhelmed" thing!

 

[lsg]

The best thing to do is to read the information that goes along with the product before buying. I also look at the sample formulas that use these products. Here is one of my favorite suppliers:

http://www.theherbarie.com/Emulsifiers/

 

[DeeAnna]

There's lots of advice and recipes on the 'net that are terrible. There's no B&B police out there to stop bad advice and weed out crappy recipes.

"...Should I start with a type of emulsifier and choose a preservative based on that?..."

Yes. Pick an emulsifier and pick a preservative and pick a thickener. Or a couple of each. Read all the manufacturer info provided by your supplier (lsg's advice is spot on!) Print out or save a copy for future reference. Learn to use these ingredients properly. Don't get carried away with a lot of additives at first -- just get the basics down and get a sense of what you like and don't like on your skin. Then gradually branch out into using a few additives -- humectants, silicones, neutraceuticals, and many others.

SCM is the best place to start for info and recipes. Not to say Susan is always right, but she's right far, far more often than she's wrong. Making Skincare is another, but it has a different focus and I find it less helpful for general info. I'm sure there are other reputable resources, but SCM is the first place I go to.

 

[dixiedragon]

I started with recipes from Soap Queen. I think it's a good place to start because they want you to succeed (so you will buy more stuff!) OTOH, since their goal is to sell stuff, they often put in fancy ingredients to encourage you to buy them. But I do like the fact that she makes and tests and recipes and often provides a video. That has worked pretty well for me so far. I started off with the basic gift lotion recipe, then gradually tried a few new things one at a time, after reading up here and on SCM.

 

[DeeAnna]

Here's a simple lotion recipe. Choose one liquid fat and one solid fat for the recipe. Use fats out of your soaping cabinet to get started. To decide what to use, put a dab of each fat on your skin and rub it in. Does it feel nice to your fingers and skin at first? Does it spread easily? Do you like the smell? Do you like the skin feel after a few minutes?

Keep in mind that the firmer the solid fat and the higher its melting point, the thicker the finished lotion will be, all other things being equal. For example, coconut oil or shea butter will make a thinner lotion than cocoa butter or tallow.

You can get away with using a small amount of a fat that doesn't have a good skin feel, but is desirable for its other benefits. For example, I like rosehip seed oil for my face and hands, but it's heavy and greasy in large amounts. I just choose my other fat(s) to be lighter feeling and more absorbent to offset the greasiness of the rosehip seed oil. But for a first lotion or three, don't get too exotic.

So getting back to the basic lotion ...

Liquid fat 9% (possibilities: sweet almond, avocado, castor, coconut oil, jojoba, meadowfoam, olive, rice bran oil, sunflower)
Solid fat 6% (possibilities: babassu, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lard, mango butter, palm oil, shea butter, tallow)
Emulsifier 3.5% (possibilities: e-wax or conditioning emulsifier. I use either one)
Thickener 2.0% (possibilities: cetyl alcohol or stearic acid. I prefer cetyl, but either is fine)
Preservative 0.5% or as required (I use Liquid Germall Plus)
Fragrance 1% to 3% (err on the side of too little scent, rather than too much!)
Distilled water -- Sufficient to make the total equal to 100%

I also like Anne Watson's book Smart Lotionmaking. Very reasonably priced and is available as in softcover and e-book formats. She explains the process of making lotion thoroughly and offers some decent recipes. This book will get you started in a sensible, low key way.

 

[Cellador]

I also like Anne Watson's book Smart Lotionmaking. Very reasonably priced and is available as in softcover and e-book formats. She explains the process of making lotion thoroughly and offers some decent recipes. This book will get you started in a sensible, low key way.

I actually just finished Smart Lotionmaking, and I really felt liked it helped to explain quite a bit.

I also found the preservative comparison chart on SMC, so I will keep that handy next time I'm looking into making a recipe. To be honest, I didn't realize until the other day that all E-waxes were not the same...Now that I know, I think I'm on the right path.

Thanks, everyone! Y'all are the best, as usual!