Lotion bar questions

[shunt2011]

I use IPM in my lotion bars and whipped butters and it make a big difference. I didn't like arrowroot, or tapioca starch as I thought it felt grainy to me.

 

[seven]

thanks for the suggestion on IPM. i do have some lying around, and def going to try it.. i'm also going to eliminate the shea, and replace it with mango only.

 

[lillybella]

Candelilla Wax & Carnauba Wax

Hi :razz:

I make my lotion bars with Mango Butter & Candelilla Wax.

I notice that Candelilla Wax usually is not used alone, but Carnauba Wax is added.

Does anyone know why the Carnauba Wax is added?

What's the advantage?

Thanks,
Lily

 

[lillybella]

What is IPM?

 

[new12soap]

isopropyl myristate

and here is some info:

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/06/better-crafting-through-chemistry_26.html

 

[lillybella]

Thank you, New!

Can anyone answer this for me?

*********************************

I make my lotion bars with Mango Butter & Candelilla Wax.

I notice that Candelilla Wax usually is not used alone, but Carnauba Wax is added.

Does anyone know why the Carnauba Wax is added?

What's the advantage?

Thanks,
Lily

 

[kmarvel]

I use IPM in my lotion bars and whipped butters and it make a big difference. I didn't like arrowroot, or tapioca starch as I thought it felt grainy to me.

IPM does well in your lotion bars? I tried the cornstarch but I think it was too drying. Right now with the weather cooling off I am going to hold off and just use the beeswax, avocado oil and mango butter. But probably start using the IPM come Spring.

 

[cmzaha]

I use IPM in all lotion bars and lip balm

 

[kmarvel]

I use IPM in all lotion bars and lip balm

Different question. I have one 1.5 oz silicone mold that has 6 round molds on it. Has anyone added maybe 5 or 6 drops of EO or FO per mold to make 6 different scents??

 

[shunt2011]

You could do that. Just don't exceed the recommended amount. I make batches and then just make 3-4 of each but never made just 1 of several different scents.

 

[kmarvel]

You could do that. Just don't exceed the recommended amount. I make batches and then just make 3-4 of each but never made just 1 of several different scents.

What is the recommended amount????

 

[new12soap]

lillybella, carnauba wax is very hard, very glossy, and rather pricey. I think most of the time it is the carnauba that is being supplemented with candelilla, not the other way around. You can add carnauba if you want more shine, like a lipstick, but it isn't necessary.

kmarvel, the recommended usage amount is going to be different for every FO and EO. Some are safe at 5% and above, others should not be used at a rate of more than 0.5%, or one-tenth as much. Yes, you can use a tiny amount of fragrance in individual cavity molds. If the single mold holds 3oz of soap or about 84g, you could use up to 4.2 grams of a 5% fragrance oil. But you will need to look up the safe usage rates (or contact your supplier to get them) for each scent you want to test and calculate each one.

 

[lillybella]

Lotion Bar

Thank you, New12Soap :razz:

 

[kmarvel]

lillybella, carnauba wax is very hard, very glossy, and rather pricey. I think most of the time it is the carnauba that is being supplemented with candelilla, not the other way around. You can add carnauba if you want more shine, like a lipstick, but it isn't necessary.

kmarvel, the recommended usage amount is going to be different for every FO and EO. Some are safe at 5% and above, others should not be used at a rate of more than 0.5%, or one-tenth as much. Yes, you can use a tiny amount of fragrance in individual cavity molds. If the single mold holds 3oz of soap or about 84g, you could use up to 4.2 grams of a 5% fragrance oil. But you will need to look up the safe usage rates (or contact your supplier to get them) for each scent you want to test and calculate each one.

Thanks . Sounds too dicey to play with individual FO's per bar. I did find a fragrance calculator on the MMS site which is pretty helpful.

 

[new12soap]

Oops, my fault! I was thinking soap, and you are talking about lotion bars. Fragrance for a leave on product is almost always going to be lower, usually around 1-2%.

I don't think it's particularly dicey, it's a great way to test your scents. Line up your FO's and EO's, I would put them on a sheet of paper with the amount I am going to use written down right in front of each bottle, and a handful of pipettes right there.

Either way, whether you do a bunch of test bars at once, or wait and use fragrance later, you still want to check the rates for each specific fragrance or EO. I believe it is category 4 for leave on products such as lotions and lotion bars.

HTH

 

[kmarvel]

Oops, my fault! I was thinking soap, and you are talking about lotion bars. Fragrance for a leave on product is almost always going to be lower, usually around 1-2%.

I don't think it's particularly dicey, it's a great way to test your scents. Line up your FO's and EO's, I would put them on a sheet of paper with the amount I am going to use written down right in front of each bottle, and a handful of pipettes right there.

Either way, whether you do a bunch of test bars at once, or wait and use fragrance later, you still want to check the rates for each specific fragrance or EO. I believe it is category 4 for leave on products such as lotions and lotion bars.

HTH

I was going to make 6 bars with 6 different scents. For a 12 oz batch I used 25 drops of a FO.

Now I use about 9 oz a batch and have no idea what 1% is of 9 oz. Math dummy here. lol

 

[new12soap]

Well, I like to work in grams, but ounces work too. The problem is I have NO idea how many drops are in a gram (or an ounce).

As for the math, it's just about moving the decimal over. If you are starting with 9 ounces, then 0.9 oz is 10%, and 0.09 ounces is 1%.

Grab a calculator, enter the amount (in this case 9) then x (multiply) then put in whatever your percentage is that you are looking for (in this case, 1), then find the % key (that part is important!) and press that, then = and it will tell you what you need to know.

Example: Let's say I am making 250g of lotion and I want a heavy fragrance at 1.5% (and I know my FO is safe at that amount), I would grab my calculator or in my case my phone and enter this:

250 x 1.5% = 3.75 so I know I need 3.75g of fragrance for that batch.

Let's do one for soap, I am making a 2 lb batch oil weight, so that's 32oz, and I want to use 5% fragrance oil, that looks like this:

32 x 5% = 1.6 ounces of fragrance

The answer is whatever unit you used, and the % key on the calculator moves the decimal for you. The display WILL CHANGE when you push that % key, it is supposed to do that, so don't panic!

Here is a harder one, some EO is only skin safe at 0.5%, and in lotions some preservatives are used at 0.1-0.5%, so you do the same thing. For that 2lb batch of soap, it's:

32 x 0.5 % = 0.16 ounces of EO.

Easy Peasy!

HTH

 

[cmzaha]

15 drops to a 1 gram or 1 milliliter

 

[lillybella]

Preservative in Spray

I mix Lavender with distilled water to use as a spray. It does not come in contact with other water.

Do I need to use a preservative in this?

 

[kmarvel]

Well, I like to work in grams, but ounces work too. The problem is I have NO idea how many drops are in a gram (or an ounce).

As for the math, it's just about moving the decimal over. If you are starting with 9 ounces, then 0.9 oz is 10%, and 0.09 ounces is 1%.

Grab a calculator, enter the amount (in this case 9) then x (multiply) then put in whatever your percentage is that you are looking for (in this case, 1), then find the % key (that part is important!) and press that, then = and it will tell you what you need to know.

Example: Let's say I am making 250g of lotion and I want a heavy fragrance at 1.5% (and I know my FO is safe at that amount), I would grab my calculator or in my case my phone and enter this:

250 x 1.5% = 3.75 so I know I need 3.75g of fragrance for that batch.

Let's do one for soap, I am making a 2 lb batch oil weight, so that's 32oz, and I want to use 5% fragrance oil, that looks like this:

32 x 5% = 1.6 ounces of fragrance

The answer is whatever unit you used, and the % key on the calculator moves the decimal for you. The display WILL CHANGE when you push that % key, it is supposed to do that, so don't panic!

Here is a harder one, some EO is only skin safe at 0.5%, and in lotions some preservatives are used at 0.1-0.5%, so you do the same thing. For that 2lb batch of soap, it's:

32 x 0.5 % = 0.16 ounces of EO.

Easy Peasy!

HTH

I love it when people understand math, write it out for you (of which I deeply appreciate) and then end the quote with "easy peasy". For some of us, it definitely is not. :sad: