Lotion bar recipe request.

[Savage Daughter]

@Zing do you ever use colorants in your bars?

Also not Zing and still a new member, but I do have a lot of experience in this area - infusing herbs / roots / flowers / leafy bits / barks / woods - into base oils for salves, soaps, what-have-you.

There's no reason you couldn't heat or cold infuse natural colorants like turmeric or whatever else you'd like to try into one of your lotion bar base oils. Simply strain it through a *very* fine strainer - and even a coffee filter after first running it through a sieve - before adding to your formulation to avoid any graininess / scratchiness in your finished product. Massage some into your skin before adding it to your formulation to be sure. There are some very interesting online shops selling ONLY natural colorants for the purpose of fabric & wool dying. They carry a wide variety of amazing botanicals from all over the world which can also be used for soap making, dying wood & all sorts of other stuff. Pretty cool

I actually intend on doing this myself in the near future - for lotion bars or whipped butters, which is a new way for me to use infused oils - as I use only natural colorants, no micas & no lake colorants, no titanium dioxide etc. Bought a pile of botanicals - woods / leaves / roots / flowers - which were new to me with the intent of using them in soap, but am going to experiment with them in other products as well. Just be sure to do your research on each botanical - not via the FDA / the Canadian branch as they have scant info regarding this subject. Find out if they have any traditional uses in different cultures. THEN go & check if it's a restricted ingredient. You'll learn far more this way Be sure to test it the end product on yourself as well for at least a couple of weeks & have friends AND family members do the same. That way you can tell if it truly is a 'sensitizer', as some botanicals are erroneously labeled. If 9 out of 10 people can use it without issue, or 10 out of 10, or even more, that's a pretty good indication that it will be fine to use. This is one of the reasons I hand out samples in my area to get feedback from random people before finalizing a formulation.

Good luck

 

[BWt]

Also not Zing and still a new member, but I do have a lot of experience in this area - infusing herbs / roots / flowers / leafy bits / barks / woods - into base oils for salves, soaps, what-have-you.

There's no reason you couldn't heat or cold infuse natural colorants like turmeric or whatever else you'd like to try into one of your lotion bar base oils. Simply strain it through a *very* fine strainer - and even a coffee filter after first running it through a sieve - before adding to your formulation to avoid any graininess / scratchiness in your finished product. Massage some into your skin before adding it to your formulation to be sure. There are some very interesting online shops selling ONLY natural colorants for the purpose of fabric & wool dying. They carry a wide variety of amazing botanicals from all over the world which can also be used for soap making, dying wood & all sorts of other stuff. Pretty cool

I actually intend on doing this myself in the near future - for lotion bars or whipped butters, which is a new way for me to use infused oils - as I use only natural colorants, no micas & no lake colorants, no titanium dioxide etc. Bought a pile of botanicals - woods / leaves / roots / flowers - which were new to me with the intent of using them in soap, but am going to experiment with them in other products as well. Just be sure to do your research on each botanical - not via the FDA / the Canadian branch as they have scant info regarding this subject. Find out if they have any traditional uses in different cultures. THEN go & check if it's a restricted ingredient. You'll learn far more this way Be sure to test it the end product on yourself as well for at least a couple of weeks & have friends AND family members do the same. That way you can tell if it truly is a 'sensitizer', as some botanicals are erroneously labeled. If 9 out of 10 people can use it without issue, or 10 out of 10, or even more, that's a pretty good indication that it will be fine to use. This is one of the reasons I hand out samples in my area to get feedback from random people before finalizing a formulation.

Good luck

Love your suggestions. Have been adding plantain infused grapeseed oil to lotion bars. The tint is lovely and the plantain is good for skin. Also do arnica infusions for my arthritic shoulders. Feedback on arnica has been very good. Plaintain feedback not in yet.

 

[Kiti Williams]

This is one of the reasons I hand out samples in my area to get feedback from random people before finalizing a formulation.

I also hand out small samples to friends and co-workers, these are my "mice" for research purposes!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Late to the party, but just a note on my experience.
1) Don't like to use Shea butter in balms, because even when I temper the balm mixture, it still gets grainy later, especially if the balm should be kept in volatile temperatures.
2) I like coconut oil in lip balms as it is slow in absorbing and acts as a barrier. Since I started making my own lip balms with only beeswax and coconut oil, my lips no longer crack in the winter. (And believe me I used to use tons of OTC chap sticks prior to this and still had trouble with cracked lips in the winter.) I also use coconut oil in my foot balms as it is supposed to have some antifungal properties and I figure that it may be of value. But I don't make any claims that it is antifungal as I don't have a way to test it to get the statement approved by the FDA.
3) I liked all the ideas above on infusions. I do infuse almond oil with calendula and use it in many of my balms. Again, i don't make any claims, but it gives me pleasure to know that the healing properties of calendula are in the product. When I have time to experiment I want to try other herbs. I do wonder, though, if adding color will leave that color on your skin?
4) I do use a few herbs in some of my soaps, such as crushed yarrow and olive leaf powder, but don't make any healing/medicinal claims as I truly don't know if the properties carry through once it is soap. Even if the properties carry through, I don't know if soap is on the skin long enough for it to make any impact, but still fun to do. I figure it can't hurt, and may help. And then of course, there is the testing issue, so wouldn't make any claims, anyway.

Have fun and let us know how it goes.

 

[Savage Daughter]

Love your suggestions. Have been adding plantain infused grapeseed oil to lotion bars. The tint is lovely and the plantain is good for skin. Also do arnica infusions for my arthritic shoulders. Feedback on arnica has been very good. Plaintain feedback not in yet.

Plantain is an amazing healer. Both broadleaf & narrow leaf. I harvest it every year. It goes into a lot of my medicinal salves, mixed with other wild herbs I use as well, dependent on the issue a person is having. Plantain is excellent for those dealing with eczema, psoriasis, cuts & scrapes etc. This is something I will be adding to lotion bars, without a doubt.

Arnica is an incredible healer as well. Very powerful. I intend on doing lotion bars which do more than moisturize the skin, actually. One specifically for arthritis.

Yarrow, dandelion, wild daisies, pearly everlasting, burdock, comfrey, lots of lichens I use in my area too. Usnea & lungwort are amazing. They're literally falling from the trees every time we have a windstorm, so I'm out there with my bags, my folding saw, knives etc, harvesting what nature provides us with

I custom make a lot of salves for people dealing with chronic pain & other issues which doctors have no answers for, and I don't shy away from informing people regarding the healing properties of plants. This is something I have been doing my entire life, being taught by my grandmother who raised me, and am well aware of what the healing properties of plants are. I have a great deal of reverence & respect for plant medicine.

That being said, I like to test things on myself before recommending something. I also have a large library of books based on traditional herbalism & am always doing additional research & product development.

I intend on experimenting with all of the above in lotion bars this year & recording the color & healing results I observe & experience from each plant / lichen / bark / root.

 

[BWt]

Plantain is an amazing healer. Both broadleaf & narrow leaf. I harvest it every year. It goes into a lot of my medicinal salves, mixed with other wild herbs I use as well, dependent on the issue a person is having. Plantain is excellent for those dealing with eczema, psoriasis, cuts & scrapes etc. This is something I will be adding to lotion bars, without a doubt.

Arnica is an incredible healer as well. Very powerful. I intend on doing lotion bars which do more than moisturize the skin, actually. One specifically for arthritis.

Yarrow, dandelion, wild daisies, pearly everlasting, burdock, comfrey, lots of lichens I use in my area too. Usnea & lungwort are amazing. They're literally falling from the trees every time we have a windstorm, so I'm out there with my bags, my folding saw, knives etc, harvesting what nature provides us with

I custom make a lot of salves for people dealing with chronic pain & other issues which doctors have no answers for, and I don't shy away from informing people regarding the healing properties of plants. This is something I have been doing my entire life, being taught by my grandmother who raised me, and am well aware of what the healing properties of plants are. I have a great deal of reverence & respect for plant medicine.

That being said, I like to test things on myself before recommending something. I also have a large library of books based on traditional herbalism & am always doing additional research & product development.

I intend on experimenting with all of the above in lotion bars this year & recording the color & healing results I observe & experience from each plant / lichen / bark / root.

You have been very blessed and put a lot of hard work into learning a craft I have only just begun to learn. Am living in the city however always trying to make time for being in the woods to learn plants and herbs. Have found both types of plantain in the area. I also use and test everything I make. Have recently been adding hemp essential oil to a balm. It’s cannabis sativa and a few drops goes a very long way. Found it at Edenbotanicals. Currently reading and learning as much as I can. Whose book would you recommend for a beginning herbalist? Thank you @QuasiQuadrant

 

[Zing]

Plantain is an amazing healer. Both broadleaf & narrow leaf. I harvest it every year. It goes into a lot of my medicinal salves, mixed with other wild herbs I use as well, dependent on the issue a person is having. Plantain is excellent for those dealing with eczema, psoriasis, cuts & scrapes etc. This is something I will be adding to lotion bars, without a doubt.

Arnica is an incredible healer as well. Very powerful. I intend on doing lotion bars which do more than moisturize the skin, actually. One specifically for arthritis.

Yarrow, dandelion, wild daisies, pearly everlasting, burdock, comfrey, lots of lichens I use in my area too. Usnea & lungwort are amazing. They're literally falling from the trees every time we have a windstorm, so I'm out there with my bags, my folding saw, knives etc, harvesting what nature provides us with

I custom make a lot of salves for people dealing with chronic pain & other issues which doctors have no answers for, and I don't shy away from informing people regarding the healing properties of plants. This is something I have been doing my entire life, being taught by my grandmother who raised me, and am well aware of what the healing properties of plants are. I have a great deal of reverence & respect for plant medicine.

That being said, I like to test things on myself before recommending something. I also have a large library of books based on traditional herbalism & am always doing additional research & product development.

I intend on experimenting with all of the above in lotion bars this year & recording the color & healing results I observe & experience from each plant / lichen / bark / root.

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I can't help but plug a lifechanging book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who writes from both her Indigenous (Potawatomi) and scientific perspectives about learning from our plant friends. For decades I detested plantain in my yard and regularly cursed it. After reading this book, I have decided to let it grow and am intrigued about using it for medicinal purposes.
Seriously, this book completely changed how I experience nature -- even in a city -- and most essays left me weeping.

 

[BWt]

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I can't help but plug a lifechanging book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who writes from both her Indigenous (Potawatomi) and scientific perspectives about learning from our plant friends. For decades I detested plantain in my yard and regularly cursed it. After reading this book, I have decided to let it grow and am intrigued about using it for medicinal purposes.
Seriously, this book completely changed how I experience nature -- even in a city -- and most essays left me weeping.

Thank you @Zing Have Braiding Sweetgrass on a digital library hold and looking forward to reading it. Plantain dries easily and infuses beautifully into grapeseed oil. Marvelous in lotion bars both as ingredient and color.

 

[Savage Daughter]

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I can't help but plug a lifechanging book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who writes from both her Indigenous (Potawatomi) and scientific perspectives about learning from our plant friends. For decades I detested plantain in my yard and regularly cursed it. After reading this book, I have decided to let it grow and am intrigued about using it for medicinal purposes.
Seriously, this book completely changed how I experience nature -- even in a city -- and most essays left me weeping.

Oh yes, very good book! I highly recommend older herbal books especially, which are sometimes out of print, as far back as the 1800s, sometimes even further back. Hit up the used book stores! There is so much knowledge regarding healing plants which we can incorporate into our products, including lotion bars. Natural colorants in lotion bars are just the tip of the iceberg

FYI this is how I learned, and how all the women in my family learned about healing plants, from generation to generation, much like American Indian & First Nations shamans, medicine women & healers. Generational healers are worth their weight in gold as they have a wealth of knowledge & experience, which is often scoffed at.

I am very much looking forward to my own lotion bar experiments, I must say! My kokum butter & cupuacu just came in last week. Just waiting on my molds for this purpose. The herbal colorants will react so much differently in lotion bars than in cold process soap, which is really exciting. For me, anyways LOL

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I am sorry to hijack this thread but I can't help but plug a lifechanging book called Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer who writes from both her Indigenous (Potawatomi) and scientific perspectives about learning from our plant friends. For decades I detested plantain in my yard and regularly cursed it. After reading this book, I have decided to let it grow and am intrigued about using it for medicinal purposes.
Seriously, this book completely changed how I experience nature -- even in a city -- and most essays left me weeping.

Thanks @Zing , am always looking for good books on medicinal uses of plants. Just put that on my library reading list.

 

[Savage Daughter]

You have been very blessed and put a lot of hard work into learning a craft I have only just begun to learn. Am living in the city however always trying to make time for being in the woods to learn plants and herbs. Have found both types of plantain in the area. I also use and test everything I make. Have recently been adding hemp essential oil to a balm. It’s cannabis sativa and a few drops goes a very long way. Found it at Edenbotanicals. Currently reading and learning as much as I can. Whose book would you recommend for a beginning herbalist? Thank you @QuasiQuadrant

I have loved every minute of it, and yes, it IS a blessing in every sense of the word These plants are part of our family, here for all of our betterment, if we wish to embrace them in those ways.

Cannabis oils are beautiful in many products. I have found they work amazingly used topically, for skin issues, pain of various types (chronic / muscular / sprains / arthritis etc), making them a great choice for lotion bars, and many other products, for sure. Cannabis / hemp seed oils also lend a beautiful, deep green color to products. Would look gorgeous & earthy in a lotion bar

A few book recommendations:

• Indian Herbalogy of North America by Alam R Hutchens (copyright 1969, I was gifted an original copy, still in print)
• Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss (original copyright 1939 - I found a used copy online)
• Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants by Scott Kloos (copyright 2017)
- very useful even if you don't libve in the PNW as you can still order these plants if not found in your area

I have found independent study more valuable than getting a diploma in this, which I choose not to do for many reasons, the biggest being that the 'education' now presented to students in these types of classes is often stripped of all useful information & infused with an energy of fear for plants (eg, comfrey, quoted studies of which were done on a completely different type of comfrey than the one being demonized today).

Everyone starts somewhere. A start is a beginning of potentially great things to come. I encourage you to keep going, experimenting, digging for information, because there is so much of it out there just waiting to be found

 

[Zing]

Oh yes, very good book! I highly recommend older herbal books especially, which are sometimes out of print, as far back as the 1800s, sometimes even further back. Hit up the used book stores! There is so much knowledge regarding healing plants which we can incorporate into our products, including lotion bars. Natural colorants in lotion bars are just the tip of the iceberg

FYI this is how I learned, and how all the women in my family learned about healing plants, from generation to generation, much like American Indian & First Nations shamans, medicine women & healers. Generational healers are worth their weight in gold as they have a wealth of knowledge & experience, which is often scoffed at.

I am very much looking forward to my own lotion bar experiments, I must say! My kokum butter & cupuacu just came in last week. Just waiting on my molds for this purpose. The herbal colorants will react so much differently in lotion bars than in cold process soap, which is really exciting. For me, anyways LOL

Mmmm! Have fun with the kokum and Cupuaçu butters! You're gonna love 'em!

 

[Savage Daughter]

3) I liked all the ideas above on infusions. I do infuse almond oil with calendula and use it in many of my balms. Again, i don't make any claims, but it gives me pleasure to know that the healing properties of calendula are in the product. When I have time to experiment I want to try other herbs. I do wonder, though, if adding color will leave that color on your skin?

Calendula will leave zero color on your skin used in lotion bars. Neither will plantain, yarrow, and many others, despite the fact that they will tint your lotion bars a nice, natural shade. Yarrow is beautiful for people with breakouts FYI and the essential oil has gotten crazily expensive, so respectfully harvesting the wild plant & infusing it into a base oil is a good option. Yarrow essential oil has a beautiful blue tint to it, but my experience with it once infused into a base oil is no discernible color at all left on the skin, and definitely no stain. Carrot tissue oil might leave a slight hue, not a stain, but I have never had anybody notice it in my facial oils. Likewise unrefined sea buckthorn oil, which has quite an intense color to it. I haven't had any issues with either leaving a stain, but I have had people say 'Your skin looks so HEALTHY!' due to a slight tint to the skin (which is only on the surface of the skin) from carrot tissue and / or sea buckthorn. It kinda looks like a person has a nice, moderate dose of sunlight exposure, with a beautiful glow from the oil, but definitely no staining.

Just added sea buckthorn to my lotion bar / body butter ingredients list, speaking of which

Mmmm! Have fun with the kokum and Cupuaçu butters! You're gonna love 'em!

Plus some meadowfoam oil & a whole bunch of other good stuff....I dream about meadowfoam & slather myself in it, face & hair Such beautiful oils & butters There is nothing I love more than playing with plants, herbs, oils, butters....cannot wait to test out my first lotion bar! Never bothered with them before, but feeling super excited about my foray into some new products this year

 

[Ephemerella]

I jumped on the bandwagon and made some little test batches! I experimented with kokum, mango butter, shea & cocoa butter, watermelon seed oil, jojoba, argan, carrot seed oil, arnica & seabuckthorn. They all came out amazing! I've been passing them around to friends to try and see which they prefer.

 

[JillGat]

I love adding Softisan 378 to lip balms, lip butters and Solid Lotion bars, which is very similar to the discontinued ButterEZ product of past. This product keeps butters from going grainy. I also add Isopropyl Myristate (IPM) to all my solid lotion bars to cut greasiness. At one time I was going to do a bulk buy from a distributor but Covid hit and I went out of business. I since found it here
Softisan 378

What % Softisan in your lotion bars?