Moisturizing Bath Bombs

[briannaran]

Hello everyone! I've been working on some bath bombs for years and I am finally going to be selling in a couple of weeks! I'm not new to the game but I am new to this site and can't wait to learn more information from you all!

Anyways, where I have previously used coconut oil, I recently upgraded my oils to shea butter, cocoa butter, and sweet almond oil. I loved coconut but wanted to try something new. I just tested out a bath bomb, here is the recipe:

-2 cups baking soda
-1 cup citric acid
- 3 tablespoons cream of tartar
-6-8 drops fragrance oil
- 1/2 tablespoons polysorbate 80
- 2 tablespoons of each oil (equals 6 tablespoons): shea butter, cocoa butter, and sweet almond oil

I thought these were very nourishing oils but when I recently tested it in a bath, it left my skin feeling a little rough in the water and somewhat dry out the water. My legs do feel smooth but not as moisturizing as I want. Can someone please help me with my bath bombs and figure out what I can do to get them more moisturizing.

P.S. I really do love how moisturizing lush bath bombs feel, I am trying to get to that point of moisture.

Thank you,
Bri

 

[lsg]

You might try using all cocoa butter in place of a combination of oils and butters. This from the Swiftcraftymonkey blog--"The Vitamin E found in the form of tocopherol and tocotrienol offers skin softening benefits. The oleic acid is easily absorbed by our skin, offering us great moisturizing and cell regenerating benefits, as well as anti-inflammatory effects. The stearic acid offers improved moisture retention, increased flexibility of our skin, and skin repair. And the occlusive nature of cocoa butter reduces the amount of water lost from our skin and protects it from the elements. "

Source: Cocoa butter! (updated)

 

[briannaran]

This is very helpful! Thank you so much!!

 

[atiz]

That seems like a very little Poly 80 for that much oil, if you would like to emulsify those. Your water will be oily... (I know some don't use PS80 at all, just my 2cents.)

 

[briannaran]

I started out with not using Poly 80 and I did not like how it turned my water. I use poly 80 because I love how it disperses the color! Anyways, how much poly 80 should you think I use? I'm trying out a new recipe where I will use (2 tbsp shea butter and 2 tbsp coconut oil or sweet almond oil). I only added about 3/4 tablespoons of poly 80. How much do you think I should do in this new recipe? Is there a ratio between poly 80 and oils, that I should do?

That seems like a very little Poly 80 for that much oil, if you would like to emulsify those. Your water will be oily... (I know some don't use PS80 at all, just my 2cents.)

 

[Megan]

Poly 80 is usually used at 1:2 poly: oils for good dispersion

 

[briannaran]

So 1 tablespoon polysorbate 80 for every 2 tablespoons of oil?

Poly 80 is usually used at 1:2 poly: oils for good dispersion

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Or 1 gram polysorbate 80 for every 2 grams of oils

 

[Megan]

Yes, I would highly recommend starting to use grams over volume measurements or drops...especially if you're going to be selling...for consistency and for keeping accurate inventories.

 

[briannaran]

Thank you guys so much for your help! This is very helpful information and I will switch to grams this week. Also, another question, do you have any good website on how to calculate prices, where it goes in full detail on how to price items on soaps or bath bombs. I have been researching everywhere and doing my math but I feel like I am missing something in my prices.

 

[Megan]

Thank you guys so much for your help! This is very helpful information and I will switch to grams this week. Also, another question, do you have any good website on how to calculate prices, where it goes in full detail on how to price items on soaps or bath bombs. I have been researching everywhere and doing my math but I feel like I am missing something in my prices.

I use SM3 for all of my bookkeeping so this helps me immensely, but it's not free. Some people use quickbooks. Even some people create their own spreadsheet.
What you need to figure out is your adjusted cost per gram for ingredients, this will ideally include your shipping overhead (which is why I like SM3, they do that math for me). Then it's just simple multiplication for your raw ingredient base price, add it up to get your cost of goods. I only use COG to determine my pricing. I know many people like to factor in other stuff like labor and other overhead costs, but I'm not at that level yet, and I would price myself out of the market if I did that. I can probably start factoring in that stuff when I buy more in bulk. Generally speaking, I have seen that people usually calculate their sales price as COGx4.

 

[atiz]

I started out with not using Poly 80 and I did not like how it turned my water. I use poly 80 because I love how it disperses the color! Anyways, how much poly 80 should you think I use? I'm trying out a new recipe where I will use (2 tbsp shea butter and 2 tbsp coconut oil or sweet almond oil). I only added about 3/4 tablespoons of poly 80. How much do you think I should do in this new recipe? Is there a ratio between poly 80 and oils, that I should do?

What @Megan said is a good starting point. It does vary a little bit (for me it even depends on the oil), but you can try 1:2 and see how it is.
(I can't contribute to the bookkeeping discussion because don't sell, but have heard a lot of people using SM3.)

 

[briannaran]

Thank you so much Megan! I will for sure be checking out SM3 and see how much it cost and start pricing my items through there! And will check out the other things as well!

With my research, people have been adding the cost of labor into there COG price and I might do what your doing and will not add that because I am not there yet either haha. Thank you so much for your help!!

Who do you use for SM3 bookkepping?

I use SM3 for all of my bookkeeping so this helps me immensely, but it's not free. Some people use quickbooks. Even some people create their own spreadsheet.
What you need to figure out is your adjusted cost per gram for ingredients, this will ideally include your shipping overhead (which is why I like SM3, they do that math for me). Then it's just simple multiplication for your raw ingredient base price, add it up to get your cost of goods. I only use COG to determine my pricing. I know many people like to factor in other stuff like labor and other overhead costs, but I'm not at that level yet, and I would price myself out of the market if I did that. I can probably start factoring in that stuff when I buy more in bulk. Generally speaking, I have seen that people usually calculate their sales price as COGx4.

 

[Megan]

Who do you use for SM3 bookkepping?

I use the program for my bookkeeping. There are several expenses listed that I have to track elsewhere, but I track all prices, inventory, and sales with the program. It even tracks your shipping to customer and sales tax. It also gives you a tax report at the end of the year that is quite helpful.
My business is small enough right now that I can keep my own books with just the program. I suppose if things got much more complicated, I would hire an accountant.