Newbie making Butters & Balms

[Wandering Woman]

Hi everyone, I am a soaper (cold process) but for Christmas this year I want to give family natural lip balms and body butters so can anyone just check out these basic recipes I have formulated (based on what I have and recipes I have seen)

Lip Balm: 30% Olive Wax, 30% Cocoa Butter, 30% Olive Oil, 10% Castor Oil
&
Body Butter: 30% Coconut Oil, 30% Cocoa Butter, 30% Avocado Oil, 5% Olive Wax, 5% Olive Oil, with a small amount of Tapioca Starch (to reduce greasiness) - I will whip it up once it is cooled down

My main concern is consistency (lip balm needs to survive the warm & butter needs to be firm but melty on skin contact) and Cocoa Butter Tempering!

To temper - heat cocoa butter to 100 degrees and then keep there for 20 mins then cool down quickly? Do you do this in advance of using it in the products? Is there an easier way to do it?

Any suggestions & feedback before I start would be greatly appreciated!

 

[IrishLass]

Hello Wandering Woman!

I make both body butters and lip balms and I'm happy to share what I do. Be aware, though, that what I do may not be what others do (everyone's formulas are different based on their own personal needs and preferences).

For my body butters, I use a ratio of 70% hard butters to 30% liquid oils. I find that if I use more than 30% liquid oils, my body butter ends up too soft and greasy for my liking. The recipe that you posted for your body butter looks like it might come out too soft/oily, but that's just me.

For my lip balms, I try to keep my ratios to about 40% soft oils, with the rest made up of butters and wax, which it looks like you have done with your recipe. I've never worked with olive wax, but from the looks of your ratios, it seems like it will do fine.

As for tempering the cocoa butter to use in my body butter formula, I just melt it down and temper for 20 minutes, then I add my other ingredients to it, mix well, and stick it in the freezer to cool down quickly. About every 10 to 15 minutes, I'll take it out of the freezer and stir/whip, and then return to the freezer. I repeat this process as often as needed until things have reached the consistency I like.

To temper my butters for lip balm, I do the same (but without the whipping) - I temper for 20 minutes, add my other ingredients, pour into my lip balm tubes, and then I stick the tubes in the freezer until solid.

IrishLass

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm curious about the olive wax. What's it like? I've never used olive wax, but if it's like beeswax, I think that might be too much wax.

I use the St Paddy's Day lip balm recipe from Mystic Mountain Sage and love it.

 

[shunt2011]

I googled Olive Wax and it sound like it would be nice in some products. I too had never heard of it.

 

[welsh black]

What would happen if you didn't temper the coco butter? I didn't when I last made body butter and now I'm wondering what it would have been like if I had !!

 

[HerbalEarthling]

What would happen if you didn't temper the coco butter? I didn't when I last made body butter and now I'm wondering what it would have been like if I had !!

Tempering prevent the butters from crystallizing after the cool down. Crystallizing results in a grainy, lumpy mixture. I think it's only necessary to temper if it's unrefined? Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Wandering Woman]

Tempering prevent the butters from crystallizing after the cool down. Crystallizing results in a grainy, lumpy mixture. I think it's only necessary to temper if it's unrefined? Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.[/QUOTE


I would be interested in this answer too...
and thanks to Irish Lass for such great feedback, will increase my body butter solids, perhaps increase olive wax....