Recipe lotion bars turn out hard, please help.

[cdurham]

Please review the below recipe and let me know how I can make them softer when applying. After holding in hands for a few seconds it still does not soften by much.
What would you do differently to the recipe below? Or what other recipes would you use? I'm needing to make 60 for a bridal shower gifts

1/2 cup Carnauba wax
1/3 cup mango butter
1/3 cup cocoa butter
1/3 cup shea butter
1 T Vitamin E
1 T Hemp seed oil
1 T Broccoli Seed oil
1 T Avacado oil
20 drops each of Spearmint & Lavender

Thank you,
Carla

 

[DeeAnna]

You need to use less of the wax and/or use less of the harder butters (mango, cocoa) and/or add more oil. I'd probably start by reducing the % of wax, because carnauba wax melts at 180 F, so a little of this wax will go a long ways. But that's my preference. What you do is up to you, but your essential goal should be to reduce the % of high melt temp ingredients and increase the % of low melt temp ingredients.

It's going to be a trial and error process to find the consistency you prefer, because what works best for you will depend on your climate and personal preference. Recipes like this are not something a person can just follow blindly and expect the outcome to be perfect (as you've found out.) Expect to test as you go and adjust the proportions until you like the results.

I strongly recommend you not measure by volume -- use a scale and weigh the ingredients for better consistency. Make small test batches using weights until you know what you want and then scale it up from there to the batch size you need for the event.

 

[cdurham]

DeeAnna, Thank you for your reply and suggestion. I'll reduce my Carnauba wax and see what happens. Would it be better just to use Beeswax instead of Carnauba?

What about all the oils I'm using. Is it a good combination? Or is it too much?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[cmzaha]

DeeAnna, Thank you for your reply and suggestion. I'll reduce my Carnauba wax and see what happens. Would it be better just to use Beeswax instead of Carnauba?

What about all the oils I'm using. Is it a good combination? Or is it too much?

Thanks again for your help.

I prefer Carnauba over Beeswax simply because after awhile beeswax in the bars can become sticky in my opinion. Also Beeswax is not vegan.

What you can do is remove an ounce or two from your batch and start by adding 0.5% extra oil to the sample. A quick easy way to test is put a spoon in the freezer to get it really cold then dip in your sample, it will harden immediately so you can test the feel. Keep good records of the percentages added so you can duplicate the batch in the future.

WSP has some good calculators on their site. https://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/calculators/Percentage_Calculator.aspx[URL]https://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/calculators/Percentage_Calculator.aspx[/URL]