Solid oil massage bar ?

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Yes, just melt them together and pour. I don’t know why they mention ‘trace’ in that recipe.
I thought it may have to do with the fact that jojoba is a liquid wax and may require "trace" ? .... I'll just have to try and see.
 
I reckon Jojoba oil is an expensive and unnecessary addition to your recipe. It says it absorbs rapidly, so maybe not the best for massage? I'd go for a liquid oil such as OO, almond, grapeseed or apricot kernel. Choose one with a longer shelf life otherwise you might end up with stinky massage bars.
 
I reckon Jojoba oil is an expensive and unnecessary addition to your recipe. It says it absorbs rapidly, so maybe not the best for massage? I'd go for a liquid oil such as OO, almond, grapeseed or apricot kernel. Choose one with a longer shelf life otherwise you might end up with stinky massage bars.
😖 oh ok ! oils not being saponified.... makes sense.
Thought so about jojoba...
 
Hi Cecile,
If you want to use it as an actual massage bar, I think it needs to be softer and more malleable. To achieve that I would tend to decrease the cocoa butter and the waxes, and increase the shea and try some different liquid oils until you get the desired effect.

My current lotion bar recipe is
5% Carnauba wax
30% Soy Wax
12% Cocoa Butter
25% Shea Butter
27% liquid oils.

I'm guessing, like me, you are wanting vegan massage bars? And that's why you're not using bees wax?

My recipe above is suitable for lotion, but I don't know how long it would last (in terms of oil left on the skin) if you are using it as a massage bar. To me, a massage bar would need to be more oily so that you have something to work with. If it instantly absorbs, that's not going to be much use.

I recently had the pleasure of being a recipient of @Zing's lotion bar - all the way from USA to NZ! I totally love his lotion bars, they absorb directly into the skin on contact with no oily residue, and leave the skin feeling soft as a baby's bottom. They would, however, be hopeless as a massage bar. I daresay he finds my lotion bar (sent from NZ to USA) a tad greasy, because it is compared to his. It takes about a minute or two to absorb. I think you would need a recipe like mine, and even more 'greasy' for want of a better word, to massage with.

I think Zing uses the '1/3 of each' rule (wax/butter/liquid) and i know he uses beeswax and mango butter. Mango butter absorbs very readily into the skin - so again, this would not be best for massage. Cocoa butter is very hard ( I use it in mine to help them stay hard) and so also doesn't 'linger' on the skin - you may need this for hardness, but I wouldn't use too much.

I formulated my recipe to be hard enough to maintain its integrity through our very humid and hot summer, but there is still some liquid oil in there - and you seem to have omitted that in your latter recipes? I would try making a recipe that still includes a liquid oil. Maybe have a wee search on the internet? I found this relatively easily: 15 Body Massage Oils And Their Benefits
Just popping in to say that @KiwiMoose 's lotion bar is lovely and smells like a heavenly orange.
 
Just popping in to say that @KiwiMoose 's lotion bar is lovely and smells like a heavenly orange.
I bet !!!! If only I could smell it...
I have tried a close version of it, and it is lovely indeed ;)
And I have also tried yours, which is just as lovely !!! As you said, one a tad "dryer" than the other.

It's funny to get KiwiMoose's posts in the morning and yours mid afternoon: it's not a bad position to be in the middle ;) It mustn't be easy for you guys to get in touch "live" !
 
Yes, just melt them together and pour. I don’t know why they mention ‘trace’ in that recipe.
It’s because if the oils are poured into the mold before they are blended to a thick (dropped batter makes a clump on top of the surface instead of dropping back into the batter immediately) consistency- the bars won’t set up correctly. They’ll need to be remelted and poured again.

The recipe author used heavy trace to describe the dropped batter makes a clump on top of the surface instead of dropping back into the batter immediately level of mixing needed :)
 
It’s because if the oils are poured into the mold before they are blended to a thick (dropped batter makes a clump on top of the surface instead of dropping back into the batter immediately) consistency- the bars won’t set up correctly. They’ll need to be remelted and poured again.

The recipe author used heavy trace to describe the dropped batter makes a clump on top of the surface instead of dropping back into the batter immediately level of mixing needed :)
But when I make mine they are never a thick consistency. I just put the harder oils/fats into a pot on the stove until they melt, then add the liquid oils, stir for a bit and then pour.
 
Yes - starting to get a bit chilly. 12 degrees today but a cool wind chill factor making it seem cooler. We've just had the warmest May ever recorded though. My sister still has roses blooming and it's the shortest day coming up in a few weeks!
 
Yes - starting to get a bit chilly. 12 degrees today but a cool wind chill factor making it seem cooler. We've just had the warmest May ever recorded though. My sister still has roses blooming and it's the shortest day coming up in a few weeks!
Mmm, not good... we're having water restrictions all over here (although it rained and rained, but not enough to refill ground water). People with swimming pools may not be able to refill them this year. Time to think differently, and for us all as it seems...
 
A little update on massage bars, + a big mistery:

- according to my tests, the best massage bars are with high cocoa percentage, a bit of shea and a bit of wax. The cocoa makes a hard bar but gives a great slip once warmed.

- BIG mystery (to me at least...): the bars I was trying to get close to are made with the following ingredients: CO, Cocoa, Shea and Rice bran wax. In that INCI order on the label.
I have tried all combinations ! Whatever I do, the CO in it makes the bar too soft (when their bar is rock hard).
I find it very intriguing as I understand that INCI ingredients are to be written in the order of quantities, but here it is just not possible ? Unless I missed something...

The reason I was wanting to make their bar is that it does not have that strong cocoa smell which is great with scents like vanilla or Ylang Ylang, strong scents, but not so great with lavender or rose....
 
The reason I was wanting to make their bar is that it does not have that strong cocoa smell which is great with scents like vanilla or Ylang Ylang, strong scents, but not so great with lavender or rose....
You can buy refined/deodorized cocoa butter. It has no smell :)
 
CO is too soft in a lotion bar. I use it, but only at 8%. It can also tend to be a bit greasy and it will break up easy in warmer weather. Have you tried wax 30%, shea butter 20%, cocoa butter 15%, then other (softer) oils to make up the balance?
 
You can buy refined/deodorized cocoa butter. It has no smell :)
That's a great idea ! :):)

CO is too soft in a lotion bar. I use it, but only at 8%. It can also tend to be a bit greasy and it will break up easy in warmer weather. Have you tried wax 30%, shea butter 20%, cocoa butter 15%, then other (softer) oils to make up the balance?
Hi !

I have tried similar blends, but as I am using rice bran wax, I had to decrease the wax amount and increase the cocoa.
I found that at 30% wax, the bar had to be rubbed between hands for quite a while before it releases the oils, so it wasn't slippery enough IMO - for a massage bar. But I keep it in mind for a lotion bar though ;)

Do you understand the composition of the mystery massage bar ? They have CO as their primary ingredient... it just does not work !! (They only have HE and Vit E as additives...)
 

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