sticky lotion bar

[SudsyKat]

Just made my first lotion bar (I'm on a roll with making sutff this week - sorry if my posting is getting outta hand!). I really like it in some ways, but it feels a bit sticky. I'm very new to bath and body, so I'd appreciate any help in figuring out what makes it feel sticky. Here's my recipe:

2.5 ounces beeswax
1.5 ounces sweet almond oil
1.5 ounces jojoba oil
1.5 ounces shea butter (refined)
1.5 ounces cocoa butter (natural)
1.5 Tbsp arrowroot powder
2 Ml fragrance oil (Sunflower from Peak Candle)

Thanks!!

 

[JenniferSews]

Have you tried www.soapcalc.net? According to the calculator your recipe will make a softer bar, which might explain the stickiness. It also probably won't be very bubbly. Since the soap is already made I'd set it aside and let it cure. It sounds like the soap is pretty new? I'm curious if you got this recipe from a particular place? It looks like a book I once read and I haven't had much luck with the recipes in it. Keep trying! Use soapcalc and tweak it so you can make it how you want it to turn out.

 

[Tabitha]

She is making a solid lotion, not a bar of soap.

I find:
33% wax
33% oils & soft butter (shea)
33% firmer butter

...works best.

You have got:
2.5 wax
4.5 oils/soft butter
1.5 firm butter

You can see there is probably too much oil/soft butter.

I would go with:
3 parts wax
3 parts cocoa butter
1 part shea
1 part jojoba
1 part almond

...or somthing similar.

Most of the time you can remelt it & add something (more cocoa butter or wax) but I don't know how the arrowroot would do melted back down. In a double boiler it would probably work but it might create a volcano mess in the microwave, at least baking soda does!

 

[SudsyKat]

Thanks, Tabitha. I'll try your percentages. What's weird is, i actually really like the hardness - it's the perfect hardness (for my taste) in a lotion bar. It's easy to apply, yet firm enough to hold it's shape well. It even has a pretty nice glide to it. The problem is that it just feels really sticky/tacky. That's why I thought maybe it was due to a particular ingredient (the beeswax, maybe)? I'm really new to all this. I think I'll remelt what I have and tweek so that it matches the ratios you gave.

 

[Healinya]

I use all the same ingredients as you in my lotion bars. I follow the ratios Tabitha mentioned... except I was including the shea with the hard butters.. I'm going to have to replay with it now that I see it differently. It sounds very nice! I like my bars, but this new way sounds like I'd make less sticky fingerprints. Thank you

 

[Tabitha]

You can include the shea w/ the hard butters. It's up to you & your taste. Depends on how firm/soft you like your bar.

 

[SudsyKat]

Well, I remelted and reformulated so that my formula matched Tabitha's suggestion:

3 parts wax
3 parts cocoa butter
1 part shea
1 part jojoba
1 part almond

It's definitely better in terms of stickiness. I suspect that beeswax is what makes it sticky. I'm still not quite pleased with it.

1. I'm very inexperienced with waxes - are some of the other waxes not sticky, perhaps? I'd love any suggestions on waxes.

2. Also, I wonder if adding some cetyl alcohol would give it a little more silkiness/glide/slip - whatever you call it.

3. I don't have any IPM. Maybe if I used IPM instead of arrowroot powder, it would not only mitigate any oiliness, but also add to the slip.

4. I know clay adds slip in soaps. Would it do the same here??

 

[Tabitha]

I don't think the wax made it sticky. Too much wax makes a bar too hard & makes it drag rather than slide across the skin.

 

[SudsyKat]

Tabitha, you are much more experienced than I am, so I certainly give heavy weight to your opinion. The reason I thought it was the beeswax was:

1. Most descriptions of beeswax describe it as a sticky substance
2. More importantly, when I reduced the percentage of beeswax in the recipe, the stickiness decreased.

Either way, I like your ratios much better than the way I had it (I didn't know shea butter went with the "oils" percentage, so that was helpful). I'll experiment with some of the other ideas I mentioned and I'll post results.

I'd still love to hear your thoughts on the IPM, cetyl alcohol, etc.

 

[Tabitha]

According to your posts above, you 'increased' your wax and hard butter and decreased your soft oils/butter. Unless I am missing something.


old recipe............................................................new recipe
2.5 oz beeswax..................................................3oz beeswax
4.5 oz soft oils/butter (almond, jojoba, shea)......3oz soft oils/butter
1.5 oz cocoa butter............................................3oz cocoa

 

[Lindy]

Tabitha is absolutely right. In a lotion bar it is the wax that is going to give you the hardness you need to create the form of the bar itself. I use the same percentages as what Tabitha as given you and it works really nicely. The stickiness you describe is going to caused by the bar having too little substance because your wax % was too low.

Experimenting is great fun, and it's even better when you have someone like Tabitha sharing her experience and expertise with you.

Cheers

 

[SudsyKat]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[PippiL]

I made a lotion bar and it came out sticky, changed the numbers and they came out great, can't stop using them......

2.5 oz beeswax
1 oz shea butter
3 oz caoa butter unrefined
1 oz Almond oil
I also put a hint of infused camomile oil and some gold mica for a little sparkle made 3 almost 4 oz bars,used a silicone flower mold...

 

[Sunny]

I don't know if this helps at all but shea butter always seems really sticky to me. I only use it in very small quantities now because of that. Maybe?!?! Either way, good luck and let us know what worked for ya!

 

[Earthchild]

I use candelilla wax in my lotion bars. It gives a really nice glide, much better than the beeswax.

 

[farasha]

same sticky problem!

Hi,

I have the same problem with the massage bars that I made and wondered if anyone has some advice for me?

I used:
50 g yellow beeswax
50 g cocoa butter
50 g coconut oil

Mixed together and let harden. I used the bars on the same evening and found them to be very sticky. I don't have any shea butter and would like to use ingredients that I have. Do they need to 'set' before use? What else could be causing the problem?

Thank you!

 

[Hazel]

Is it humid where you live? Weather could be a factor. Have you tried setting them in your frig and then testing them?

 

[soapbuddy]

Try adding some IPM at about 0.5%

 

[ahudman]

Every recipe I find on lotion bars has measurements in ounces. This may sound silly, but it is accurate to say that 4 ounces of beeswax is the same as 1/2 cup of beeswax?

 

[Hazel]

1/2 cup of beeswax may not weigh 4 oz which is why it's always more accurate to weigh ingredients.