Catscankim
Well-Known Member
I used a candle wax pitcher and put it in a pot of hot water on the stove, and a dropper to fill my tubes. Not very hi tech lol.
What Bath & Body Thing Have You Done Today?
- Thread starter Misschief
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I was wondering if a dropper would work to fill the tubes, or if it would be too small a quantity to hold the heat and stay fluid.
Ugh....the mango bath bombs I planned didn't work out...so now I have mango bath dust.
They were simultaneously activating slightly (warty) and crumbling...so I have no idea what was going on...just a weird day I guess.
They were simultaneously activating slightly (warty) and crumbling...so I have no idea what was going on...just a weird day I guess.
Humidity??
@Catscankim and @TashaBird I highly recommend one of these for filling lip balm tubes: Lip Balm Filling Tray. Do check to make sure you are ordering the correct shape and size for the tubes that you use.
I love those trays but, yes, you need to be sure the size works for the tubes you use. I only got to use mine once, with the tubes that came with it. None of my Voyageur tubes work with it so I'm back to filling by hand.
I have a dropper that I've used to fill the tubes but it clogs up very quickly, frustrating me to no end. I use a glass beaker; for me, it works the best.
Looked up beard balm information because now that my husband is retired, he has decided to keep a beard and went out an bought a tin of beard balm at Walgreen's. I read the label & was surprised by the very long list of ingredients, including denatured alcohol. Anyway, I still have several threads here at SMF open to read & consider if making a beard balm for him is in our future.
If you come up with something that works for him, I'd love to know about it. I've tried a couple of recipes and have received feedback from a few beardos. One was too soft, one was too hard; one wants more conditioning; another wants more hold. And then there's level of fragrance. One said it was too strong, another said it wasn't strong enough. I'm about ready to give up on beard care, to be honest.
Edit: It was humid outside yesterday, but I don't think it was humid in the room (eek...let you in on a secret, I haven't brought up my dehumidifier yet...but my air conditioner keeps it pretty dry) I don't know for sure inside what it was (I'll bring up the dehumidifier before my next batch so I have a number).
Warts were coming from the inside though, so probably I didn't incorporate the binder well enough or 70% IPA is no longer working for me...will try 91% next time.
They were all crumbling as I set them down to dry. So it felt like not enough binder or like I said, uneven incorporation... of course I tried to work it out but all the mixing didn't seem to help. (I also mix by hand, so might invest in a hand mixer to try to get a more even mix.)
Anyway, since they were already activating, I wasn't going to add more binder, and I just gave up! LOL
Luckily I do have bags for bath dust.
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ivylorraine
Member
My husband has a beard and cowboy-type mustache that needs a little wax for shape. He's repurposed a lotion bar that I made for the beard (a @Zing-style 1:1:1 of beeswax, jojoba, and shea), and a lip balm that was a little too heavy on the beeswax for shaping the mustache. It all gives a nice sheen and hold but no softening.
I made a light hair conditioner for him to use in the shower and it helps soften a bit.
I am going to try Marie's Conditioning Beard Balm next.
You just made my day -- my lotion bar evangelizing is working! Just a FYI. This year I switched out shea and now use mango butter. It was a game changer. Mango is less greasy and absorbs much quicker. However, I don't know how it would work on beards -- both my head and face are bald.
Isn't experimenting fun?
I made some paw wax for my elderly Labrador to help protect his feet from the pavements in this hot weather. We take him in out before the sun is up but he's old and his bladder demands another walk before it's cool again.
Yesterday I shrink wrapped 50 soaps and about 50 bath bombs. Shrink wrapping is not my favorite part. But it went ok. I blew less holes. Today I make labels and take their pics to post on my website. Hopefully up and live by this afternoon!
Then I finally made my first batch of lotion concentrate from DIY. I was so nervous I made sure I was well rested and focused. STILL I missed a step in the directions and did something too soon. I thought it was ruined and I was super bummed. I posted in their fb group about it and my SMF friend @Misschief came and saved me! It turned out alright after all. The only problem now is I used a new pot to melt the oils and waxes and I might have missed some polish when I washed it. Or it was from the new spatula it came with. But when I wiped the pot out with a paper towel before I put it in the sink there was some dark stuff. So, that’s not great. But, the process worked well, and I can at least play with it for myself.
Then I finally made my first batch of lotion concentrate from DIY. I was so nervous I made sure I was well rested and focused. STILL I missed a step in the directions and did something too soon. I thought it was ruined and I was super bummed. I posted in their fb group about it and my SMF friend @Misschief came and saved me! It turned out alright after all. The only problem now is I used a new pot to melt the oils and waxes and I might have missed some polish when I washed it. Or it was from the new spatula it came with. But when I wiped the pot out with a paper towel before I put it in the sink there was some dark stuff. So, that’s not great. But, the process worked well, and I can at least play with it for myself.
How do you feel the mango butter compares to cocoa butter?You just made my day -- my lotion bar evangelizing is working! Just a FYI. This year I switched out shea and now use mango butter. It was a game changer. Mango is less greasy and absorbs much quicker. However, I don't know how it would work on beards -- both my head and face are bald.
Happy to help
Yeah, it's probably best to keep this batch for yourself. It will give you plenty to experiment with; now comes the fun part. Playtime!!
One of my more popular creams has been the Avocado Foot Cream, made with menthol; a personal favourite is the hand lotion I made with sea kelp bioferment as part of the water component. Lately, I've also been subbing out part of the water for Aloe Vera juice (George's Aloe Vera Juice). I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
ivylorraine
Member
What a nice thing to do for your old friend, labs are such sweethearts. I just love older dogs.
Okay, I love ALL dogs!
May I ask what goes into your paw wax? I don't have to worry about pavement where I live, but my standard poodle is basically a sponge and I've been thinking about some kind of balm or wax for her feet for water repellency.
I also prefer mango over cocoa butter too also because it's less greasy and quickly absorbs. I do still make cocoa butter lotion bars because several users request it.
I also prefer mango butter! Just remember that cocoa butter is much harder than mango butter. If you sub one for the other, you will have to adjust other ingredients to achieve the same texture and firmness.
What a nice thing to do for your old friend, labs are such sweethearts. I just love older dogs.
Okay, I love ALL dogs!
May I ask what goes into your paw wax? I don't have to worry about pavement where I live, but my standard poodle is basically a sponge and I've been thinking about some kind of balm or wax for her feet for water repellency.
It was just shea butter(2pt), olive oil(1pt) and beeswax (2pt) I just tried it out and he looked very confused as I put it on bless him. Can't really tell if it helped but it didn't seem to hurt. I think I'd do less beeswax next time as it's very solid!
I’ve been using search to try and find info about this lotion concentrate. I just made my first batch. The fb group isn’t very active, but I’m trying to learn there also. Is there a thread for this product, or could we start one?
