What Bath & Body Thing Have You Done Today?

[hanaherrera]

I made a lotion that's meant to be a face cream, again based on Marie Rayma's Summer Face Cream which she posted on her youtube channel and her partner blog site. I didn't have her emulsifier/stabilizer Ritamulse SCG, emollient isoamyl laurate, and gelling agent Sepimax Zen and so I made substitutions based on what I had on hand.

Substituted the ritamulse for olivem 1000, isoamyl laurate for argan oil, and the sepimax for hydroxyethyl cellulose.

My emulsion turned out fine, but I had to adjust my pH. How do you adjust your pH? Do you dilute a sample of your emulsion in deionized water, or do you dip your pH meter directly into your sample emulsion?

Here I tried to do both for comparison. The first image is the pH for the distilled water. The second image is the pH for the diluted sample, and the third was the pH of an undiluted sample.

Found out from a formulator in one of the skin care formulations facebook groups that pH should be checked and adjusted during the water phase -- and is how cosmetic chemists check pH for their water in oil emulsions. I realize it's easier to do it that way since an emulsified product is difficult to break up and separate the water from the colloid stuff so the pH could be checked. I haven't tried the suggestion yet but will it this week when I make a new batch to try another emulsifier.

 

[BWt]

Earlier this week, I discovered a tub of the DIY Meltaway Cleansing Balm in my soap room. This stuff is the best! Included in the recipe is a series of 4 Instant Facial recipes. I figured it was time to use up some of the balm (which I'd completely forgotten about) so I made a 200 gram batch of a Rose Pink Clay Instant Facial. I'll pass them on to my daughters when we head to the coast in a couple of weeks.

This stuff is seriously awesome. The balm starts out as just that, a balm. When you add a bit of water to it, it turns into a cleansing lotion. The facials are great, too. Very gently exfoliating and there are recipes for different skin types. This one is great for all skin types. I think I might make the one for breakout prone skin as well.... for my granddaughters.

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I love DiY Sandra LaBossierre. Her recipes are excellent

 

[Misschief]

I love DiY Sandra LaBossierre. Her recipes are excellent

I totally agree! Some of my bestsellers are from her recipes.

 

[hanaherrera]

I love DiY Sandra LaBossierre. Her recipes are excellent

Is she on socials? I'd like to know how she makes stuff

 

[AliOop]

Is she on socials? I'd like to know how she makes stuff

She does have a FB group.

 

[Misschief]

Is she on socials? I'd like to know how she makes stuff

Sandra's been very quiet lately as she's been facing some health issues. The FB group isn't as active as it has been but there are a lot of very helpful members there for any questions. Do keep in mind that it is a group meant for the DIY Bath & Body recipe questions and not a general makers group.

Her FB group can be found at DIY Bath and Body Shop Group | Facebook

 

[Misschief]

So, not all the B&B items I make are from DIY Bath & Body. I have some items I've been making off and on for over 20 years. This Bubble Bath is one of them. The recipe originally came from Voyageur Soap & Candle, when they had a second location in Kamloops, BC. They were just down the hill from where I lived and I was there a LOT! I was really disappointed when they closed.

Anyway, this bubble bath is scented with Love Spell and has glitter! I made it especially for my granddaughters but my dh insisted I take some to the market as well, just to see what kind of reaction it gets.

 

[Misschief]

And, another product I made as a tester for myself this week...



The recipe is from Indigo & Shea on YouTube. She has a few recipes and the ones I've tried, I really like! This emulsified body butter is no exception. It's made with Shea butter, Mango butter, Kokum butter, Virgin Coconut oil, and Meadowfoam oil (recipe calls for Passionfruit seed oil). It's rich and creamy and goes on so smooooooth, with no soaping at all.

 

[AliOop]

I still have sooooo muuuuch tallow from our last half side of beef, and the next one is arriving in about three weeks. Time to get serious about making tallow bar soap, tallow LS, whipped tallow balm, and for the first time today, tallow lotion! Scented with lavender EO, it's a beautiful white and still cooling down. My sensitive-nosed daughter will check tomorrow to make sure that no beefy smell remains. There was none in the rendered tallow until I heated it for the lotion and got the faintest whiff. Hoping it disappears again when cooled. Because did I mention, I have a LOT of tallow to use up??

Update: this stuff is so thick and it's not even 100% cooled yet. I used a bit of IPM so it's not greasy at all and feels wonderful on the skin! But I may have to adjust the tallow:liquid oil ratio just a tad, or increase the water, or both.

 

[Misschief]

I still have sooooo muuuuch tallow from our last half side of beef, and the next one is arriving in about three weeks. Time to get serious about making tallow bar soap, tallow LS, whipped tallow balm, and for the first time today, tallow lotion! Scented with lavender EO, it's a beautiful white and still cooling down. My sensitive-nosed daughter will check tomorrow to make sure that no beefy smell remains. There was none in the rendered tallow until I heated it for the lotion and got the faintest whiff. Hoping it disappears again when cooled. Because did I mention, I have a LOT of tallow to use up??

Update: this stuff is so thick and it's not even 100% cooled yet. I used a bit of IPM so it's not greasy at all and feels wonderful on the skin! But I may have to adjust the tallow:liquid oil ratio just a tad, or increase the water, or both.

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It looks amazing!

 

[AliOop]

Thank you! I have a batch of 100% tallow LS in the works, and a batch with 20% PKO (since I have a lot of that, too) with a post-cook SF of shea butter.

Clear LS is beautiful, but I do love the pearly look of LS made with the harder fats and butters, and how much nicer they are for my hands!

 

[Misschief]

Thank you! I have a batch of 100% tallow LS in the works, and a batch with 20% PKO (since I have a lot of that, too) with a post-cook SF of shea butter.

Clear LS is beautiful, but I do love the pearly look of LS made with the harder fats and butters, and how much nicer they are for my hands!

I agree about the liquid soap. My fave so far has been the shea butter soap. It isn't completely clear but does it ever feel nice on the hands.

I'm a little envious of your tallow. I just ran out last weekend.

 

[Shelley D]

@AliOop and @Misschief ~ how do you keep your body butters at that texture? Years ago when I experimented with that (I would prefer a body butter to liquid oils), they were fine for the first couple of days but would start to melt back to liquid again, slowly, almost not noticeable until I realized it started separating (oil and whipped). I read some keep theirs in the fridge but that made it hard which kinda defeated the purpose of smooth & creamy, so I just went back to liquid oil blends and haven't messed with it since

 

[AliOop]

@Shelley D the picture posted above is actually a lotion, which means that the oils and butters are emulsified with water (using an emulsifier). Lotions don’t separate if they are made correctly.

You can find recipes for emulsified “body butters” all over YT, Humblebee & Me, etc. But to me, that’s just a thicker lotion/cream.

I tend to prefer lotions these days because they absorb faster and are less greasy. But there is nothing like a good body butter when you have super dry skin, cracked fingers, etc.

 

[Misschief]

@Shelley D As @AliOop said, mine is an emulsified body butter, which means that it's made with emulsifiers, blending oils and water, making it a thick lotion or more like a butter. As much as I like a good body butter, when it's in the 30'sC (or pushing 90F), body butters don't do as well as an emulsified body butter. As you noted, they tend to get melty. I only make (true) body butters in the fall and winter; they don't do well here in the summer.

 

[Shelley D]

Ah ~ so that would be the distinction! I will look into this ~ thank you!

 

[dmcgee5034]

Made some DIY lip scrub and lip serum today.
For the serum, I used a touch of lip safe rose gold mica and a bit of vanilla mint flavor oil.
@Misschief - have you ever tried to modify the serum for a tube versus pot? I’m new at this, so I’m not sure if it’s possible, but that serum is heavenly and thinking it would be so nice to have in a tube.

 

[Misschief]

Made some DIY lip scrub and lip serum today.
For the serum, I used a touch of lip safe rose gold mica and a bit of vanilla mint flavor oil.
@Misschief - have you ever tried to modify the serum for a tube versus pot? I’m new at this, so I’m not sure if it’s possible, but that serum is heavenly and thinking it would be so nice to have in a tube.

I haven't, with reason. I have an amazing couple of lip balm recipes already. I know there are a few people in the DIY FB group that do put it in tubes but I'd be worried about it in the heat (we got close to 100F here today).

 

[AliOop]

Today's B&B work consisted of making deodorant. I never look forward to this because I can never get the texture or glide just right. However, I will not stop trying - at least, until I use up all those deo-specific ingredients, including zinc ricineolate and magnesium hydroxide (neither of those are cheap). Today was my first time trying cera bellina (modified beeswax) and stearyl alcohol for better glide. We shall see tomorrow morning whether the deo-applying experience is a pleasant one.

After the deo, I finally made some magnesium lotion, which has been on my to-do for quite awhile. It starts with making magnesium "oil"( magnesium flakes dissolved in distilled water, 2:1). The mag water was used as part of the water phase to make lotion for a family member with nighttime leg cramps and restless legs. Applying mag oil to the calves or soles of the feet works very well on its own works very well, but it tends to create a burning or prickly feeling when applied. The lotion allows for a more comfortable delivery of the topical magnesium. With just a titch of calming lavender EO, it should support better sleep for this family member.

 

[AliOop]

Update: the deo has the perfect glide, hooray! I only used 1% each of cera bellina wax and stearyl alcohol. Next time I will try 2% stearyl since it's less expensive. And I realize I may need to adjust that when the weather gets colder.

I'm also very happy with the magnesium-lavender lotion. I tried it on myself and slept really, really well. Normally I wake up a few times in the night, but not last night. I'll try it again for a few nights to see if it was just a fluke. FWIW, the recipe I used was based on the one from this website, with the following changes:

1. Not having any chamomile-infused grapeseed oil nor macadamia nut oil on hand, I used some calming-herb-infused jojoba oil that was on my shelf.

2. I used mango butter instead of shea butter to avoid/limit potential graininess.

3. My preservative was LGP at .5% (instead of Leucidal, since some of my lotions have gone bad with it).

4. I added lavender EO at .5% for a very light scent and additional calming effects.