DIY Cosmetics

[blueeyekelly]

Well I do not have much to offer other then lots of knowlege about off things like DIY cosmetics.

If anyone wants to know more about making lye soap, lip balm, lotions, mineral makeup or bath salts (and I know some about bath bombs) post your question and I will try my best to answer.

And if anyone has any or is intrested we may be able to swap some fragrent oil samples (not to be used in vaping)

I think I know the most about making lye soaps, they do not have to be harsh or bad smelling these day's with all we know about chemistry these days.

I can also probably walk some one through flat pattern and some alterations after all I have some sort of paper that says I should know apparel design...LOL

Deborah

 

[ToniAnne]

That's super awesome, Deborah! I have always loved homemade soaps and lotions! I often get them at craft sales because there isn't much around here! lol I don't make any like that, but I think it's really cool that you do!!

 

[blueeyekelly]

Lotions are almost the easest to make, Lip balm being the easest, Lye soap a little harder.

And it cost verry little oz for oz to make lotion and creams, loads cheaper the ever store bought stuff, just some times it cost a little to get the initial ingredients but they last a long time if you are just doing it for your self (unless you have kids that love using it...)

Deborah

 

[lilith79]

What recipe do you use for cold process soap?

 

[blueeyekelly]

Ok just remember you asked for this...LMAO

I love mixing oils I have, but the base I use is lard, coconut and olive oils then I add other oils in like Castor, evening primrose (wonderful stuff and a little goes a long way) jojoba, sunflower or what every I have on hand.

Different oils gives the soap different properties, I use lard as my main base is lots of soap (it makes a nice hard bar) but 100% lard soap if not fragranced does smell not that good.

The coconut oil makes large fluffy bubbles, however it is kind of harsh, 100% coconut will foam in salt water, but I usually use up to 20%

Olive or rice brand oil (the rice brand oil I have never used but I have talked to people who have and they say it is almost the same as olive but less expensive) gives you the small bubbles, 100% olive makes slimy bubbles and takes a long time to get nice and hard.

For a nice castile soap (which there is a big argument in the soap making world if that means 100% veggie soap or 100% olive oil soap) I use 80% olive and 20 % coconut makes a nice hardness in the bar, comes out just slightly off white and does not smell bad with no fragrance.

Other oils add different properties, palm kernel oil makes a really hard bar of soap, evening primrose is super moisturizing, and so on.

Now I make large batches of soap, in my mind the lye measurements does not have to be nearly as spot on with a batch of soap that makes 30-60 bars then one that only make 3-5 bars.

I have a soap making spread sheet that I use most often when formulating that I have had for 10 years or so, I like it better then the soap making program that I bought 5 years ago and spent $100 on. If you want I can e-mail it to you, the guy who made it has no problem with people sharing it says so in the spread sheet.

But for a basic recipe I would probably do 60/20/20 of lard/olive/coconut oil, it should not take too long to trace and give you a nice hard bar with good bubbling.

One thing is a must for soap making, always do your measurements by weight, do not make any of those recipes that use cups and tablespoons, way to easy to put too much or too little lye, which in both cases is not good. Too much will burn you (base burns are not fun, unlike acid you do not feel it at first) too little and it is going to end up soup.

Now with my soap I usually super fat it 6-10%, that is putting a % more oil in it then lye can turn to soap, I use a kind of high amount most the time Usually closer to 10% and that makes it facial quality, less harsh, a 0% super fat is harsh and most soapers only use that on laundry...LOL

Ok I think I probably should end this post before it becomes a real book...LOL

Deborah

 

[MacArthurBug]

What about beeswax products? Do you have any recipes for that? I've been seeing quite a bit of bee related stuff (wax, honey, pollen, etc) at my farmers market for great prices and would love some ideas on how to best utilize it.

 

[blueeyekelly]

bees wax is very useful, I use it is manly lipbalms and slaves on the rare accations I make them, you can also put it in lotions to make them stiffer but I don't, and in soap it makes a really hard bar, have to be carfull when addign to soap because it will cause it to heat up which depending on your other ingredients may be a bad thing...

Honey like wise can be used in all that stuff (ok lip balm I would try a small bactch of it first just to make sure it mixes nicelly with the oils)

What where you thinking of making.

Deborah

 

[MacArthurBug]

I honestly wasn't sure! a Lip balm or like a lightly perfumed semi solid "rub" for chapped hands. (I do a lot of crochet and my fingers get rough) There are places that carry stuff like this but it's a little on the pricy side. Thought it'd be fun to experiment making my own.

 

[blueeyekelly]

Lip balm is one of the easest things to make, you need oils and beeswax, and maybe some oil based flavorings or essential oils. I usally mix my oils liquid and solids (ok there are 3 main types of oils which I wont go to far into but they are liquid, solid, and brittle at room temp)

again depending on your oils you use the properties will be diffrent, if you need a basic recipe I can help you out.

Again I would get a scale for all cosmetic making, if you want to do small batches get a small scale, with wieght you can increace or decreace your batch size easally and 10 grams of something is much easer measurement then about a teaspoon of shreaded what ever.

Deborah

 

[blueeyekelly]

Whipped soap is used with a poofy and creates loads of suds. Here's an example: Bubbly Champagne 4 oz jar Soap In A Jar Fluffy by dennisanderson[]=tags&includes[]=title

I will have to look up that thread.

Ok so that is either cream soap which I doubt or it is foaming bath whip which you can get places like this Foaming Bath Whip - WholesaleSuppliesPlus and appentlly (I have never used it) but I have heard it whips up (darn can't remember) a couple times more then what you put in the mixer (I have always been too cheap to buy it...lol)

if this is the right stuff buying at 4oz at a time it would be $184 for 8 lbs instead of the $30 something it is, so plenty of $$$ left over to buy sents to put in it...LMAO

Just moved this from another thread figured it would be easer to see here