Lotion bar questions

shop deals on amazon
MunbynSMF
Shop deals on ebay
Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
seven

seven

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2013
Messages
2,672
Reaction score
1,435
i'm going to do my 1st lotion bar soon, and i'm thinking to use soy wax instead of the usual beeswax. has anyone tried soy wax for lotion bar? how does it feel on the skin compared to beeswax?

i live in the tropics, and it can get quite hot here during the day (35-40 C). a bit concerned about melting issue. i know many recipes stated 1:1:1 (butter:wax: oil) ratio. if i want to make it less susceptible to melting, should i increase the portion of wax? i'm thinking yes... cmiiw..

any input appreciated..
 
If you live in the tropics, I would not substitute out soy wax, as I find it melts much easier than beeswax. I had to stop using soy wax altogether in my lip balms for that very reason. Even in winter, they won't pass the pocket test with soy as the wax.

And yes, you may want to increase the wax to oils ratio. But the beauty of making balms and lotion bars is that you can always remelt it and adjust until you get your proportions right. Just be sure to be super careful weighing everything and keep good notes.
 
thanks Susie, i didn't know that soy wax melts easier than beeswax. back to beeswax i guess..
 
Good point on the remelting idea! Make a non-scented one for playing with until you are happy with it and then make it smell nice.

Mine hold up fine unless it gets super hot or super cold, but then here it is (fairly) temperate. I don't use any waxes, just shea and cocoa butters.
 
I use beeswax but I use less than 1/3 as I prefer them a bit softer. They still hold up even in hot sticky weather (not that we get a lot of that). Too much and they will be waxy feeling. I kept mine unscented until it had the consistency I wanted then I separated it and scented. You'll have to let us know how yours turns out.
 
Last edited:
I am still tweaking lotion bar and lip balm recipes. So, what I do is if I think I have the correct formula, I pour a little bit into a very small container or if it is lip balm, one tube. I pour the rest into a 1-2 oz plastic container and set it aside. I use the test bit over several days in different conditions. If I is a good recipe, I then remelt, scent, color(if lip balm), and pour into tubes or tubs to give to my test subjects.(*ahem* I mean my beloved family.) Once they approve, it gets made in a larger batch for giving away to extended family and friends. But you can remelt and adjust that recipe as many times as needed. Just be careful not to overheat it.
 
shunt2011 said:
I use beeswax but I use less than 1/2 as I prefer them a bit softer. They still hold up even in hot sticky weather (not that we get a lot of that). Too much and they will be waxy feeling. I kept mine unscented until it had the consistency I wanted then I separated it and scented. You'll have to let us know how yours turns out.
Click to expand...

If I lived up there where it gets so cold, I would probably use much less beeswax also. As a matter of fact, my current winter lip balm recipe uses .65:1:1 beeswax to butters and oils. But, our winter weather is much like your late spring/fall weather. So, yes, less beeswax is better for cooler weather.
 
Susie said:
If I lived up there where it gets so cold, I would probably use much less beeswax also. As a matter of fact, my current winter lip balm recipe uses .65:1:1 beeswax to butters and oils. But, our winter weather is much like your late spring/fall weather. So, yes, less beeswax is better for cooler weather.
Click to expand...

I actually meant less than 1/3...not quite half. Dang typos...:razz:

Your lip balm sounds nice too!
 
thanks guys, i will def follow your suggestions on keeping it basic/unscented till i get the right consistency. the weather here is hot hot hot.. and HUMID! :( i think it's going to be quite a challenge to create the "right" lotion bar. i'm thinking to pack it in a tin, wrapped in tissue paper.
 
have you tried or considered trying candelilla wax? It is much harder than beeswax, you would use about half as much, and vegan-friendly if that is a concern.
 
i dont think i can buy candelilla locally :( i already have beeswax and soy lying around, not really in the mood in buying stuff online from overseas (cc just got hacked a while ago, which sucks big time!).
 
shunt2011 said:
I actually meant less than 1/3...not quite half. Dang typos...:razz:

Your lip balm sounds nice too!
Click to expand...

Shunt,


My 2nd lotion bar with the mango butter was a little harder. Now that it is in the low 70's here in AZ, seems as tho the bar is too hard. haha

If I use equal parts of butter and oil and 1/3 beeswax, do you think that would do the trick?
 
The Efficacious Gentleman said:
Good point on the remelting idea! Make a non-scented one for playing with until you are happy with it and then make it smell nice.

Mine hold up fine unless it gets super hot or super cold, but then here it is (fairly) temperate. I don't use any waxes, just shea and cocoa butters.
Click to expand...

You don't use any beeswax at all?? I thought that is what "stuck" the butters and oils together?? :shock:
 
kmarvel said:
Shunt,


My 2nd lotion bar with the mango butter was a little harder. Now that it is in the low 70's here in AZ, seems as tho the bar is too hard. haha

If I use equal parts of butter and oil and 1/3 beeswax, do you think that would do the trick?
Click to expand...

I would try that. Would probably work well for you. We are in the 30's.:razz:
 
okay, am going to try these 2 recipes:

1 part wax (beeswax + soy wax)
1 part hard butter (shea + mango)
1 part soft butter (coffee butter, coz i have some lying around)
1 part soft oil (fractionated coconut)

and another one:

1 part beeswax
1 part hard butter
1 part oil

will compare them on my skin and post update..
 
Seriously hate the feeling of lotion bar on my skin :( reminds me of whipped butter. Too heavy, sticky for my kind of weather.

Trying to offer lotion bar for my customer for those who prefer a more natural lotion. Guess i'm going to work hard on tweaking the recipe to work.

btw, is this just the nature of the beast with lotion bars? sticky and heavy? or is it possible to formulate a lighter, non sticky one? practically have zero knowledge with lotion bars. so far much prefer an emulsified lotion/butter.


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making
 
Last edited:
Some people put in tapioca or corn starch which is supposed to alleviate the sticky feeling. I really dislike the feeling of them too and have never succeeded in producing anything that I would enjoy using myself.
 
I do not like shea in mine, it is just to greasy. I pour mine in jars so I do not have to use as much beeswax. Sunflower wax is nice if you do not want as much beeswax. IPM works much better than cornstarch or tapioca starch at helping absorption and cutting some of the greasy feeling. Of course that does affect the natural aspect. I do not make my solid lotion with IPM
 
Personally, I think the greasy feeling has partly to do with the shea butter. It's very heavy on the skin. Coconut oil can be heavy too; although, I don't know about fractioned coconut oil. Also, I have found that while olive oil is nice on the skin, avocado oil feels so much better. If I get a couple extra drops of olive oil on my hands and rub it on my face, my skin can feel and look oily. However, with avocado oil, my skin will feel supply and smooth, but no greasy look or feeling. If you had a way to harden up the avocado oil (with a wax of some sort and not a heavy butter), I assume that would feel divine.
 

Similar threads

Blufuz
Elbalm - a solid hand lotion for climbing
Replies
2
Views
208
Blufuz
Blufuz
JewelsSuds
Solid lotion bar ratio
Replies
9
Views
2K
Kiti Williams
K
N
Shower Lotion Bar Tests and recipes
6 7 8
Replies
144
Views
7K
AliOop
AliOop
Feelin' Soapy
Wanting to learn more about twist-up tubes
Replies
19
Views
1K
Misschief
Misschief
N
Tin/Aluminum for Lotion Bar Packaging
Replies
7
Views
1K
Zing
Zing

Latest posts

Back
Top