Lotion question

[dixiedragon]

I really like meadowfoam in lotions. I have seen arrow root starch mentioned in body butter recipes to reduce the greasy feeling, can that be used in lotion?

Unfortunately, eliminating tree nuts eliminates a lot of your nicer oils. I love love love avocado in body care products. Maybe emu if you aren't going vegetarian? Apricot kernel is also very very nice.

 

[DeeAnna]

E-wax (emulsifying wax) comes in slightly different formulations, but they're all reasonably similar. You can think of e-wax as the generic cousin to Polawax, a brand name emulsifier.

Susan at Swift Crafty Monkey prefers Polawax because she thinks it is more consistent and reliable. I have had good results using e-wax from two different suppliers, so I don't have a lot of incentive to try Polawax, especially since it's harder to find than e-wax.

My picks for base oils to make a less-greasy-feeling lotion are Dixie's meadowfoam, coconut oil, and jojoba. All have a long shelf life, especially m-foam and jojoba. Of the three, meadowfoam is really light and non-sticky -- I use it in a insect repellent mixture because it doesn't leave me feeling like a sticky, sweaty grease bomb.

 

[Arimara]

I've used stearic and cetyl (but only one or the other, not a blend of both).

All other things being equal, to me stearic feels more waxy and dense. Think room temperature cream cheese that has been stirred a bit so it's spreadable.

Cetyl is less dense and somewhat more fluffy. Think a whipped cream texture, but not quite as light as real whipped cream -- if you know the consistency of Cool Whip topping, cetyl is more like that.

I tend to pair cetyl with conditioning emulsifier (similar to BTMS) if I'm going for a slightly lighter, drier feeling lotion. I pair stearic with e-wax when I want a slightly heavier, denser lotion.

I'm talking slight shades of gray here ... not huge black and white differences. Because the differences are slight, I'm not sure I'd use a blend of both thickeners. But that's just me -- YMMV.

I wonder how cetyl and ewax would work. I have stearic and I haven't liked any of the lotions I've made.

I really like meadowfoam in lotions. I have seen arrow root starch mentioned in body butter recipes to reduce the greasy feeling, can that be used in lotion?

Unfortunately, eliminating tree nuts eliminates a lot of your nicer oils. I love love love avocado in body care products. Maybe emu if you aren't going vegetarian? Apricot kernel is also very very nice.

I wish I didn't have to eliminate the tree nuts but my daughter's allergic. I can get away with shea and coconut for her, which is great for us. I did order some meadowfoam along with two types of peppermint oil recently. I can't wait to try it.

 

[DeeAnna]

I have used e-wax + cetyl. The texture is going to be a little lighter and fluffier feeling than e-wax + stearic. Again, it's not going to be a huge difference, but if you've got the e-wax to use up, I'd sure try pair it with cetyl and see if you like that combo better.

 

[Dahila]

Had I post here, or not. I make a hand cream so dry that I put it on and type on. The emulsifier is Emulsimulse and cetyl. It is dry even I use Calendula infused OO It is a bit tricky emulsifier to work with but I found my way) I recommend it to everyone who need to have fast absorbing and dry lotion

 

[PrairieLights]

I made sis' lotion. She likes olive oil (in spite of wanting something less oily), so I used your advice and used fco and meadowfoam along with the olive. SCM's "1st timers" recipe. It was kind of funny how nervous I was about making this. I have not been nervous about making anything else. Heck, I am totally cool with lye! (My DIL leaves the room when I get to the lye part of soapmaking. I am all "La la la... ouch.... la la la.... ouch... isn't this cool, Candace?... ouch.... she is all "NO! And why aren't you wearing your gloves, mom?!".... ouch...because I am almost done now... ouch...)
But lotion... STRESS! (I think the 'hold for 20 minutes' part was what got me.)
Anywho - it all worked out and I actually cannot wait to make more! The lotion will go out to the sis this week. We will see what she thinks. My thoughts? I think it is still greasy. I think it's the aloe I love, which she cannot use. So - if she also thinks it is still too oily, I will be back, asking for more advice. She is a hard-to-please person, so I am full throttle on this challenge! Yes :twisted: I will find her the perfect combination!!! (ok, with the help of y'all)
P.S. One more addiction. Great.

 

[DeeAnna]

Prairie -- I stressed out so much with my first lotion too -- your story about being so nervous made me smile in sympathy.

You might want to tell your sis that hand crafted lotion can have a different feeling when first applied than store bought. My lotion often feels greasier to me, even the light absorbent recipes. If I give it a minute or two to dry down and soak in, then the grease-ball feeling goes away.

 

[PrairieLights]

Thank you so much for all of your help, DeeAnna! And everyone! She tried it this morning and emailed me. I think I mentioned that she was hard to please (in the worst sense). Here is what she said:
"Used Coconut Orange Cardomom this morning. YUM Not greasy at all! My skin just sucked it up, now my arms are like a hairy baby’s butt! "
(she is hairy. good thing she is a towhead.)
I sent her 4 fragrances in 4-ounce bottles for her to try. I am so glad that she is happy, no skin reaction, works like she wanted. Happy Birthday to her. I am so grateful for the support here on this forum. Thank you all. Whomever developed this site - kuddos and thanks!
-L

 

[marlajune]

I wonder how cetyl and ewax would work. I have stearic and I haven't liked any of the lotions I've made.



I wish I didn't have to eliminate the tree nuts but my daughter's allergic. I can get away with shea and coconut for her, which is great for us. I did order some meadowfoam along with two types of peppermint oil recently. I can't wait to try it.

Can you use seeds? Sesame seed oil is light and easily absorbed. Rice bran is another thought. I use them in my lighter lotions.

 

[Arimara]

Can you use seeds? Sesame seed oil is light and easily absorbed. Rice bran is another thought. I use them in my lighter lotions.

Seeds are safe. Thankfully, she loves to eat them too. :mrgreen: Rice bran in lotion, I've never tried but I like it in soaps so I may try some sometime.

 

[Seawolfe]

Thanks to the enablers in this thread, I was browsing kokum butter, and noticed it was on Amazon prime, and realized I had exactly enough rewards to order some....