Making tea tree cream/lotion

[cmzaha]

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=58070

For a light lotion I would change the water phase to just being water and the water phase should be rather high - I don't use e-wax so I can't say exactly what % should be water for a light lotion. The key thing is the oil and the tea tree, which is why I suggest just water as a the liquid. You want it simple and light, so anything else can start to get complicated when all you really want is for these two ingredients to get on with the job at hand.

I would also use a preservative - making a small batch would increase your error margins. 50grams of this will last you a while, and 1% would be 0.5 grams. If your scale (and your hands) are up to that accuracy then go for it, but I would make a larger batch with preservative.

I recommend checking out http://www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/. She has so much information on how to make lotions.

I recommend checking out Swiftcraftymonkey.com. She has so much information on how to make lotions.

Thank you. I am still open to ideas and suggestions.

The Swiftcraftymonkey.com website doesn't seem to exist.

Thank you. I am still open to ideas and suggestions.

The Swiftcraftymonkey.com website doesn't seem to exist.

Oops, sorry.....here you go!

http://www.swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/

When I first started I found the swifty crafty monkey website SO confusing - an index would be nice! But the search bar on the right is very handy.

Check out this post for beginners lotion making: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/01/if-youre-new-to-lotion-making.html

And I highly recommend her e-book on making lotions and creams: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/12/lotionmaking-101-e-book-is-finally-done.html

You have to have some type of emulsifier, what are you using?

I'm not seeing the original post anymore, but I believe OP was going to use emulsifying wax.

Add me to the list of people suggesting swiftcraftymonkey. Lots of great information on formulating lotions.

I'm not seeing the original post anymore, but I believe OP was going to use emulsifying wax.

Add me to the list of people suggesting swiftcraftymonkey. Lots of great information on formulating lotions.

Sorry, that may be my fault as the OP posted in the wrong section and I moved it but it doesn't seem to have moved the whole post.

 

[shunt2011]

Here is the original post: (sorry for the confusion) not enough caffeine I guess.

Hello,

I am researching about how to make my own tea tree oil cream/lotion.

I need a little help when it comes to preparing the formulation and choosing the proper ingredients. I would be making an antibacterial lotion with tea tree oil. The reason I want to make my own lotion is because I also suffer from contact dermatitis therefore I cannot use any commercial products as they contain too many allergens and irritants. I have a bacterial infection which cannot be treated with antibiotics and tea tree oil is the only thing that is providing me relief. Until now I have been using Australian Tea Tree Soap (http://bit.ly/1JEItr3) which contains the following ingredients: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Melaleuca Alternifolia oil, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, CI77891, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate. This is the only product (out of a dozen that I have tried prior to this one) that I am not allergic to however due to the high alkalinity of the soap and the harsh ingredients this soap is very drying to the skin even when diluted with plenty of water. This causes the acid mantle to completely break down disrupting it's natural antibacterial balance causing the infectious bacteria to come back. To successfully treat the bacterial infection I need to apply the product every three to four hours until it completely clears up. I cannot apply the soap so frequently because, as mentioned, it destroys the protective layer of the skin leaving it exposed to pathogenic bacteria and is also very damaging to the skin.

Ideally I would like to make a lotion that is:

- not drying to the skin and will not disrupt the acid mantle (this is of the most importance because the lotion would need to be applied every 3-4 hours)
- has a low ph - will contain 2-5% of tea tree oil
- will be based on MCT oil / caprylic acid
- contain as few ingredients as possible due to allergies

I would be making a blend of MCT oil and tea tree oil as an oil base. The reason I want to use MCT oil is because I also suffer from seborrheic dermatitis and medium chain triglycerides are the only lipids which Malassezia yeast cannot metabolize. I would be using a vegetable source emulsifying wax such as Cetearyl Alcohol to avoid potential allergies. The lotion would be made out of:

Oil phase: MCT oil, tea tree oil, emulsifying wax (cetearyl alcohol)
Water phase: vegetable glycerin (organic)


I would like to know are there any other ingredients I need to add to the formulation? Also, is there a need to add preservatives if I made a fresh batch every three to four days? What is the ratio between the oil blend, emulsifying wax and the water phase?

I hope you can provide some help.

Thanks.