Thin lotion recipe

[dixiedragon]

I have a bunch of fairly rigid tottle-like bottles that aren't super squeezy that I'd like to use, and I'd like a nice lotion recipe that will easily come out of a squeezy bottle. any suggestions?

Here's the recipe I use. It's a little thick, can I swap some of the stearic for avocado or another liquid oil? FYI, I do my measuring for this recipe in grams, but my chart looked weird when I posted it.

18 oz. Distilled Water
1.2 oz. Shea Butter
1.7 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz. Avocado Oil
1.2 oz. Emulsifying Wax
1 oz. Stearic Acid
.2 oz. Phenonip
.1 oz. Fragrance

 

[kchaystack]

I use cetyl alcohol in place of the steric. Susan Barclay recommends this lighter lotions, use at 3% or less.

http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2009/07/better-crafting-through-chemistry-cetyl.html

 

[lsg]

Use more water.

 

[DeeAnna]

I usually have the water phase about 80% for a light lotion or facial lotion. Your recipe is about 75% water phase.

I'm with KC -- I would also sub cetyl for the stearic if you have it. Otherwise stick with the stearic -- I wouldn't eliminate the thickener entirely. Speaking from experience, the thickener helps a lotion stay creamy and smooth as well as aids the emulsifier to keep the lotion emulsified. You could go down 1% on the thickener, however. I think you're at 5%-ish and 3% or 4%-ish might be fine.

You could sub avocado for some of the shea and the percent or so you save if you use less thickener. Shea is also thickening the lotion, but the avocado will loosen it. If you don't like the heaviness that avocado brings to a lotion, you could sub a lighter feeling, more absorbent oil -- coconut oil, rice bran, meadowfoam, jojoba, cocoa butter come to mind.

 

[Dahila]

I would add the water, it will change all the calculation though, and change to cetyl . Or you could just drop the butter and do oil only.