What Bath & Body Thing Have You Done Today?

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Just thought I'd pop this in here.... The two lotions I made earlier this week. On the left is Cafe au Lait, scented with Aztec's Brazilian Coffee and Cane Sugar, on the right is Aloe & Green Clover (Aztec fragrance as well).

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Today (and yesterday) I made two new lotion recipes. Both are based on ones I found online (one from SCM and one from HB&M). I love them both! I’m constantly looking for ways to make a non-greasy hand lotion, because I HATE having greasy hands at work! I’ve learned that IPM and BTMS-50 are my friends. I’m super close to something amazing!!!

Oh! And friends at work actually want some of my lotion! ❤️

i also have a new favorite FO for lotion: Cashmere from BB. It’s so delicious! It’d also make a fantastic candle.
 
Today (and yesterday) I made two new lotion recipes. Both are based on ones I found online (one from SCM and one from HB&M). I love them both! I’m constantly looking for ways to make a non-greasy hand lotion, because I HATE having greasy hands at work! I’ve learned that IPM and BTMS-50 are my friends. I’m super close to something amazing!!!

Oh! And friends at work actually want some of my lotion! ❤️

i also have a new favorite FO for lotion: Cashmere from BB. It’s so delicious! It’d also make a fantastic candle.
Sounds absolutely amazing!
 
And then……I gave in. I made a small batch of @Zing ’s lotion bars. Beeswax, cocoa butter, and jojoba, plus a little kaolin clay to cut down on the greasiness and some chocolate mint FO (playing off of the cocoa butter). Gosh….another rabbit hole! Just what I need!!!!
 
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And then……I gave in. I made a small batch of @Zing ’s lotion bars. Beeswax, cocoa butter, and jojoba, plus a little kaolin clay to cut down on the greasiness and some chocolate mint FO (playing off of the cocoa butter). Gosh….another rabbit hole! Just what I need!!!!
Another convert and rabbit hole -- but also near instant gratification, right? I've got a s load of kaolin to use up. What ratio did you use?
 
Yesterday I delivered the 28 foaming sugar scrubs to my friend who bought them for her employees, as part of the Valentine's Day gift bags she is giving to each of them. Another friend heard me talking about it, and asked what kind of products I make. This morning at 7:00am, she asked for two Valentine's Day gift bags, one for each co-worker. I had to do some quick labeling and wrapping, but these were on the porch for her to pick up as she headed out to work at 7:30am. 😅

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Today I made the DIY Bath & Body Fruit Smoothie lip scrubs. Just the recommended first batch and split it in half. Tropical Fruit Smoothie and Strawberry Banana Smoothie.
I said I wasn’t making another product, @Misschief, but now I might “have to” make the lip serum. 🌸
 

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On Tuesday evening, two friends came over to learn how to make bath bombs. One of them, who happens to be a pharmacist, had a very easy time "compounding" her bombs. 😁 Today I delivered her cured and wrapped bombs, along with a couple solid conditioner bars, and a jar of the pink sugar scrub that was left after making the big order mentioned previously. She was delighted with the delivery, but isn't interested in making bath bombs again. In fact, she gave me all the molds and micas she had purchased about two years ago when she was considering starting a little bath bomb business.

The other friend had a lot more trouble with the molding process and was frustrated with the end result. Imagine my surprise when she asked me to order her everything she needs to make them again! I was able to give her some extras from my supply closet, including two mixing bowls, and some of the bb molds and micas donated by the other friend. She then paid for about three batches worth of bicarb, CA, SLSa, corn starch, and her favorite FO from my supply shelves. After that, I helped her pick out a small scale, a sieve, some large and small whisks, the plastic holders (because she kept breaking the bombs when setting them down), and a jug of PS80 from Amazon. We plan to get together again for a one-on-one session so she can master them.

After all that, it was time to shop for more bicarb and CA. Unfortunately, Webstaurant is 350 miles from me; shipping was going to be $100+ which priced them far out of the running. USChef Store is local, but their prices are really high. Bottom line, the 13.5# bags of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda from Costco are the best deal. For citric acid, I'm stuck with Amazon for the best price.
 
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Another convert and rabbit hole -- but also near instant gratification, right? I've got a s load of kaolin to use up. What ratio did you use?
I have a boat load, too, @Zing ! BB rewards and it’s way more than I expected. I have no idea what else to do with it. I guess I’ll have to see if I like it in soap, but still, I feel like I won a lifetime supply (of turtle wax) 🌸
 
I made lotion bars! That was super fun! I used @Zing recipe of thirds. Mango butter, beeswax and a lightweight oil, 1% vitamin E and 1% FO.
I did 2 batches of 12 oz and learned that the oat oil I bought is nice, but the cost is crazy for the output. I did batch 2 with sweet almond oil, which still feels lovely and is a lot more affordable.
The solid rounds are the oat oil and scented with oatmeal milk and honey. No added color, the oat oil made them yellow.
The hearts are the sweet almond oil scented with vanilla, I added a dab of rose gold mica to half of them. Can you say Valentine’s Day, or what? 💕
They are all packaged in super cute rose gold tins.
A fun benefit, clean up involves rubbing your hands all over the spatula and other items to not waste any lotion 🌸
Thanks again, @Zing - hope this pic was worth the wait! 😊
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THESE ARE GORGEOUS!!! Love love them.
 
Yesterday I delivered the 28 foaming sugar scrubs to my friend who bought them for her employees, as part of the Valentine's Day gift bags she is giving to each of them. Another friend heard me talking about it, and asked what kind of products I make. This morning at 7:00am, she asked for two Valentine's Day gift bags, one for each co-worker. I had to do some quick labeling and wrapping, but these were on the porch for her to pick up as she headed out to work at 7:30am. 😅

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A bit late to this posting :/. These are beautiful. really lovely. Amazing.
 
Has anyone tried making a lotion bar without beeswax? I made a small batch earlier tonight using cocoa butter (38 g), liquid oils (SAO, apricot kernel, fractionated coconut, avocado; 1 g each) and 1% EOs in an attempt to mimic the gemstone body stone that @dmcgee5034 linked here. It hasn’t had enough time to set up and the liquid oil percentage may be a tad too high relative to the cocoa butter (or do I need to temper the cocoa butter?), but it feels super nice on my skin.

I’m also curious about the baking soda and citric acid used as exfoliants in the Mcleod body pebble. Why would those ingredients be used as opposed to sugar or salt?

ETA: with about 8 hrs to set up, the cocoa butter lotion bars are a mess. The thin piece I tested last night is already grainy and the second one I tried to pop out of the mold is a strange combination of brittle-ish on top and soft/grainy on the mold side. I guess Mcleod’s chocolate-making skills make all the difference when it comes to turning her ingredients into a lotion bar. I‘m going to need to read up on tempering cocoa butter before I try this approach again.
 
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I received an order yesterday for scrubs, soaps, and lotions, which will be sold as a fundraiser at a Soroptimist luncheon.

I’m considering adding some small liquid soap in foamer pumps, or solid dish soap in crocks. It all depends on how much time I can find to make and label everything, since the luncheon is in 3 weeks. I don’t have much cured soap on hand, but I do have plenty of M&P base, so that’s an option.
 
... I intended to make some soaps tonight, but instead, I brought bath bomb stuff out to the kitchen table so my husband and I could talk while I made them. The kitchen floor is a mess, but it was sure nice to have a few moments to catch up with each other after an exceptionally busy few weeks.
The bombs turned out pretty well, although I'm still working on packing them evenly into the molds. The recipe is perfect for six large bombs when I do that, but as you can see, I'm not there yet, as evidenced by the yellow half-bomb, the blue small bomb, and the green bomb that collapsed on itself because there wasn't quite enough mix left. Also, my green is a bit oversaturated next to the other spring colors, which are quite a bit more pastel than they appear in this pic. Oops. Good thing St. Paddy's Day is coming up; they are about the right shade for that!


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Thank you so much, @VikingChick! I’m still surprised that I went from someone who hated to make bath bombs, to enjoying the process and looking for excuses to make them. I rarely take baths myself, but they are so popular with my friends and their kids.

It really helped to watch a bunch of videos and then settle on a recipe that seems to work consistently in my climate. It was even snowing last night when I made them, and there were no recipe-related failures. The one that fell apart was due to not having enough mix left, which I knew as I molded it. And even then, it would have been had I left it to harden longer in the mold before trying to move it. That patience thing, ya know?

The egg cartons work ok for holders, but they often make marks on the side bc the bombs are soft for an hour or so. I’m thinking of getting a larger rimmed baking sheet where they could just sit flat, and which would collect all the dust, too.
 

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