Where to start

MunbynSMF
Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

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

SoapDaddy70

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2020
Messages
414
Reaction score
1,155
Location
North Babylon New York
Hello everyone. I was toying with the idea of making some hand lotion. I already have been making soap since September so I am familiar with the people on the forum. I joined Swift Craft Monkey 10$ subscription and got the free emails from Humblebee and Me. Not sure where to start though. There is so much information on Swift Craft that it's hard to know where to start. I do not like to just follow instructions blindly without knowing why things are being done. I researched soap making for a good month or two before I even made my first batch. Can someone suggest a good starting point to learn the basic concepts of making lotion? Feeling overwhelmed.
 
Have you tried making a whipped body butter, or even regular body butter? It's easier and faster than lotion, and doesn't require a preservative because it doesn't contain water. HumbleBee & Me has some decent recipes.

Of course, if you are looking for something that can be pumped out of a dispenser, whipped or non-whipped body butter won't be the ticket. But it sure is a nice way to dip into the making of body products without the stresses and nuances of lotion-making. And unlike lotion, it's a great confidence builder because you almost can't mess it up; it can almost always be fixed with a bit more of this or that. Given the cost of ingredients, that is a big bonus for me.
 
AliOop said:
Have you tried making a whipped body butter, or even regular body butter? It's easier and faster than lotion, and doesn't require a preservative because it doesn't contain water. HumbleBee & Me has some decent recipes.

Of course, if you are looking for something that can be pumped out of a dispenser, whipped or non-whipped body butter won't be the ticket. But it sure is a nice way to dip into the making of body products without the stresses and nuances of lotion-making. And unlike lotion, it's a great confidence builder because you almost can't mess it up; it can almost always be fixed with a bit more of this or that. Given the cost of ingredients, that is a big bonus for me.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much @AliOop I signed up for the HumbleBee & Me free beginners emails and have read a couple of them. Great advice to start with the body butter. It's weird because I am so much more apprehensive about delving into this stuff then I was before I started making soap. Not sure why to be honest. Thanks again.
 
With lotion-making, a reasonable sense of apprehension and caution is actually very wise and desirable! Soap-making, with all it's rules, is way more forgiving than lotion-making. Lotions, IMO, have a much smaller margin for error during each phase: formulation, creation, storage, and use.

I do make lotions occasionally, but honestly, I lack the time for all the heating, mixing, cooling, adding in more ingredients, etc. A cold-whipped body butter can be formulated, mixed, and decanted into the container in 20 minutes total. It requires no emulsifier or preservative, meaning less ingredients to buy and have around, as well.

My basic recipe, which is a huge hit with all of my family (and some of their friends who also request it), is:
⅓ shea
⅓ mango
1/6 jojoba
1/6 meadowfoam seed oil
1 tsp PPO arrowroot starch.

Argan is another favorite liquid oil for this recipe. Add EOs or FOs (or not) to your liking.

If it turns out too hard in drier or colder climates, add more liquid oil. Too soft? add more butter (or a titch of cocoa butter - but go easy bc it adds a LOT of firmness). If it feels too greasy, add in more arrowroot -- but do wait a bit after application before deciding that. Meadowfoam especially gives a dryer finish, even if it initially feels a little greasy at application.

Just keep playing to get the texture, smell, and feel that fits your needs. :)
 
Last edited:
[QUOTE="AliOop, post: 874962, member: 29618

My basic recipe, which is a huge hit with all of my family (and some of their friends who also request it), is ⅓ shea, ⅓ mango, 1/6 jojoba, and 1/6 meadowfoam seed oil, with 1 tsp PPO arrowroot starch. Argan is another favorite liquid oil for this recipe. Add EOs or FOs (or not) to your liking. If it turns out too hard in drier or colder climates, add more liquid oil. If it feels too greasy, add in more arrowroot - but it is good to wait a bit since meadowfoam especially helps the finish to be dryer, even if it feels greasy at application. Just keep playing to get the texture you desire.
[/QUOTE]

I bet that's lovely!

Hope
 
Hi Ann, I will like to try your wipped butter recepie... I have tried several other ones, but; I have not find one that I really like. I’m just wondering... on the arrowroot you said to use a teaspoon per pound of oil... is the correct? Are you referring to the total of the two oils you mentioned? (1/6 jojoba, 1/6 meadowfoam) i Was thinking on making only few oz of total product..... then, the amount of powder will be very small... is that correct? Just wondering, since I’m looking for a non-greasy whipped butter. Thanks for sharing your recepie!
 
Emmamia said:
Hi Ann, I will like to try your wipped butter recepie... I have tried several other ones, but; I have not find one that I really like. I’m just wondering... on the arrowroot you said to use a teaspoon per pound of oil... is the correct? Are you referring to the total of the two oils you mentioned? (1/6 jojoba, 1/6 meadowfoam) i Was thinking on making only few oz of total product..... then, the amount of powder will be very small... is that correct? Just wondering, since I’m looking for a non-greasy whipped butter. Thanks for sharing your recepie!
Click to expand...
Hi @Emmamia I think you were referring to my recipe? If so, you are very welcome!

I use 1 tsp arrowroot for the total batch weight, which includes the soft and hard oils/butters. You can always add more if you'd like, but it's best to start low since you can't take it out once it is added. :)

Also, body butter texture is very dependent on your climate. When I lived just north of DFW, the recipe I gave worked very well, but was a little hard in the colder months. You are in Ft. Worth, so that will be pretty similar. Where I live now, it is drier and cooler for most of the year, so I have to use quite a bit more soft oils to get the consistency I like.

I have used tucuma butter instead of mango with pretty good success. But if you sub in a harder butter, like cocoa butter for instance, you will need a lot more soft oils to compensate.

It's all about adjusting it to fit your preferences and location.
 
Last edited:
Swiftcraftymonkey has a pinned post on the side bar for Beginners that is a great place to start.

I would recommend just starting with one of the basic lotions just to get a feel for the process and then move on to your hand lotion.
 
dibbles said:
Even though I didn't ultimately enjoy making lotion, I found the book to be helpful and easy to follow. Just another option for you!
Click to expand...
I've never liked making lotion either! The preservative always scared me! I also have the Anne Watson "Smart Lotionmaking" and found it very helpful! And it has some pretty great recipes. But I also love the DIYbathandbodyshop on Esty. @Misschief recommended them with a shampoo bar recipe. She has a Lotion & cream super concentrate base recipe that I find is so much easier to make lotion with. After making the base concentrate she has recipes for lotions and creams that are awesome. Her recipes and direction are very easy to follow. I've made body lotion and a face cream already and love them! Actually, I've bought six recipes from the shop and have not failed at one yet! Each of her recipes are $9.95 and discounted if you buy 3 or 5 of them at a time I think...
 
violets2217 said:
I've never liked making lotion either! The preservative always scared me! I also have the Anne Watson "Smart Lotionmaking" and found it very helpful! And it has some pretty great recipes. But I also love the DIYbathandbodyshop on Esty. @Misschief recommended them with a shampoo bar recipe. She has a Lotion & cream super concentrate base recipe that I find is so much easier to make lotion with. After making the base concentrate she has recipes for lotions and creams that are awesome. Her recipes and direction are very easy to follow. I've made body lotion and a face cream already and love them! Actually, I've bought six recipes from the shop and have not failed at one yet! Each of her recipes are $9.95 and discounted if you buy 3 or 5 of them at a time I think...
Click to expand...

I love her recipes. I have all of them (haven't made all of them, though).
 
Misschief said:
I love her recipes. I have all of them (haven't made all of them, though).
Click to expand...
I only have 6 recipes and you know I'm obsessed with the solid shampoo and conditioner bars. But my new favorites is her solid oil facial cleanser and Hydrating face cream. I'm about to look 25 again! But seriously the cleanser tightens but isn't drying and the face cream is soooo moisturizing and not oily or shiny. I impress myself every time I wash my face!!!
 
violets2217 said:
I only have 6 recipes and you know I'm obsessed with the solid shampoo and conditioner bars. But my new favorites is her solid oil facial cleanser and Hydrating face cream. I'm about to look 25 again! But seriously the cleanser tightens but isn't drying and the face cream is soooo moisturizing and not oily or shiny. I impress myself every time I wash my face!!!
Click to expand...
You should try the Foaming Mud Masque and Cleanser. It's very quickly becoming one of my best sellers. And yeah, the cream is pretty awesome. I make the Avocado Mint Foot Cream and add menthol to it; it's also a customer fave. I also know of one woman who makes the Oatmeal & Honey lotion from that recipe and won a blue ribbon at her local state fair. That's pretty impressive!
 
I don’t have a huge amount of experience, but here are some key things I felt I needed to understand before making lotion. I don’t have Anne Watson’s book, or a subscription to SCM, so I learned from various place on the web, including here.

how to clean and sanitize equipment
concept of phases (oil, water, cool down, etc)
heat & hold (I do this, but older recipes may not include this step)
preservatives (I use liquid germall plus + optiphen based on reading here on SMF)
properties of emulsifiers, oils, butters
proportions for desired consistency (I’m still learning!)
how/when to combine phases
optimal container size/shape for product type
importance of letting the lotion cool before bottling

After almost two years, I am still making two fairly basic recipes with only minimal tweaks. They may not be fancy, but they’re sooooo much better than what we can get locally.
 
SoapDaddy70 said:
Hello everyone. I was toying with the idea of making some hand lotion. I already have been making soap since September so I am familiar with the people on the forum. I joined Swift Craft Monkey 10$ subscription and got the free emails from Humblebee and Me. Not sure where to start though. There is so much information on Swift Craft that it's hard to know where to start. I do not like to just follow instructions blindly without knowing why things are being done. I researched soap making for a good month or two before I even made my first batch. Can someone suggest a good starting point to learn the basic concepts of making lotion? Feeling overwhelmed.
Click to expand...

Im right there with you. I’ve collected everything I need except a preservative as I can’t decide which one to get but I’m still hesitant to jump in. I also have a subscription to SCM but only at the $3 level. I agree that there is so much info to take in and hard to follow as there are so many links in each article that send me down a new rabbit hole and I get overwhelmed too. One of these days...lol
 
New Directions has a few recipes on their blog. I've tried some of them and really like them. Here's one about How to Make Creams for Dry Hands.

https://www.newdirectionsaromatics....to-make-diy-creams-lotions-for-dry-hands.html
And here's a link to recipes with Hemp Seed Oil.

https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/products/how-to-use-hemp-oil-for-skin-hair.html
I have a tub of the Heavenly Hemp Hand Cream at my desk and it really is lovely! Thick and rich and feels so nice on my hands.

Also, if you read some of their product profiles (i.e. look up mango butter on their blog), their articles will contain recipes for you to try. I've tried a few and have been quite impressed.
 

Similar threads

N
DIY B&B (Etsy) 40% off sale
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
Tammyfarms
Tammyfarms
BrandyW
Hello!
Replies
6
Views
213
BrandyW
BrandyW
N
Rosin and ROE, where to buy it
2
Replies
23
Views
853
Jarrett Clay
Jarrett Clay
M
New Soap maker with a problem . . .
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
melinda48
melinda48
Jorah
Business launch planning: specifically, how long can I take a loss on taxes?
2 3
Replies
42
Views
4K
TheGecko
TheGecko

Latest posts

Back
Top