Need help about lotion

[Guest guest]

I have been lurking around and decided to post. I have a question I

am new to making stuff. So far I made lip balm, hair oil, and a

massage oil and have taking a soap making class, but I am really

interested in making a lotion or body butter. Now I tried to make one

before but something went wrong. I think I boiled the shea and the

cocoa butter. I was told that I should only heat it to the point

where is melt and let it sit for a while and then whip it. I have not

tried it yet in fear of messing up and wasting my ingredients (they

are too expensive)

I also learned that I would need a preservative since I want to use

water. Now is Vit E a good one to use, because I would prefer to use

an all natural preservative.

Thanks

Miss A

[Guest guest]

Hi Miss A

Cocoa or Shea should be heated to melting point, not cooked or boiled.

There is no natural preservative that is effective for the long term, although

there are some on the market, most of them produce an offensive odor.

Vit E is an antioxidant not a preservative, and is used to help retard

oxidation in oils.

I use Germall Plus as a preservative when selling to the public, because it is

very effective against bacteria and is the least likely to cause skin problems

since it contains no parabens. There are others of course that you can also

purchase online from most toiletry suppliers.

I wrote an article for our List Mom here, called Making Lotions, and gives you

most of the info you need to get started making lotions, just click on the url

below to go to the page on her site

http://www.glenbrookfarm.com/makinglotions.htm

hth, Sherry

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