Teach Soap

Hey everyone,I am about to try making my own lotion and had a few questions. I have read a lot about the process and one thing that confuses me is what t do after you weigh your water and 'heat and hold for 20', there may be water missing now from that weight so do you simply add more before you start the boil and weigh it correctly for the recipe after is boiled?

Also, some confusion about the preservative, some recipes I seen while reding didn't have it as part of the 100% and some did. I plan to use this at the low suggested amount should this be calculated into the 100%.

Lastly, anyone have any definate does and don'ts for a lotion newbie:0) My plan is to try and make a light summer lotion in which I can use on my entire body including my face...my butters have been wonderful through the dry winter however they will be too much for my skin in the upcoming summer months.

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Use more water then you need for the heat and hold phase, or heat and hold extra water separately. My preservative is a part of the total formula, so it all equals 100%. Make sure that you have an accurate scale for the preservative, especially for smaller batches. Use too little and it might get nasties; use too much and it could be irritating. I would suggest getting a lotionmaking 101 from Susan. http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2 ... new-e.html

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thanks soapbuddy,I actually have read a bunch of info on that site...the water and jug all on the heat part threw me a little, thats why the silly question about that:) Makes more sense to heat and hold a little more than needed does't it???

I will be extra careful with the preservative as it will be small batches at first while trying, how large a batch would you suggest for a beginner? Would like enough to share with a few testers, do you normally keep a little aside to make sure nothing goes strange? Perhaps I should be looking into testing area here in Ontario just to make sure my preserv is working...or not?

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I normally make 16 ozs. to test. It's always a good idea to get your lotion tested before you sell. I know the rules and regs are a little different in Canada then in the US as far as labeling and selling.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

When mixing, add the water to the oil. Not the oil to the water. This is supposed to cause a phase inversion (from water-in-oil to oil-in-water) during cooldown which will help make a better emulsion so your lotion doesn't separate.

Thanks everyone for the feedback...in a nutshell, I will keep my first few batches small and simple:)

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https://www.facebook.com/FostersFields