Teach Soap

I've made soap for a long time, and I'm pretty good at it. Lately, I've been considering learning how to make things like creams, lip balm, shampoo, and conditioner.

Any idea for the complete beginner on informational sites or books? I have Swift's site bookmarked, and the Soap Queen stuff as well. I've got the Herbarie's forumulary marked as well, but I want some information before I plunge right in.

A list of some of the common terms and ingredients would be oh-so-helpful as well.

Are there the cream/lotion making sites similar to lye calculators????

Thanks.

Anita

Buy Swift's e-books. Best investment you will ever make and the proceeds support her youth groups. You can find the information elsewhere but she has done us the great service of consolidating it into a single place and making it easy to understand.

For lotions and hair products, you probably have much of what you already need if you make soap. Essentials: a reliable digital scale, thermometer, stick blender or latte frother (for small test batches), distilled water, oils, a reliable emulsifier like e-wax or BTMS, an appropriate preservative, lots of containers for making the stuff plus clean containers to store it - I prefer bottling that doesn't require me to touch the product to get it out (so squeeze tops or pumps rather than open-mouthed jars). That will do for lotions and conditioners. For shampoo - at least one liquid surfactant (coco betaine) and one powdered one (I like SCI and SLSa) to start and some sort of thickener in case you need to adjust the product's final consistency. Some means to measure pH is also helpful but Swift's recipes tend to be balanced and if they aren't she provides instructions about how to modify it.

It's easy to go crazy beyond the basics very quickly and get into specialty additives, oils, emulsifiers - ask me how I know.

HTH!

Start with simple stuff. Leave the shampoos until last, they can be really difficult. For creams you will need a good cross-polymer such as Ultrez-20, emulsifiers such as stearic acid and glycerol stearate, emollients such as shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil. A good set of beakers is essential; the Chinese ones are to be avoided, they are too thin and crack easily. You will need accurate scales (to 0.1g) - EBay.

Get Swift's e-book - It is amazingly detailed, but very easy to read. So worth the price!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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

Where can we find Swift's ebook?

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Carrie
Wife to my Best Friend and Homeschool mom to 7 beautiful gifts

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

_________________
Carrie
Wife to my Best Friend and Homeschool mom to 7 beautiful gifts

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