Teach Soap

I just purchased some colloidal oatmeal! Now I'm wondering what would be the best use for it! Is it more soothing to skin in a body butter or as a soap additive? I like making the whipped avacado body butter, I also bought some hemp seed oil to add to the body butter along with vitamin E oil. Does this oatmeal work in a body butter or will it be grainy? I read in an older post that it might not work well in oil based lotions. My body butter is completely oil based, no water and no preservatives so I don't want anything in there that might go nasty! What do you think? Should I just put it in an Oatmeal, Milk & Honey cp soap?

Thanks for your input!
Sherri

Oatmeal is harder to preserve due to natural proteins. As soon as the body butter gets damp fingers or any water or humidity from the shower into it, there is a good chance that germs, mold or bacteria can grow in it. I would use it in cold process soap. Hemp seed oil has a short shelf life, so I don't use it much.

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

Thank you! Does Tea Tree oil help to preserve or extend shelf life if in the same product as hemp seed oil?
-Sherri

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

I used some colloidal oatmeal in a lotion because I have itchiness from rosacea. It helps a lot! It is not gritty at all, it's a very fine powder, but it does make the lotion thick. I have found that the colloidal oatmeal makes the lotion a bit drying, so I have to combine it with a greasy lotion or oil. Just something to keep in mind if using in a lotion. I use a preservative in any lotion that I make. I will eventually make a soap with it but in the meantime still have a few of my ground oatmeal soaps left so I'm waiting until they're gone.

For a body butter made without any water but containing this colloidal oatmeal what preservative would you recommend? Is it Phenonip? I haven't ventured into lotion making yet but am thinking of it as I have such itchy skin!

Take a look at the sticky I posted about preservatives. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5032
The only true way to know if the preservative is working in your recipe is to get the lotion tested.
You can send it to The Sage Script Institute for a nominal fee for a basic test. http://www.sagescript.com/microbiology

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

Thank you for the replies! Irena, do you have the testing done with every batch or just to check on a recipe? I don't sell but do like to make things to give as gifts. I would hate it if mold or something grew in anything I made.
Sherri

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