Teach Soap

So, I finally made my first lotion bars, just for me. I made two, a two-ounce and a half-ounce (these are in twist-up tubes).

I started with the recipe for "Lotion Bar Love" on the Soap Queen blog as a jumping-off point. My version is:

20% beeswax
5% kuikui nut oil
30% sweet almond
25% shea
20% cocoa butter

One question I have, how soon is it good to use? I'm pretty sure I don't have to wait four weeks like you do for soap (at least I hope not!), but I used the smaller one pretty much as soon as it was cool, and it felt a bit greasy. I'm making myself wait 24 hours before I try again.

Oh, and I did use a teeny bit of Liquipar Optima (just in case!) and scented with Sweet Orange EO. I was in the hospital a few years ago and got sent home with some orange-scented lotion. When I decided to learn to make lotions, that orange scent was the first thing that popped into my head.

Also, I used Irena's hint about standing the containers in a container of raw rice. I had bought a big bag (okay, a HUGE bag) of rice, and a couple of different things to put it in to hold lotion bottles. Last night, since I just had the two, I used those teeny little foil loaf pans. I bought a stack of five for less than a couple of dollars (and I didn't even take them apart). I filled the pan full of rice, set the tubes inside, and poured away. I got a bit sloppy on the smaller tube, so I had lotion spill-over and a wad of rice stuck to the side, but I just wiped that off. When the tubes were cooled, I poured the rice back into its little ziploc bag for next time.

So, thanks for another great idea, Irena!

Anita

I'm glad to see that worked well for you. You can use the lotion bar right away, but I wait because some ingredients, like cocoa butter take up to a couple of days to completely "crystalize" or mesh with the rest of the ingredients. My formula with cocoa butter actually gets harder after a couple of days. Shea and cocoa butter can make them feel a bit greasy.

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

I use mine right away and use liquid Shea with cocoa butter wafers and haven't had gritiness yet. Maybe the difference is i use liquid Shea? I hope this helps

Alas, my bars are still greasy. It actually works pretty well if I apply some and then go straight to bed. But if I want to do anything else once I've used the lotion, not so much.

I think I may drop the cocoa butter to 5%. The question is, should I add the 15% left over to the shea butter? Do I just have too much butter, period?

Would I be better to adjust this to a one-third/one-third/one third ratio? Right now I have 20% beeswax, 35% oils, and 45% butters. Would it be better, or at least not as greasy, with a closer to equal amounts formula?

Thanks to everyone who replied.

Anita

I give them a day or two to set up.
If you want to lessen the grease feel, add corn starch or DryFlo. I don't remember the proportions, but it does help.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
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sometimes when mine seem too oily, i wait another day for them to finish curing or whatever you call it when lotion bars are hardening and they actually seem less greasy but if that doesn't work, put less oils and if that doesn't work call it a massage bar and you're good! I would keep the same amount of everything else and just try less oils to start though. Try that and we'll go from there?

I'm glad someone said it may take more than one day to set up. I was about to check my bars and start over. I made my bars with 1 part each-- beeswax, shea butter or cocoa butter and cocnut oil. And then added essential oil or fragrance. It hasn't set at 12 hours. Any helpful ideas? Maybe add more beeswax?

Thank you!

Waxes can take up to three days before they reach the final texture. I would wait longer then 12 hours.

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

Thank you! I was so unsure. It is my first time making them and I didn't want to start over.

I think I need to add more beeswax. It's been three days and they still are not solid. So I'm going to shred more wax, remelt the bars and add it to the mixture. Maybe it's the wax? I bought pure beeswax from hobby lobby.

Ha! So I have finally gotten around to trying lotion bars again. This time I added 2.7 oz more beeswax to each scent. Not really reading my recipe the first time I didn't add enough (I am thinking). I had a little bit left of from pouring into the molds and I tried one and it worked! So, I am hoping this works! That can be one more thing checked off my list to do and succeed at!