Teach Soap

I just made Ann-Marie's whipped shea butter. While I love her blogs and stuff, things are sometimes missing! Like just how many 4 oz jars will you need if you make the entire recipe?

I only had 4.5 oz of shea and I was just testing anyway. Using a formula from comments posted on her blog, I substituted almond oil.

I ended up with a 4oz jar, and 2 oz jar and a pyrex cup full. That was after slathering what was on the beaters onto my legs. If I really wanted to, I could probably scrape more from the bowl (I need some more rubber spatulas!)

If I wanted to add a preservative, how much should I add? Do any of the calculators show this? (I thought I found a lotion calculator somewhere). I have Phenonip.

I have to do more testing but at the moment I'm thinking the shea is a little too greasy for daytime hand use. (for me)

I have a whipped shea butter recipe very similar to Anne Marie's. My recipe fills about 10-11 4oz jars. Her recipe will probably get you around the same amount, maybe a little less depending on your additives. Using sweet almond oil instead of coconut will give you a little less volume as well. (That is what I have seem to found when testing different recipes anyway.) Unless you are adding water there really is no need for a preservative since the recipe is all oils. If you are going to add a preservative and are using Phenonip the suggested usage rate is .5%-1%. So for Anne Marie's recipe there is 14 oz shea butter and 5 oz coconut oil which gives you a total weight of 19 oz. You would figure out what .5% to 1% would be of the total weight. .5% of 19 oz is .095 oz and 1% is .19 oz. As for the greasiness of the whipped butter try adding some corn starch or tapioca starch to help. A good usage rate to start out with is 1tbsp per lb of oils.

Wow that is a lot! I'm glad I didn't have that much shea.

Thanks for the corn starch info. I tried it this morning - I like it but it is heavy and I'm not sure how I'll like it come summer. Plus we discussed in another thread how many of the oils melt anyway. It is harder to glide, ie if I put some on it really likes to stay where I put it and needs some convincing to spread around.

What kind of ingredients have you experimented with?

Oh, the reason I was thinking of a preservative is because I use it in the bathroom after the shower. At the moment the leftover I had went into a small pyrex dish. I'll use it quickly but I'm not sure I want to take a chance on nasties. I read the Soap Queen blog on that one!

LOL! It's always good to test small. As for it being a bit heavy and greasy, with these a little goes a lllllooooonnnnggggg way. Once I apply it and give it a little bit it doesnt feel to heavy anymore. I like it in the summer but my skin gets really, really dry. And yes they do melt very easily in the summer heat. My experience has been 80 degrees and up.

Different ingredient mixes I have experimented with.
Liquid oils- When it is made with liquid oils it is okay but is a bit more dense. I like mine fluffier.
Hard oils- Coconut oil is my fav hard oil to use. It gives it a really, really nice fluffy texture and I find it does spread more easier than when using liquid oils.
I have tried so many different butters it's insane. I have tried every butter BB currently offers, plus I have also tried some from other companies. For selling shea butter really is the best. It is a very popular ingredient that almost everyone recognizes and it's probably the most cost effective.
I've used diffferent extracts (doesn't really change the consistency but just adds different skin properties. Try not to make to small of a batch otherwise if you are using a a stand mixer it won't work as well.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

I am finding it's kind of draggy on my skin, ie "little goes a long way" does not apply. Maybe it's the SAO, or the fact that I have it an open cup right now. It looks like frosting though - yum! But it does feel good and my skin still felt good last night.

Do you find the SAO still melts? By the time I had gotten mine, it was already cooler. My house is pretty warm in the summer and cold in the winter. I usually don't turn the ac on till it's close to 90.

I had just under 5 oz of shea and I don't remember the SAO. I was still able to put it in my stand mixer in the small bowl, but I don't think I could have done any less. (I don't think I have a hand mixer anymore). Will be interesting to see how long this lasts so I can try again. I can honestly say this is the only time I am eager to finish any of my skin care products, usually I dread them running out because it means I have to go out and buy something new!

Yes. It could also be your skin type. I do have to say that when it comes to different oils it can all depend on the person's skin type. My sister (she tests everything for me) and I don't have any problems with drag but we both have really, really dry skin. My husband does find a little drag (I make some for him with a men's fo for his elbows) if he uses it in other places besides his elbows. I use jojoba oil for his (it's what he likes) then he says it has drag but if I use sunflower for his (pretty greasy oil) then he says that it really doesn't drag but he likes the jojoba better. Just keep testing with different oils until you find what works for you!

That's why I put the SAO in it, I really like it on it's own. I had found shea too greasy alone and I don't think I tried it on body parts either! My hands are a big test for me. Usually with a commercial lotion, if I feel I can't type or use a pen soon after applying (or drive!), I just won't use it and that's how I felt about straight shea.

But now that I think about it, I'm not sure I used straight SAO on my hands either! But I have used it on my face, legs and arms.

My bf is a tester as well. He's not a big lotion guy but his hands are always rough from work. Just coconut oil for a few days helped him a lot. We're testing the body butter now. But I don't think he'd use it during the day.

I am trying REALLY REALLY hard not to buy a lot of different butters!

One butter you might really like is pistachio butter. It is very, very soft and when whipped with a liquid oil is almost like regular lotion consistency. i was actually able to put mine in a lotion jar! I really liked it though and with some raw sugar mixed right in (nothing else) it made an excellent sugar scrub.

Is there a list of liquid vs hard oils somewhere?

So by adding sugar, you make a bathing product? I haven't tried sugar scrubs yet but they sound intriguing.

Not that I've seen. You can visit different soap supplies websites and look their sections of oils to get an idea.

Sugar is an excellent exfoliant for the skin and there are many different ways to make a sugar scrub. Anne-Marie's blog, soapqueen.com, has a few really good recipes.

Does anyone have any shipping tips for these, so they will not melt in process? I dont want to use dry ice because of liability.

I don't make these due to the heat in the desert. They deflate and melt during shipping.

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

I do not ship them during the hotter months here in Illinois. During the summer I only bring them to craft shows if its not that hot out or if the craft show is inside. A lot of my customers are local and just pick up some from my house or watch for a craft show that I'll be at that's inside to pick up.

Is shea the best to use as the bulk of the butters? I want to place another oil/butter order soon and while I'm eager to try new things, I can't afford to waste too much!

I really want to try the pistachio but it's going to depend on pricing. I didn't see it anywhere other than BB yet.