The Making of a Facial Cleanser And Lotion Recipe

Part Two

So far I love love love this cleanser it is definitly not a drying on the skin as my cream soap is at the moment (it's not done rotting yet so that's to be expected) and the smell is awesome.  It had a pH of 6.  I made the first recipe in a 200g batch because my scale can't measure increments less than a gram and some of the ingredients where at 0.5%.  So I filled two small bottles which is a good size I think for a cleanser.

Now because I love the smell so much I don't want to mess with the natural scent of this and I want my lotion to smell the same.  So I'm altering my lotion recipe to match the cleanser better.  I'm taking out the Lavender Essential Oil and putting in the same amount of Hydrosol that I used in the cleanser.  I also decide to change the time I add the licorice root. Since it's already a liquid and I made it myself I want to be sure that it doesn't contaminate my lotion or cleanser. So I added it to the water phase to be heated and held to decontaminate it just in case.  So here's the modified recipe.

Facial Lotion

Water Phase

26% Distilled Water

15% Aloe Vera Extract

15% Calendula Hydrosol (Home made)

15% Lavender Hydrosol

2% Sodium Lactate

2% Glycerine

2% Cromoist

2% Panthenol

2% Licorice Root Extract (I made it myself with glycerin)

1% Allantoin

Oil Phase

6% Avocado Oil

2% Vitamin E

4% BTMS-50

2% Cetyl Alcohol

1% Zinc Oxide

Cool Down Phase

2% Silk Protein (liquid)

0.5% Chamomile Extract (powdered)

0.5% Germaben Plus

I tried out the moisturizer and it's great so far.  It is heavier than I'm use to probably because there is actual oils in it whereas my usual moisturizer is an oil free moisturizer.  So I will be using it for the next three weeks and hopefully I will love it and I won't have to buy anymore moisturizer.  That would save me some cash that I can put towards more crafting materials. lol  I have to say I made a good choice on the emulsifier I like the dryer feel on the face better than the slightly greasier Polowax.    Once I get a new preservative that is paraben free and formaldehyde free I will be switching preservatives.  Germaben Plus is ok to use though.  I'll let you know how they turn out in 3 weeks.  :)

The Making Of A Facial Cleanser And Lotion Recipe

Part One

My Aunt asked me for some advice since she has Rosacea and wants to try some natural remedies to help.  So I offered to make her a cleanser and lotion that have some ingredients that may help sooth her condition.  And of course I though well why not blog about it. :)

Ingredients I want to use: 

Now for the cleanser I really wanted to use my cream soap but it isn't ready yet and is still more drying to the skin than I would like.  If she where to use the cream soap now it would only make her condition worse since she is already inflamed.  So I decided to use the gentlest surfactant that I have.  Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate in combination with Amphosol CG to make it even more gentle to the skin.

I'm using Lavender Hydrosol  because it is an anti-inflammatory that may help calm the redness and help to heal the damaged skin. Calendula Hydrosol because it also is a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also helps to heal wounds and sooth the skin. Aloe Vera extract because of all the yummy ingredient's that help to heal and nourish the skin.  I want to include as many moisturizing ingredients as I can because the retention of moisture is important when healing inflamed skin but also because my aunt has dry skin.  These ingredients include humectants like glycerin and sodium lactate.  I'm going to use them both because I want to maximize the moisturizing properties.  I'm only using a small amount of sodium lactate though since at higher concentrations it can be used as an alpha hydroxy acid and I don't want to irritate the skin.  I'm going to use Hydrolyzed proteins of oat and silk.  Cromoist is my hydrolysed oat protein and it helps to retain and add moisture to the skin.  It also a provides a "cushion feeling on the skin and a near velvet smooth texture on the skin" when dry. Silk Amino Acids, which is my liquid silk protein, are powerful moisturizers that bind to the skin and leave a silky feel on the skin after use.  Panthenol is  an emollient, moisturizer and humectant as well.  The extracts I'm using are chamomile and licorice root.  Chamomile is a wonderful anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and wound healer.  Licorice root is also an anti-inflammatory and may help to reduce the symptoms of skin irritations.  I'm using Allantoin because it's good for healing dry and chapped skin and has barrier abilities.  And of course a small amount of Zinc oxide for barrier abilities as well.  I would like to say that it would be a sunscreen but the truth is I'm not adding enough for it to really be a good sunscreen.  Someday I'll get some ingredients and make a good sunscreen but I don't have anything right now for that purpose.  It's too bad too because the sun really aggravates conditions like rosacea so a sunscreen would be a real asset.  

My oils include Avocado and Vitamin E.  Avocado oil is full of footstool's which help with itchy or inflamed skin.  It absorbs easily and is a medium weight oil that has Vitamin's A, D, and E. And Vitamin E is an awesome anti-oxidant for helping to fight free radicals and increasing the shelf life of our lotions.

I'm on the fence about the emulsifier.  I could use either Polowax or BTMS-50.  I have both.  The problem is I haven't used BTMS-50 on a skin product yet so I'm not sure if I personally will like the feel of it.  On the other hand Polowax is a bit greasier and a facial product and I could use something that is more emollient and conditioning as well as has a dryer feel.  So I think I'm going to go with BTMS-50.  I'm using cetyl alcohol for a nice glide and feel on the skin and to thicken up the lotion.  I'm using Lavender Essential oil in a small amount for the lotion only instead of the hydrosol.  Lastly my preservative will be Germaben Plus.  It is a paraben free preservative.  I wish it wasn't a formaldehyde producer but it's what I have for now.

I am not making any claims on this product.  I'm just trying to help out a friend and family member.  I'll have to let you know how well they work out once she has used them for at least 3 weeks.   These are just recipes based on the knowledge I've gained so far and with the help of the Point of interest blog here http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2009/03/facial-cleansers.html and her post here http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2009/04/lotions-facial-moisturizers.html  I absolutely love this blog so if you have the chance check it out.  :)


So here are the recipes so far

Facial Cleanser

33% Distilled Water
20% Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
10% Amphosol CG
15% Lavender Hydrosol
15% Calendula Hydrosol (made it myself and yes I preserved it )
10% Aloe Vera Extract (liquid form mixed with water and glycerin)
2% Glycerin
2% Sodium Lactate

2% Cromoist
2% Silk Protien (liquid)
2% Panthenol
0.5% Chamomile Extract (powdered)
0.5% Licroice Root Extract (made it myself with a hot method and glycerin so liquid)
0.5% Germaben Plus

up to 2% Crothix

Facial Lotion

Water Phase
41% Distilled Water
15% Aloe Vera Extract
15% Calendula Hydrosol (Home made)
2% Sodium Lactate
2% Glycerine
2% Cromoist
1% Allantoin

Oil Phase
6% Avocado Oil
2% Vitamin E
4% BTMS-50
2% Cetyl Alcohol
1% Zinc Oxide

Cool Down Phase
2% Silk Protein (liquid)
2% Panthenol
0.5% Chamomile Extract (powdered)
2% Licorice Root Extract (I made it myself with glycerin)
0.5% Germaben Plus
up to 0.5% Lavender Essential Oil

I'm just finishing up the making of my licorice root glycerin extract and my Calendula hydrosol then it will be time to make the cleanser and lotion.  I'm super excited to make these.  I have been meaning to make these for awhile actually since I have Rosacea as well as Eczema.  It's difficult to change once you have a facial lotion and cleanser that works though so I've been putting it off.  But since I'm making it now I will be using it myself to see how it works also.  I'll post a video of the making of.  :)

Adventures in Soaping

Herbs and Other Ingredients I want to try and why...

Beet Root.  I'm Probably not using it for the reason you think. I don't want to use it for a colorant.  It actually turns the soap a brownish color rather than the ruby red color that some say it will.  I found Beet root powder to be incredible.  It is full of antioxidants,  vitamins and minerals that make it excellent for our health.  Not only on the inside but also on the outside.  The skin soaks up those vitamins and minerals.  It also gives the skin a natural healthy glow.  I love to add beet root powder to the bath.  I also make a mask by mixing a bit of beet root powder into some kaolin clay. (Not too much or you turn pink lol)  Because I love this herb so much I want to make a facial soap out of it some day.  I would also love to add the juice to something and see if that works better than the powder on it's own.

Kelp Powder & Seaweed Extract. I've read that seaweed and kelp especially is very moisturizing and soothing. Also all seaweed is full of minerals and vitamins that are absorbed into the skin readily. Like the beta carotene, potassium, calcium, iron and Iodine especially. As well as vitamins A B1, B2, C, D, E  Some pages say that it also helps with stimulating collagen although those claims aren't confirmed.  Kim from Essential Soap makes a beautiful bar using Kelp Powder and Sea Salt.  I am dying to try it.  I also want to make a mask with the powder and see what happens. Voyageur Soap & Candle company also sells seaweed extract which I want to try in a shampoo and conditioner.  Since there are suggestions that it also may stimulate hair growth.

Papaya.  I love this fruit.  It is full of antioxidants. Plus it has naturally occurring Alpha Hydroxy Acids which help slough away dead skin cells and reveal the fresh beautiful skin underneath.  I really want to make a facial soap bar or a cream soap with this ingredient.  I will mash up the papaya and the rind together and add it to the soap.  Perhaps a mask would be nice as well if I can find some Papaya extract I may try that.

Avocado. This in another of my favorites.  It is full of moisturizing and skin softening properties.  The anit-oxidants helps to rid the skin of toxins that damage the skin.  I want to mash it up and add it to a soap just like that.  I have an Avocado Oil recipe so this would just add that extra punch to it I think.

Elderflower.  Elderflower has anti-oxidant properties and Phytochemilcals.  Both of which help to prevent free radical damage.  I've read that it also contains some essential vitamines as well.  And it is said to have skin lightening properties.  I would love to try this in a cream and also in a facial soap bar.

I may infact use all these ingredients in one soap or facial product and see how that works out.  I think that it would be cool

Fun with Bubble Bars

What I have learned so far

I have several recipes that I want to try out for making the perfect Bubble Bars.  The secret to making easy to crumble bubble bars is in the cream of tartar.  If you don't use the tartaric acid (cream of tartar) your bubble bars will be way to hard to crumble.  Also Tapioca powder, arrowroot powder and corn starch are some ingredients that seem to have similar characteristics.  I believe that they are almost interchangeable in a bubble bar recipe.  So if you don't have one but have the other then I would be comfortable substituting one of these ingredients. Keep in mind that Tapioca powder does have a higher thickening power than corn starch or arrow root powder.  And Arrowroot powder has a silkier and finer texture than corn starch.  Also I've read that Tapioca powder holds onto scent really well.  Arrowroot powder does hold scent as well.

Recipes I'm going to try

Keeping all these in mind I'm going to make the SoapQueen's recipe first for bubble bars.  However, I want to make them a bit differently only because I already have some different ingredients plus I want to make the recipe more of my own.  So I'm substituting the SLSa for another powdered surfactant Bioterge AS90  and I'm also going to substitute part of the cornstarch with arrowroot powder because it disperses in water better than cornstarch and it has a silkier texture. Also I am going to use 'turkey red' sulphured Castor oil instead of regular Castor oil because it is water soluble.  Here is the link to Anne-Marie's newest video on how to make solid bubble bath.

The next bubble bar recipe I am going to try is the one I found at Voyageur Soap & Candle Co. website.  It has an added ingredient Amphasol CG which is a liquid surfactant that will help to make the surfactants more gentle on the skin. And help to create more bubbles.  Only this recipe doesn't contain any cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot powder.  I am very tempted to add some arrowroot powder but I think I should try the recipe at least once without it and see how it compares.  I think I am going to add a small amount of tapioca starch to hold onto the fragrance better and I am substituting again the surfactant used in the recipe with the one I already have Bioterge AS90.  Here is the link to the website where I found this recipe.  http://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/Bubble_Bar_Recipe_s/289.htm


Lastly, but certainly not least If I have enough ingredients left over I am going to make the recipe from Bonnie's youtube video on how to make bubble bars.  Again I am substituting the surfactant for my Bioterge AS90 and may substitute some of the cornstarch with arrowroot powder as well.  Here is the link to Bonnie's video.

Here are my videos of the making of these bubble bars/solid bubble bath recipes.

How did the bubble bar fair.  Well not very well in my opinion.  The first bubble bars had bubbles that lasted only about 15-20 min.  Also my bubble bars from the Soap Queen's recipe fell flat on me.  I guess I messed with the recipe too much. I should have known really that a bubble bath without a foam stabilizer wasn't going to have long lasting bubbles.  Even the second recipe that I used that has a foam stabilizer the bubbles only lasted about 30-40 min.   But there wasn't as much of them.  It is an ok amount of time but if they where to last an hour that would be better.  And I would like more bubbles.  The recipe that has the foam stabilizer in it was the most difficult recipe to work with but the bubbles lasted the longest.  So I think that I may take the basic bubble bar recipe that Bonnie has and alter it to add some foam stabilizer.  Her recipe was my favorite because it was easy to work with, had lots of bubbles, and the bubbles lasted almost 30 min.  I'll have to get some more supplies since this experiment on which recipe is the best, kind of cleaned me out. LOL  More surfactants please...lol

Here are the links to all the other recipes for bubble bars I found:

 bath cookies & bubble bars-
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/f26/bubble-bars-soap-enjoy-32074/#post302710
BathBodySupply.com BLOG- Recipe- Bubble Bars (Solid Bubble Bath)
Elemental Bath Company- Bubble Bars (Solid Bubble Bath)
Lushious Bubble Bar Recipe
http://www.ehow.com/how_2006749_make-bubble-bath.html
http://candles-soap.wonderhowto.com/how-to/make-homemade-bubble-bath-bars-liquid-glycerin-340474/
http://voices.yahoo.com/how-bubble-bath-bars-9481427.html?cat=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmB3_4SZIvo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiDdK7l5dAg&list=LLTtv39JpLufEPvozAExp0Gg&feature=mh_lolz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a4CXy10bD4

The Making of a Cream Soap Recipe Part Three

Making the Soap

The recipe seemed to go through the different stages very quickly.  It took no time at all for it to reach a thick trace.  My recipe didn't bubble up like I've seen in some cream soap videos.  I set my crockpot on low to cook.  I checked it every 15 min from the beginning of the cook. I turned up the heat to high halfway through to make it easier to stir although it was really hot. It took only 1 hour 30 minutes to cook out all the lye.  I tested it with phenolphthalein.  I 'supercreamed' it at that point then I let it cook for another 30 min.  After that I turned off the crockpot to let it cook down and 'relax' overnight.  My soap didn't really get super hard to mix.  It is more like a thick vaseline type consistency.  It whiped  up easily the next morning.  I didn't have to add anymore water.  I used Liquid Germaben Plus to preserve it.  I used way too much preservative, I was suppose to use 0.5% but instead used 5%, but now I won't have to add more when I put in the additives.  Plus this batch is just for me.  It looks amazing.  I used it a few times already.  I know I'm suppose to wait but the lye is dead already so I didn't see any harm in trying it.  It works well I'm glad that it will mellow out with time though because I want it to be a facial cleanser. And I don't want it to be too drying, my skin was a little tight after using it the first few times.  So my hope is that this harshness with rot out of the soap given the appropriate amount of time.

For Recipe see part two of the making of a cream soap recipe series.  :)

Here is my video of the making of my cream soap.  

The Making of a Cream Soap Recipe Part Two

My First Cream Soap Recipe

Stearic Acid 50%                                                                                                   8oz/226gms
(I'm using this as a jumping off point and will reduce that amount as I try new recipes)
Coconut Oil 5% ( I only want a small amount because of the drying properties)         0.8oz/22gms
Castor Oil 8% (has emollient properties plus bubbles  Yay!)                                   1.28oz/36gms
Cocoa Butter 5% (adds hardness, creaminess and conditioning)                                0.8oz/22gms
Shea Butter 5% (also adds hardness, creaminess and conditiong)                              0.8oz/22gms
Mango Butter 5% (another one for hardness, creaminess and conditioning)               0.8oz/22gms
Olive Oil 22% (A wonderful conditioning oil)                                                         3.52oz/99gms
Glycerin 55% (of my total Stearic Acid content)                                                    4.4oz/124gms

Batch Water (Initial amount)                                                                             14.73oz/417gms
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) 16.67%                                                                    0.53oz/15gms
Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) 83.33%                                                                 2.66oz/75gms

Replacement Water Amount                                                                             3.68oz/104gms

Total Batch Weight                                                                                    2lb 8.83oz/1157gms

Supercream Amounts

3% - Stearic Acid        0.48oz/13gms
     - Glycerin              0.72oz/20gms
__________________________________________________

4% - Stearic Acid          0.64oz/18gms

      - Glycerin               1.28oz/36gms

___________________________________________________

5% - Stearic Acid           0.80oz/22gms

      - Glycerin                2.00oz/56gms

I am going to supercream at 3% because I don't want anymore stearic acid free floating in there anymore than necessary.  Next time I may try the boric acid and water supercream instead.

Here is my video of using the Advance Lye Calculator for cream soap recipes.  

I am making this recipe as we speak and will update this post as to how it works out.  So far so good.

The Making of a Cream Soap Recipe Part one

The Elusive Cream Soap

Firstly I haven't made Cream soap....yet.  There is so little information on making this kind of soap.  It's like a TOP SECRET soap.  I can understand the fact that if you haven't made soap before it's not something you should attempt first thing.  But still, why make it so hard for soapers to learn how to make it?  And I of course have to research something to death and love to watch multiple videos on something before I attempt it myself.  So this is what I've done so far.  I found several recipes online that I ran through two different lye calculators to find out what cream soapers wanted in a recipe.  Although that may not be what I want in a cream soap it's somewhere to start.  I read over all the websites listed below. One of which is the Help section in the Summer Bee Meadows Advanced Lye Calculator, which was a big help.  Of course I watched a few YouTube videos on 'How to make cream soap'.

So what have I learned so far.  

Potassium and Sodium Hydroxide Amounts.  Snow Drift Farms website recommended anywhere from a 75%-90% Potassium Hydroxide and a 10%-25% Sodium Hydroxide amounts. Other websites state that the general amount of a 5:1 ratio of Potassium Hydroxide:Sodium Hydroxide  is used.  That would mean 83.33% Potassium Hydroxide : 16.67% Sodium Hydroxide.  If you use a higher amount of sodium hydroxide your mixture will be thicker and stiffer where as if you use a higher amount of potassium hydroxide you mixture will be softer and creamier.

Different ways to process cream soap. Cream soaps can be made with a water-only process or with a water and alcohol process similar to liquid soap making. For my purposes I'm going to stick with water only for a beginner cream soaper.  But using alcohol "provides accelerated saponification in a more diluted initial broth mixture for easier processing."(Summer Bee Meadow website)  Which I'm thinking means that it makes the mixture more fluid so it's easier to stir.

Glycerin. You may notice that glycerin is used in all the recipes in the links I provided at the end of the page.  Summer bee meadows says it's a necessity in this type of soap making although they don't mention why.  It is said though that it is auto-calculated in there calculator for 55% of the total Stearic Acid amount in the recipe.  That tells me it's probably used to combat the natural drying properties of the Stearic acid.  But that is my guess.  I haven't found any other information as to why this is a necessary piece of the cream soap puzzle.  And on the Sage forums page a writer actually used sodium lactate to replace half of her glycerin amounts and her recipe was more fluid, which is similar to what SL does for HP soap making, and it "whipped up beautifully".  I am seriously considering adding sodium lactate to my recipe.  Even though I'm a beginner.  Hey if it makes it easier I'm all for it.

Superfatting. Cream soap shouldn't be superfatted.  If you do superfat you may find your oils separate out of your cream soap solution.  So it is recommended that you don't superfat, unless you use some 'turkey red' sulfated Castor oil, since it disperses in water.  Which, is simular to liquid soap making.  It's interesting to me that if I use a water soluble oil it will be ok.  That makes me wonder if I just add some emulsifier to the cream soap can I then add more oils to superfat it?  It sounds like an experiment is on the horizon.  lol.  You don't have to worry about any excess lye if you supercream your soap.  Which is a percentage of stearic acid melted and mixed with glycerin and added after the cook.  (which just between you and me sounds like superfatting but I won't tell if you won't lol)  I think that the stearic acid may work when the other oils don't is simply because it is a co-emulsifier.  So it helps to stabilise the emulsion of water and the oils together.  The main emulsifier in a cream soap would probably be the soap itself.

Stearic Acid.  Cream soap recipes all seem to have large amounts of stearic acid.  I've read that it makes the consistency of the cream soap fluffy and whipable. Summer bee Meadows recommends a 50%-70% stearic acid amount.  Although the recipe given in the book "The Everything Soapmaking Book" has a recipe that has half that amount.   And the SnowDrift Farms website has recipes that are all around 12% stearic acid.  I'm wondering if reducing or increasing the stearic acid amount is a better way to adjust the hardness of your cream soap.  Another experiment in the making there.  Plus I don't like using that high amount of stearic acid because of the drying properties. I really want a cream facial soap that doesn't dry out the skin.  I'm hoping that if I use high amounts of hard oils that have a naturally occuring high amounts of stearic acid I won't have to use so much of the commercially produced stearic acid.

What did I learn from soapcalc.

The recipes all had several things in common.  A really high hardness number, which was attributed to the stearic acid and/or other hard oils. Amount ranged from a 54-76.  The recipes with numbers in the lower range where discribed as a medium density cream soap.  Also one of those recipes, the Everything Soapmaking Book, the author mentions on her website that her recipe can be put into pump bottles.  That tells me I probably shouldn't go any lower than 54 on hardness and also that 76 is probably really hard and may need to be put into jar containers.  All the recipes had the glycerin in the amounts stated above except for the one on the sage forum in which sodium lactate was used as well as the glycerin.  The conditioning numbers on all the recipes where pretty low. In my opinion too low.  Some  of them where "supercreamed" but stearic acid doesn't have any conditioning properties.  The one recipe that has a better conditioning number than the others was not supercreamed.  However, the glycerin and the sodium lactate would add some moisturizing, conditioning and skin softening factors.  Cleansing numbers varied as per usual recipes.  The Iodine levels on all the recipes where really, really low.  Again probably because of the high solid oil content.  The  INS numbers where way off like way higher than they are suppose to be for a bar soap.

So I took all that information and made my own first Cream Soap Recipe.  I probably should take my own advice and use a recipe that is already been done but I really want different oils in my recipe.  I don't want to use as much coconut oil as all these recipes call for.  So I decided to go for it and make my own. Next step is actually making the recipe.  Join me and see what happens.  :)

I am currently awaiting purchase of the Cream Soapmaking Booklet by Catherine Failor.  But the 5$USD book is going to cost me a pretty penny because it isn't sold in Canada.  So it's on hold till I can afford it.  Unfortunatly soaping supplies in the form of oils and lye is more important right now.  So I'm just going to go with what I have so far and experimentation.  If it doesn't work then I'll buy the book and see what hidden clues I'm missing.  :) Or, I could purchase the 'Cream Soap Naturally a reference guide for formulators' but then I'd have to sign a 'Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement' that would mean I couldn't share any information I learned with anyone else.   Bummer.  So no, I'm not going to do that because I believe that information and knowledge is for everyone to benifit and enjoy.


Here are some reference/recipe links I found that really helped me out:

http://creationsfromeden.blogspot.ca/2009/06/cream-soap-recipe.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20110825102655/http://www.snowdriftfarm.com/form_whippedsoaps.html
http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/how-to-make-soap-whipped-cream.html
http://forum.thesage.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=334http://summerbeemeadow.com/sites/all/sbm_calc_input/sbm_advanced_calculator_help_popup_processes.html#AnchorCreamSoap
http://www.saveonscents.com/skinesscentuals/SoapRecipes.htm#CREAM
http://www.saveonscents.com/skinesscentuals/Cream1.html
http://www.talksoapforum.com/cold-process-and-hot-process-discussion/cream-soap/msg157/
http://www.pawmade.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=4
http://www.brambleberry.com/Making-Cream-Soap-1-Book-P4275.aspx

Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IHTkqP21-E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOUZaIML07k


Advanced Lye Calculator from summerbee meadows
https://summerbeemeadow.com/content/advanced-calculator-solid-cream-or-liquid-soaps%

Experimenting with Massage Candles

Experimenting with Massage Candles

Massage Candle made with SQ's Recipe

Once I saw the SoapQueen Anne Marie making massage candles I just had to make them.   I of course scoured the internet for whatever information I could find and I didn't find much.  I found one other recipe consising of mostly wax and some soft oils. I decided to make the one the soapqueen made.  It's always best to start out with a recipe that your sure it will work for you before venturing on in your experiments.  I of course love the way the ones I made with her recipe turned out.  They are amazing.  The left my skin feeling so soft.  They were very greasy, which is part of the point being a massage candle.  So it took a little bit for the oils to sink in my skin.  They are very luxirious feeling.  I felt as if i'd just visited a spa.  I used a strawberry fragrance oil and it kind of smelt a little burnt smelling when I burn them.  It said it was candle and skin safe on the page but perhaps I need to do more research in that area.

Here is SoapQueen's Video of Making Massage Candles 

The SoapQueens Recipe in the video goes like this

4oz skin safe soy wax (1part)

4oz deodorized Cocoa Butter(1part)

4oz Avocado Oil(1part)

5oz Shea Butter(1.25parts)

1/2oz Ylang Ylang EO(0.25parts EO all together)

1/2 oz Patchouli EO

The second recipe which I found on a few sites was basically

3oz Skin Safe Soy Wax (3parts)

1oz Liquid oil of choice (1part)

0.25oz of FO or EO (0.25parts)

I wanted to show you the link but since my first troll for massage candle recipes it seems we've had a balloon of sites putting up new recipes.  Here are a few that I found so far.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4883697_make-soy-massage-candles.html
http://www.voyageursoapandcandle.com/How_to_Make_Massage_Candles_s/339.htm
http://www.easy-aromatherapy-recipes.com/massage-candle-recipe.html
http://www.scentymental.co.uk/page_2488030.html
http://www.naturallyorganicskincare.com/soy-massage-candle-recipes/

Apparetnly I can now go all day listing sites that have recipes.  I digress.  So different than when I started.  lol

So I thought with these two recipes I should be able to make my own without too much difficulty.  Well I made up two recipes to try out on my own using mostly the soapqueens recipe as a go by. Since I saw her make them and because I wanted my recipe to have some skin loving butters as well as oils.

Massage Candle made with Recipe 1

Experimental Recipe 1 (Buttercream)

4oz (112gms) Skin Safe Soy Container Wax (1 Part)
2oz (56gms) Coconut oil (0.5 Part)
2oz (56gms) Cocoa Butter (0.5 Part)
4oz (112gms) of (109gms) Avocado Oil and Vitamine E oil (3gms) (1 Part)
2.5oz (70gms) Shea Butter (0.625 Parts)
2.5oz (70gms) Mango Butter (0.625 Parts)
                                                      1oz (28gms) Buttercream Fragrance Oil(0.25 Parts)

This recipe seemed to work out alright.  I have a ring around the candle in white, which may be from pouring slightly hot.  The candle is really soft.  Way softer than the Soap Queen candle. I can put indents in it with my fingers very easily.  It melt and pours really well.  I love the way it feels on the skin.  It's greasy and stays on the skin a good amount of time probably not as long as the SQ's recipe.  That is one thing that I was going for.  I wanted to use coconut oil because it's a good massage oil that doesn't stain your clothes or sheets.  But I think I may have gotten the ratios of hard to soft off just a bit.  It smells awesome!

Massage Candle made with Recipe 2

Experimental Recipe 2 (Love Spell)

4oz (112gms) Skin Safe Soy Container Wax (1 Part)
4oz (112gms) Coconut Oil (1 Part)
4oz (112gms) Avocado Oil (1 Part)
2.5oz (70gms) Mango Butter (0.625 Parts)
2.5oz (70gms) Shea Butter (0.625 Parts)
1oz (28gms) Love Spell Fragrance Oil (0.25 Parts)

With this recipe the ratios where way off.  It almost looks curddled on the top.  Not pretty at all!  I could probably stick my finger in all the way to the bottom if I really tried it's so soft.  It feels nice on the skin however.  I love the smooth feel and the greasiness is way better while still getting the glid.

So it's back to the drawing board for me.  Once I get some new supplies I'm going to try instead of replaceing the Cocoa butter with Coconut Oil to replace the Cocoa butter with the Mango,Cocoa, Shea butter combination and the Shea with the Coconut oil so it should look something like this plus add more soy wax just in case it's too soft.  So it should look something like this.

Experimental Recipe 3

Massage Candles made with SQ's Recipe

1.25 Parts Skin Safe Soy Wax
1/3 Parts Mango Butter
1/3 Parts Shea Butter
1/3 Parts Cocoa Butter
1 Part Avocodo Oil and Vitamin E
1 Part Coconut Oil

or this

Experimental Recipe 4
1.25 Parts Skin Safe Soy Wax
1 Part Mango Butter
1 Part Avocado Oil and Vitamin E
1 Part Coconut Oil

I may just try both.  The SQ's recipe does 4 / 6oz tins exactly.  I think for experimental purposes that's a bit too much now I have more than I need for sure.  So I'm also going to devide this recipe by 4 so that it fills only one tin for experiementing with.  Also on the Voyeageur's website in troubleshooting tips they mention that you should only add the fragrance once you know your recipe is going to work well first.  So I will not be scenting the next two experiments.  My goal for these recipes is to have a product that has really nice slip for massage.  It is moisturizing and skin softening.  While still absorbing into the skin easily and not leaving my clothes or sheets all greasy and stained.  I would love to add some Jojoba oil to the recipe and possibly some fractionated Coconut Oil so this may take some time to perfect.   But it will be fun!  :)

Here is my video making massage candles.

Pointillism Extra Credit Challenge

 http://www.photographyeagle.com/inspiration/taking-sunset-pictures/

This is my soap for the soap challenge on the facebook group page for Soaping 101.  I couldn't post my inspiration picture in the video so I thought I could get it all in on a blog post.  This was the messiest soap I've ever made.  And the most fun!  I ended up using 10 colors (2 blue, orange, hot orange/pink, hot pink, 2 yellows,3 purples) because I just couldn't go any less than that for the picture lol.  oh boy!  So my inspiration was this photo I found online of the sunset over water.  I love sunsets and skies and I frequently make soaps with the thoughts of clouds and sunsets or sunrise colors.  They are my favorite soaps.  I also use a lot of things in nature as my inspiration as well.  Flowers, trees and rocks well you get the idea.

Without further ado.  Here is the picture of the finished soap.  It's pretty good.  I have one soap that looks better than the others.  Most of them have three suns. lol I think that I'm going to try this again after I get more squeezy bottles and new colors.  I only had three bottles so I had to change out part way through.   And I used both labcolors and oxides together, I think all oxides would have made the colors stand out more especialy the yellow.  It's pretty good but I think I can make it look even better.  So I have to try this again for sure!  :)
     

 Here is the video of me making and cutting this soap.

                                             

The Making of a Soap Recipe

Step Five..

I got the chance to try out the new versions of these recipes and I can say that I like them.  I found that they are probably less expensive and still just as good as the recipes with stearic acid.  The hardness which is the reason for adding the stearic acid is not really affected much because of what I replace it with was hard oils.  Both recipes lather really well this time.  My favorite of the two is still the lard recipe but only because I like the nice natural white of the soap.  Plus I think the lard soap is cheaper.  I shall have to do an update on which one is the less expensive one.

Experimental Recipe 1A 

25% Coconut oil                            Hardness - 40
30% Palm oil                                 Cleansing - 17
10% Castor oil                              Conditioning - 56
35% Corn oil                                 Bubbly - 26
                                                       Creamy - 32
                                                       Iodine - 68
                                                       INS - 142

Experiamental Recipe 1A.  In the first recipe I used Sugar plum fragrance oil from Voyageur Soap & Candle Company.  I did not like this scent in the bottle but it was ok once in the soap and is getting better as it cures.  It doesn't seem to be discoloring the soap so far but it did accelerate trace a bit.  I used purple utramarine for the purple color and cotton candy pink mica both of which also came from Voyageur Soap & Candle Company.  I like the way both colors turned out.  I especially like the pink since I've had trouble creating a nice pink in the past.  I finally found a keeper.  I did a layering effect by spooning the soap onto the next layer but it didn't really work that well.  My layers turned out very uneven but not in a pretty way.  lol

Here is the video of me making recipe 1A.  

Experimental Recipe 2A

20% Coconut oil                           Hardness - 38

8% Castor oil                               Cleansing - 14
28% Corn oil                                Conditioning - 56
44% Lard                                      Bubbly - 21
                                                       Creamy - 32
                                                       Iodine - 67
                                                       INS - 140

Experimental Recipe 2A. In this recipe I used Buttercream Fragrance Oil from Natures Garden.  It was suppose to discolor and it does.   It didn't accelerate trace on me at all.  I love this frangrance in the bottle but find it looses something in the soap.  I think that it will do better in soap mixed with another fragrance oil. I used cocoa powder for the brown and titanium dioxide (oil soluable)  for the white.  I wanted to see if the white in the scented portion of the soap would make a difference at all in the color of the final bar. It does seem to be lighter so far.  I love the layering on this bar and will probably do that again in my final soap bar recipe.  I did a cotton candy mica swirl on top.  It looked really pretty I must say.  I purchased my colors from Voyageur Soap & Candle company.  And I used soap shreads of different colors to look like candy sprinkles on top.  Kinda worked but I think I should just use real spinkles next time.  I did still have some specks in this batch.  I've come to the conclusion that they must be air bubbles that I can see in the uncolored soap.  I also did a different layering technique in this one.  I poured the soap onto the spatula to stop the flow of the soap so as not to break through the previous layer of soap.  This technique worked better than the spoon method for sure.

Here is the  video of my making recipe 2A

Adventures in Soaping

More About the Herbs I Use...

More Herbs I like to use in my soaps and bath and beauty products are Green Tea and Aloe Vera as well as Hibiscus and Rosemary.

Aloe Vera is a desert plant that is famous for it's healing properties.  It has been used for it's skin rejuvenating properties for over thirty-five hundread years.  It helps to soothe sunburns, other minor burns and skin irritations.

Green tea is naturally chalked full of antioxidants and has free radical fighting power.  The tea is also a great anti-inflamatory.  It's also said to rejuventates old cell tissues.  Green tea is also anti-bactierial which makes it good for fighting acne. It's not only good for the skin it's also great for the hair. It is full of panthenol and antioxidants which may help strengthen hair and make it healthier.  And some studdies have shown it to help with hair loss.

Hibiscus is another one of those teas full of anitoxidants.  So it helps fight free radicals in our body.  Also it is full of Vitamin C.  When I use this on my hair I notice an instant change.  My hair is softer and more managaable and I love the red tint that it brings out in my locks.

Rosemary is an anit-inflamatory and anti-bacterial.  It also promotes hair growth.  It is said to improve memory and mood as well.


I use all of these herbs at once in my shampoo and conditioner.  Here is a video of me making my green tea and hibiscus shampoo.

The Making of a Soap Recipe

Step 4 of making a new soap recipe

I adjusted both recipes 1 and 2 to take out the stearic acid.  I am hoping that will mean no lumps in the soap.  When soaped at room temperature.  Although I'm thinking if the soaping temperature was raised to perhaps 125*  there would be no lumps.   Also I'm hoping that the adjustments will increase the lather in the vegan bar.  As for the lard bar it was prefect except for the lumps.  So I'm hoping to try these out real soon once I get some new coconut oil. It's in the mail as we ...write.  :)

Experimental Recipe 1A 

25% Coconut oil                                                    Hardness - 40
30% Palm oil                                                          Cleansing - 17
10% Castor oil                                                       Conditioning - 56
35% Corn oil                                                          Bubbly - 26
                                                                                Creamy - 32
                                                                                 Iodine - 68
                                                                                 INS - 142

Experimental Recipe 2A

20% Coconut oil                                                    Hardness - 38

8% Castor oil                                                         Cleansing - 14
28% Corn oil                                                          Conditioning - 56
44% Lard                                                               Bubbly - 21
                                                                               Creamy - 32
                                                                               Iodine - 67
                                                                               INS - 140


I also read somewhere a question that someone asked if they could use Crisco, mixed with sunflower oil and other oils to make soap.  So I decided to try and make a soap recipe using Crisco shortening as well since it is local and not very expensive it fit into the category I wanted for this experiment.  So let's call it Experimental Recipe 3.  So the thing is with using Crisco.  It has a higher Iodine value than the other less expensive solid oils that we can use in it's place like Lard, Palm and Tallow.  It has a significantly higher Iodine value than the more expensive butters that we could use in it's place.  So in order to use it and keep within the boundaries of our given numbers.  I had to use a small amount of it and I had to use Olive oil as my soft oil, which is more expensive.  Lest to say this will not be an inexpensive bar because of those factors.  The first of these two recipes is the best one.  I would soap it at a higher temperature to avoid the lumps that I believe stearic acid  was the cause of  in my two other experimental recipes. Also you can have even better numbers for hardness, bubbly, creamy and Iodine if you add 5% more to the coconut oil amount and take 5% away from the Crisco amounts.  I didn't do that here because if the cleansing number gets above 17 for me my skin gets itchy and dry.

While experimenting I've also noticed that if you want to use soft oils like Sunflower, Canola, Safflower, Corn oils and similar oils.  You need to use a high number of low iodine solid oil to counteract that number so that your bar of soap will not expire too soon. Like Coconut oil, Palm oil, Tallow and Lard. for the purposes of this experiment.   This bar of soap is not really as inexpensive as I'd hoped it would be.  I'm not sure if I'm going to try it out. The other two recipes are much less expensive with and work really well already.  I just thought I'd put them out there for anyone that may have been wanting to try Crisco for a recipe. Let me know what you think.  If you want me to try it out and see what it's like or if there are any other oils that you'd like me to try and make a recipes with or without just comment below.  I'll  answer all comments.

Experimental Recipe 3

25% Coconut oil                                                   Hardness - 34
10% Castor Oil                                                     Cleansing - 17
15% Crisco new w/palm                                        Conditioning - 63
48% Olive Oil                                                       Bubbly - 26
2% Stearic Acid                                                    Creamy - 26
                                                                               Iodine - 69
                                                                               INS - 141

Experimental Recipe 3A

25% Coconut Oil                                                  Hardness - 32
10% Castor Oil                                                     Cleansing - 17
15% Crisco new w/Palm                                       Conditioning - 64
50% Olive Oil                                                       Bubbly - 26 
                                                                              Creamy - 24
                                                                              Iodine - 70
                                                                              INS - 139

Remember to run these threw a lye calculator.  I use an 8% Supper fat.  

The Making of a Soap Recipe

Step Three of making a new recipe

This is the part where I try out the different recipes and see how they work.  I also want to try out some new fragrance oils at the same time since that is what these recipes are for.  I must say I'm already feeling a preference for the lard soap.  Personally I like that I can use less coconut oil and still get a good iodine number.  I also like that I can purchase the lard at my local grocery store for cheap.  I believe out of the two it is the least expensive recipe.

Experimental Recipe 1

25% Coconut oil                                                    Hardness - 42
30% Palm oil                                                          Cleansing - 17
8% Castor oil                                                         Conditioning - 54
35% Corn oil                                                          Bubbly - 24
2% Stearic Acid                                                     Creamy - 32
                                                                                 Iodine - 66
                                                                                 INS - 144

Experimental Recipe 1 -  I'm making a 1lb batch of 8% Super fatted soap. I'm using Natures Garden Fragrance Oil 'Apples and Oak'.  I am making it with a red and green swirl.  I'm going to try and make a nice red by mixing both Merlot mica and melon red lab color.  I'm using chromium green (grass green) oxide for the green.  I will leave the bulk of the soap it's natural color to see if there is any discoloration of the soap.    I am using a wooden box I purchased at the dollar store that I believe will make a nice 1 lb mold or possibly a 2 lb mold if needed in the future.   

Here is my video of the making of Experimental Recipe 1                   
                                                           

                                                                       
So far so good the fragrance I used accelerated on me a bit.  The corn oil didn't turn the soap a yellow color which I was worried about.  It was a very easy to work with recipe.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try it.  I am going to try it again without the stearic acid since I had little white specks in my soap which I think may have been stearic acid that re-solidified. not sure.  I was soaping at room temperature. So I am going to adjust this recipe and take the stearic acid out.  And do another soap just to see if I get specks again.  Also the lather was ok and creamy.  I wasn't impressed with it but I'm sure that it will get better as it cures.

Experimental Recipe 2

20% Coconut oil                                                     Hardness - 39
8% Castor oil                                                          Cleansing - 14
28% Corn oil                                                           Conditioning - 55
42% Lard                                                                  Bubbly - 21
2% Stearic acid                                                       Creamy - 33
                                                                                   Iodine - 66
                                                                                   INS - 141

Experimental Recipe 2 - I'm making a 1 lb batch of 8% Super fatted soap.  I'm using Natures Garden Fragrance oil 'Hot Cocoa'. With this one I am leaving some soap natural and swirling it with a bit of soap mixed with cocoa powder.  This is to see if the cocoa powder gives it a prettier brown than what the natural soap will look like when it's done discoloring.  This fragrance does discolor.  I am also reserving some unscented soap for white. just so I can see what the natural color of this soap recipe is.  I'm told that lard soap makes a pretty white soap.  I'm using a wooden box I purchased from the dollar store of a different size than the other that I believe will make a nice size bar.  For a 1 lb recipe only.  

Here is my video of me making Experimental Recipe 2

This recipe worked really well.  It didn't accelerate on me at all. I love the white color of the natural soap.  I felt I had lots of time to play with it.  And the numbers for this recipe are more right up my alley.  I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try it.  I did get white specks in this recipe as well.  I am going to remake the recipe without the stearic acid to see if that rectifies it.  I was soaping again at room temperature.  The lather on this soap was excellent.  I liked the creaminess and it had a some big bubbles.  Pretty awesome for not having a ton of coconut oil in it.  And it will only get better as it cures.  So I guess there will be a step four...

Until next time..... Happy Soaping Everyone!  ;0)

The Making of a Soap Recipe

Step two in making a new soap recipe

The least expensive oil I could use would be the canola but since it makes a super soft bar I decided against it. They also had corn oil. I hadn't researched that oil at the time but apparently it is a good choice.  Corn oil may not have all the antioxidants and stuff that some oils do but it's good for reducing the cost of making soap.  So since I want an inexpensive bar for experimenting with Fragrance Oils it's a good choice for me.  It also has a lower Iodine value than soybean oil so it works better in the recipe.   They didn't even have  rice bran oil for which I was really disappointed.

After deciding on the oils I had to run it through the lye calculator and make some adjustments to the recipe.  Here are the final recipes that I'm going to try out.  For the value Hardness I want a number between 29-54.  For Cleansing I like 14 but 17 is also acceptable but they should be between 12-22. Conditioning between 44-69 but the higher the better for me. Bubbly 14-46 again the higher the better. Creamy 16-48 the higher the better for this one as well.   Iodine 41-70 this number determines how fast your soap will expire so lower is best. And INS between 136-165  I don't think this value really determines any of the properties of the final bar of soap.  It calculates the compatibility of the oils in the soap.

Experimental Recipe 1

25% Coconut oil                                                    Hardness - 42
30% Palm oil                                                          Cleansing - 17
8% Castor oil                                                         Conditioning - 54
35% Corn oil                                                          Bubbly - 24
2% Stearic Acid                                                     Creamy - 32
                                                                                 Iodine - 66
                                                                                 INS - 144
                                                                                  

                                                                             

Experimental Recipe 2

20% Coconut oil                                                     Hardness - 39
8% Castor oil                                                          Cleansing - 14
28% Corn oil                                                           Conditioning - 55
42% Lard                                                                  Bubbly - 21
2% Stearic acid                                                       Creamy - 33
                                                                                   Iodine - 66
                                                                                   INS - 141

If you don't want to add the stearic acid then I suggest just adding the 2% value to either the palm oil or the lard amounts.

So there we go the final recipes.  I'll have to try them out and let you know how well they work.  But from just looking at the numbers they should be a good bars of soap for sure.