Susan Barclay-Nichols

Experiments in the workshop: Whipped shea without butter – stearic acid

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For the second experiment, I’m using 10% stearic acid and 90% rice bran oil (I’m running out of shea oil and it’s not cheap stuff!), hence the slightly yellowy cast of the picture to the left. Stearic acid is a great thickener, although it will make my creation feel more draggy than cetyl alcohol. And...

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Experimenting in the workshop: Whipped shea without butter – cetyl alcohol

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For the whipped shea without butter experiment, I know I need some shea oil and a thickener. Today I’m experimenting with cetyl alcohol… For my first experiment, I used 90% shea oil and 10% cetyl alcohol. I weighed both together in a Pyrex jug, then put it into the double boiler. It melted relatively quickly...

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Canadian supplier information

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I’ve been talking to Randi from Creations from Eden (Edmonton) about getting some ingredients we Canadians would normally have to get over the border, and I thought I’d write a post to gauge the interest in those products. Right now she’s considering sodium stearate, cetrimonium chloride, and SCI with stearic acid. What do you think? Are...

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A reminder to vote for my youth groups

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As I mentioned on Friday, I’ve set up a page on the Aviva Community Fund application site and I’m asking you to vote for Rated T for Teen, our youth programs at the Chilliwack and Yarrow libraries. You can vote up to 10 times, and we’d be so grateful for any and all support. Please...

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An aside…shea oil

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The other day, while standing in the workshop waiting for my conditioner to heat and hold, I thought about shea oil. I have two versions – one from Soapcraft that is a medium to heavy liquid oil and one from Voyageur that is quite a heavy liquid oil with a creamy colour – and I...

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