The home of SwiftCraftyMonkey Formulating Inc.! Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.
Although I really like yesterday’s recipe – it’s great as a light lotion without having to go to the effort of using emulsifiers and water – I really wanted a balm. What do I need to change? I realized I’d left out the cetyl alcohol or stearic acid, so I added 6% cetyl esters (again,...
I liked my complicated lotion bar so much, I thought I’d see if I could turn it into a balm-like product with a more whippy consistency. I did this by adding more liquids and reducing the solids.COMPLICATED BALM FILLED WITH ESTERS AND SILICONES 20.3% beeswax 4.1% cetyl esters 24.4% shea butter 22.8% cetearyl ethylhexanoate 1.6%...
As we know, a balm is a product intended to help with a condition of some sort intended to be rubbed in, so we need to modify these recipes to help with some condition. What condition could we choose here? How about sun exposure? Let’s say you’ve been in the sun a little too long...
We’ve turned our whipped butters and lotion bars into balms by using specific essential oils and using specific oils and butters (click here and here). Let’s take a look at creating balms that are really softer versions of lotion bars that we’ll store in jars or tins. (Because there’s no water in this balm, you...
Choosing the right oils and butters can turn your anhydrous product into a balm. For instance, choosing an oil high in phytosterols like sesame seed, soy bean, or apricot kernel oil might help with inflammation. Choosing olive oil might help with post-sun exposure. Or choosing an oil high in Vitamin E, like wheat germ oil,...