Welcome to the landing page for our beginners’ lotion series for September 2020 and beyond. I’ll be updating these links with the new posts as well as those I think go along with them so you can work through them at your leisure.
For this series, I recommend you read the posts and make the formulas in the order you’ll see below. Each post builds on the previous one as I’ve designed it as a course.
There’s another part to this series/course in which we make a more advanced version of the formula, which you can find on the Formulating Friday series/course home page or you can scroll down to see those posts. They start in the same place with same posts on ingredients and process, but on September 18th, 2020, we start looking at more complicated versions of the formula.
You can find the links to the previous series in which we made naturally compliant lotions with Ritamulse SCG in the beginners section of the blog (scroll down a bit).
Click here for the invitation to the Newbie Tuesday beginner lotion making discussion group/text chat on Discord!
Table of contents
- Series Introduction
- Making naturally compliant lotions using Ritamulse SCG
- Part 1: Polawax, Natragem EW, e-wax NF, or Phytomulse (almond, amaranth, chlorella, or coconut)
- Part 2: Incroquat BTMS-50
- Part 3: Simulsol/Lotionpro™165
- Part 4: Olivem 1000
- Additional resources
Introduction to the entire series!
August 28, 2020: Introduction, the plan, shopping lists, packaging, and equipment
September 8th, 2020: Introduction: The chemistry of lotions and some things about Polawax, e-wax NF, Phytomulse, and Natragem EW
September 9th, 2020: An aside for this week’s Newbie Tuesday post: Calculating the emulsifier
September 10th, 2020: Introduction to the ingredients we’ll be using in this series.
September 11th, 2020: Introduction to the ingredients we’ll be using in the advanced part of the series (part one, rheology modifiers, chelating ingredients, and anti-oxidants)
September 12th, 2020: More ingredients we’ll be using for the advanced formulas for Formulating Fridays, part two – esters, dimethicone, and vitamins!
To learn more about choosing preservatives, look at this post from the previous series.
Series/course: Making naturally compliant lotions using Ritamulse SCG
Tuesday, January 14th, 2020: Shopping lists for ingredients, supplies, and packaging as well as optional components.
Tuesday, January 21st, 2020: We took a look at the general formula we’ll be using for the hand lotions. I explained the formula, the chemistry of lotions, the reason we use preservatives, and the sensory characteristics we can expect with Ritamulse SCG. We compared emulsifiers, then I shared the basic format of the formula we’ll be following in this series along with an explanation about why we’re using the general ingredients we’re using.
Tuesday, January 28. 2020: We reviewed the ingredients we’re using in the formulas, and looked at why we might use them. I shared the formulas for the first hand lotion in both chart and PDF format along with all the instructions.
Tuesday, February 4th, 2020: We took a look at how to choose preservatives for our products. We took a look at all the questions I ask myself as I’m creating formulas to ensure I have the right preservative for the job. I shared a worksheet you could download in PDF form to evaluate your product and preservative. We also learned how to evaluate the efficacy of a preservative in our chosen products.
Tuesday, February 11th, 2020: It’s all about the sensory characteristics of the oils and butters we’re using as well as the sensory characteristics of the lotions as we make them. I shared my sensory characteristic chart so you can evaluate the ingredients and write down your thoughts as you work with your lotions.
Share your thoughts on your first lotion in this post from February 11, 2020! What did you think? What changes did you make? What did you like? What didn’t you like?
Tuesday, February 18th, 2020: Part one – questions, thoughts, discussions, and modified formulas for hand lotion #1.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020: Part two – questions, thoughts, discussions, and modified formulas for hand lotion #1.
Tuesday, March 10, 2020 – We created hand lotion #2 using a light, greasy oil and a light, non-greasy oil. There were a few PDF downloads – the sensory comparison chart of our oils, a blank sensory chart to use for your thoughts, and the PDF of the second hand lotion.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 – We created hand lotion #3 using a little non-greasy oil, a little heavy oil, and a solid oil, babassu oil, to see what happens when we increase the viscosity a little.
Additional post: Testing the shelf life of your products: Observing a naturally compliant lotion for rancidity
Tuesday, April 28, 2020 – We started making body lotions by adding a butter – mango or shea – to see what impact they’d have on viscosity and sensory characteristics.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020 – We made our second body lotion with greasier feeling oils and shea butter.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 – We made our third body lotion with slightly heavier oils and mango butter, and I shared a free download of my sensory characteristics chart so you can assess the skin feel of your products.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020 – We made our first body butter with mango or shea butter and heavier feeling oils.
Tuesday, July 21, 2020 – We made our second body butter with kukui nut oil and babassu oils! So luxurious!
Tuesday, July 28, 2020 – We’ll make our third body butter!
Tuesday, August 4, 2020 – Series/course wrap up!
Part one: Polawax, Natragem EW, e-wax NF, or Phytomulse (almond, amaranth, chlorella, or coconut)
Additional: Do we pour the water phase into the oil phase or vice versa?
Sunday, September 13th, 2020: Creating hand & body lotions with Polawax – meeting link, password, and downloads
September 15th, 2020: First formula – hand & body lotion
September 22nd, 2020: Second formula – body butter or cream
September 23rd, 2020: Second formula – altering the viscosity
An aside: The formula is only the start: The process is everything!
October 6th, 2020: Third formula – facial moisturizer
Part two: Incroquat BTMS-50
November 3, 2020: Introduction to Incroquat BTMS-50
November 10, 2020: Hand & body lotion with Incroquat BTMS-50
November 14th, 2020: Choosing preservatives for cationic emulsions, like Incroquat BTMS-50
November 17th, 2020: Body butters with Incroquat BTMS-50
December 1st, 2020: Creating creams with Incroquat BTMS-50
December 8th, 2020: Formulating facial moisturizers with Incroquat BTMS-50.
Part three: Simulsol/Lotionpro™ 165
January 12, 2021: Newbie Tuesday series: Creating emulsions with Simulsol/Lotionpro™ 165 – part one, let’s meet the emulsifier and learn how to use it!
January 13, 2021: Newbie Tuesday & Formulating Friday: Creating emulsions with Simulsol/Lotionpro™ 165 – part two, thickeners, rheology modifiers, and preservatives! (Week one)
January 19, 2021: Newbie Tuesday: Creating emulsions with Simulsol/Lotionpro™ 165 – Hand & body lotions (week two)
January 26, 2021: Hand & body lotions (week three) – increasing the viscosity
February 16, 2021: Body butter (week four)
March 2, 2021: Creams and thickened lotions (week five)
March 9, 2021: Newbie Tuesday – creating facial moisturizers (week six)
Part four: Olivem 1000
March 16, 2021: Introduction, the plan, shopping lists, packaging, and equipment
April 13, 2021: Creating naturally compliant emulsions with Olivem 1000 – part one, let’s meet the emulsifier and learn how to use it!
April 27, 2021: Creating a light, naturally compliant hand & body lotion with Olivem 1000 (week two)
May 4, 2021: Creating a thicker, naturally compliant hand & body lotion with Olivem 1000 (week three)
May 11, 2o21: Creating naturally compliant emulsions with Olivem 1000 – part four, a lighter body butter with butters (week four)
Additional posts on creating facial moisturizers!
Some additional resources!
If you’re completely new to making products, check out my beginners start here! section of the blog where we start with the very basics. This includes information how to read a formula, why we measure by weight, and more.
If you’d like to know more about chemistry, please click here for my free-for-subscribers introduction to chemistry course.
And click here to sign up for the free course at Learn Cosmetic Formulation I’m offering with Perry Romanowski of Chemists’ Corner and Jane Barber of Making Skincare
Please click here to download a PDF of my general formulating notes for making products! ($3 and higher subscribers.)
Formula directory on the blog! You can find all the formulas I’ve written for the blog here! Woo hoo! ($3 and higher subscribers)