Foamy, bubbly, lathery™ fun: Making botanical extract filled shampoo, facial cleanser, or body wash (part one) – the formula! 

A yellow liquid in a Pyrex jug with a large fork on it on a scale with three bottles of surfactant beside it. Taken in portrait mode.

Eeek! I am out of everything here at home! I make almost everything we use – except for toothpaste, anti-perspirant, and sunscreen – but I haven’t had a workshop day devoted to stocking up the essentials in a while, so I took some time before our Zoom workshop in February to make the base of...

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Tips & techniques: Why I recommend weighing all your ingredients directly into the same beaker (when possible)!

A collage of two photos and the title “Why I recommend adding all the ingredients to the same beaker!” There are two photos of the same beaker: One with about 25 ml of purple liquid, the other with around 4 ml of the same liquid

You’ve probably noticed I encourage you to measure everything you can into the same container when you’re formulating, including the cool down phase full of product protecting ingredients, like preservatives or anti-oxidants, and this is why! Into a 50 ml (1.69 fluid ounces) beaker, I measured the botanical extracts for a 300 gram batch of...

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Chemistry: How to read the periodic table – rows, periods, and periodicity (part 6) 

Welcome to part six of this series on learning chemistry! In part one, we looked at the resources and materials we need to study chemistry. In part two, we learned the parts of an atom – protons, neutrons, and electrons! In part three, we learned about ions and valence shells. In part four, we learned...

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Q&A: Are PEG- ingredients, like Olivem 300, “toxic”?

In the monthly Q&A, Holly asked, I’ve been getting into making hair care products; and I’m conflicted on PEGS. I was going to use Olivem 300 (INCI: Olive Oil PEG-7 Esters or PEG-7 olivate) in a conditioner, I’ve also used them in cleansers and micellar waters with nice results! But, I had a family member...

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Q&A: Adding extracts and actives to an anhydrous whipped body butter? Part three – putting it all together in one big formula!

Welcome back to this short series on adding extracts and actives to an anhydrous whipped body butter! We started the discussion with part one and enjoyed some formulas. Click here to see that — Q&A: Adding extracts and actives to an anhydrous whipped body butter? Part one – salicylic acid & Octyldodecanol with formulas! In...

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