Tips & techniques: How to measure evaporation in a heated water phase?

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Infographic about replacing evaporated water from emulsion. I have written this in text in the body of the post.

After the post on scales and weighing and heat and such, I thought I would cover something that seems to stump some people – how to measure and replace water lost to evaporation. It’s something that comes up with every heated lotion! Important posts of note! Learn more about the instructions for making lotions in...

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Demythifying the myths: Can the temperature of your ingredients or container alter the weight on a digital scale?

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A beaker with a water and a patch of white liquid on the bottom sits on a digital scale in a lab

Someone sent me a question asking if the heat of our ingredients – let’s say a 70°C (158°F) heated oil phase of a lotion after removing it from the heat source – could alter the weight reading on a digital scale. They said they read the heat from the containers can “create air currents which...

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Q&A: How do we use solubilizers? Do we need them in products that already have an emulsifier?

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In the monthly Q&A, Kara asked, Hi there! I am trying to learn more about the chemistry of creating body products, and I have a clarifying questions on emulsifiers vs. solubilizers. Based on my reading here, it seems like solubilizers are used in a water-based product for small amounts of oil-based things such as fragrance...

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Cetyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol, and stearic acid are not emulsifiers! Let’s demonstrate this by looking at molecules and the HLB system

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A diagram showing the molecules for stearic acid, cetyl alcohol, and stearyl alcohol. These have an 18 carbon chain with an acid or alcohol group on the end. Please read the post for more information.

I’ve been asked quite a few times in over the last year or two if Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, and stearic acid are emulsifiers, and the answer is no, they’re structuring agents, oil soluble ingredients that have a required HLB. They are not emulsifiers. They aren’t surfactants. They can’t bring oil and water together to...

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Welcome beginners! Please read this section as it will give you all the information you need to navigate this site and learn more!

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Welcome to the site! I’m so excited you’re excited to learn how to make awesome products! I know it can be overwhelming figuring out where to start, so I’ve created a whole section that’ll give you all the information you need to know! Read this post first! How to get started making your own products: My...

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