FAQ: Frequently asked questions

Welcome to the resources page, where you’ll find links to all kinds of things from ingredient write ups to chemistry concepts to tips & tricks!

Table of contents

Aloe vera
Anhydrous products
Anti-oxidants
Calculations
Chemistry
Emulsifiers
General questions
Humectants
Infusions & teas
Lotions, creams & moisturizers
Lotion fails
Newbie links
Oils & butters
Organic & natural ingredients or products?
pH
Preservatives
Process of making products
Shelf lives of products
Shopping for supplies
Substitutions
Surfactants

Aloe vera

Using 100x or 200x in our products

Can I use aloe vera gel in my products? (Short answer: No)

Anhydrous products

Adding preservatives to anhydrous products.  (not including sugar/salt scrubs)
How do some people manage to get water soluble things to emulsify in anhydrous products?
Why do we heat and hold anhydrous products? (Scroll down a bit)

 

Anti-oxidants

A more in depth look at anti-oxidants
Why grapefruit seed extract (GSE) isn’t a preservative (but is an anti-oxidant)
How do anti-oxidants affect the shelf life of your product?
Combining anti-oxidants
Rancidity: A primer

 

Calculations

Learning how to read a formula and convert it into weighted measurements

Calculating percentages in lotions.

Converting formulas from percentages to grams (NEW, 2018)

Converting recipes from percentages to weights (older post)

Making larger batches – doubling and tripling and more!

Why we weigh our ingredients rather than using liquid measurements. 

What happens if our recipe totals more than 100%?

How do I modify a formula when I add or remove an ingredient?

 

Chemistry

please check out the chemistry section as well

Anionic, cationic, and non-ionic (updated 2017)
A little more on electrical charges (2011)

 

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers – check what you’ve got! 
Emulsifying systems – Polawax, e-wax, and Incroquat BTMS-50
Emulsifying systems – Olivem 800
When lotions go wrong – Olivem 800 fail!
Using Polawax and that 25% usage concept. 
Beeswax is NOT an emulsifier
How to replace BTMS-50 with BTMS-25?
How do we make substitutions with our emulsifiers? Polawax
How do we make substitutions with our emulsifiers? E-wax
How do we make substitutions with our emulsifiers? Ritamulse SCG
How do we make substitutions with our emulsifiers? Incroquat BTMS-50
How do we make substitutions with our emulsifiers? Lotionpro 165

 

General questions

What does it mean to have an “active ingredient” or percentage of active ingredient?
Are astringent ingredients still moisturizing?
Are you getting what you think when you buy ingredients?
Do we need to use a preservative in soap?
How can you tell if a recipe is good?
How do I use powdered extracts?
How do you know into which phase we should add an ingredient?
How do you know how much of each ingredient to add to a product?
What’s an INCI name?
How to read INCI names (part 1)
How to read INCI names (part 2)
Making up batches of products and scenting them later
What does solubility mean?
What does anionic, cationic, and non-ionic mean?
What’s the difference between solubilizers and emulsifiers?
What are penetration enhancers?
Where do I get my information (how to research)?
When can you tinker with a finished product?
Why are you trying to create recipes from scratch?

Also check out the chemistry section for more information!

 

Humectants

Does glycerin draw water from your skin if the humidity is low?

Please check out the humectants section of the blog as it’s full of information on humectants!

 

Infusions & teas

Can I make my own glyceride, extract, infusion, or infused oil? (Updated December 12, 2021)

Why can’t we use tea in our products?
Infusions, teas, and using vinegar to preserve products?

 

Lotions, creams & moisturizers

Can I re-heat a failed lotion?
Compensating for evaporation of the water phase during heat and hold
How much emulsifier should I use? (Specifically about Polawax)
Should I add the water phase to the oil phase or the oil phase to the water phase?
Some thoughts about greasiness in lotions
Troubleshooting an epic lotion fail
When lotions go wrong!
What is the “soaping effect”?
What is the cheapest lotion we could make?
What if our phases go over 70˚C?
Why we heat and hold our ingredients!
Why we heat and hold our ingredients separately!

 

Lotion fails

Why did this lotion fail? Part one

Why did this lotion fail? Part two

A slightly more in depth look at emulsification

It’s time to make lotion!

A few questions about lotion fails

Question: Why did this lotion fail?

When lotions go wrong!

Why did my lotion fail? Loads of links here!
Why did my lotion fail? Emulsifiers
Why did my lotion fail? Emulsifiers continued…
Why did my lotion fail? Heating and holding
Why did my lotion fail? Optiphen
Why did my lotion fail? Water in oil emulsions
How to make a successful lotion

 

Newbie links

Making your first lotion – PDF and step by step tutorial
Making your first body butter – PDF and step by step tutorial

 

Oils & butters

Can we substitute one oil for another?
Can we use grocery store oils in our products?
Does heating & holding damage our oils or butters?
Heating, holding, freezing & thawing oils
How to temper your butter to avoid graininess! 
Why do we heat and hold anhydrous products? (Scroll down a bit).
How can grapeseed oil have a shelf life of a year?
Why are whipped butters whippable?

Check out the section of the blog on emollients for all the posts on carrier oils, exotic oils, butters, and esters!

Organic & natural products and ingredients?

Q&A: How can I make a product organic? Where can I find organic formulas on this site? Includes formulas for whipped butters and lotion bars

 

pH

Adjusting the pH in our products

Calibrating my pH meter

pH of bath products
pH of conditioners

pH and our skin’s mantle
How to test the pH of our products and more (updated for 2017)

Testing pH meters – let’s compare a few (2017)
Do you need to test the pH of our products? If so, do you need a meter? (2017)

 

Preservatives

Are the preservatives found in our ingredients enough to preserve the entire product?
Grapefruit seed extract (GSE) is not a preservative
Water activity and sugar scrubs!

Please visit the preservatives section of the blog for more information on this topic!

 

The process of making products

How do you know what to do (part 1)?
How do you know what to do (part 2)?
How to research ingredients?
Keeping your notes in order! 
Learning to formulate lotion series – introduction! 

 

Shelf lives of products

Determining shelf lives of products (part 1)

Determining shelf lives of products (part 2)

Determining the shelf life of your lotion! 
How do anti-oxidants affect the shelf life of your product?

 

Shopping for supplies

Choosing carrier oils
Suggested supplies for those new to lotion making
Which surfactants should you buy?

Where to get supplies in America?
Where to get supplies in Asia?
Where to get supplies in Australia and New Zealand? – UPDATED AND NEW!
Where to get supplies in Canada? (updated, 2018) – free post

Where to get supplies in Europe?

 

Substitutions

General substitutions, including information on BTMS-25, cetrimonium chloride, and fatty alcohols.

 

Surfactants

Surfactants and fragrances – clarity and colour! 

Can I combine cationic ingredients with non-ionic or anionic surfactants?

How can we add a cationic polymer to an anionic product, like shampoo, body wash, or facial cleansers?

Creating cleansing conditioners: Why you can’t combine BTMS with anionic or negatively charged surfactants