[Koalamom]

I was at the HFS, and I saw some creamy body butter for sale. I have made salves in the past, so I decided that I could make alot more for less by just buying the cocoa butter. I have searched the web and found nothing on specific recipes. I tried to remember the ingredients in the body butter at the store.
Olive oil
cocoa butter
water
beeswax
lemongrass essential oil
something borate ? (not sure what this is for, and what it really is, maybe like borax?)

It was so creamy and smelled great. I am pregnant and would love to make something to rub all over my growing belly.
Anyone have a recipe that would come out like this using cocoa butter?

I am going to post this in another section to see if I get responses there.

 

[jimblejamble]

I just found this website: http://skincarenaturals.com/recipes/...-recipes.shtml

Mountain Rose Herbs (.com) is a good place to get all the supplies.

Hope that helps!

 

[MamaMonica]

MOved to Natural Body Care.

 

[3bees~1flower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1 I was at the HFS, and I saw some creamy body butter for sale. I have made salves in the past, so I decided that I could make alot more for less by just buying the cocoa butter. I have searched the web and found nothing on specific recipes. I tried to remember the ingredients in the body butter at the store. Olive oil cocoa butter water beeswax lemongrass essential oil something borate ? (not sure what this is for, and what it really is, maybe like borax?) It was so creamy and smelled great. I am pregnant and would love to make something to rub all over my growing belly. Anyone have a recipe that would come out like this using cocoa butter? I am going to post this in another section to see if I get responses there.

the borate is sodium borate which is borax. this is a beeswax/borax emulsification. it can be a tricky thing to make. plus i don't see a perservative listed. anything made with water needs a preservative or you will get mold/fungus/and other unsightly things taking up residence in your cream. manmade preservatives are not a bad thing. remember, staph is a perfectly natural living thing, but i wouldn't want it growing in my cream and the only way to prevent it is thru unnatural means....preservation with a manmade preservative. i would *never* rub a cream/lotion on my kids if it did not contain a preservative. i have no idea what is growing in those creams that claim to be "all natural". not all mold and bacteria are visible or cause an odor. now, there a good preservatives and not so good preservatives, it's all about research. i personally do not make my lotions with parabens. there are MANY great preservatives out there and remember these preservatives are used at an insanely low % of the total formlation. sorry for the tangent, but when i see someone wanting to make water based body care products, i feel it important to stress the importance of preservativesas it seems to be a scarey subject to most.

 

[jennyfah]

Would a bit of GSE added to the mixture be adequate as a preservative, or does it depend on the mixture? That is, do some creams need more preservatives than others?

(Sorry to hijack the thread. . . curious about making creams.)

 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Usually, anything that combines water products (water, aloe) with oils doesn't last as long and things that are just oils. Things like GSE, lavendar EO, vitamin E can all be used as preservatives. Also, if you put things things in containers where you don't have to dip your fingers in it to scoop out helps to keep germs and mold out. Otherwise, just keep it in the fridge, and it'll last a lot longer.

 

[3bees~1flower]

GSE, Vit E, or lavender are not preservatives...lavender is just an essential oil...it cannot stop microbial growth in a water based product. GSE and Vit E are antioxidents, they can extend the shelf life of oils, but do not prevent microbial growth in water based products.

 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Lavendar essential oil has antibacterial and antimold properties. Vitamin E and GSE also have antibacterial properties, so although they aren't as strong as other preservaties, they do indeed help to prevent microbial growth.

 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy...well about this at least. I checked a few of my herbal books and notes. From the The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook by James Green
"EOs are anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.... Lavender and Benzoin are relatively inexpensive and they are quite eeffective...."

He also mentions that vit E, like 3Bs said is an antioxidant, but he does reccomend it in lations that combine water and oils. Rosemary Gladstar also suggests these to help preserve lotions. Unfortunately, I can't find that book at the moment!

As for GSE, on the the cosmetic safety data base this is the list of uses:
"Anticaries Agent; Antidandruff Agent; Antifungal Agent; Antimicrobial Agent; Antioxidant;Oral Care Agent; Oral Health Care Drug; Sunscreen Agent; Ultraviolet Light Absorber"

 

[3bees~1flower]

yes, lavender has those properties, but the quantity needed to prevent growth in a product would be masssive.

gonna have to agree to disagree...vit e and GSE will NOT stop microbial growth. all they will do is slow the oxidation of oils.

 

[Koalamom]

Very interesting read on cream shelf life and preservatives. I do plan on keeping it on the fridge, and leaving out a small bit that I am using. I have bought homemade lotions, and I stored them in the fridge.

Anyway, does anyone have a recipe that would use the ingredients listed? I prefer measurements by ounces. I make salves that way. I just don't know if cocoa butter would be considered a replacement for beeswax since it is so hard, or if I can replace some of the oil with it. I did find a basic recipe on youtube from Herb Mentor. It just calls for beeswax, oil, and water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT1Yp...e=channel_page

 

[3bees~1flower]

you'll need an emulsifier if you don't want it to separate. beeswax along with borax will emulsify your oil and water.

here's a recipe from http://www.esoulshine.com/recipes.htm

Skin Cream

2 1/2 ounces (weight) beeswax
4 ounces (weight) lanolin
2/3 cup baby or mineral oil
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon borax (sodium borate, CP)
Fragrant oil (optional)

Melt the oil, lanolin and beeswax to 160 degrees F. Heat the borax and water in a separate container to 160 degrees F. Be sure the beeswax is melted and the borax is dissolved. Add the water mixture to the oil mixture while stirring. When a white cream forms, stir slowly until the mixture cools to 100 degrees F. Pour the cream into small, wide-mouth jars.

**note there is no preservative, so you'll need to keep this in the fridge. also, i would NOT use mineral oil, yuck! you could sub any oil for te mineral oil.

myths of GSE as a preservative.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-grap...ed-extract.htm

 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower yes, lavender has those properties, but the quantity needed to prevent growth in a product would be masssive. gonna have to agree to disagree...vit e and GSE will NOT stop microbial growth. all they will do is slow the oxidation of oils.

I agree!

Do you have a preservative you like to use or do you tend to keep things in the fridge?

 

[3bees~1flower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QueenOfTheMeadow I agree! Do you have a preservative you like to use or do you tend to keep things in the fridge?

yeah, i use a couple different preservatives, depending on what i am making.

since i sell my stuff, i can't in good conscience, sell without adding preservatives...plus it isn't exactly leagal to seel without preservatives.

 

[Ygle]

Well, this has me intrigued... I've been making my own body lotion just because I love the smell of chocolate (even though I don't eat it -go figure) and I can't find any that smell yummy foody (I used to use spa2go, they had the best, yummiest smelling stuff... oh my gosh, I so loved that stuff but can't find it any more) so I've just been mixing coconut oil, vitamin e, jojoba, shea butter and chocolate scent and melting them together and it's hard to get the right consistency but I haven't had any problems with it... what exactly would be the issue w/o a preservative... I mean I've been using this stuff for years, I usually make enough to last about 3 months and if it's growing stuff I haven't seemed to have had a problem with it?

Oh, I also add cocoa butter and almond oil

 

[3bees~1flower]

Ygle...your's is fine...it does not contain any water.

 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3bees~1flower yeah, i use a couple different preservatives, depending on what i am making. since i sell my stuff, i can't in good conscience, sell without adding preservatives...plus it isn't exactly leagal to seel without preservatives.

Oops! I didn't realize that you made stuff to sell! Sorry I didn't mean to pry!! I actually work at Whole foods and we have numerous products that don't contain preservatives.

 

[3bees~1flower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by QueenOfTheMeadow Oops! I didn't realize that you made stuff to sell! Sorry I didn't mean to pry!! I actually work at Whole foods and we have numerous products that don't contain preservatives.

no problem!

it boggles my mind how companies can feel good about selling products with no preservatives, but hey...to each their own. i guess i would much rather put a teeny amount (as that is all it takes) of manmade preservative and KNOW that my products are protected. staph and fungus are all perfectly natural, but that doesn't mean i want them growing in my stuff. not a risk i am willing to make.

 

[ZippyGirl]

Can't rosemary oil be used as a preservative, too?

Anyway, I just started using this cream, which has shea butter in it. Along with shea butter, it has sunflower oil, beeswax, lavender oil, and tocopherol (vitamin E). Seems pretty basic!

(This is now my new favorite cream. The store where I bought it from had sent me a sample in an order, and then I decided to buy my own jar. If you can figure out how to make it, you should go into business! Sell it on Etsy or something.)

 

[3bees~1flower]

rosemary is not a preservative either...it's an antioxidnt. it merely slows down oxidation of oils...does not stop microbial growth.

it appears your cream that you like is anhydrous, which means without water...anhydrous products do not need preservatives.