Guest guest Posted February 27, 2004 Report Share Posted February 27, 2004 Well I have searched the web and bought a couple of books regarding aromatherapy and making skin care products. Two of the main things I would like to make is soap and body lotions. I also am wanting to make home sprays, shampoos, face care, lip gloss, etc but that will be later as I learn. I think I may have jumped the gun a little before researching this too much as I went and bought several different EO's, carrier oils, beeswax, etc. Now I have lots of $$$ tied up and I just don't know where to start. There are so many recipes that I think looks too complicated for a beginner and/or I may be missing an ingrediant for. So my question is where can I find some recipes for just a basic soaps and lotions? I don't want to use anything that isn't natural and no perservatives. I did some research and found some EO's that would make good persavatives. Then I could add the EO's that I want to these recipes. If you don't think lotions and soaps are the best recipes for a beginner to learn on then what do you suggest? Then I have another question. I have been looking for Oakmoss Absolute or EO which is very hard to find or very expensive. Is there something that smells similar to this that I could substitute? I am wanting to use it in a perfume recipe I have. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks for all your help in advance. Nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 29, 2004 Report Share Posted February 29, 2004 Hi Nancy, Welcome aboard! I am very happy to have you here. Pull up the ol' computer chair, get comfy and make yourself right at home! > Well I have searched the web and bought a couple of books regarding > aromatherapy and making skin care products. Two of the main things > I would like to make is soap and body lotions. I also am wanting to > make home sprays, shampoos, face care, lip gloss, etc but that will > be later as I learn. All very fun things to make! > I think I may have jumped the gun a little > before researching this too much as I went and bought several different EO's, carrier oils, beeswax, etc. It is easy to get excited about this kind of stuff > Now I have lots of $$$ > tied up and I just don't know where to start. First thing ya gotta do is jump right in and begin " playing " with all your goodies. Get a good feel for what you've got. > There are so many > recipes that I think looks too complicated for a beginner and/or I > may be missing an ingrediant for. Don't let it intimidate you. Sometimes you can easily get by without an ingredient in a recipe, or substitute another ingredient for it. > So my question is where can I find some recipes for just a basic soaps and lotions? A good site to get some basic soap recipes is: http://millersoap.com/ Also, a good thing about her site is you can read up about the properties of various oils and what kind of bar of soap they make, so you can begin to formulate your own soap recipes with what you have on hand and want to use. Just be sure that any time you make soap (whether it is with your recipe or one you read somewhere) that you run it through a lye calculator just to be sure the measurements are correct. Here is a good one .... http://www.the-sage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php Now, to get some lotion ideas try here: http://beauty.about.com/cs/lotionrecipes/index.htm?terms=lotion+recipes and both http://www.makeyourowncosmetics.com & http://thelibrary.luxurylane.com/recipes.htm have ALL sorts of recipes you can check out! > I don't want > to use anything that isn't natural and no perservatives. I did some > research and found some EO's that would make good persavatives. WELL, for soaps you don't need a preservative, but for lotion that you plan on keeping around for more than a few days, you really do need a preservative. When you add water to the mix (and lotions have water) it becomes a great place for nasties to grow The only exception I've come across to that rule is liquid soap, which has such a high pH that the icky stuff doesn't have a good environment to set up camp in Other things that don't have water in them, such as salves, lip balms, creams, don't need a preservative, but you might want to add an antioxidant to keep the fixed (fatty) oils from going rancid, like Vitamin E, Grapefruit Seed Extract, or the like. > Then I could add the EO's that I want to these recipes. If you > don't think lotions and soaps are the best recipes for a beginner to > learn on then what do you suggest? Lip balms are a great place to start, they are easy, and you can get almost instant gratification from making them *lol* Creams are also fairly easy. Lotion can be a bit tricky to start with. I love making soap, so I say go for that too, and remember, if you mess up on a batch of soap - it can almost always be saved. I have yet to meet a batch of soap that couldn't be saved and made into something wonderful! > Then I have another question. I have been looking for Oakmoss > Absolute or EO which is very hard to find or very expensive. Its an absolute and yes, it is fairly expensive ... > Is > there something that smells similar to this that I could > substitute? I am wanting to use it in a perfume recipe I have. Any > suggestions would be great. If you're just planning on using it in a perfume, I'd say bite the bullet and get some oakmoss. You'll only end up using a little at a time, and it'll last you for a good while before you have to get more. > Thanks for all your help in advance. > Nancy Thanks for joining us Nancy, and if ever you come across a recipe that you'd like to try, and don't have an ingredient, and aren't sure if you can just do without it the recipe, or use an alternative ingredient in the recipe, don't hesitate to ask us! *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.