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Emulsifiers & Co-Emulsifiers for Lotion

Lesson 9 from: Make Your Own Bath & Body Products

Anne-Marie Faiola

Emulsifiers & Co-Emulsifiers for Lotion

Lesson 9 from: Make Your Own Bath & Body Products

Anne-Marie Faiola

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Lesson Info

9. Emulsifiers & Co-Emulsifiers for Lotion

Lesson Info

Emulsifiers & Co-Emulsifiers for Lotion

So emulsifiers. I just shook this up like 30 seconds ago, and it has already separated. Water and oil don't mix. Which is why we need chemical emulsifiers. So there's a variety of emulsifiers that you can use for your lotion crafting. So BTMS-50. All emulsifiers are for the most part 100% chemical products. BTMS-50 is a great emulsifier, it's actually one of my favorites to use because it has added conditioning agents that make the skin feel silky and smooth. If you were formulating a hair conditioner, which is very similar to formulating a lotion, you would use BTMS-50. Cetearyl Alcohol. So Cetearyl Alcohol, you can use alone, or I like to use it in conjunction with another emulsifier because it's kind of a heavier emulsifier. So I use it, usually, to help thicken my lotions. So I usually will use it like in elbow or feet cream, or like cold weather protection cream, or surfer's cream, for example. So I really use Cetearyl Alcohol sparingly, and I usually use it for those heavier, den...

ser formulas. Bio-Mulsion Wax is an emulsifier that is one of the, quote, "more natural emulsifiers" out there. It's derived from olive oil. And derived from olive oil means that at one point olive oil was used in the process to make it. Some people call it natural, some people don't. Natural is not a term that's regulated by the FDA. So it's a slippery slope. It's sort of natural. It's the most natural of the emulsifiers that actually work and are stable. So we can talk about some natural emulsification system though, like if you are making your own product, the chances are you got onto making your own product because you may be concerned about the ingredients that are going on your skin, or your family's skin. Maybe that's why you're interested, and you're like, "Well, I really want something that's all-natural. I really want to have an emulsifying system that's totally all-natural." So if you want something that's totally all-natural, the easiest way to make sure is to make a body butter or a balm, which we are going to make today. Or there are emulsification systems that are all-natural, but they're not very stable. So for example, you could use Borax and Beeswax together. In conjunction, they do emulsify. And they will make a lotion. The problem with that is, is it makes the lotion a little bit thick for my liking, right, 'cause beeswax is just a very, very, very kind of heavy it's a wax, so it makes the lotion just a little bit thick for my liking and it's heavy, but it does work. You'll also see people using soy lecithin, right, which is basically an egg-derived product. That makes the lotion, it works, it emulsifies. It makes the lotion runny, a little gunky. And it's not stable when it's under a heat. So the lotion just breaks apart. And then finally, some people use xanthan gum, which is a really common thickening agent in cooking. You see it all the time in vegan cooking, and it stays together a little bit. Kind of gummy and separates after just a few weeks. So really, when you're using emulsifiers, if you are going through the trouble of making your own product from scratch, and you have just invested in all of these ingredients, I think it's really important that you use an emulsifying wax to actually, it's a synthetic product, to keep your product together.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Cold Process Soap Keynote
Shaving Soap Keynote
Scrubs Keynote
Cold Process Soap Recipes
Emulsified Scrubs Label
Lavender Soap Labels
Lotion and Balm Recipes
Salt Scrub Labels
Scrub Recipes
Shaving Soap Recipe
Lotion and Balms Keynote

Ratings and Reviews

Julz P
 

Love this class! Second time watching it, wish there were live classes at this level in my City, I would love to make stuff on the weekends :-) Great job - love the class, come back soon!

Alexandra Paniagua
 

As a "Seasoned" Soaper this workshop was very instructive, fast paced and not boring at all!!!!! As everything else, we have to be up to date with new trends and ingredients, every day is a learning process, thank you very much to Creative Live, Anne-Marie and Bramble Berry for this AWESOME work shop and I hope you have another one soon :) :)

a Creativelive Student
 

Anne-Marie was a very thorough and thoughtful instructor. Her knowledge and enthusiasm were inspiring. She had everything organized and presented it in a very comprehensive sequential order. GREAT class as I never knew anything about soap/lotions/scrubs/balms/etc. I'd recommend purchasing the class!

Student Work

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