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Ingredient Ratios for Lotion Making
Water-based Creams
Formulations in this column contain water. |
Facial Lotion
Ratio |
Ingredient |
80% |
Water |
4% |
Humectant |
10% |
Liquid Oil |
0 |
Solid Oil (butter) |
0 |
Wax |
2% |
Thickener |
4% |
Emulsifier |
Hand Cream
Ratio |
Ingredient |
70% |
Water |
2% |
Humectant |
15% |
Liquid Oil |
5% |
Solid Oil (butter) |
0 |
Wax |
2% |
Thickener |
6% |
Emulsifier |
Body Butter
Ratio |
Ingredient |
60% |
Water |
3% |
Humectant |
12% |
Liquid Oil |
15% |
Solid Oil (butter) |
0 |
Wax |
3% |
Thickener |
7% |
Emulsifier |
Barrier Cream
Ratio |
Ingredient |
60% |
Water |
3% |
Humectant |
15% |
Liquid Oil |
5% |
Solid Oil (butter) |
5% |
Wax |
3% |
Thickener |
7% |
Emulsifier |
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Anhydrous Products
Formulations without water ( anhydrous ). |
Balm
Ratio |
Ingredient |
0 |
Water |
0 |
Humectant |
80% |
Liquid Oil |
0 |
Solid Oil (butter) |
20% |
Wax |
0 |
Thickener |
0 |
Emulsifier |
Whipped Butter
Ratio |
Ingredient |
0 |
Water |
0 |
Humectant |
20% |
Liquid Oil |
80% |
Solid Oil (butter) |
0 |
Wax |
0 |
Thickener |
0 |
Emulsifier |
Use a hand beater for a "fluffy" texture.
Solid "Lotion" Bar
Ratio |
Ingredient |
0 |
Water |
0 |
Humectant |
40% |
Liquid Oil |
35% |
Solid Oil (butter) |
25% |
Wax |
0 |
Thickener |
0 |
Emulsifier |
Use a paper-lined muffin tray as a mold.
Ingredient Notes
Humectants draw in water. e.g. glycerine, honey, lanolin. |
You can mix within an ingredient category. e.g. 12% oil = 6% olive oil + 6% rice bran oil. |
To change the consistency, alter the ratio of hard & liquid oils. e.g. body butter vs. barrier cream. |
Wax = local beeswax. |
Emulsifier = Emulsifying Wax NF. |
Preservatives are highly recommended. |
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Your Recipe
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After adding each ingredient, add a tick mark beside its name and note how much you actually used. 1oz = 28g (ish).
Instructions
Weigh water and humectant in a heat-proof container. |
Weight oil, butter, wax, emulsifier, thickener in a heat-proof container. |
Set both containers into bath of hot water. |
Heat to 70C. Hold at temp for 20 minutes. |
Pour water into oil. Ensure container mouth is big enough for stick blender. |
Blend with a hand blender or beater for at least 3 minutes. |
Let cool to 40C. |
Add essential oils and preservative. |
Blend additional 3 minutes. |
Pour completed lotion/salve into containers. |
Helpful Hints
Print out this cheat sheet and circle the type of product you are making. |
To make 200g of a product, multiply the % ratio by 2 for each ingredient. e.g. 10% x 2 = 20g. |
Lotions will be approximately 1.25 larger than the weight in grams. For example: 100g will be about 125mL. |
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Comments
What a great idea! When I saw "ingredients" I thought this would be cookery ... I still think it might be :)
Amazing, I've always wanted to try this type of thing but have never managed to find such concise instructions before. Thanks
Warning: making lotion is about as addictive as making cheat sheets. ;)
Thank you for the great guide! What do you mean by "thickener"?
AWESOME information! This is absolutely great for me and my lotion making addiction!
Thanks for the great reference material!
What do you consider a thickener to be? Stearic acid?
hi,i want names of thickening agent ,emulsifier,natural preservative
can you please email me thickening agent.i am using guargum, is there any other thickening agent. thanks
Does coconut oil count as a solid or liquid oil?
This is fabulous - exactly what I needed!
Thank you very much :) looking to diversify from my soapmaking. This will be a good start
The first thing I notice, is that all the recipes were devoid of an emulsifying wax, with the exception of the lotion bar recipe. Was that on purpose? If so, what are you using for an emulsifier in these lotions, creams & butters? Thank You! : )
Hi,
I'm looking to make a lotion and have the following ingredients I would like to blend to use in a 500ml spray bottle,
Vegetable glycerine
Propylene glycol
Azadirachtin
Tea tree and or bergamot essential oil
I'm hoping just stirring together will do and it is for skin treatment, where I have so far only really gleaned the neem oil should be proportionately between 1:10 - 1:20 parts and the essential oil[s] are just to mask it's aroma. Also that the best way to ensure it emulsifiers is to use a lotion rather than make one from scratch - so I'm looking for the best neutral base in that respect.
Can you help?
Look forward to hearing from you :)
*emulsifies
Thank u dis was really helpful
What are thickener?
Hello Emmajane, I just love your cheat sheet for lotion making. I am a formulator and noticed that there is no preservative in lotions that contain water. Germs and bacteria thrive in water. So, when it comes to skincare, using a preservative isn't a bad thing, as preservatives are actually protecting us from the nasty germs, mould and bacteria that could grow in the product. You may want to change your cheat sheet and add a % for a preservative. Thanks
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