Natural Product Making; BFEI Night class Notes

I have put together this page so you have easy access to some information that you might find useful ..........

Course Content (subject to change):

1, 4th Oct; Introduction/Essential Oils/Bath Bombs

2, 11th Oct; Body Exfoliating Scrub/Hydrating Facial Spritz

3, 25th Oct; Soy Candle/Wax Melts

4, 8th Nov; Lip Balm/Eye Gel

5, 15th Nov; Solid/Packaging free Moisturising Bar

6, 22nd Nov; Cold Pressed Soap Making 

 

Website's I mentioned:

bomar.ie for most ingredients

I sell some bath bomb moulds here

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First Class Notes:

Recipe for bath bombs:

250g bicarbonate soda

110g citric acid

20g goats milk (optional)

20ml sweet almond oil (or other liquid oil)

rose petals optional

essential oil/fragrance 1- 2ml (optional)

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Second Class Notes: 

During this class we made a hydrating facial spritz and a body exfoliating sugar scrub, here are the recipes but they can be tailored to your needs:

Hydrating Facial Spritz:

70 ml Organic orange flower water

15 - 20 ml Organic Aloe Vera Gel

10 - 15 ml Witch Hazel Water (optional - good for oily skin or skin that breaks out)

up to 1 ml Glycerin (optional - good for moisturising - dehydrated or dry skin types)

 

To use: simply spray on cleansed skin for maximum absorption  or after makeup as a hydrating setting spray.

 

Exfoliating Body Scrub:

150 ml of sugar (choose the grain that suits your skin type - we used 50% golden & 50% white)

50 - 70ml of sweet almond oil/organic sunflower oil (you can use any cold pressed oil that suits your skin)

20 drops of essential oil

 

To Use:

Take a small handful of the mixture and rub into your skin in circular motions (avoid delicate and facial area) and rinse off with warm water.

Third class notes:

Soy candle making

Soy wax is a lovely wax to use for candles as it has a good 'scent throw' and it doesn't melt too quickly but there are other nice waxes you may want to try including rapeseed and coconut or beeswax.

Soy candles can be made in a variety of containers including glass (heatproof), ceramic, aluminum or tin. They are great fun to make and make fabulous gifts - here's how ....

You will need: 1.     Candle Fragrance in soy wax (*concentrated can irritate the nose/lungs and skin – wear gloves/do not touch directly) 2.     Candle container 3.     Soy wax 4.     Wick, wooden wick holder (optional) 5.     Flower petals for decoration (optional)

Equipment needed:

• Heatproof jug (for melting the wax)
• Something for stirring the wax
• Saucepan

Method:

1. Place Soy wax into the heatproof plastic jug and heat in a double boiler (place in a saucepan with an inch or so of water) on a medium heat so the water doesn’t boil over.

2. Dip wick into melted wax and then ‘stick’ to the bottom of the candle container- place each wick on one of the marked areas.

3. Remove the jug from the water and leave the wax to cool slightly.

4. Add Fragrance to the Soy wax and stir.

5. When it turns slightly opaque pour the wax into the candle container. Don’t fill right up to the top, leave a little space (approx. 1cm), to allow for the embellishments.

6. After the wax cools and turns slightly white add flower petals to decorate

 

WARNING! To prevent fire: keep burning candle within sight. Keep out of reach of children and pets. Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Trim wick to 5mm each time before lighting. Candle must be placed on a heat resistant surface. Extinguish when wax gets within 15mm of bottom.

You can also find a ‘how to video’  on my highlights in instagram

Instagram: create_with_MuMe                                              

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Fourth class notes:

Lip Balm recipe for a tin

5ml beeswax

5ml shea butter

5ml vegetable oil

5 drops of suitable essential oil (peppermint/sweet orange)

If you would like to make a lip balm in a tube you can swap the shea butter for Cocoabutter for a firmer mixture.

 

Seaweed Eye Gel Recipe: 

7-8ml Aloe Vera gel 

6ml seaweed/distilled water gel

1ml jojoba oil

 

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Fifth class notes:

Solid Moisturising Bar, this is a beautiful packaging free lotion bar that can be used on the body and face. The Ingredients can be changed slightly to suit your skin type.

 

Recipe 1	Recipe 2
INGREDIENTS: 170g Cocoa Butter 30g Shea Butter 20g Coconut Oil Essential oil of your choice	INGREDIENTS: 200ml Cocoa Butter 100ml Shea Butter 10ml Avocado oil Essential oil of your choice

DIRECTIONS:

Melt all ingredients from this packet in a double

boiler (like you would melt chocolate).

Take melted butters/oils off the heat.

Leave to cool for a little while until it begins to

go cloudy.

Add the essential oil and stir.

Pour into silicone moulds and leave to set for a few hours,

You can pop in the fridge to spend this up.

 

TO USE:

Simply warm a little in your hands first then rub directly on the skin to moisturise, store away from heat.

 

The second product we made was a moisturising balm:

INGREDIENTS:

50ml Cocoa Butter

100ml Shea Butter

150ml Sweet Almond Oil

Essential oil of your choice

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Sixth class notes:

 

During this class we made two cold pressed soaps from scratch, below are the recipes but you can change the quantities 

Recipe 1	Recipe 2
INGREDIENTS: 20g beeswax 300g Coconut Oil 450g Olive Oil 500g Coconut oil (liquid/fraction) 450ml water 224g caustic soda	INGREDIENTS: 150g Cocoa Butter 100g Mango Butter 250g Seasame oil 200g Coconut oil 400ml water 163g caustic soda

For caustic soda/water/fragrance amounts please use thesage.com to calculate 

 

Basic Soap making Instructions as found on the website: thesage.com
• While wearing safety goggles and neoprene gloves, combine solid lye and liquid, stir well. Set aside and allow to cool (100° F to 125° F). This is best done outside while you are standing upwind.
• Combine oils and heat gently. Once the fats and oils are melted allow the temperature to drop to 100° F to 125° F.
• Combine lye solution and melted oils. Be careful not to splash while combining the mixtures. Stir until the mixture traces. If tracing takes more than 15 minutes, which it often does, stir for the first 15 minutes, then stir for 5 minutes at 15 minute intervals. Tracing looks like a slightly thickened custard, not instant pudding but a cooked custard. It will support a drop, or your stir marks for several seconds. Once tracing occurs...
• Pour raw soap into your prepared molds. After a few days the soap can be turned out of the mold. If the soap is very soft, allow it to cure for a few days to firm the outside.
• Cut soap into bars and set the bars out to cure and dry. This will allow the bar to firm and finish saponification. Place the bars on something that will allow them to breathe.

 

Commonly used oils for soap making and their properties:

Apricot Kernel Oil:

Lightweight and high in linoleic and oleic acids. It's conditioning and easily absorbed into the skin. It produces small bubbles. 15% or less in your recipe is recommened - so the bar isn't too soft and they last longer in the shower.

Argan Oil:

Argan oil feels silky and moisturising and it's packed with vitamins A and E. It can be used in cold process up to 10%.

Avocado Oil:

Avocado oil makes a soft bar of soap and is generally used at 20% or less in cold process recipes. It's rich in vitamins A, B, D and E. The high levels of fatty acids make it great for moisturising.

Avocado Butter:

Avocado butter is solid at room temperature. It's derived from the fruit of the avocado tree and hydrogenated. It has a creamy consistency that makes skin feel smooth and moisturised. You can use up to 12% in your cold process recipes.

Beeswax (white and yellow):

Yellow beeswax is refined and not bleached, while white beeswax is refined and bleached naturally by exposing it in thin layers to air, sunlight and moisture. It can be used up to 8% in cold process recipes to harden the bars. It speeds up trace.

Carrot Seed Oil:

This oil has a silky texture that's hard to beat. It's lightweight and absorbs quickley and it's especially suited for those with sensitive skin. It can be used in cold pressed soap at 5- 15%.

Castor oil:

This thick liquid is extracted from the castor bean plant. It draws moisture to the skin and creates amazing lather in soap. 2 - 5% is recommended but you can use up to 25%, although more than 10% can make the bars soft and sticky.

Cocoa Butter:

This butter is solid and hard at room temperature. It adds a luxurious and moisturising feeling to cold pressed soap. Use cocoa butter at 15% or less in cold pressed soap - any higher can cause cracking in your finial bars.

Coconut Oil:

This is one of the most common raw materials used in the soap and cosmetic industry. Coconut oil is super cleansing and produces large bubbles in cold process. It's so cleansing that it can be drying. It can be used up to 33% but around 15% is recommened if you have sensitive or dry skin.