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Trying to Improve Quality of Highlighter - Formula Tragedy!
I’ve been working on highlighers/illuminators for a while now and have done quite a bit of research on the subject but I’m struggling a bit.
Currently I’m using Mica, Silica Microspheres, C-SMAX & MyMIX Pressing Medium. All of which I purchased from TKB Trading.
I haven’t been using the most respectable measuring system. By that I mean I use a teaspoon to measure my ingredients.
Yes, I know, it’s a sin in this community lol. However, this is what I’ve been doing…3 Teaspoons Mica
1 Teaspoon C-SMAX
1/2 Teaspoon Silica MicrospheresMixing that all together then adding a slight amount of the Mixing medium, around 1/2 teaspoon.
Next, Adding 97% alcohol to make it a dough consistency and then pressing it into the pan.The highlighters are pretty good with this technique I’ve been using but still feel a little grainy and seem to fade easily.
Should I be adding more of my mixing medium and stop using alcohol completely or decrease the amount of mixing medium? Or am I using too much or too little C-SMAX and Silica Microspheres.Now that you’ve all had a mini heart attack by my complete nonsensical way to make a highlighter, any information would be helpful.
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9 Replies
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The first and most important thing is to ditch the teaspoons and buy a balance. It is not the “sin in this community lol” -it is an absolutely essential part of consistency.
You can get small, portable electronic balances from Amazon (and numerous other places) at a very low price.
There isn’t much really to comment on until you have your proportions of components measured to a reasonably accurate degree.
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That, and get yourself a small spice/coffee grinder. Using this should get rid of your grainy problem. One with removable containers would be ideal:
https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-BCG211OB-Blade-Coffee-Grinder/dp/B00CT9XZMA/ref=lp_14092831_1_11?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1485433335&sr=1-11 -
Thank you both for your replies.
I do agree that I need to ditch the teaspoons and buy a balance. The only reason I haven’t is because truthfully I am a bit intimidated by % but it would do me good to learn about that.
I am not trying to start a big cosmetics company or anything, I’m just selling home made cosmetics on Etsy and to Facebook friends. That is why I’ve leaned more towards the tablespoon rather than the balance. With that being said, it is extremely important to me to have a great quality product even if I only sell to a smaller customer base so I will take your information and suggestion to heart.
Also, I will definitely purchase a grinder so thank you for that tip and link!
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Not wishing to insult you but a knowledge of basic arithmetic is essential if you are to progress an almost any field of life that involves numbers.
The major problem, though, is not the concept of % but the sheer inaccuracy of using spoons for measurement.
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@lindsseylew - The basic math isn’t too tough and you’ll become a much better formulator if you can do percentages. I’d suggest you go through the Khan Academy videos on figuring out percents.
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I think I may be a bit misunderstood. I do understand % but not how to measure them by weight if that makes sense. But I understand and am very capable of doing basic math problems using %. I just see a lot of people listing their formulas as one ingredient having 5% etc and I’m not understanding what that would equate to in weight and how to get that amount in product.
Also when I say that I use a teaspoon, I am referring to a measuring spoon and not silverware you eat with. That is why I don’t understand why it would not be an accurate form of measurement when its creation was for just that.
But anyway, again I appreciate your help!!
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Did you read (and follow) the link given by Perry?
For any kind of consistency you should work by mass, not volume (which is what a teaspoon measures).
Be aware that a teaspoon of sugar weighs an awful lot more than a teaspoon of meringue - even a heaped teaspoon of meringue.
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To answer your question about measuring, you will also need to understand the concepts of density/bulk density and specific gravity.
To make a batch from a % formula, you simply multiply each ingredient percent times the total batch weight you want.
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Okay that makes a lot more sense when looking at mass vs volume. I will do a bit more research on that topic to better understand it. Thanks for that clarification!
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