[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I have had to go to the emergency room due to my eczema and allergic reactions. Initially I made my skin much worse with essential oils and other ingredients. Then I remembered that I had hydrolyzed oats. I made a simple hyaluronic serum with glycerine, water, sodium hyaluronate, and 10% oats (you don’t need this much but I was desperate). I still could not sleep longer than a few hours at a time but before making this I could not sleep at all. OTC oat products did not work. Sometimes chemists don’t always make the best products on the market for many reasons like profit over people, bad management, etc. The chemists themselves might be great but there are various skill levels. I work in healthcare and one of the doctors forgot basic life saving skills because he does boutique patients (money over care). Also, I find sometimes creativity and science aren’t always a perfect match up. I come on here after long breaks because the value of the brilliant scientists is priceless but the bad attitudes you might come across are hard to take. Keep trying. I’ve made close to 6,000 sales with a 4.8 star rating. Small beans but keep up your spirit. Learn the science because you already have the creativity down. If you land on a final formula, let me know because I am also making a similar product. Its made for a different market than yours so I won’t be copy catting 😛

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Theres a painting color tutorial on youtube that goes over color science. It was helpful for me when I was making skin color.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

where is your beginner group?

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Thats great information thank you!

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Its one of my favorite ingredients.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

It wouldn’t be marketed for skin problems due to the insurance issues with any medical type of claim. And the ethics. But I won’t lie, I’m going to make the packaging look natural, use the word sensitive and talk about my eczema. Also because it’s scent free, it won’t smell good at all. For instance BTMS smells like straight up fish so I need a way to suggest that it has virtues other than a fresh scent lol.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I sadly don’t know enough about balancing these preservatives which I know is an issue, if you don’t know, don’t formulate. But I’m working on trying to get funding for school. Right now I have PE 9010, GDL and its a high glycerine formula. But only 30% vegetable glycerine. How much GDL do I need if I use 1% PE 9010? Is there anything else I can use for fungus that is safe for eczema?

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

BTMS is strong so I think in one lotion I use 2-3% and anywhere from 2-6% cetyl depending on how thick it is and the stability. Some lotions I’ve created are so unstable I nearly gave up and used a generic formula online. You usually need x amount of BTMS per lipid content so I try to keep that in mind but experiment with the percentage a little. My homemade creations aren’t as stable as professional formulas but with my sensitive skin, I do what I can.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

A lot of people use BTMS for just hair care but try it for skin care. Its a game changer. The very mild slip and incredible stability is so effective that I’ve almost exclusively switched. Its smells awful and its expensive so I still use plant based emlsuifiers like e wax. This is also because I have little space and not enough resources to experiment with a lot of different emulsifiers. I used btms 25. For a hobbyist, its good enough but I aspire to take the cosmetic chemistry class and learn more about professional formulating. Also my skin is so sensitive when I find something that works, I stick to it.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I mix it in glycerine and then use high sheer but it can still go awry. But many on here use it sucessfully.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Film formers, kelp, slippery agents like marshmallow.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

• 3% BTMS-50 Not strictly necessary, you can replace with 1-3% sodium lactate, very hydrating
• 5% coconut oil 10% lipids is far too high for a shampoo and lipids are not necessary even for feel
• 5% shea butter not necessary but can use a little for optics
• 30% sodium cocoyl isethionate (SCI) Increase
• 20% cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) ok but can decrease if need be
• 35% SLSa ok
• 1% fragrance or essential oil 1% is a lot since the fragrance won’t deposit
• 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus ok

<div>Gently heat the powder surfactant until pasty, remove from heat. Add everything in when it cools below 100 degrees but should still be warm. You’ll get a pasty texture but it should be pourable enough to put into a mold. The sodium lactate will quickly harden the bar but I’d reccomend curing for at least a few days before packaging. You can weight the bar to check on how cured they are but as long as you use breathable packaging it’ll be ok.
</div>

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I’m against the use of PG for a few reasons, the amount of ASM is too low, you would ideally use well over 60% powder surfactant. You can still “melt and pour”, it would be more like a thick paste but will form nicely in a silicone mold. I like that its simple but it can actually be simpler without the use of sooo much PG, I’ve never seen an atrocity like that lol. The melt n pour syndet bar I created recently using only a few ingredients, mostly plant based and “natural” for what it’s worth contained nothing that didn’t clean hair with the exception of 2 ingredients.

• This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by  MaidenOrangeBlossom.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Is this specifically an oil free formula? If not I’d remove the extracts which don’t do anything for hair and add a very small amount of lipid products. Also what are you using for actual conditioning, combability and detangling? I’m not familiar with all the ingredients. I created a leave in ‘conditioner’ that is oil free that makes hair super shiny and manageable, its my most prized recipe.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I started off making essential oil perfume because the alcohol based/synthetic fragrances began causing sinus infections and migraines. The key is to experiment with all essential oils. Keep playing around with combinations and within a year you’ll have absorbed a lot of intuition on various scents. A very good combo that lasts forever is vetiver, vanilla as a base because its so strong. It imparts a scent for at least half a day. I think your particular chemistry can vary a bit but using more than one base note, 1-2 middle notes and 1-2 top notes can create a layering effect that is pleasant and very potent. I also add a touch of glycerine as the humectant can carry scents forward. But its a bit messy, customers tend to love “natural” but they don’t lol. Here is one of my favorites that I’ve gotten compliments on:

1 drop vetiver

3 drops Vanilla Absolute

1 drop Blood Orange

3 drops Vitamin E Oil

1 drop vegetable glycerine

I think I also added benzoin or tobacco making it unisex.

Try it out and see for yourself how powerful it is. After about 9 months of formulating, I was able to pair essential oils (synthetic shouldn’t be different), in a complimentary way without knowing why. It turns out your nose can sense similar chemicals in each scent. IMO I don’t like strong fragrances, its an imposition to others who may have various allergies or sensitivities.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Thank you! I’m working on removing actives and all water soluble ingredients from wash off products. They feel so nice but if they don’t work I want the customer to get what they pay for. I made a simple conditioner bar with marshmallow powder, in the shower it had slip and hydrating properties. My biggest challenge now is to hide the fish smell from an unscented product.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Thank you, I’ll test the ph of different amounts of ACV to see if it stays in the ph range

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Do you know why this is the best on the market? i want to formulate one for thin oily hair but many of the ingredients are barred for eczema and sensitive skin.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

If its leave in, I always add artichoke extract. Maybe the chemists have more information on if its worth adding but the anti frizz effect seems to put its money where it’s mouth is. I can’t use it by itself to test and haven’t done testing but its from lotion crafters who have a lot of experts at their disposal.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Betaine aggravates eczema so using it in a super sensitive recipe is strange, even in small amounts. Cocoa butter is one of the harder butters and not as great for hair as 10 other butters i can think of. Steric acid can be super draggy on many hair types. I know a lot of companies use it in small amounts successfully but I can’t help but think overall, they could have made a better bar considering their substantial resources and likely the best scientists in the business.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

I removed it from my recipe. Not worth the risk. I use it sucessfully after a flare up. It helps with scaring and increases hyaluronic acid production. Can’t find the research but its one of the best ingredients I’ve ever used. There just isn’t enough robust studies indicating its use for eczema flares.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

This is good! I make a 20% Urea cream that saved my skin. I love ceremides, I use marshmallow, can’t recommend it enough.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Theres an ingredient in PE 9010 that can be an allergen but I’d be hard pressed to find a perfect solution. It seems to not cause any flares on my skin.

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

its what I have, been experimenting so I’ll add it to my list

[MaidenOrangeBlossom]

Niaciniamide like all water soluable products is useless without a proper form of delivery. its similar to probiotics, its not going to get to your lower intestines but it sure feels good to believe it does. You may need to create a second product. Or possibly only apply in the shower when you’re wet so the niacinamide has contact with water. But unsure if this will work. You can experiment. I’ve created a lot of products that weren’t suppsoed to work but somehow it did.