[tanelise]

An obvious “thickening effect” now that I think about it

[tanelise]

Good to know, thanks!

[tanelise]

Thanks for the enlightenment about high shear mixers. I always thought that was what you were supposed to use. I have a Silverson and love it but am considering an overhead mixer for the very reason johnb mentioned - it’s a “PITA” to clean the mixing heads and attachments.

[tanelise]

Mark’s tip led me to eBay where I found one used for $105. Here’s one for $115:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cultura-M-Incubator-CH-1735-Almedica-AG-Swiss-Made-Used-Excellent-Cond-in-Box-/142369990389?hash=item2125e9a6f5:g:7qMAAOSwyDxXhua1

I get my dip slides from Biosan Laboratories. A box of 10 is $49.99. Seems expensive but not sure.

http://www.biosan.com/content/sani-check-bf-dipslides%C2%A010-testskit

They also have incubators upwards of 400.00

Good luck

[tanelise]

Discovery, don’t be discouraged. I’m not a chemist but the info I’ve obtained here is invaluable. There are a lot of seasoned chemist here who share their knowledge freely. I too have taken Perry’s classes and proudly display my certificates in my treatment room (I’m an Esthetician).

My guess is that more and more “crafters” and hobbyists have stumbled upon this forum. I’m sure I’ve asked questions that annoyed some, but I’ve always received very professional, and sometimes very detailed responses that helped me get to the next phase.

One thing that I always do before I ask any question is to search the forum to make damned sure it hasn’t been answered already.

[tanelise]

Thanks Mark!

[tanelise]

I know this is an old discussion but can someone make a recommendation as to where one can purchase an incubator? I’m setting up a lab in my home. Thank you!

[tanelise]

Johnb, I’m curious why you avoid high shear? What are the disadvantages?

[tanelise]

How awful. And to make it sound like mold is just an “aesthetic” problem.

[tanelise]

Thanks Jini. Glad to have another opinion. I think I may prefer a less waxy feel.

[tanelise]

Thanks manny

[tanelise]

Very interesting and very helpful!

[tanelise]

Hi! I started a discussion “Need supplier for 110 degree coconut oil” (no replies yet) because I’m trying to achieve the same goal. I use 76 degree coconut oil in my emulsified scrubs but need to find some with a higher melting point. Shay & Co has 110 degree but you have to purchase 50 lbs.  92 degree is easy to find as well (www.soaperschoice.com)

If you’re in the market for reformulating you might try adding coconut oil with a high melting point. I use about 8% and I also use stearic acid at about 7% as well, plus polysorbate 20 to give me the creaminess I desire.

I broke your scrub formula down (assuming you added sugar equal to the amount of your batch weight):

50% Sugar
32.5% Oils
12.5% Shea Butter
2.5% Cocoa Butter
2.5% Emulsifying wax
100% 

What if you:

* cut some of your shea butter and add stearic (it’ll save you some $)
* reduce your liquid oils and sub with coconut oil, and increase your sugar by about 6 or 7%?

[tanelise]

Yes, I wondered if that was the case Bill-Toge.

[tanelise]

Thanks Bobzchemist. I’ll look into that. Very interesting

[tanelise]

Cool thanks Belassi! I sure will.  

[tanelise]

Great thanks so much! Looks like I’m all set. I know I’m speaking for a lot of people, but thanks for your contribution to this forum. I have learned a lot from you and many others.

Thank you again

[tanelise]

Thanks so much! Glad to know I’m half-way on track! Bobzchemist, is this Ethyl alcohol and do you have a recommendation of where I can purchase it? I love how you insert links in some of your posts which makes buying a breeze!

Thanks again for getting back. I really appreciate it.

[tanelise]

Come on guys. Surely someone besides Sunstone is cleaning their lab equipment (wink). Didn’t mean to scare anybody off by mentioning I wanted to come up with a cleaning protocol. I just want to how others are cleaning their lab mixers. Thanks!

[tanelise]

I made soap for many years and always used distilled water. That’s just how I was taught. Don’t have any personal experience with using tap water.

[tanelise]

I also meant to add that I heat more than enough water for my batch. When it reaches my desired temperature, I then weigh out the amount required for the formula in a separate vessel. That way, when I begin mixing  I’m starting out with the correct amount of water.

In other words, I don’t weigh the exact amount of water and THEN begin heating because that’s when you first start to lose your water through evaporation. 

Hope that makes sense.

[tanelise]

I recently made two small batches of lotion (about 400 grams) and each one incurred water loss at about 0.5%. Hardly worth messing with if it’s important to you you’ve got to weigh your batch after mixing to figure out how much you lost and then just make that adjustment on future batches.

I must add however that I only mixed my batch for about 20 minutes with my Silverson and I did not maintain any specific temperature with a hot plate. When my phases reached about 165 degrees I began mixing and batch cooled down by using a small fan. 

The higher your processing temperature plus longer mixing times will result in more water loss.