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I use salux before I shave my legs. Most Asian stores do carry them or order it on Amazon.
u/Eisenstein already gave a great answer. I will just add on that testing your pH is extremely important it doesn't matter if you are making it for your loved ones or customers because the pH being off can become dangerous especially if you are working with acids, or the preservative can become ineffective which can lead to microbe growth in your product which can damage someone's skin.
A good pH meter can be expensive but I got lucky with one of the cheap ones of Amazon and it worked perfectly for 3 years and just broke this past weekend. I think I only paid $10 for it. The problem with the cheap ones is that quality control is the worst where one works and another one is broken. You can search Amazon and look for good ratings and read through the reviews.
These pH test strips are the best strips I have used. I will use these and my meter and they are always accurate. But if you are going to be working with acids especially AHA's you need a meter to get a precise reading.
Tsubaki oil is great as a leave-on. It's not crazy expensive but I still don't cleanse with it (unless I'm out of other stuff!) because I feel like it's more precious than mineral oil.
In Japan, tsubaki oil is used as knife cleaner (much the way mineral oil is used as a wooden board cleaner) so it's available very cheaply in that "format" and it's food-safe. Here's the one I buy on Amazon Prime. I'm sure you could find a better per oz price somewhere from a bulk supplier but I simply don't make enough stuff to need more than 8 oz of the tsubaki at a time. Since I don't use it for cleansing, I don't go through it very quickly!
You almost can find anything on Amazon. Just type "small airless pump bottle" or "0.5oz airless pump bottle" in the search bar.
It depends on what I’m wanting to make, how much I need, and if I’m buying other ingredients at the same time. I use jojoba a lot because I don’t just use it for body care. I also use it make beeswax food wraps. I’m a casual DIYer so I don’t buy a lot if I don’t need it.
Jojoba but sometimes I get it from the same places I get the argan. Argan - I sometimes get at Trader Joe’s, Bulk Apothecary, and Eden’s Garden. It really depends on how much I need, what I’m using it for, and how quickly I need it.
Most of the time I get both from Cliganic.
I haven't had a problem with a regular style probe. I use this one. Even if you have to dilute it, it shouldn't make much of a difference (if anything if would skew it up and not down if it is acidic).
Yeah, that's what I ran into as well.
On Amazon US I found a 2017 ingredients list for R&R: Purified DI Water, Propylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Octyl Stearate/Octyl Palmitate/Dioctyl Adipate, Triethanolamine, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Aloe Vera, Jojoba, Blue Agave, Vitamins A, D, & E, Methyl Paraben, & Propyl Paraben
https://www.amazon.com/Lotion-Greaseless-contaminates-immediately-Compatible/dp/B008EEJ974/
The most important things for me are:
- One scale for grams and kilograms
- One scale for milligrams and grams
- Must have an option to disable auto-turn off. Must be able to tare it and have it stay on tare for the duration of the production
- Can be calibrated
With these requirements I found these two scales:
I suggest also buying a 100g and 5g calibration weight.
I use this one from Amazon and purchased some buffers as well. It’s not my favorite meter but it gets the job done, and what’s more is you can use it to measure the ph of creams and gels too instead of just normal liquids. This saves you from having to take your sample and dilute it in a smidge of water to find the ph, which, since I mostly measure acids, I find that can fudge the real numbers.
That norpro toothy disk is awesome. I've thought about cutting off the press fit end and getting a chuck for fitting it on my dremel, but I am lazy.
I don't own one, but I think that you buy an overhead stirrer and then you buy the dispersion disk separately.
For the common CO-Z mixer, you may need to get an additional collet or remove and use the collet from the 7mm PTFE rod for this to work.
Example of mixer: https://smile.amazon.com/CO-Z-Electric-Height-Adjustable-Mixer0-3000-Mechanical/dp/B07TX82NBL/
The dispersion disk blade that would probably fit: https://smile.amazon.com/YUCHENGTECH-Dispersing-Dispersion-%EF%BC%881-18%E2%80%B3disc-0-27%E2%80%B3X11-8%E2%80%B3Rod%EF%BC%89/dp/B0771MTLVR/
Otherwise you might need to upgrade to an overhead stirrer with an adustable chuck instead of a collet. Though if I remember correctly, collets tend to be better for reducing shaft wobble.
And even though one photo of the dispersion disk has a drill, I have a pretty nice drill and tried doing that with the Jiffy Mixer LM. It was terrible and kind of scary. So much shaft wobble. The reviews of people using it to mix peanut butter must all be people with a lower threshold of risk tolerance than me.
I used a couple of consumer immersion blenders for a couple of years for large batches, but back in 2020 I bought a Dynamic minipro. It is a beast and I love it. I still use the Norpro for small batches or quick tasks like breaking up the clumps of powder when dispersing polyquat 10 in propylene glycol before hydrating it.
Oh wow! Thank you for the information.
I thought it would be easier, but this sounds like a very involved process.
Can you suggest any off the shelf products that hit all these bases?
Currently, I'm using Bulldog sensitive moisturizer for the first time, and seeing if it's something my skin agrees with. In the past, I've been using these,
(SCRUFF RESCUE Daily Moisturizer)[https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07614ZN7N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1]
(La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer)[https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N9SPQHQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1]
Do you think these suffice? Or are there better options out there?
Sorry for the Amazon link. I didn’t know what I was called. But I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-KD-8000-Kitchen-Digital/dp/B01C6CN1VY/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?crid=263NOJ3F173XZ&keywords=scale+for+food+ounces+and+grams&qid=1647831628&sprefix=scale%2Caps%2C257&sr=8-16
http://www.openculture.com/chemistry-free-courses. :)
But. Other than an intro level chem class and perhaps biochem I'm not sure a whole lot is that applicable to cosmetics. A hands on organic chem lab class at a local University would be though!
anyone know if canning jars like this are ok to put moisturizer/body butter/cream in? not sure if they need to be in an airtight container
https://www.amazon.com/Hexagon-Mini-Glass-Jars-Labels/dp/B075WCDZRP?th=1
Add to the water phase, or after the emulsion is formed. I believe they are all heat stable, but check SDS for sure. I know lactic acid is heat stable, so I think Glycolic, salicylic, and the rest are heat stable. I just realized that I usually use a polymeric emulsifier with acids.
Just make sure you are checking your pH with a meter or reliable strips like these pH strips. I have used these along side my meter and they are accurate, but with acids it really is best to use a meter.
Thanks for the extensive response! Baths have stayed the exact same frequency - I take 4-5 soaking hot baths a week and have been for a year now to help ease post-workout muscle fatigue. The only recent change is the addition of the bath melts.
This is the Sandalwood used - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H8RWLFS
Would a Sandalwood Fragrance Oil be more appropriate? I appreciate any advice.
I want a more accurate way to check pH than pH paper.
​
Can I use soil tester? This is the one I found: Soil Tester
I love lotioncrafter but the shipping costs are high! I seriously live 50 miles away from LC and the shipping is insane because they are on a little island. When I first started ordering from them I figured I would just go pick my order up, but the ferry cost with a vehicle was a lot. LC prices are really good, though so it works out where it's still a good price.
I was expecting shipping costs from Windy Point to the US to be insane but it was similar to LC. Windy point is the only place I have found that carries Sodium Cocoyl Methyl Isethionate and I have been wanting to try it since I heard about it, I am excited for it to get here! There were other things that I picked up that I haven't seen anywhere else, as well. I went a little crazy and bought a lot of stuff so now I need to start writing up some formulas for them. I bought a bunch of ingredients to make cleansing grains!
>I started out with the Norpro mixer but find that it was too weak to emulsify properly. It does find with water-based serum but I always have to switch to the hand mixer for emulsion.
Yeah that's the mini mixer I was talking about. I saw this Immersion blender this morning and it has a smaller blade housing. I saw more that are either the same or very similar with good reviews, so you should be able to find it on the Canadian Amazon.
Are you in the US? I haven't heard anything bad about the overhead stirrer, everyone I have ever spoken to that has one likes it and hasn't had any issues. Plus you are buying from a store and it's probably easier to deal with any issues that may arise. I bought both the overhead and the homogenizer off of ebay from highly rated sellers, but I just didn't feel like dealing with returning the homogenizer. I am the worst about mailing things and it does work. If it didn't work I would have reached out to them.
You can use any immersion blender it does the job just fine, as long you are using something that is considered high sheer it will be fine. I use my Mini mixer a lot, so much that I bought another one. It does a wonderful job homogonizing small batches, usually my test batches. Honestly if I can get away with just using it instead of an immersion blender I am happy because clean up is easier and the mini mixer doesn't end up with a bunch of the emulsion on it, where I have to take my spatula to it. I use the metal attachment for making emulsions. But sometimes the viscosity is just too much for it. The white straight attachment is my other favorite that I use to mix my water phase real quick.
Bamix immersion blender is another option for emulsions. I have seen people say they love using their bamix for cosmetics. But I would go with dynamic because of the homogenizer attachment even if you weren't going to be the attachment now, you have the option to later.
This is what I meant by emulsifier vs hand blender:
Digital High Shear Mixer Emulsification JRJ300-S Emulsifier Emulsifying Machine https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IK3PQ3O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_.gm6FbE215725
I checked wiki and the links are working fine. Can you please share the link that does not work for you?
You can order pH strips on Amazon. Choose the ones that have four colors for more accurate results than one solid color.
These have a pretty nice spray, I use them for DIY and decanting watery toners to mist with:
I recently bought these Thin cotton pads and they are thin and you won't have to worry about wasting products and I don't believe it will break down if it sits in the liquid for long periods. They are neat because they stretch out and you can do a diy sheet mask. I also use them with my high frequency wand because they are thin enough.
I bought these disposable wipes to make and store alcohol wipes and micellar makeup wipes. They are thicker than the other ones but they are really good quality and won't break down when they are wet.
If you are wanting to do a reusable option try cutting up a cotton shirt or use jersey or muslin. I have bamboo makeup wipes but they would be too thick.
little 50ml erlenmeyer with their caps like:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AVQLVNW
and cute little beakers like:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AU6XWHM
they are ideal to keep a small volume (like a week worth) in the bathroom, and so cute I always look forward blending
Anything that has water or water like ingredients need a broad spectrum preservative, and if the product will be exposed to water you would need a broad spectrum preservative. Check out this article on Preservatives from Making Skincare it has a lot of helpful information and there is a link in it to a list of worldwide suppliers that might help you out. I believe without a preservative it would only keep 2-3 days in the fridge. If you are interested in learning more about formulating making skincare is a great site.
I looked on amazon because there are 1 day deliveries and I found germaben 2 on there.
I bought it off Amazon from DRChem. What do you think? - Azelaic Acid Micro Powder 150 Grams 99%+ (Nonanedioic Acid) CAS 123-99-9 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DE3J7X0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GexiFbKQYFDY8
Thank you so much. I actually found this on Amazon and think I'm going to get it instead.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FP0HAMG/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_FPYbFbRA55HGE
Does it look okay?
I wish I could avoid LC completely but I don't know where else to get QMAX. 🙃
My mom had a stinky coworker and got something like this diffuser necklace and put essential oil on the pad inside and made the chain super short so she could smell it in the office!
Cos de baha Azelaic Acid 10% Serum 1oz with Niacinamide - Rosacea Skin Care Product + Reduce Cystic Acne Scar + Redness Relief Face + Pimple Pigmentation Blackhead + Vitamin B3 + B5, Gluten Free, 1oz (30ml) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QM5KGDK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4pCDDb6PNND1J
Penetration enhancers def do change the pH quite a bit! Dimethyl Isosorbide is the worst. Typically once I'm done adding them, a single drop or 2 of Triethanolamine will get it back to normal.
I actually don't have a meter, but use these particular strips. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M0FQ4JE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1. Range 4.5-8.5 with extremely clear distinctions between 0.5. Love it love it
No no no! As someone who extensively uses (and cured my skin lol) through Grapeseed Oil - do not use regular cooking type oil!
These oils are going to processed to the nines (high heat extraction, lack of purity, bottled in plastic clear containers) which causes them to lose all of their natural properties beneficial to skin. Please don't do it! Lol
This is my all time favorite Grapeseed Oil for the face. Great price for the quality and amount you get (in a convenient pump). Highly recommend! Proper Grapeseed Oil use is amazing for oily, acne-prone skin.
I like to use a few drops of Grapeseed Oil straight onto my face at night instead of moisturizer. I swear nothing has ever so profoundly changed/improved/suppressed my excessively sebaceous skin! Also great for "oil cleansing"- I'm not a fan of traditional way, so I do Oil Cleanse Dry Face and then Wash Face with Regular Cleanser immediately after.
Yeah don't put straight tea tree oil into a water base... It will just sit there and not disperse. You need to solubilize it- which when using Polysorbate ?? is very easy to do. The toner base I use now has solubilized TTO in it. Look up MakingCosmetics for the recipe.
But yeah it's probably just a blend of TT, grapefruit, and juniper hydrosols. Which are liquids left behind from the distilling-essential-oil process of that same herb.
I use to use that exact product, and what I personally like to do is purchase straight Witch Hazel hydrosol (no alcohol or one of those "aloe vera and glycerin added") off Amazon. Personal fave: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hazel-Alcohol-Free-Unscented-Astringent/dp/B01M6TJFPX/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1512110212&sr=8-3&keywords=witch+hazel+pure.
I use these as my "base" for the toner- I love how quickly it dries w/o any tack. I like to use the base at 80%, and add up to 20% liquid based extracts to it. I have oily skin- so my preferred are Rosemary Extract, Willow Bark Liquid Extract, Multi-Herb Oily (botanical product by MakCos), Green Tea Liquid, etc. The witch hazel base itself does a GREAT job on its own for cleansing skin, removing oil/residue, and a mattifying pick me up mist. Another good one to try if you ever get a little dry (but also want literally zero tacky/stickiness to it), try adding some Aloe Vera 10x Liquid. **EDIT: Be sure to check final pH at end as some botanical extr like the Aloe can acidify the pH a bit
Hope I helped!
Thank You herezy. I'm brand new to DIY so I'll look into all of this. I saw Making Cosmetics sells hydrolyzed protein but stupid question. I have hydrolyzed protein in the form of a supplement. Could I use this even though it's a food item?https://smile.amazon.com/Great-Lakes-Certified-Pasture-Raised-Hydrolysate/dp/B00XB2YFBE/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1504739912&sr=8-1&keywords=hydrolyzed+protein+great+lakes
I just read a pretty informative article around here that I think concludes that taking this internally may not be that beneficial. I figure if I can re purpose what I have, then maybe that will work.
I don't wear makeup but my moisturizer does contain Dimethicone, and I use it AM and PM. I feel bad for bothering you again, most emulsifiers I had used in the past turned milky, not rubbery/gel like this one seems to do. It only seemed to sud up whenever I rubbed it for a long time with a lot of water. I follow up this oil cleanser with a creamy second step cleanser and then wipe with a towel so I assume that's enough to get off the remnants. The bottle I was using only made it out to be a gel texture when I used the pump.Thanks though for your help! I was worried it would begin to clog me up again if it wasn't emulsifying properly and the gel texture caused by the pump was concerning but it seems that it's all good. First DIY = success.
You can get empty eyeshadow palettes from basically anywhere. Here's one from Amazon: DIY 12 PCS 26mm Empty Magnetic Eye Shadow Palette
I don't understand what you mean by custom boxes..could you be more specific or post a picture as an example?
For the dry shampoo, if you actually want to use it not just right before you wash your hair (Which I definitely recommend because I can get away with washing my hair twice a week, it's a lifesaver if you sometimes live a busy life, and I use it even on freshly washed hair because I achieve volume I would never get without a blow dryer.) Then I would get pre-made dry shampoo here's the one I currently am using (But get the one for blondes if you're blonde)
The way I use it is I pour some on my oily areas like the back of my head and massage it in to distribute, flip my hair to the side, repeat, flip my hair to the other side, etc, until it no longer looks or feels oily and I have hair to the havens. If you don't have a ton of hair you might prefer a more precise application using a clean makeup brush. If there's any visible tint of the powder I brush it to distribute it.
Although the powder takes a bit longer to use than the spray, it's alcohol free, without all those awful chemicals, less drying, and lasts longer.
As for making your own there's a lot of recipes and most of them will probably work just as well as pre made ones. I just prefer them because they're scented and conveniently come in bottles with shakers.
For blondes:
Arrowroot powder (this is preferable over others)
Cornstarch
Baby powder
For ginger hair:
- Cinnamon
For deep red tones:
- Sugar free DUTCHED cocoa powder
For brunettes:
- a mixture of arrowroot and sugar free non-dutched powder
For black or almost black hair:
- sugar free cocoa powder
If your hair looks too dull to your liking, brush it out more and apply a shine serum on the bottom half of your hair.
THANK YOU. This response was exactly what I was looking for and more, and I learned a lot of new things from everyone's comments. I now totally understand why a preservative would need to be used if the product isn't being made fresh daily. I also didn't know turmeric is oil soluble, which is interesting because that means if you drink it in tea you aren't even getting any benefits. Huh. You seem like a very informed and knowledgable person on this, and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and suggest a product. I went on the alba botanical website, and I feel like they are one of those brands who has an oil phobia. Oils and oil cleansing is basically what cleared my acne and "dry skin" (caused by cleansers and synthetic moisturizers) and it's not something I want to get rid of. Also, not that it really matters but the girls on their website are definitely photoshopped. I guess what I'm looking for is a serum with chemical exfoliants? Before seeing any of these comments, I purchased this while at an organic market because it looked like something that could work. How do the ingredients look to you?
Has anyone tried using L Ascorbic acid like this that's sold as a supplement? It's so much cheaper than what you find at places like lotion crafter and making cosmetics but I don't know if it's as effective.
Hey DIY Beauty! I'm looking to incorporate Panax Ginseng Extract into my skincare. I'm not sure, however, what concentrations it should be used at when being added to a simple water+HA+optiphen toner. Any help? Also I found this powder ginseng extract on amazon, it claims to be 100% pure. Do you guys think this would be okay to use? https://www.amazon.com/Bulksupplements-Ginseng-Extract-Powder-grams/dp/B01L0H91AQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475522270&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ginseng+extract&psc=1
What kinds of calibration weights do you guys get for this kind of scale that's used to measure out serum, oil cleansing, etc?
Also what are the scales that have worked best for you?
Yeah, I had the free sample, too. I also tried a sample of the agave lip mask from Bite, and that has lanolin as well, but it's $26/tube and I really didn't care for the agave and all the additives.
I'm not sure if adding EOs and/or flavor oils and some sweetener would help or hurt the taste/smell. I'm not super picky, but I don't want to add in a flavor oil and have it clash with the lanolin and just be gross, you know?
I found something searching google, but it seems it's only available to businesses- something called Lantrol. The places I usually buy my oils and stuff have lanolin, but it doesn't list "ultra pure" or anything else that would make me choose that. I might order this though - it's still way more expensive than $1/ounce for the stuff I get, but 2 tubes (oh, there's another listing for 2 tubes for $15) of this could fill the more than the 10 lip balm tubes I ordered, which would essentially make each tube, with the mica (that I ordered 12 different colors of... so consider most of that... overhead? I guess?) and the tins to store the additional mica...plus supply shipping... about 29% the price. If I get another flavor oil (I have a black currant one, but idk if I want to use it), maybe the tubes would be about 1/3 the cost.
Of course idk how well it'll all work out. If you want, I can let you know about that lanolin if I get it.
I have a propolis question! So I'm making a DIY occlusive/sleeping pack with tamanu oil, lanolin, beeswax, honey, and propolis. I found a honey/propolis mixture by Y.S Eco bee farms. It states there is 400mg raw propolis per 5grams of the honey mixture. Is that enough to be of benefit? Would adding this be better than adding just regular honey? Here's a link of the product http://www.amazon.com/Propolis-Extract-Natural-Liquid-Honey/dp/B00028NCTG/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1440982111&sr=1-4&keywords=propolis
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AE0GVYK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
recommended to me by a mod and I like it. You need a 200g (i believe but double check that one) calibration weight that you can probably find on ebay.
skinessentialactives might also have calibration weights and scales. I don't know much about other brands though.
If you decided to get a digital kitchen scale, make sure you get the one that can weigh from 0.1g to 100g.
For small batches (less than 1 ounce), it is best to get a miniature digital scale that reads to 0.01g like this one.