Adventures With The Sage

I’ve gotten a few responses from my questions on last week’s challenge. Today, I’ll answer two questions from KimVH with help from Technical Support.

1) The thing I struggle with the most is knowing why one oil/butter is used over another. Also, if I don’t have a particular ingredient is there an acceptable substitute or is there a reason that particular ingredient was used. I know that with more study this will become easier but maybe this could be added to the recipes in the posts when appropriate.

Oils and butters are exchanged for reasons of availability, personal preference and more. We wrote a blog on this about testing for the things you like. It can be found here on Lip Balm Formulation or on Cold Process Soap, Day Two.

My preferred method of deciding what to use, and what to avoid, is an oil journal. This is where I write a card or page on a specific oil. What did it smell like? What color is it? Does it feel oily? Waxy? Hard? Liquid? Does it solidify when refrigerated? Does it melt when the weather is warm? Does it feel light? Heavy? Where would I use it? Face? Knees? Feet? All over?

I have some preferences to avocado oil and jojoba oil. This does not mean that everyone will agree with me. These oils are heavy (avocado) and light (jojoba). There isn’t a right or wrong answer to “what oil should I use?” The question should be “what do I want my final product to feel like? If I replace this oil with that one, how will it impact my final product?”

2) I don’t know how realistic this is but since I don’t do this as a business it would be nice to have recipes with smaller or sample amounts included.

This is a valid concern. This is why we love doing recipes in 100 gram quantities, or in percentages. The recipe is very scale-able and is small enough for testing. 100 grams is just less than 4 fluid ounces.

Look at each recipe you want to try, and then check our blog on Coffee Butter Balm for how to work in percentages. This will be very helpful.

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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I’ve gotten a few responses from my questions on last week’s challenge. Today, I’ll answer a few more of these questions from different readers with help from Technical Support.

From jaspersgarden) I struggle the most with which ingredients are best for which products. For example – I formulated a very nice hair conditioner a year ago. In my next 4 batches, I added different ingredients – like dl panthenol, IPM (don’t know why!), Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Vitamin E, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Silk Amino Acids, Liquid Silk, then some different extracts (ie White Lily Extract, Orchid Extract). But it seems like the less extra ingredients I add – the better the hair conditioner is…!! Sometimes the ingredients I read from vendors sound like it would be really nice in my hair conditioner…viscious cycle! So it would be nice to know exactly what would work in different formulas and why! (lotions, creams, hair conditioners, etc.)

This is the perfect example of the KISS method. KISS is an acronym for Keep It Simple Sue. Sometimes we don’t need to add all the extra. And if we think the label needs more ingredients, add them at less than 1%. We don’t feel every ingredient needs to be 50%. Certainly some items really show their stuff when used at a low percentage.

Try creating a formulation that is simple. Then allow for a small amount of single ingredients to be added. You may decide to keep the ingredient, and you may decide to omit it and never make the same mistake again. You might even find that allowing for a 50/50 mix of 2 ingredients to be added will change things for the better.

In the example of your hair conditioner, try allowing 5% of something that varies. It might be the dimethicone, IPM, proteins, or extracts. If you don’t like the feel, then replace it with another ingredient. If you think you like the addition but it was too extreme, then back off the amount you added.

If you have an exact recipe you don’t mind sharing, then we can show you in examples. If you don’t want to share, email the Technical Support staff so you can get help. We even have a blog entry on how to change a single oil in a soap recipe. This can be found at Cold Process Soap, Day Two. Once you read this blog entry, it will probably help you approach the hair conditioner product.

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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I’ve gotten a few responses from my questions on last week’s challenge. Today, I’ll answer a few of these questions from different readers with help from Technical Support.

From jaspersgarden) My absolute favorite thing to make is soap ~ CP and/or hot process with a crock pot! This past Fall, I lost my confidence. I made the mistake of using someone elses fragrance oils that were not compatible with soap making, even though they claimed they were CP safe… I’m talking about 6 – 4# batches…One batch was sooo bad – it ate my wooden mold – how bad is THAT? LOL! (these were NOT FO’s from MMS)

Oh no! These things help all of us. This is the perfect example of why to make a test batch. Test batches get such a bad rap for being a waste of ingredients, but they can sure help us from making bigger messes. I’m thinking, what if we do a week of Hot Process Soap? Let’s turn this into an all guest written week and YOU can show me how you make your hot process soap. I have some gift certificates for those who want to write.

Let’s do the Hot Process week of May 25th through 29th. If I don’t get any photos, then that week will be quiet on the blog! So help me out.

In the mean time, keep on soaping!

From jaspersgarden) The other thing I struggle with is labeling. With the new FDA labeling laws – it’s hard to know if I’m in compliance or not. I try really hard to not make statements – because then you’re going into “is it a drug, or is it still a cosmetic?” But how do you let customers know the properties of different oils, butters, EO’s, etc. without making claims?

This is something we all need to consider. The best advice I ever got came from the DOT (Department of Transportation) and was regarding Hazardous Materials shipping. The advice was this:

“Never stop learning. Keep a book of all advice you are given. If the advice is wrong, and it comes from a government agency, we will just retrain you. But it is up to YOU to prove that you are attempting to be in compliance in all aspects of your business.”

So, I want to pass this advice on to you, our blog reader. I have called the FDA on many occasions. They were polite and took the time to explain. I kept a log book of our calls and I learned quickly to have my questions written in advance AND wait for a complete answer before formulation my next question.

It is good to know the FDA considers the word balm to be OTC. But the use across the country doesn’t imply a protecting product. The word is used interchangeably with the word gloss. While this may be an inappropriate use on the part of the consumer, it is a valid concern for the cosmetic maker. Do you follow the opinion of the FDA service provider or do you follow the typical consumer. As long as the law does not define the word, the we see that you should consider both the consumer and the FDA views then make up your own mind. Certainly your legal counsel may have another view.

Don’t be afraid to call the FDA. They are helpful and certainly can advise you. Just don’t forget your log book before you call.

Submit your photos and text for the guest written Hot Process Soap Week! Submissions will be accepted through May 18th at blog@thesage.com. Hot Process Soap Week will be May 25th through May 29th.

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As I was sitting at my desk today, I realized that I’m wrapping up the Mother’s Day Gift Baskets this week. This made me wonder what have the blog readers made for themselves, family, friends, mothers, etc. Therefore, the curiosity has made me want to see pictures of your projects. I challenge all blog readers to send me pictures of their latest projects.

This challenge brings me to my next series of questions.

1) What do you struggle with in your crafts?
2) What would you like to see covered with more detail in a blog post or post series?
3) What is your favorite thing to make?
4) Is there something in your recipes or formulations that just doesn’t make sense?
5) Are there themes that you would like to see on this blog in the future?
6) Would you like to be a guest editor for the day and demonstrate your recipe, technique, or packaging?

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