Adventures With The Sage

I started by choosing oils that I like in foot creams. I chose Lanolin because it is very good at creating a barrier to keep moisture from leaving the skin and it really helps my feet feel like a million bucks!

I selected Shea and Macadamia Butters because I think they feel luxurious on the skin and contribute a creamy feel that is wonderful to massage onto the skin.

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Recipe: (Makes 3.53 ounces or 100 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except the Liquid Germall Plus into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the Liquid Germall Plus once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Foot Cream Notes: This is a mid-weight foot cream that is a massaging style foot cream and leaves the skin feeling velvety. This cream makes my feet feel really good when the cream applied thickly and my feet are massaged. I think I use about 5 grams (0.2 ounces) per foot, so I think this is a perfect cream to sit on the nightstand in an 8 ounce jar! Can I say that I love this because my feet feel super soft?

This body cream was inspired by childhood visits filled with lilacs, grandparents and a little imagination. I also wanted to formulate a cream that would be perfect for me to use when I give my grandma a hand massage.

I wanted to give this body a light weight feeling after being applied, so I used Macadamia Nut Oil and Colorless Jojoba to achieve this.

I also wanted drag for this cream when it was being applied so it could be used when giving my grandma a hand massage. I didn’t want lots of drag because her skin is so fragile, but a little drag helps me make her hands feel good. To get the right amount of drag for this body cream, I used Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter and Stearic Acid as all of these ingredients help provide drag in creams.

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Recipe: (Makes 3.53 ounces or 100 grams)

I decided to make a body balm that would smell just likes these Tibetan shops so I could enjoy the smell while pampering my skin! Come join me as we have some fun!

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Recipe: (Makes 3.53 ounces or 100 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except Orchid Extract and Myrrh Fragrance into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Add the Orchid Extract and Myrrh Fragrance. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before capping and labeling.

Body Balm Notes: This body balm is slightly pliable in texture, so this means that jars are the best container for this recipe and as little bit goes a long way, I recommend smaller jars like the 20 mL Lip Balm Jar. When I tried this on my hands, I felt the recipe was had a nice drag and long lasting application time. I think this would be best used on elbows, knees, feet or any other rough spots. Another potential use for this body balm would be as a deep tissue massage balm due to the long lasting drag. Doesn’t a massage sound fantastic?

One of my favorite uses for a lotion bar formula is actually to use the formula as a solid perfume or perfume stick. The biggest difference is the amount of fragrance used. When I make a solid perfume, I generally use between 2-15% of fragrance. For example; in Taylor’s Candy Shop Perfume Stick, she used 9% of fragrance. Right in the middle of the recommended amount and it was at what I considered to be a proper usage of fragrance. With this particular formula, I would reduce the Castor Oil by the amount of fragrance I used. This will help the formula feel less sticky.

Let’s go make a lotion bar now that I’ve made you think!

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Recipe: (Makes 3.53 ounces or 100 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except Vanilla Hazelnut Fragrance into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Add the Vanilla Hazelnut Fragrance. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before capping and labeling.

First I started with Beeswax. Beeswax makes this formulation hard enough to stay in a lotion bar tube. It also adds some drag to the product which is why it can be used as both a skin care product and a perfume stick.

I also used High Melt Point Shea. I rarely like to miss out on the luxury of Shea Butter but when you have an anhydrous formulation that contains Shea Butter, you always run the risk of fractionation to occur. High Melt Point Shea Butter reduces that risk.

Next, I used Aloe Butter. Why use Aloe Butter? It is dreamy! It melts on the skin and it is somewhat silky in texture. No wonder why it is a favorite in lip balms and body butters.

I used a total of three liquid oils. One of them being Cherry Oil. Cherry Oil is light in color and it weight. It contributes glide and makes the final stick not feel so heavy as it potentially could be.

The other liquid oil I used at a slightly higher percentage was Black Currant Oil. Black Currant Oil is high in gamma-linolenic acid which helps the skin renew itself. This means it helps keep the skin soft, smooth and supple.

Lastly I used my specialty oil and my fragrance oil. However, in this case my specialty oil is used as much for odor as it is for color and texture. I find it amazing that one oil can hold so many roles. Wow!

Recipe:

Weigh all of the ingredients except the Creamy Chai Fragrance Oil into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the Creamy Chai Fragrance Oil. Stir and transfer to containers of your desired size. I used our Bigger Tubes. Enjoy!

Thinking about “pail nolish” reminded me about the Tummy and Toe Jam recipe in our Recipe Collection because the best way to hear those adorable things kids say is to spend time with them. I loved the times I would cuddle with my mom and she would give me a massage as we talked about whatever came to mind.

This body cream recipe is perfect for creating a special time to spend with kids as you listen to them tell you about their day and you share a moment together. Should we go make some now?

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Recipe: (Makes 3.53 ounces or 100 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except the additives (Liquid Germall Plus and Juicy Grape Fragrance) into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the additives once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Body Cream Notes: This is a mid-weight body cream that rubs in easily and leaves the skin feeling silky and pampered. A little goes a long way for this cream but despite that, I’ve found myself already half way through my 1 ounce jar because I can apply it everywhere! Can I say that I love this?

First I started with Emulsifying Wax. Emulsifying Wax prevents the cream from separating. Because oil and water don’t get along, we need to use an emulsifier. Think of an emulsifier making oil and water sing “Why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends, why can’t we be friends!”

Next, I used Calendilla Wax. I wanted this cream to be a little different so I didn’t used Stearic Acid as my thickener. Calendilla Wax also creates a barrier on the skin. I think it also makes the skin less slick, with is important for a foot cream because you don’t want to go slip-sliding away!

Babassu Oil is a wonderful oil. It is smooth, silky and non-greasy. It also won’t break the bank! I love it when oils fit the profile of exactly what I need without me needing to consider selling my car. Whew! That was a close one!

For my humectant, used used my all time favorite. You guessed it! Hydrovance! Hydrovance is a long term, intensive moisturizer. I use it anywhere from feet and elbows, to arms and legs, to the face! It is wonderful and very versatile!

For my preservative, I chose Optiphen. A preservative is super important. I can not stress this enough. My three favorite preservatives are Liquipar, Liquid Germall Plus and Optiphen. Between all three, I cover all of the products I will make. Scrubs, lotions, creams, butters, etc. It is always good to know the products I make are safe and not a growth-and-transfer point for microbes.

The last ingredients I used where my fragrance oil and menthol crystals. I wanted a fragrance oil so I could change up the monotony of mint. I used the menthol crystals for a cooling sensation on the feet. Always use less than what you think you will need. It is easier to say “Next time I will add more” instead of wanting to run out of your own feet due to the extreme cooling and tingling sensation.

Recipe:

Weigh all of the ingredients except the Optiphen, Vanilla Cream Fragrance Oil and Menthol Crystals into a microwave safe container. Heat gently until liquid. Stir and allow it to cool slightly. Add the Optiphen, Vanilla Cream Fragrance Oil and Menthol Crystals. Stir occasionally as the mixture continues to cool. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to containers of your desired size. I used 20 mL jars. Enjoy!

The original recipe used regular Coconut Oil, but I decided to toss things up a little by using Virgin Coconut Oil. By using Virgin Coconut Oil, I was able to have a light coconut scent that would make any coconut junkie happy.

I added some Calendula Extract to this formula because it has been noted to help dry and scaly skin. Remember, you don’t have to use the extracts I use, or even use extracts at all! If you don’t want to use extracts, simply increase the Virgin Coconut Oil in this recipe.

Let’s go have some fun making this yummy body cream!

Recipe: (Makes 4 ounces or 115 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except the additives (Liquid Germall Plus, Calendula Extract and Vanilla Cream Fragrance) into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the additives once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Cream Notes: This is a body cream that is light enough to be a daily body cream and yet not so heavy that you feel like your skin has a salve on it. This cream was easy to apply and took some time to absorb. I thought that it felt a little greasy, but that is a really easy thing to fix. Simply reduce the Virgin Coconut Oil to 17% and use that 3% to add Isopropyl Myristate. This will change the recipe enough that it won’t feel as greasy. I really liked applying this to my feet after a long day of walking to school and then back home. Maybe I should do a Peppermint Essential Oil version for Jerry because he loves peppermint foot creams.

There are many fragrance options to blend with the scent of Virgin Coconut Oil. Chocolate, vanilla, sandalwood and many more. What fragrance would you add?

I decided to make the Energy Body Cream from our Recipe Collection. This recipe was originally released in 2003, but with a few changes to meet the limited ingredients available in my cupboard.

I used Cherry Seed Oil instead of Apricot Kernel Oil and increased the Jojoba to help replace the Sweet Almond Oil. I added Pumpkin Seed Extract to help stimulate skin that needs help after harsh winter weather and Orchid Extract for the skin pampering that comes with this well loved extract.

Let’s go make some body cream for bringing a smile to your face!

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Recipe: (Makes 4 ounces or 115 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except the additives (Liquid Germall Plus, Extracts and Lemongrass Essential) into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the additives once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Cream Notes: This body cream is actually what I would term a “mid-weight” cream. Not light enough to feel like a lotion, but not so heavy that it feels like a cream made specifically for dry feet! I really liked applying this body cream right after a shower because it feels luxurious by giving my skin a silky and dewy feel all day! Using this body cream, indulged my drier elbows without feeling too heavy on my shoulders or legs. The cheery scent of Lemongrass made this cream feel like I had applied an energetic smile to my skin!

I finally dug out and dusted off an old recipe that I have enjoyed over the years. I used the Light & Luscious Souffle recipe that was first released to our Recipe Collection in 2003 and then released on the blog in 2009! I made some adjustments to allow for the ingredients currently in my cupboard, but I’m very happy with the finished lotion.

Let’s go make some body lotion!

Collect needed items:

Recipe: (Makes 4 ounces or 115 grams)

Weigh all ingredients except the additives (Liquid Germall Plus, Vitamin E Acetate and 21 Fragrance) into a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave using short time bursts until everything is melted. Blend the ingredients to a smooth, creamy consistency using the immersion blender. Add the additives once the temperature drops to approximately 120° F in the mixing bucket. Stir gently until completely mixed. Pour into containers and allow to cool completely before labeling.

Lotion Notes: This is a light lotion that is easily rubbed in and quickly absorbed. I’ve been able to rub this lotion over my arms and hands in under a minute and then go back to my Chinese character writing lessons without leaving oil smudge marks on my paper. Now, if I could just find the magic ingredient that would turn my handwriting from an illegible mess to handwriting almost as gorgeous as Tina’s in her Tea Tuesday cards then life would be good!