Making lotions from scratch? Have you ever wondered where to start? Right here with the best equipment of course. I will go over all the basic pieces to start making lotion on your own.
Equipment:
Scale
A scale is the most critical piece of equipment you will use when making lotions from scratch. You need to weigh each and every ingredient, making good lotions is not possible without this piece of equipment. We recommend using a scale with 0.1 readability. When you get into the recipes and calculate out the percentages/grams you will understand the ease and necessity in using a scale with 0.1 readability.
Immersion Blender
An immersion blender or stick blender is a great addition to your lotion making supplies. This type of blending machine will help save your arm and wrist from the repetitive action of mixing by hand. High speed mixing will help build an emulsion that is complete and stable. Yes, you can do without this piece of equipment, but lotion making will require extra strong arms and a good balloon whisk. Did I mention really strong arms?
Microwave
A microwave will heat the small quantities of lotion ingredients in quick order. Please do not walk away from the microwave while heating small amounts of oils and water. It is very easy to superheat a mixture in the microwave. Superheated mixtures will boil up like a volcano when agitated, creating a burn hazard. Short amounts of time and careful watching is important. Do not microwave until all items are melted because many of the ingredients in lotions are like chocolate, retaining its shape even though melted. Stir frequently to determine if the product is ready for high speed mixing.
Pipettes
These small items are often referred to as droppers. While the pipette is a wonderful tool, one I believe is a must-have, it is possible to work without them. My suspicion is that you will work with these transfer devices and find them indispensable.
Beaker/Microwaveable ContainerA glass beaker is wonderful. If you don’t have a laboratory glass beaker then use any
microwaveable container you can find that is durable and easy to clean.
I hope this list of equipment helps you in getting started on making lotions on your own. Making lotions, balms, and creams is fun and exciting and I wish you the best in making your own lotion concoctions. Tomorrow I’ll be sharing information about ingredients. We’ll wrap up this week with terminology and the math.
How long do you run the microwave when you are melting the butters and waxes? 10 second bursts or longer?
We generally use short bursts of 10-30 seconds.
Thanks for the info. One more question. Do you recommend having an immersion blender specifically for lotion making or is it okay to clean it and use it for cooking, etc. Mine has a removable head that I can put in the dishwasher.
We do recommend having separate lotion making equipment just to prevent cross contamination. Let me tell you, patchouly scrambled eggs do not taste good. We recommend washing your lotion making equipment separately by hand as it can can actually fragrance any plastic components in the dishwasher and cause your plastic food dishes to taste “off” in the future.
I hope this helps!