Oil Cleansing Balm and a Surprise


A couple of weeks back, I wrote about oil cleansing. I had intended to make a cleansing balm at that time, but it never happened. Let’s make it today!

Filled jars; you can see the ingredient separation in the first jar.

Cleansing balm is an oil cleanser that has more hard oils, so it is not liquid. It is more the consistency of a salve.

I’ll include Babassu Oil for moisturizing and astringent properties, Castor Oil to dissolve excess sebum and carry it away from the skin when it is rinsed, Squalane Butter for its naturally moisturizing and lubricating properties, Aloe Butter, Handcrafted Shea Butter, refreshing Mint Essential Oil, Lemon Balm Extract to promote vibrant skin, and Liquid Silk like a cherry on top!

Making this with me? If you are, be sure to read the Notes section first to learn what I learned! Hint: There is an additive that didn’t play well with all the other ingredients, catching me by surprise. See if you can figure out which additive gave me problems.

What You’ll Need

Supplies

Babassu Oil
Castor Oil
Aloe Butter
Handcrafted Shea Butter
Squalane Butter
Mint Essential Oil
Lemon Balm Leaf Extract
Liquid Silk

Equipment

Scale
Microwave-safe container
Spoon
Silicone Spatula
Pipettes
Jars and Lids or Tins

Formula

55.5% Babassu Oil
10% Castor Oil
8% Aloe Butter
5% Squalane Butter
15% Handcrafted Shea Butter
0.5% Mint Essential Oil
4% Lemon Balm Extract
2% Liquid Silk

100-gram Test Batch

55.5 grams Babassu Oil
10 grams Castor Oil
8 grams Aloe Butter
5  grams Squalane Butter
15 grams Handcrafted Shea Butter
0.5 gram Mint Essential Oil
4 grams Lemon Balm Extract
2 grams Liquid Silk

Instructions

Weigh oils and butters into a microwave-safe container. Heat gently using short time bursts until all oils are melted. You can do this in a double boiler if desired.

Once the oils are liquid, check the temperature. You want to wait until the mixture has cooled to at least 120ºF before adding the rest of the ingredients.

When the mixture has fallen below 120ºF, stir in essential oil, extract, and Liquid Silk.

Pour into low profile jars or tins and allow the balm to harden before adding lids.

Oils before melting.

After stirring in additives.

Notes

Hmmm, as I was mixing up the test batch, I made an important discovery. Our Liquid Silk is a water-based product, so it did not want to mix with the melted oils. Drat!

There are two ways to remedy this. First, you could use an emulsifier to get the small amount of Liquid Silk to blend with the oils. I’d use Sunflower Lecithin. Or you could just omit the Liquid Silk and still have a nice product.

I’m going to let this harden and give it a test use anyway. I expect the Liquid Silk to sink to the bottom of the cooled balm.

Check back tomorrow for an update on how I solved my water-in-oil dilemma. For educational purposes, I’ll try reformulating this cleansing balm with an emulsifier to see if I can make it work with the Liquid Silk. I’ll also add a preservative just to be on the safe side.

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About Denise

I'm a crazy goat lady who got into making my own soap with goat milk, found MMS to order supplies, and now I get to combine my love of creating skin care products with a job to pay the feed bill. I live in Alaska and greatly enjoy the unique aspects of my northern home - summer days when it never gets dark and the Northern Lights dancing above in winter. Favorite scents include Wild Mint and Ivy, Rhubarb & Sugar Cane, and Eucalyptus Spearmint.

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