Thoughts and ideas from the world of Majestic Mountain Sage.

Lotions and Creams

Last week I made an attempt to recreate a product I purchased and really enjoyed. It was a thick, rich lemon-scented shea butter cream. The initial attempt turned out to be too waxy, so I went back to the drawing board to revise. For the first revision, I eliminated the […]

Lemon Créme Shea Butter Revision #1

December 21, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Many years ago I bought a jar of something called Lemon Créme Shea Butter. The label touted its age-defying, ultra-moisturizing properties. Using it hasn’t made my skin look any younger, but it sure is a good moisturizer, and I love the lemony scent. I asked our Technical Support folks to […]

Recreating Lemon Créme Shea Butter

December 14, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Don’t you just love everything about peaches? I sure do! I ran across a bottle of Peach Fragrance Oil and was inspired to make a cream featuring it. My first thought was to use Peach Kernel Oil, but it’s out of stock at the moment. So I went to the […]

Peachy Cream

November 23, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Here we are again with yesterday’s Macadamia Shea Oat Body Butter that turned out too heavy and feeling waxy. (If you didn’t see the first post, click here.) To remedy the two problems, I removed the 3% Stearic Acid, adding that 3% to the water. I considered dropping the percentage […]

Macadamia Shea Oat Body Butter – Take 2

November 11, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Winter has come upon us here in Alaska, and my skin is so dry! Today I need to make up some moisturizer for myself, so I thought I’d bring you all along to see what my process is when coming up with a formula. The first thing I always do […]

Macadamia Shea Oat Body Butter

November 10, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

When the air is dry and the temps are falling, there is nothing better than a dreamy, creamy concoction to pamper your parched skin. Join me in the workroom as I craft a cream to satisfy your moisturizing needs. We’ll begin with Cocoa Butter for a thick base and that […]

Dreamy Chocolate Mint Cream

October 21, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Squalane is a fantastic ingredient that The Sage offers in two forms: Squalane Oil and Squalane Butter. It is a vegetable-derived cousin to a substance called squalene, which is found in the sebum. Because squalane is a bio-identical match to squalene, it’s readily absorbed into the skin. Squalane helps chapped […]

Getting To Know Squalane

October 14, 2021 in Lotions and Creams / Special Features by Denise

Putting together a few ingredients to craft a simple lotion is one of my favorite things to do. I just love how it all comes together! When I’m looking for something new to try, I like to research the different oils and butters to find a combination that will be […]

Crafting A Simple Lotion with Argan and Babassu Oils

October 13, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Last week I created a formula for a body butter with some Isopropyl Myristate to help alleviate the greasiness of an anhydrous formula. While it turned out to be nice on the hands, it was way too greasy for my taste. I decided I had two problems to address: First, […]

Anhydrous Body Butter with Isopropyl Myristate Revised

October 7, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

What is the difference between a butter and a cream? Put very simply, it’s the addition of water to the formula. It’s actually a bit more complicated than adding water, because once you add water, you must use an emulsifier and preservative. It’s also nice, but not absolutely necessary, to […]

Body Butter or Body Cream

October 6, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

Isopropyl Myristate (IPM) is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid (a fatty acid that naturally occurs in coconut and palm oils). It is a lightweight emollient commonly used to make formulations feel less greasy. When do you want to use Isopropyl Myristate? Any time you want something to feel lighter and […]

Anhydrous Body Butter with Isopropyl Myristate

September 30, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise

When I look at all the different oils and butters we offer and try to decide which ones to use in combination, I often forget it’s fun to focus on the features of just a single oil or butter. Though the majority of our recipes use several oils or butters […]

Splendid Single-Oil Lotions

September 28, 2021 in Lotions and Creams by Denise