Southern Soapers is down to about 20 lbs remaining on BTMS from our previous source. When it is gone we will not be restocking from the same manufacturer. We are currently finalizing testing with two other companies BTMS product. It is important to us that this quaternary conditioner perform the same as the CRODA product. So far, we have found one that does, but the new BTMS is not in the uniform pastilles that we have all grown accustomed to with the Croda BTMS. Since this ingredient is weighed, it does not really matter if it is in irregular flakes or uniform pastilles, but I would like to obtain it in the pastille form none the less. We are waiting on a last company to send sample product so we can compare, as they state their BTMS is in pastille form also!  This would be stupendous, but if this does not test out the other BTMS source has a product that in my opinion actually is better than Croda’s BTMS! Seriously, I have been able to use 1 - 2% less in my thick creams and conditioners, with the same THICK product result. Fabulous afterfeel, and long term shelf stability. You will love the flake BTMS I am sure, but I do want to see if we can continue to supply the pastille form from this non Croda company. 

Southern Soapers will soon be selling LipoWax pastilles as our substitute for no longer carrying Polawax. We have been testing various emulsifying waxes since last October 07. You are going to love the results, and if you were a fan of Croda’s Polawax, than you will love how perfect the Lipowax PA pastilles are! No reformulating of your emulsions. Simply replace your Polawax with Lipowax PA and you will have perfection. The same ease of use, the same reliability!

Body Milk, Basic Formula

This formula will provide you with a basic, bare bones Body Milk formula using Incroquat OSC, also known as One Step Conditioner or Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-3 Distearoylamidoethylmonium Methosulfate, Polysorbate 60. This formula will create a basic milky white, body milk. Body Milk is a THIN, watery lotion emulsion that can be sprayed as a sheer spray after shower or bath. Additionally, Body Milk can be used as a hair care product, similar to Infusium 23. Hair Milk can be used on both wet and dry hair. Body Milk is a perfect summer weight lotion, non sticky, non greasy, and leaves a soft powdery afterfeel.
 
This thin formula can be manipulated to a thicker version simply by decreasing the water increasing the One Step Conditioner pastilles. This formula is scalable using the percentages given. Small flexibility is shown for usage variations of fragrance and preservative, but all formulas should be built to total 100%. Additionally, you can formulate with a wide range of additives and actives by replacing part of your water phase with equal parts luxury ingredients. Ingredients to consider for use in hair care products are: wheat, soy or oat protein, silk amino acids, royal jelly, panthenol (vitamin b5), dimethicone, cyclomethicone, and botanical extracts.

Part 1: Water Phase

4 oz Distilled Water, warm   (96 %)
All measures are by weight, not volume. Measure 4 oz of warm water from your kettle into a 16 oz bowl or Pyrex pitcher. Water should be between 145 and 160 degrees.

Part 2. Oil Phase
 
3 grams One Step Conditioner  (1%)
4 grams Sunflower Oil, High Oleic (1.6%)
 
Add the One Step Conditioner pastilles directly into your Pyrex bowl of hot water. Your OSC will quickly melt into the water but if you are in a rush you can use short microwave bursts. Add the Sunflower Oil. Use your stick blender to mix your water, OSC, and Sunflower oil until mixed well. Your emulsion should be opaque, runny like water. You will be moving to Part 3 after your temps cool to 120 degrees or less. Periodically stick blend to keep your emulsion mixed as it cools.
 
Important: This base will initially be too thick to actually spray when cooled, you will need to use additional water, aloe, oils (fractionated coconut oil is wonderful) dimethicone, IPM, or cyclomethicone to thin your Body Milk down from the ‘aftershave’ consistency this formula creates to a thinner version that can be sprayed. The formula below is currently for 4 oz of Body Milk, you will need to add another 12 oz of liquid to make this thin enough to spray through misters. I wait until finished diluting and then add preservative based on total product weight. You can preserve your thick base also though. When you dilute it later, add additional preservative based only on the amount of additional water you will add for dilution.
 
Note: One Step Conditioner was manufactured to be a Cold Process ingredient also. Simply add OSC Pastilles directly to prepared water and the OSC will slowly dissolve. Due to time constraints, we are not cold processing in this class session.

Part 3: Finishing

Fragrance of choice (.05 - 1%)
Preservative of choice (options included in class kit):

Germall Plus, Liquid would be used at .1% or .05 oz for this size formula, or
Optiphen would be used at .75%, or
Liquapar Optima .50%)
After your mixture has cooled significantly add the fragrance you desire. When you are sure the temperature is below 120 °F (use a sanitized thermometer) add your preservative of choice. Pour into bottles with spray misters.
 
Now that you have made Body Milk, you can learn to expand on it. You can add dimethicone, silk amino acids, botanical extracts, wheat/soy/or oat protein, and many other luxury ingredients to create a much more luxurious products. You can increase the OSC to up to 8% of your formulation to make a thick body cream also.
 
Basic rule: If you add a liquid additive, you will need to reduce the water phase by the corresponding amount of liquid additive you are bringing into the formula, to keep your formula balanced. Ex: If you want to add .25 oz dimethicone and .25 oz of botanical extract you will need to also reduce this formula’s water phase weight by a corresponding .50 oz (.25 + .25 = .50).
 

Superfatting vs. Effective Lye Discounting

First to simplify, “super fatting’ is the purposeful unbalancing of a chemical equation.  You normally would balance the lye solution (alkali) to equally match the acids in the oils you are using to a perfect 1:1 chemical balance. That would give you excellent laundry soap, but would not be very emollient to your skin, however.

The object of super fatting is to have your formulation of lye solution and oils set up to be oil heavy, meaning that there will be more oil molecules than lye molecules and the match up bonding will leave excess unused oil molecules free in your soap mixture/soap bars. This is where you get the extra emollient properties of your soap, or some… as the glycerin is a contributor too.  So essentially, super fatting is just making sure you leave a little extra oil free in your soap.  Basically.

There are two ways to do this.  Either one is absolutely fine, or if you set your calculations up right you can theoretically even do both together. It is purely personal choice on how you decide to “super fat”, just be sure and use a good calculator and/or SAP values when formulating so you can be precise.

Way 1:  Effective Lye Discount
This is where you do not add extra oils at the trace to create your “super fat’ effect. In building in an automatic ELD (Effective Lye Discount) you set up your calculator to create the lye discount you want… 5%, 6%, 7% are the most common values. Lower than 5% without adding additional fats/oils at trace can contribute to a harsher bar, and super fatting over 10% can lend toward the loose oils going rancid faster in time, or even contribute to DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots).  I recommend 6 to 7% to start with.

Anyway, most soaping calculators allow you to set the lye discount/Effective Lye Discount. You plug all your oils in the calculator to be mixed with the lye in the beginning.  The only value that changes the super fat/ELD value is the AMOUNT OF LYE USED. Less lye means the ELD increases to larger numbers (i.e., reducing lye by 1 oz may cause the ELD to go from 6% to 7%). Increasing the Lye lowers the ELD (i.e., increasing lye by 1 oz may cause the ELD to go from 6% to 5%).  You can manually adjust this by changing the lye value in your calculator until you have the % of super fat/ELD that you want your bar to have.

Way 2:  Super fat at Trace
This way you build your formulation up with a small amount of additional (2-5%) to be added at the mid to end of trace time. You set your formulation up with a much lower Effective Lye Discount, sometimes at zero.  Then you add those “extra” oils to the calculator that are to be added at trace, and increase that oils amount until you arrive at the super fat/ELD value you want your bar to end up at.  Using this way of super fatting though, you will use more lye in your formulating.

Follow along with this example of a four-oil recipe (and feel free to use it as a starter recipe):

All amounts are digital weights, not volume.

10 oz Olive Oil
10 oz Coconut Oil
10 oz Shortening
2 oz Sweet Almond Oil
11 oz Water
4.5 oz lye

Now here are examples of what happens to the lye when you add the almond oil with the other oils, and what happens when you add it at the end of trace:

4.5 oz Lye gives a 6% lye discount and in the final bar a 7.6% Effective Lye Discount, or super fat.

But if I do not add that 2 oz of Sweet Almond oil until the end of trace look what happens:

4.5 oz lye gives a 6% lye discount and in the final bar (with Sweet Almond added at end of trace, not with rest of oils) an 11.7% ELD (Effective Lye Discount), or serious SUPERFAT!  11.7 is terribly high. Many oils we use for super fatting have shorter shelf lives and by merit of that can go rancid much faster.  To pull the Effective Lye Discount DOWN a bit, so that the bar is not at 11.7% I must increase my lye value on the calculator!  I must use 4.6 oz of lye instead of 4.5 oz to get that 6% super fat ratio!

Man, I sure hope I have not confused you more now!

Unpublished Work Copyright 2002 - 2007 By Kelly J. Bloom

I have my Stack Jars from Patrice, ALL 19 BIG boxes of them here, lol! 

Some are triple stack jars, and some are double stack jars. Take a look at these babies:

On the menu today is
1. Neopolitian Scrub set (trio stack set):

Top Layer Jar : Fresh Picked Strawberry fragrance
Middle Layer Jar: Pure Vanilla fragrance (switch this to coconut and it is Naimo Jar after those Naimo candy Bars!)
Bottom Layer Jar: Chocolate Truffle (or Chocolate Serendipity) fragrance

2. New Years Bash Scrub & Foaming Bath Salts (double stack set):

Top Layer Jar: Sparkling Champagne Scrub
Bottom Layer Jar: Sparkling Champagne Foaming Bath Salts

3. Toe the Line Foot Care Stack set using Orange Eucalyptus (Fresh Orange Slices & Down Under Fragrance oils) double Jar Set :

Top Layer: Orange Eucalyptus Foot Cream
Bottom Jar: Orange Eucalyptus Exfoliating Salt Scrub

4. Bath Salts Sampler Pack (triple Jar set)

Top Jar: Relaxing salts in Inishmoor fragrance
Middle Jar: Invigorating salts in Texas Pink Grapefruit Fragrance
Bottom Jar: Romantic salts in Rosemilk Fragrance

I only brought 4 jar sets home today, and I just LOVE these puppies. I will try to get photos of my own creations done today so that I can get these jars available for others to purchase on Southern Soapers Fragrances right away also!  We had some family business eat up most of my weekend so I did not get them on the website yet.

Make a lovely and elegant Liquid Talc, silky smooth.

Liquid Silk Talc

Phase A
Water…………………….18%
Structure XL ……………5%

Phase B
Water…………………. @ 60%   (will vary if you want a thicker or thinner liquid talc, and by the q.s values for your fragrance and preservative below)
One Step Conditioner      …..2%
Cyclomethicone   …… 3%

Phase C
Dry Flo AF      ………. 9%

Phase D
Preservative       ….. q.s.  (.5 - 1% generally, but determined by the preservative you use)

Phase E
Fragrance        ……..  q.s (about  1 - 2% generally, but to your nose)

Dissolve the Structure XL first with Phase A water, let sit for about 5 - 10 minutes. It will be as gel at this point.  Heat the Phase B water to @ 100 degrees F. You can add the One Step Conditioner to this heated water and wait until the pastilles melt or you can GENTLY melt the One Step Conditioner in your microwave and add to the heated water.  Add the Phase B cyclomethicone. Slowly add your Phase B to Phase A, mixing well until homogenous. Add Phase C Dry Flo AF , mixing well. Add Phase D Preservative, add Phase E Fragrance.

If this emulsion is too thick for your taste you can increase your Phase B water. Do NOT reduce your phase A water, as this is needed to properly hydrate your Structure XL.  Phase B water is flexible.  Again, you will need to play with this formula to make it more uniquely yours.  Structure XL is important to this formula, because it does contribute to a silky and stable emulsion with a talc afterfeel.  If you do not have Structure XL, than you might try using another weaker co emulsifier because the role Structure XL takes in this formula is the slight gellant/emulsifying aspect. If you do not have Dry Flo AF  you can use regular Dry Flo, or even try regular cornstarch. Keep your testing batches small and it is fun to experiment! And don’t forget to take notes as you try replacement ingredients, record what happened in your formula, the feel, the emulsion stability, and IF YOU LIKED IT.

You can tweak this more also with the addition of Silver Glimmering Mica or even the Irridescent type of Mica. If you ever puchased any of these glass bottles of Bath & Body Works Liquid Silk Talc (I have one in Sweet Pea still) than you will know what this is making. A very elegant, silky smooth liquid talc that has a bit of body shimmer to it. Colorants are ok, and you can adjust how thick or thin by the decrease or increase of the water. You can even add real liquid silk as part of your water phase if you want. Have fun experienting. The Structure XL can be used in many situations as a co
emulsifier also.. just tinker and dare.

Here is a fast and fun way to make FOOL PROOF Emulsified Sugar Scrubs, Pedicare Salt Scrubs, Sugar Glows, and elegant, luxurious Body Butters!  All these items use a premade emulsified cream of highly refined shea butter and pure Aloe Vera Gel. These products are made quickly and simply, hold up on your customers shelf without going bad and without separating:

 Whipped Shea Aloe Scrub

1 lb Shea Aloe Cream, Whipped with your mixer
1 1/2 cups sugar (have not tried this whipped version with salt)
fragrance
color

Whip the Shea Aloe Cream and it will be a bit fluffy. Add the sugar, color
and fragrance. This scrub is a lighter, slightly fluffier version
when using SUGAR as the sugar causes some fluffiness as it dissolves
into the aloe vera gel in the shealoe.

Regular Shea Aloe Scrub

1 lb Shea Aloe Cream (not whipped)
1 1/2 cup of Sugar or Salt
Fragrance
Color

Simply stir the sugar/salt into the Shea Aloe Cream, add fragrance and
color. WONDEFUL scrub… this is awesome with both salt and sugar.

Shea Aloe Glow

1 lb Shea Aloe Cream
1 1/2 cup sugar or salt
2 Tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 Tablespoons Polysorbate 20 or 80 (either is ok)
fragrance
color

Add the salt or sugar to your Shea Aloe Cream. Then add the sweet almond
oil and the polysorbate. Last add the fragrance and color. This
scrub has a slightly more “fluid’ texture and will remind you of a
well stirred Oil/Poly/sugar basic scrub. This is my absolute
FAVORITE of all the Shea Aloe Cream scrubs. There is NO SEPARATION ever
though like in Oil/Poly/Sugar or Salt scrubs!

For a Simple Shea Aloe Cream that is ready to package and sell as a luxurious Body Butter or Body Cream:

1 lb Shea Aloe Cream
Fragrance
color

Mix and put into jars, Simple as that.

1 cup Citric Acid
2.5 Cups Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
1/4 cup of SLSA (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is naturally derived from coconut oil, and NOT to be confused with SLS or SLES. See note at bottom of page.)
1/4 cup Cream of Tartar (this will stabilize your bath ball foam and make it last about 30 mins!)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 spray bottle of Distilled Water, Floral Hydrosol, or Witch Hazel
1/4 - 1/2 oz fragrance oil

Step 1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. If coconut oil is solid, warm it in the microwave and then blend your fragrance oil into it. Add color, fragrance/coconut oil mixture, and any herbs (if desired like chamomile powder, rose petal powder, kaolin clay, etc.)

Step 2. After you have your ingredients blended in your bowl, mist over the contents in the bowl with your water (or hydrosol or witch hazel), while continuing to mix well until you reach a ‘grainy’ or cornmeal type texture.

Step 3. Test your bowl ingredients by taking a handful and squeezing hard. When you are at the point that your mixture will stick together when compressed, stop misting with the spray bottle of liquid. Your mixture must be damp enough to stick together when compressed, but not too wet.

Step 4. Using your mold such as a 2 piece plastic christmas ball, scoop mixture up with both halves of the mold, overfilling both halves. Quickly press the two halves of the mold together, compressing the excess mixture into the center of the mold. Press hard and hold for about 15 to 20 seconds.

Step 5. Gently release the two mold halves from your bath ball. If you have difficulty, tap each side gently with the back of a spoon.

Step 6. Set bath ball to dry for 24 - 36 hours. When dry and hard, shrink wrap.

 Today the Saponifier released their first annual Readers Choice Awards for suppliers in our soap & candle manufacturing industry. Southern Soapers Fragrances & Supplies is thrilled and proud to have been voted First in Favorite Fragrance Oil Supplier, First for Favorite Online Soap/Candle Forum, and voted an Honorable Mention for Favorite All-Round Supplier!

We would like to thank all our customers for their support and vote of confidence. Southern Soapers will continue to strive to provide you with quality products and quality customer service.

Who is your favorite fragrance oil supplier and why? 

Again, the list of suppliers who were mentioned was large, covering both widely known and obscure companies, but the top three had nearly the same number of votes. The top votes went to Southern Soapers, with Brambleberry coming in close behind them and Oregon Trails bringing it to nearly a three way tie. What did respondents like about these companies? They loved the quality and selection of the oils. “Kelly has a huge selection, and I love the quality of her oils,” remarked Pat Tyson of Pitterpat Skincare. Brambleberry and Oregon Trails customers described how much they appreciated the testing these companies performed on their oils; the reported results let users know exactly what to expect from the products (such as discoloring, accelerating, and other effects oils can have on soaps) and even list the throw and other qualities important in candle making.

What is your favorite soap/candle online discussion list or forum, and why?

This is one area where almost everybody expressed a favorite—or two. We seem to like our online resources for information and assistance, and thus the internet provides us with a multitude of lists and forums to get involved with. The attributes people often mentioned looking for are knowledgeable, friendly people, with discussion mostly centering around soaping/candle making, and where flaming is not tolerated. The runaway favorite in the soap category was Southern Soapers, for chandlers, it was Candletech hands down.

Who is your favorite all-around supplier? 

If it were possible to order everything you use from one supplier, who would it be, and why? Incredibly, fifty-eight suppliers were voted as favorites, with voters citing such qualities as selection, price, and fast shipping. Proximity was an important factor to many, an understandably important factor not to be underrated. Still, the one that garnered the most votes is none other than…  1. Wholesale Supplies Plus,  2. Bramble Berry   3. Kangaroo Blue  

Honorable mentions: Soapers Choice, Southern Soapers, and Lotioncrafter. 

The above review written by Beth Byrne was published in the November 2007 issue of The Saponifier, the online Magazine for the soap, toiletry and candle making community. It is reprinted here in part, with permission of the publisher. 

Lye x 1.0 = 50% (This is the physical limit, but not recommended)  
Lye x 1.15 = 46.5%
Lye x 1.2 = 45.45%
Lye x 1.25 = 44.44%
Lye x 1.3 = 43%
Lye x 1.4 = 41.66%
Lye x 1.5 = 40%
Lye x 1.6 = 38%
Lye x 1.7 = 37%
Lye x 1.75 = 36%
Lye x 1.8 = 35.7%
Lye x 1.9 = 34.5%
Lye x 2 = 33%
Lye x 2.1 = 32%
Lye x 2.3 = 30%

Mica pigments are mineral colors that lend themselves beautifully to any soapmaking process. They are non-toxic, non-bleeding, and some of them do not change in the alkaline environment of CP soapmaking. Mica’s, do not fade in soap.  Approved for use in Soap and Cosmetic uses, to include lips and eyes.

Recommended Use: Approved for use in Soap and Cosmetic uses, to include lips and eyes. CP Soapmaking: Use in the same manner you would use any oxide or ultramarine. Each color will vary in how much may need to be used, based on intensity of color desired. This Mica does not change color in an alkaline environment. Oxides, Neons, and Ultramarines are non morphing in alkaline environments. This means that you can use Verdigris Gold Mica in Cold Process soap without the color changing.Use in the same manner you would use any oxide or ultramarine. Each color will vary in how much may need to be used, based on intensity of color desired. This Mica does not change color in an alkaline environment. Oxides, Neons, and Ultramarines are non morphing in alkaline environments. This means that you can use Verdigris Gold Mica in Cold Process soap without the color changing. INCI: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, & Iron Oxide Fe2O3

Oxides & ultramarine pigments are stable mineral colors that lend themselves beautifully to any soapmaking process. They are non-toxic, non-bleeding, and their colors do not change in the alkaline environment of CP soapmaking. Oxides and Ultramarines, do not fade in soap.Recommended Use: Approved for use in Soap and Cosmetic uses, to include lips and eyes.CP Soapmaking: Use in the same manner you would use any oxide or ultramarine. Each color will vary in how much may need to be used, based on intensity of color desired.

FDA Soap Labelling Guidelines http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-218.html 

And what if it’s “soap“? Soap is a category that needs special explanation. That’s because the regulatory definition of “soap” is different from the way in which people commonly use the word. Products that meet the definition of “soap” are exempt from the provisions of the FD&C Act because — even though Section 201(i)(1) of the act includes “articles…for cleansing” in the definition of a cosmetic — Section 201(i)(2) excludes soap from the definition of a cosmetic.