Have just finished making my first lotion. It's a basic lavender and I am so pleased with it. I am very surprised at how well it went and how much fun I had doing it.
The different stages are very interesting. Starting with your oil and water separately, then seeing them swirl together in a bright white cloud. Then seeing a frothy milk like mixture in my pot. Leading to the panic when I thought it was curdling! Stick blending like crazy as it cooled and my tension dissipated leaving a smooth creamy lotion :D The lavender fragrance oil filled the room reflecting my contented pride in my first lotion.
I used shea butter and peach kernel oil for this. Shea because I love how soft it is on my skin and the peach kernel because I've read how nourishing it is, also I love peaches ^_^ I followed the lotion tutorial on swiftcraftymonkey's blog. I've found reading her posts so informative and helpful. Her lotion tutorial explains everything you could want to know as a beginner. I used Germall Plus Liquid as my preservative. I didn't play around with any humectants or additives because I wanted to see what it was like making a very basic lotion first. Next time maybe tweaking and adding things to meet my preferences.
I had a lot of fun trying to decant it into my bottles hehe. Very messy job, I tried to pipe it in using those 'sandwich bags'. I managed to get quite a bit of it on my gloves and the table but in the end I got the hang of it and filled the bottles :) If you're making lotion for the first time I'd say have a piping bag to hand, even the disposable ones would have made it easier for me, because of the point.
I used some purple mica to add some colour, wish I had got a slightly deeper shade on hindsight. It's a very pale lilac but I'm pleased with it. It really didn't matter about the shade when I used it. I was so surprised at how great it felt on my skin. Very soft and smells gorgeous. I called my mum and said to her I can't believe I've been buying those mass produced creams and lotions all this time hehe.
In a way this was much more fun than when I made CP soap for the first time because there were no dangerous chemicals to worry about. It really was just all about fun. So I would say if you're at all interested in making your own bath and body products but worried about starting this is a very easy inexpensive way to dip your toe in and see if it's a hobby you'd enjoy.
I still love making CP soap but this is very enjoyable too and I think I will continue to make lotions. When I make my next supply order I'll be including jars so I can try a body butter ^_^
Tomorrow I'm going to be making more lotion can't wait! :D
