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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 11310
Location: Bucks
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 Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 9:33 pm Post subject: |
 
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I got cocoa butter from the same place as I got my coconut oil (it was a lot more xpensive, so I really hope they're different!) It looks different - supposed to be like white chocolate - there's a similarity, but they didn't fool me! |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10475
Location: Neither here nor there
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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I like the smell of the cocoa butter lotions like Palmers etc.
Does it smell like Milky Bar, Miss Womble?  |
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alison
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 7748
Location: North Devon
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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coconut oil can be bought in superdrug for 99p a pot. |
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cab
Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 30158
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| Posted: Fri Mar 11, 05 10:21 am Post subject: |
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Coconut oil is really cheap in Chinese supermarkets. |
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 11310
Location: Bucks
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 05 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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Well I've been concocting (as himself calls it!) in my kitchen, and I've made galens cold cream, lip balm and a moisteriser I found in 'a fragrant pharmacy' and they all look like lip balm!
The lip balm is the best of them (or at least looks like I thought it was supposed to!) but the others are more like soft waxes than creams. Should I reheat and add more water, or is this their nature (which is fine, as long as I haven't done it wrong again!)
Is there a way to make more of a cream at home, that I can put in a lotion bottle or a pump dispenser, or do you need proper emulsifying equipment to make them? |
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sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 13939
Location: sunny wales
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 05 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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Creams made with oil, wax and water will always be 'thick' and 'oily' in character, but you can also get something called emulsifying wax which is a modern concoction that will accept a lot more water to give you a lotion rather than a thick cream. It is a modern ingredient, but on the other hand you'll still be saving delivery miles and packaging by buying a bit of that to make creams with rather than a new jar of cream from a shop.
Have a look at a site like www.thesoapkitchen.co.uk which does a basic one amongst the soapmaking supplies, or http://www.aromantic.co.uk/ for a really dazzling range including some which are vegan friendly. |
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 11310
Location: Bucks
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 05 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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Does it help if the water is warm? The impression I got was that adding water was cooling and setting the mixture rather than that I had added the right amount of water. I was shaking the jar instead of stirring, as the tinkling (metal spoon in glass jar!) was getting on my nerves. It's like soft candle wax - is that how is should be, or do I need to add more water? |
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sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 13939
Location: sunny wales
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 05 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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I find it helps if all the ingredients are roughly similar in temperature when you combine them. Think of it like this, what you are trying to do is coat each tiny droplet of water with a thin layer of wax/oil mix, so that when you spread it on your skin each 'balloon' bursts allowing the water to cool and hydrate the skin. If you add cold water to hot oil/wax, a lot of the wax will set before it has a change to wrap itself around the tiny water droplets. Start with warm water and your shaking gives everything the best chance to get to know its fellow ingredients before it cools down. Thats also why you have to stir until nearly cold, so nothing seperates out. not a very scientific decription, but hopefully it makes sense  ) |
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Bugs
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10475
Location: Neither here nor there
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| Posted: Sun Mar 13, 05 9:57 pm Post subject: |
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Actually Sally that makes more sense to me than any scientific description
I've just popped up Nettie's article on her Egyptian recipe skin cream and it might help people with some of the problems raised here - it's certainly very clear and looks really good.
What am I going to do? Tomorrow is Monday and I will have a head full of the possibilities of making rugs and skin creams  |
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sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 13939
Location: sunny wales
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 8:01 am Post subject: |
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Just saw Netties article, sounds like a nice cream. Hey Nettie- where did you get evidence for the Egyptians using coconut oil- or is it just there as an alternative to animal fat, ditto evidence for them using a cold cream emulsification process- my research has that as 2nd century Roman?  (Its not a criticism in any way, I'm just fascinated that you might have evidence that I've missed in my studies) |
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mochyn
Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 13967
Location: mid-Wales
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 11:09 am Post subject: |
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Can't wait to have a go: I'll mail the old chap to bring home cocnut oil and a friend to get some beeswax. Just made lemon marmalade, so I need something to make tomorrow! |
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wellington womble
Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 11310
Location: Bucks
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Bugs wrote: |
What am I going to do? Tomorrow is Monday and I will have a head full of the possibilities of making rugs and skin creams |
Call in sick (it's only work!) There's icecream too!
Thaks for that sally - it makes a lot of sense, and is quite scientific enough for me on a monday! I'll persevere. Its a fantastic deep moisteriser as it is - I just need something a bit lighter to slap on at work (Unless I call in sick too.........) |
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nettie
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5627
Location: Suffolk
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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| sally_in_wales wrote: |
| Just saw Netties article, sounds like a nice cream. Hey Nettie- where did you get evidence for the Egyptians using coconut oil- or is it just there as an alternative to animal fat, ditto evidence for them using a cold cream emulsification process- my research has that as 2nd century Roman? (Its not a criticism in any way, I'm just fascinated that you might have evidence that I've missed in my studies) |
No evidence hun, the coconut oil was my own addition I hope to learn a lot from you!!!!! The recipe I based it from was loosely mentioned in an old aromatherapy book I had, it just mentioned the Egyptians used fats, water and beeswax, the rest is all my own trial and error!  The book might be wrong you never know, I'm not really up on it all  Can you recommend any good reading? |
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nettie
Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5627
Location: Suffolk
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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Sally,I've asked Bugs to go into the skin cream article and remove the word "Egyptian" from it, I unfortunately have no way of double checking if it's correct, as the original book is no longer in my possession. Thanks for pointing it out |
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sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 13939
Location: sunny wales
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| Posted: Mon Mar 14, 05 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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Sweetie, please don't think I was picking holes! Its a great cream recipe, and I'm going to try making it with coconut oil myself!Its probably not terribly Egyptian, but who cares if it does the job and in my experience it looks like you have a good recipe there I spend a big chunk of my life researching ancient recipes, so I notice details that don't really make the blindest bit of difference in the real world. |
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