by Marie | Jan 4, 2021 | Best of 2021, Lotion, Other 2021 Favourites, Projects with Videos
Happy new year, and happy 2021! I decided to kick off this new year with an evolution of the formulation that kicked off 2020—my much-loved Moisturizing Repair Cream (please read that post, too—there’s lots of good background information in it!). This lotion-y evolution features Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate as the emulsifier instead of Glyceryl Stearate SE or Polawax, creating a lighter, more glossy finished product that is more lotion than cream but still has all the gorgeous richness of the cream version. I am loving it to bits, and I hope you will too!
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by Marie | Nov 30, 2020 | Chewy, Lotion, Projects with Videos, Starter Recipes
Today we’re re-visiting this summer’s Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion to learn how to adapt formulations to use the emulsifier Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate instead of emulsifying waxes like Polawax, Emulsifying Wax NF, Olivem 1000, BTMS-50, or Ritamulse SCG. I’ll also be showing you what happens when you swap them one-for-one and walking you through why you’ll want to make two changes to your formulations rather than just one. It’s all pretty simple, and will help you better understand why Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate is so unique and awesome ❤️ Let’s dive in!
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by Marie | Sep 7, 2020 | Best of 2020, Lotion, Projects with Videos
This gorgeous Nourishing Hand Rescue Lotion is another “riff” project—taking inspiration from April’s much-loved Intense Hand Rescue Cream with the aim of creating something similar, but lighter and more pump-top/squeeze tube friendly. I positively adore April’s Intense Hand Rescue Cream—I’ve got nearly-empty tubs on my desk and bedside table, and I still use it every day to counter all the hand washing I’ve been doing. Knowing I’d need more soon, I opted to adapt the formulation to create a thinner version that could be packaged up in more portable packaging, and here we are!
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by Marie | Aug 31, 2020 | Conditioner, Projects with Videos
Today’s Silk & Camellia Seed Leave-In Hair Conditioner stars lightweight camellia seed oil and luxurious hydrolyzed silk peptides. They work together to moisturize and smooth the hair, while a trio of conditioning ingredients smooth the hair cuticle, leaving hair more manageable. The finished conditioner feels thick and sumptuous as you apply it, but it won’t weigh your hair down or leave it looking greasy. Let’s dive in 🙂
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by Marie | Aug 13, 2020 | General DIY
Cetearyl alcohol certainly isn’t the most exciting ingredient in my DIY pantry, but it is easily one of my hardest working ingredients! If you don’t already have some on hand, I hope this post can convince you to invest in some 😊 These unassuming white pellets are crazy useful—I use cetearyl alcohol in everything from conditioner bars to sugar scrubs to lotions to facial cleansers. Cetearyl alcohol is inexpensive, versatile, and pretty dang shelf-stable. I think you should have some. Not convinced? Keep reading!
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by Marie | Aug 10, 2020 | Projects with Videos, Scrubs
Over the last couple months, emulsified scrubs of all types have become a big favourite of mine. I’ve always like them, but now I don’t want to take a bath without one! A good scrub leaves my skin all kinds of soft and moisturized—I usually don’t need lotion-ing afterwards (good for nights when I truly can’t be arsed) so I’m set to just climb into my bed and snuggle up with my far-too-many pillows. Today’s Passionfruit Coconut Body Scrub is just such a scrub. A creamy base carries a whole lotta white sugar to sweetly buff my skin and transform my bathwater into lovely, silky goodness for a bit of a post-scrub soaking. Swoon!
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