Tingly mint body lotion recipe

Here’s a fun recipe for a mint body lotion from Pure and Natural Soaps!

Tingly Mint Body Lotion Recipe

Ingredients

1/2-cup mint water (see note below)
1/8 tsp. borax
1/2 c. sunflower oil
1 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. beeswax
3-4 drops peppermint oil (optional)

Directions:

Mix together the mint water and the borax, stirring until well mixed. Set aside.

Mix together the sunflower oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a glass measuring cup.

Place the cup with the oils–beeswax mixture in a pan of water (about 1 to 2 inches of water), making a water bath. Heat over medium heat until the beeswax is melted (8 to 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.

When the wax is melted, bring the mint solution almost to boiling (put the glass cup with the mint water/borax in the microwave on High for 1 minute, or use a water bath on the stove top).

Remove the oils-beeswax mixture from the water bath. Slowly add mint water/borax to the mixture in the blender and whip.

Allow the lotion to cool completely. The consistency may seem a bit thin, but it will thicken as it cools. The lotion will be pale green in color. You may add the peppermint oil now if you wish.

Pour the lotion into a clean container with a lid. To use, massage a small amount into your skin.

Note: Mint water is made by boiling fresh or dried mint leaves in water and then letting the mixture cool. Strain off the mint leaves. I use 1-cup fresh mint (1/4 cup dried mint leaves) to 1-cup water.

Source: http://bathnbody.craftgossip.com/tingly-mint-body-lotion-recipe/2009/03/24/

Packaging: Plastic Bottle, Jar and Jug Definitions

Bottles

Boston Round

Boston Round Plastic Bottles, like glass, come in a variety of sizes from ½ ounce to 16 ounce to fit your many applications. The Boston Round design is applicable in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and a broad variety of other industries. They can be used with numerous plastic closures including caps, pumps, sprayers, fine mist sprayers, discs tops, and even some metal caps. It is always best to first test out your product with the bottle and closure to assure compatibility. Make sure to remember to put on a label or have this attractive container silk screened with your unique brand.

Ovals Plastic

Oval Bottles are used in many different cosmetic, health and beauty aid applications.

Cosmo Round

Cosmo Rounds come in a variety of sizes, are made of HDPE and are great for sprays, lotions, cosmetics, household toiletries, pharmaceuticals, pet products and food. They will also work with a variety of other liquid and some dry applications. Always make sure to test the contents with the container and closure to make sure they are a good chemical match. Cosmo Rounds look very attractive on any shelf. However, without a unique label that makes your statement they are simply generic. And this bottle offers the ability to put a label on both the front and the back.

HDPE Cylinders

PVC Cylinders

Cylinder Bottles are used for most everything liquid. Just about every industry has an application for this basic container. You will also find a large selection of both HDPE and PVC types. HDPE and PVC are both excellent containers, with HDPE being the more economical choice. If you need more esthetics for your material, select the PVC container in either clear or white. In all sizes there are a variety of options in terms of color and neck finishes accommodating the many, many cap, pumps and other closures that will fit this container. We even stock a cylinder bottle with a handle! The cylinder bottle easily accommodates a wrap around label, to fit all of your products descriptive information.

F-Style Oblong

The F-Style is great for liquids in larger quantities that need to be poured. You will find the F-Style used for food products, like oils and shortening, chemicals of all kinds, various petroleum products, and many other bulk quantity liquid applications. These are easy to fill and store due to their square oblong size. These come in natural or white.

Sprayer Bottles

Sprayer bottles are easy to grip and easy to hold. They are excellent for many cleaning and janitorial / sanitation purposes with or without a sprayer attachment. These containers can also be used for household cleaning products, garden sprays, or even a convenient water sprayer at the beach. They come in 8 ounce up to 32 ounce sizes in both natural, white and clear. To complete your bottle select an appropriate sprayer or cap.

Modern Round

This timeless basic shape is designed to accommodate and protect your important label by providing a recessed panel area. We carry four different bottle sizes and you can select from natural, white and amber colors. Since we focus on the complete container, you will notice that we have Panel Label Dimensions available for every container, making it easy for you to pick out the right size.

Food Bottles Plastic Bottles for food are becoming increasingly popular. They offer see through clarity to show off your product. They are shatter resistant if dropped. Some of our “Decanter” bottles can be filled hot for various types of sauces. They come in both clear PET and PVC in sizes from 8 to 18 ounce. 

Twin Neck Do you have a need to dispense a measured amount of liquid? Well, now you can with Bottle Solutions™ These unique bottles have a large section for your main liquid that you can squeeze into a smaller section for easy measurement. There are, of course, two necks, but they accommodate the same cap or closure. However, you may want to use different cap colors to make sure your customer readily sees the difference. 

Source: http://bottlesolutions.com/article/item-dc614e63-8d8c-4510-8d7e-f390951deec8.aspx

How to Carve Soap Into Shapes

I remember as a kid, the Avon Lady stopping by every once in awhile.  There was one time she stopped by and in her catalog there was this moldable soap product.  I remember getting some and having alot of fun with it. Now, this project is not anything like since there is the use of sharp objects we do not want anyone to get hurt.  But home could surely carve out some fun shapes for the next time the kids need to take a bath.

So if you would like to create some fun soap shapes for your kids to use in the bath then check out this article that appears on ehow - How to Carve Soap Into Shapes.  If your kids are old enough to help you out, then let them because they may want to take more baths.

Deeply Hydrating Facial Serum

by Allison B. Kontur

www.BathBodySupply.com

You will need: 

1 oz Shea Olein (Liquid Shea Butter) 

1 oz Rose Hip Oil (Virgin) - Cold Pressed 

2 oz Olive Squalane 

2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) Japanese Green Tea Extract 

Phase 1: In a double boiler over low heat, melt shea olein until liquid. (In warmer weather, you may opt to omit this step as the shea olein will remain liquid at warmer ambient temperatures). Remove from heat set aside.

Phase 2: In a separate glass or stainless steel container, combine rose hip oil, squalane & green tea extract until combined. 

Phase 3: Combine the melted shea olein with the blend from Phase 2 and combine thoroughly to incorporate all ingredients. Package as desired.

To use:  Pump a small amount of serum into clean hands. Rub palms together to warm mixture slightly and apply to skin in an upward motion from decollete to hairline.

Source:http://bathbodysupply.blogspot.com/2009/04/recipe-deeply-hydrating-facial-serum.html

What are Parabens?

If you have been reading the labels of your bath and body products, you maybe see some ingredients that include the word "paraben". And you are wondering what ia paraben is?  Right?  As you will read that parabens are a preservative in cosmetics. And there is some worry that parabens pose some health risk.  If you are concerned about using perservatives in your body products and worry about the parabens. On the other hand you do not like the inconvenience of storing your products in the fridge or not lasting that long.  There are  preservatives that are paraben free and those could subsituted instead.  If you would like to learn more about what a paraben is, then you should read on.  According to wisegeeks.com,

"Parabens are a group of chemical compounds which are widely used as preservatives, especially in cosmetics. In addition to being used in cosmetics, parabens are also utilized by the pharmaceutical industry, and they sometimes appear as food additives as well. Parabens have been a topic of some controversy, due to consumer concerns about their safety, which explains why you may find products voluntarily labeled as “paraben free,” using their ingredients as a selling point for concerned consumers.

These chemicals are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid. Esters are defined as chemical compounds in which an acid molecule has bonded with an alcohol molecule, displacing a water molecule. Some parabens actually appear in nature, generated by plants as a way of defending themselves from fungal and bacterial invaders. The parabens used commercially are typically generated synthetically, ensuring that the products remain consistent, so that companies can be assured that they will work.

Typically, the concentration of parabens in cosmetics is very low, often less than 1%. A mixture of parabens may be used to create the best preservative effect, ensuring that molds, fungi, bacteria, and other unwanted visitors will not contaminate a product. It is also possible to use naturally derived preservatives, such as grape seed extract, but many of these substances have not been fully tested for efficacy, raising concerns about the safety and shelf life of products preserved with these substances.

Concentrations of parabens in other products, like foods and pharmaceuticals, are similarly quite low. As a general rule, companies use a minimal amount of preservatives, using laboratory testing to determine the best concentration.

Health concerns about parabens are primarily focused on their potential to act like estrogen compounds in the body. Substances which behave like estrogens are known as estrogenic compounds, and they do pose some health risks, especially when consumed in high volumes. Estrogens primarily impact the endocrine system, potentially creating an increased cancer risk. People who are concerned about parabens argue that their estrogenic traits make them too dangerous to use in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.

However, there have been a number of studies on this issue, both from inside the cosmetics industry and outside of it. These studies have found that while parabens certainly do have estrogenic qualities, they are probably safe in very small amounts. People and companies who adopt a “best practices” approach may choose to stay away from parabens, as future risks may be identified, or they may turn out to bioaccummulate in the body."


Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-parabens.htm