(Part 3) Top products from r/DIYBeauty

Question regarding what mixing utensils to use when working with chemicals like vitamin c that react with metal:

I'm rather new to DIY (made a brightening serum & moisturizer so far using heat/hold method & a broad spectrum perservative). I want to make a SAP serum but it occurred to me I cannot use metal utensils like the metal spoon and milk frother I have been using so far. What would be recommended for mixing? SAP needs to be mixed very well according to my research. Would glass stirring rods and this [plastic hand mixer](https://www.amazon.com/Fit-Fresh-Portable-Drink-Formula/dp/B000FNH01E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496194675&sr=8-1&keywords=small+hand+mixer be) good? Shouldn't I concerned about chemicals leaching into the plastic, though? Maybe some nylon spreaders or corning lab spatulas for scraping it out of the beaker?

 

This is the recipe I am going to use.

 


SAP serum

79.3% distilled water

10% propylene glycol

5% SAP

3% glycerin

2% green tea extract

0.5% liquid Germall Plus

0.2% sodium carbomer

<1% citric acid solution (pH adjuster)


Directions:
Heat water in double broiler, making sure water is above 158F/70C in double broiler. Add propylene glycol to distilled water in a beaker and stir until dissolved. Add glycerin, stirring until dissolved. Weigh entire phase, beaker and all and make a note of the weight. Place in double boiler and hold at 158F/70C for 20 minutes. Remove mixture from double broiler, dry it off, weigh it and note the difference. Add distilled water to equal the difference in pre and post heating weight. Let cool down to 104F/40C. Once mixture is below 104F/40C, add green tea extract and sodium carbomer, one at a time, mixing and making sure each one dissolves before adding the next. Add SAP- it is essential that you do NOT add the powders to the water at once, sticky lumps WILL form. It is best to sprinkle tiny amounts at a time, mix that, and then add more. Mix 50% citric acid and 50% warm distilled water in a separate container until it dissolves. Use a pipette to add the pH adjuster in the SAP solution. Add about 2 or 3 drops then test the pH and repeat until you have reached to 6 pH. Add preservative, mixing until dissolved.

Moved across state successfully w my massive DIY collection. My insight...

XL plastic art/craft supply storage containers with adjustable sectioning are your answer. Make sure you get the deep kind. Heres what I used

It was literally a godsend for storage/keeping everything organized. Worked for my packaging & container collection, tools, Minimixers, old products I created, beakers etc. IME there wasn't anything I had in my DIY hobby that was too big to fit. Stacks nicely, maximizes space in car.

I purchased 4 of them when the aqua colored one was $13 (but I see $ went up).

For my active ingredients (my babies) I took extra protection. Old prescription bottles house 1-2oz ingred vials to keep them protected from sunlight. Also have used amber color ziploc bags (used for photo film, sold on Amazon) for larger vials. Then I kept them all inside an XL airtight re-sealable storage container (the ones meant for food). Mine's meant for dogfood so it was way huge enough to fit everything. $10 for 25lb one.

My actives that required refridgeration were tricky. I eventually ended up triple-gallon-ziploc-bagging them wrapped with ice. And then got one of those Hot-Cool temp preserving bags they sell at grocery stores. 8 hours later & ice hadn't even melted.

Assuming you don't own a $1000+ overhead mixer and lab furniture, I'd say all your bases are covered. I definitely ditched extra things that I routinely replace (like my pipettes, old actives I didn't care about, labels).

Being a college student myself, I understand the need to be frugal. If you're going to be in a car, any old box or plastic storage totes you have would surely suffice. Only thing I'd say is a necessity is watching your active ingredients. Spend $ to keep them secure, otherwise you'll end up paying more $$ to replace them.

Ugh. Sorry if I'm getting a little bit frustrated with this, but you're really not stating your problem clearly here. If you describe what effect you're after in more detail, and what purpose the cream serves, it would be a lot easier to point you to something.
So far I gather : you need to prevent dryness, add moisture if possible, and prevent it from feeling unpleasant when rubbing against fabric. Sounds like an occlusive / anti-chafing gel more than a moisturizer.

Here is a really good product that's specifically designed for women's parts. I have it at home and it's really great for making the skin feel smooth and comfortable, and retaining moisture : https://www.amazon.com/MONISTAT-Complete-Chafing-Relief-Powder/dp/B00AXVJF52/

In the UK specifically, searching for "anti-chafing gel", there seem to be a couple of options :
Lanacane : I've had this one before and it's not as smooth / silky as the Monistat one, but it's ok.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lanacane-3284726-Anti-Chafing-Gel-28grams/dp/B00YCQGRJG

These two - I have no idea if they're good but have good reviews and the first one has suitable ingredients :
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Udderly-Smooth-Chamois-Chaffing-Butter/dp/B002DR4ISI
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bodyglide-AB4-Anti-Chafe-0-45oz/dp/B000KIMTCY


Won't recommend you DIY this because it has more complex ingredients that you'll need to source and figure out how to assemble.

Tsubaki oil is great as a leave-on. It's not crazy expensive but I still don't cleanse with it (unless I'm out of other stuff!) because I feel like it's more precious than mineral oil.

In Japan, tsubaki oil is used as knife cleaner (much the way mineral oil is used as a wooden board cleaner) so it's available very cheaply in that "format" and it's food-safe. Here's the one I buy on Amazon Prime. I'm sure you could find a better per oz price somewhere from a bulk supplier but I simply don't make enough stuff to need more than 8 oz of the tsubaki at a time. Since I don't use it for cleansing, I don't go through it very quickly!

So sorry I don't have a DIY suggestion for you, but I have a cheap alternative that you might like.

I use Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel as my primer. It can be had for under $10 and works really well, just as well as an expensive primer.

I had received a sample of Smashbox primer and decided to compare the two. The Smashbox was a teeny bit thicker, but other than that, no difference except for you get loads more product with Monistat.

Check out the reviews on Makeup Alley: http://www.makeupalley.com/product/x_showreview.asp?itemid=98437

I got mine at Wal-Mart for about $5. I've also seen it at Target. It's on drugstore.com for $6:
http://www.drugstore.com/monistat-soothing-care-powder-gel/qxp139254?tab=1#TblTabStrip

It's more expensive, but you can find it on amazon for about $10:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0012ZNSWE/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1411792724&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40

I hope this helps!

If you decided to get a digital kitchen scale, make sure you get the one that can weigh from 0.1g to 100g.

For small batches (less than 1 ounce), it is best to get a miniature digital scale that reads to 0.01g like this one.

The best mixer for you depends on batch size, the products you most like to make, and your budget. If you make a lot of small (<200ml) batches of not-very-viscous things like toners, serums, and lotions, a cheap milk frother or a batter-powered mini mixer designed for drinks (like this one) will probably do the trick. If you make larger batches, or very thick creams, you may need a plug-in mixer designed for cakes or an immersion stick blender.

I have a battery-powered mini mixer and I use the plastic attachments way more often than I do the metal ones, and always when I'm making an L-AA serum. When I'm making a thick face cream, even in a very small batch (<50ml), my mini mixer does get a bit sluggish, so I'm thinking of getting a second mixer for that situation.

Hey,

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I have found this recipe below online, but I want to replace the vitamin E oil with soya oil (infused with calendula). My question is, will it work? Also.. the recipe makes 100ml and I would like to make 120ml. How do I go about calculating the recipe accurately to make 120ml?



38g | 1.34oz raw shea butter
2g | 0.07oz vitamin E oil
10g | 0.35oz complete emulsifying wax (not beeswax!)

48g | 1.7oz aloe vera juice (not gel!)
2g | 0.07oz vegetable glycerin

Thanks for the reply! I don't know why I didn't think you'd be here, your like my skincare godmother lol. I was thinking about using it in it's original packaging but if something like this is necessary I can switch over to that.

So I've looked into some more DIY threads and I'm assuming you mean percentages, so for that I'm unsure if I need a digital scale. So I measure out the amount of oil cleanser I have now, roughly, using the digital scale. Then using another type of container, like a beaker, I measure out the correct number of Cromollient SCE I need, for example 0.60 ounces if I had about 5.40 ounces of mineral oil, to make the total batch 6 ounces. Am I missing anything?

Epsom salts are often used in bath scrubs in order to help create a soothing soak. I use epsom salts in a lot of my bath bombs. I would imagine that brown sugar would add scent and a scrubby texture, but I have never used a sugar in a bath bomb.

I haven't made bath bombs in a few months, so I can't remember the ratios, but I do remember that some of my bath bombs turned out to be duds because I used too much liquid. You also have to take into account how humid your area is when making them. The mixture should feel like wet sand that is on the dry side...if that makes sense?

About a year and a half ago, I went through a major bath bomb phase - partly fueled by a Christmas gift of 10 lbs of citric acid from my husband. When I first started making them, I found this book super helpful- Bath Bombs by Elaine Stavert

I bought it from this listing on amazon. I tried to choose something with good reviews and even went to their company website. It did say 100% arrowroot powder. Have you tried any arrowroot powders yourself? Do you notice a smell?

I just use this cheap-o hot plate. I think as long as you have a good digital thermometer and are diligent about monitoring temperature, the type of heat source isn't as important.