Beeswax can vary in color from batch to batch. This is because it is a natural, uncolored and unbleached product. Sometimes, it is golden in color. Other times, it is closer to white in color. Of course, it can be anywhere in between. The color is dependent upon nature. Since it is a natural product, we have no control over the color. However, we have found that no matter the color, it performs perfectly in lip balm.
Vitamin E oil from Natures Garden comes from sunflower and soy beans.
No, vitamin E oil should not be used as a preservative. While vitamin E oil is an anti-oxidant, it will not prevent bacteria growth. It is a common myth that it can be used as a preservative. So, it is very important that you add a preservative.
Yes, Natures Garden’s Vitamin E oil is lactose free.
Optiphen is a liquid preservative made of Phenoxyethanol and Caprylyl Glycol. It is both paraben-free and formaldehyde-free. It will prevent the growth of bacteria as well as yeast and mold in your handmade cosmetic recipes.
Optiphen preservative has a shelf life of 1-2 years.
When adding Optiphen to your cosmetic products you need to add it between 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you add it at a temperature below 120 degrees Fahrenheit, your product will likely separate. However, if you add it too above 140 degrees Fahrenheit, you can actually burn the preservative off.
A preservative should be added to any product containing water. Any product containing water will allow for the growth of mold and bacteria. You may notice that some of our body scrub recipes contain Optiphen preservative. We add a preservative to our oil-based body scrubs because it is very likely that it will come into contact with water.
No, you do not need to add Optiphen preservative to your cold process soap. The pH level of CP soap does not allow for the growth of bacteria.
No, you do not need to add a preservative to your melt and pour soap recipes. Just like cold process soap, the pH level of MP soap does not allow for the growth of mold or bacteria.
No, you do not need to any additional preservatives to the multi-bases. These pre-lotion bases were formulated with a preservative. So, there is already enough preservative in the lotion base to cover any of the recipes we have listed in the descriptions of the lotion bases.
You do not need to use very much Optiphen in your finished products. A little bit goes a long way. In fact, the usage rate of Optiphen is 0.75%- 1.5%.
No, Optiphen is not a paraben. Optiphen is paraben free.
The shelf life of finished products that are properly preserved is typically around 1 year.
Yes, the lip tints from Natures Garden are vegan.
Yes, the lip tints found at Natures Garden are FDA approved.
No, the flavor oils from Natures Garden cannot be used in e-cigarettes.
Yes, the flavorings are phthalate free.
Yes, all of our lip balm flavorings can be found here.
Yes, the flavorings from Natures Garden are formaldehyde free.
Yes, the flavorings from Natures Garden are paraben free.
Yes, the flavor oils from Natures Garden are alcohol free.
Yes, the flavorings purchased from Natures Garden are vegan.
No, Natures Garden’s flavorings are not sweetened. However, you can add sweetener to products like lip balms to give your lip balm a sweet taste.
While the flavorings may contain natural ingredients, they are not 100% natural.
If you would like to use a natural flavoring for your lip balm, you can use essential oils. However, you will want to check the IFRA statement for each essential oil as not all of them will be lip balm safe.
We suggested using anywhere from 0.4%-4% flavor oil in your handmade lip balm recipe. It is really a matter of personal preference.
No, Natures Garden’s flavorings do not contain soy.
Coconut oil 76 is one of the most common soaping oils and cosmetic oils. This coconut oil is a food grade coconut oil with a 76 degrees Fahrenheit melt point. Coconut oil will give soap a bubbly lather and help harden the bar of soap.
Fractionated coconut oil is a liquid coconut oil that has medium-chain triglycerides of coconut oil. It is a light oil with very little scent, making it a great carrier oil for body perfumes and essential oils.
Yes, Natures Garden’s coconut oil 76 is food grade. However, we do not sell any of our products for consumption. We sell our products for cosmetic use only.
Yes, typically, carrier oils, like coconut oil, can be swapped for other oils when making bath bombs.
Yes, the argan oil from Natures Garden is true Moroccan argan oil.
When formulating cold process soap recipes with argan, we recommend 5%-10% argan oil.
The argan oil from Natures Garden is expeller pressed.
Yes, argan oil is a wonderful oil for your hair in many cases. It works really well for those with oily hair. You can read more about the argan oil benefits for your hair in our blog about oils for your hair type found here.
Argan Oil can be added to a variety of handmade bath and body products. In fact, beauty products like massage oils, soaps, lotions, creams, lip balms, scrubs, haircare products, and so much more can be created. It is great for hair care and wonderful addition to acne fighting recipes. It allows the skin to breathe.
While Natures Garden does not sell our oils for food, it is a food grade avocado oil. However, we sell it for cosmetic use only.
We recommend using 5%-10% apricot oil in cold process soap making.
Natures Garden’s rice bran oil is cosmetic grade.
Natures Garden’s castor oil is expeller pressed.
Yes, castor oil can be added to the lip balm base. It will give your handmade lip balm more glide.
Meadowfoam oil is native to Northern California and Southern Oregon.
Meadowfoam Seed Oil from Natures Garden is expeller pressed
Yes, Natures Garden’s meadowfoam seed oil is refined.
Meadowfoam seed oil is used in handmade bath and body recipes. It can be used in handmade scrubs, cold process soap, bath bombs, and other handcrafted products.
Meadowfoam oil is great for hair. It is a wonderful way to help with dry or damaged hair due to its moisturizing properties.
Jojoba oil can be used in cosmetic, soap, and cosmetic recipes. The sky is the limit. You can use jojoba oil for hair care recipes. You can create lip gloss recipes, scrub recipes, lotion recipes, haircare recipes, and so much more.
We recommend using no more than 5%-10% jojoba oil in cold process soap.
Jojoba oil has a shelf life of 1-2 years.
We recommend using no more than 30%-35% palm oil in cold process soap making recipes.
Natures Garden recommends 5%-15% safflower oil in cold process soap recipes.
Safflower oil is great for providing nourishment and moisture to the skin. In fact, safflower oil is the perfect replenishment to the skin. Safflower oil can be added to soap making recipes, homemade lip balms, handcrafted lotions, body scrubs, and other cosmetic products.
Yes, it can be used in hair care recipes. In fact, Bailey added this one to the homemade conditioner for red hair and it quickly became her favorite hair care oil. However, just like everyone’s skin is different, so is everyone’s hair. This means that just because it is a perfect addition to one person’s hair, someone else’s hair may have different needs. So, I highly recommend this hair care blog to help you choose the right oil for your hair.
Yes, safflower oil is the perfect ingredient in skin care recipes. It is great in soap and lotions as well as body scrub recipes and other beauty care recipes.
Our maximum recommendation for sunflower oil when formulating a cold process soap recipe is 25%.
Yes, you can use sunflower oil for hair. In fact, it is great for oily hair. This is because it is a light oil that can be easily absorbed, penetrating the hair follicle without leaving excess oil behind.
Yes, sunflower oil can be used as an ingredient in skin care recipes. In fact, in handmade soap recipes, sunflower oil provides moisture with a creamy lather.
We recommend using 5%-10% sweet almond oil in cold process soap recipes.
When adding sesame seed oil to your handcrafted cp soap, we recommend using 5%-10%.
Can I use solid lanolin in my soap recipe instead of the liquid lanolin. Yes, you can use the solid lanolin, but the bar of soap will just be harder. When using lanolin in soap, whether it be liquid or solid, it does not saponify.
Yes, the golden natural cocoa butter from Natures Garden is unrefined.
While Natures Garden does not sell any of our products for consumption, the golden natural cocoa butter is food grade cocoa butter.
Natures Garden’s carries two types of cocoa butter. We carry a golden natural, which will have a natural cocoa butter aroma. We also carry a deodorized cocoa butter that does not have a cocoa butter aroma.
Shea butter will give your soap a creamy lather. It also gives the soap conditioning properties and some hardness to the soap.
The shelf life of Vanilla White Color Stabilizer is 2 years.
Yes, Natures Garden’s Vanilla White is Prop 65 compliant.
Since Vanilla White Color Stabilizer is considered a fragrance oil compound, it just needs to be listed as fragrance oil.
Yes, the Vanilla White Color Stabilizer is phthalate free.
Yes, we do. It is called Ritzy Bath Gel. It can be found here.
You can use Xanthum Gum to thicken homemade body wash. You will need to follow the instructions to create a Xanthum slurry. Then, add the slurry to your shower gel to thicken it back up. The amount that you will need will depend upon how much the shower gel thinned out. Some fragrance oils will thin a base out more than others.
Our Ritzy bath gel or shower gel ingredients are listed in the description of the bath gel itself. You will also find the ingredients on the label of the Ritzy Bath Gel.
The simplest way to create shower gel is with the Ritzy Bath Gel. This shower gel is a pre-made base. Ritzy Bath Gel is created by adding a body safe fragrance oil and/or color. Then, it can be added to a bottle.
When using the Stinky No More Wash, use 1 cup per load of laundry when using the base as a laundry detergent. If you are using the Stinky No More Wash as a carpet cleaner, use it as directed by the carpet cleaning machine you are using.
While we haven’t had the odor eliminator base certified vegan, there are no animal products and no animal by products in the product, to our knowledge.
Bath bombs can be colored naturally with herbs. You can also use some FUN Soap Colorants. While you can use a water-based soap dye, they can slightly activate the bath bomb mixture, reducing the fizziness of the bath bomb.
While some will use food coloring to color bath bombs, they are water based. So, since they are water based, they will slightly activate the bath bomb.
Bath bombs can be colored naturally using powdered herbs that are found in our herbs and spices category.
Our Da Bomb Soap Dyes are water soluble.
We recommend using some FUN Soap Colorants or natural powdered herbs. Since they are not water based, they will not activate the bath bomb like a water-based colorant will. Since water activates bath bombs, a water-based dye will as well.
Yes, we offer a number of bath bomb recipes. You can find the bath fizzy recipe here.
You can create a black bath bomb in a couple of ways. First, you can use activated charcoal. You can also use our Black Oxide FUN Soap Colorant.
When using a bath fizzy, you simply need to place a fizzy in your warm bath water.
You can add an ingredient such as Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, also known as SCI, to the dry portion of the bath bomb mixture. Then, your bath bomb will bubble as well as fizz.
While there are many variations, a basic bath bomb will consist of baking soda and citric acid. It will use 2-parts baking soda to 1-part citric acid. However, you can also add colorants, herbs, fragrance, and other additives to make the bath fizzies your own.
When using a bath bomb, you can leave it in until it dissolves. The bath bomb or bath fizzy doesn’t need to be removed once it is added to the bath water.
Yes, bath bombs can be used in the shower. However, you shouldn’t add any extra carrier oils when using it for this purpose. It will make the floor slippery. Often times these types of bath products are used for the aroma. For example, you can make a sinus relief bath fizzy to clear your sinuses.
Lotion making involves an oil phase and a water phase. They are then combined to create the lotion. You can find several lotion recipes and links to the lotion making supplies that recipe uses, in our recipe box here.
When making homemade lotion, the ingredients you need will depend on your recipe itself. However, you will need oils and butters, water, an emulsifier, possibly a thickener, color, scent. You will also need a stick blender, mixing bowls, mixing spoons, and pots for a double boiler.
Yes, we offer a variety of recipes for lotion crafters. All of our lotion and cream recipes can be found here.
Stearic acid is used to thicken homemade lotion recipes.
Lotion can be made thinner by incorporating lighter oils, reducing or eliminating butters, changing the amount or type of emulsifier, reducing the amount of water or thickeners used in the homemade lotion.
When making homemade lotion, you can get separation if the oil and water phases are not combined at the proper temperature. However, you can also have separation if you do not add your preservative at the correct temperature. This is not a problem that can be fixed. Once the lotion is created, it cannot be corrected. If you attempt to reheat the lotion, you will breakdown the ingredients or cause a burnt aroma. You can also burn off fragrance oil and preservative.
The other difference happens in our products. We generally use polysorbate 20 to emulsify fragrance or essential oils in water, whereas we generally use polysorbate 80 to emulsify carrier or more complicated oils in water. If I were to make a shampoo to which I wanted to add 2% fragrance oils, I'd use polysorbate 20. If I were to make a shampoo to which I wanted to add 2% olive oil, I'd use polysorbate 80. If I were to make a bath bomb or bath oil, I'd want to use polysorbate 80 to carry the heavier oils into the bath water and make them disperse. That's the long answer. The short answer is that we use polysorbate 20 to emulsify small amounts of lighter oils and polysorbate 80 to emulsify slighter larger amounts of heavier oils.
Yes, polysorbate 20 is a natural vegetable sourced emulsifier which creates solubility between water-based ingredients and oil-based ingredients.
Yes, polysorbate 80 is a natural vegetable sourced emulsifier which creates solubility between water-based ingredients and oil-based ingredients.
When creating our cosmetic recipes, we formulate them with those particular ingredients. We have not tested them using other ingredients. So, you will need to do some testing. However, in our experience, you can replace it with sunflower wax or candelilla wax, but you will use less candelilla wax and you will use about ½ of the amount of the sunflower wax you would use for beeswax.
Yes, Natures Garden’s candelilla wax is vegan.
No, rice bran wax from Natures Garden does not contain any chemicals, nor is it processed with chemicals.
Sodium lactate is the salt of lactic acid. It is made by fermenting of a sugar source. This sugar source could be vegetables like corn or beets. Then, the lactic acid is neutralized to create sodium lactate.
Since sodium lactate is a natural humectant, it will help create a moisturizing bar of soap. In addition, it will make handmade soap harder. So, as long as you use the correct amount, it will create a harder bar. In addition, since it will harden faster, allowing you to remove it from the mold sooner. However, you should use caution. If you use too much, your soap can become hard and crumbly. The amount you should use will vary, depending on the hardness of the oils and butters in your soap recipes. We recommend using a maximum of 1/2 oz. to 1 oz. sodium lactate per pound of cold process soaping oils.
The 60 on the sodium lactate label means that there is 60% sodium lactate in the product.
The vegetable glycerin from Natures Garden is derived from soy.
Yes, the vegetable glycerin found at Natures Garden is USP/NF kosher.
The recipes that call for polysorbate use more fragrance oil. Polysorbate is an emulsifier. So, by adding polysorbate to the Odor Eliminator body spray and room scenting base, we can add more fragrance oil to give the spray a stronger scent.
Yes, Natures Garden’s diamond dust mica and 24 K gold mica pigments can be used in handmade soaps, body scrub recipes, and even lip balms. They are both FDA approved for lips, eyes, face, nails.