Lavender Body Wash
This body wash is infused with Lavender Essential Oil which is known for its calming and relaxing properties. Easily create your own high foaming body wash with less than 10 ingredients and in 5 steps.
TOOLS:
Beaker or Mixing Bowl
pH strips or pH meter
Gloves
Spatula or Spoon
Balance (optional)
INGREDIENTS:
487 g / 2 1/4 cups Distilled Water
30 g / 2 tbsp Glycerin (moisturizing)
300 g / 1 1/3 cups Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate (cleanser)
150 g / 2/3 cup Coco-Betaine (cleanser)
10 g / 2 tsp Preservative (prevents microorganism growth)
0.6 g / 1/8 tsp Lavender Essential Oil (fragrance)
0.06 g / 2 drops Red Food Coloring
0.03 g / 1 drop Blue Food Coloring
10-12 g / 2 - 2 1/2 tsp Salt
As needed (QS) Citric Acid, 50% solution (adjusts pH)
PROCEDURE:
Step 1: Add Distilled Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, and Coco-Betaine into your beaker and mix until combined. This is your surfactant solution which is responsible for cleaning your skin and for providing the luxurious foam experience. Mix gently or it will get very foamy!
STEP 2: Slowly add Glycerin,and preservative and mix until uniform. Glycerin helps hydrate the skin and preservative helps protect water based products from growing yeast, bacteria and mold. If you prefer to opt out of this part (don’t recommend), store your finished body wash in the refrigerator and use within a week. You may want to make a smaller batch to avoid waste.
STEP 3: Now for the fun part. Add Lavender Essential Oil and blue and red color to your solution. Mix until a beautiful, purple, lavender smelling fusion occurs. At this point, your body wash is not too thick. Don’t worry, the magic is coming soon!
STEP 4: Check the pH of your solution with pH strips or pH meter. Make sure that the pH is around 5.0-6.5. This is the best range for your preservative to work. If the pH is too high, add 2 drops of citric acid solution. See how to make citric acid solution here.
STEP 5: Now it’s time to make your body wash thick! Salt helps thicken by packing the surfactant micelles closer together which adds viscosity. Add 2 tsp of salt and mix. If it’s still too thick, add 1/2 tsp. more to see if it thickens. If you add too much, the viscosity will eventually drop which can’t be recovered with more salt.
STEP 6: Pour into your desired packaging and add your labels.
Makes ~1,000 mL or 16 oz. of Body Wash
How to Use: Pour a small amount onto luffah or wash cloth and lather up! Enjoy the calming aroma of lavender and then rinse.
Ingredients: Water, Sodium C14-16 Alpha Olefin Sulfonate, Coco-Betaine, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid
Protips:
Weigh your ingredients for the best results. The volumetric measurements are estimated.
If you accidentally added too much citric acid, your pH will be too low. You can start over or raise the pH by adding a base. Typically, a Sodium Hydroxide solution is used but higher concentrations are dangerous and special safety precaution must be followed. I recommend working with a lower concentration such as 0.1N Sodium Hydroxide. Always wear gloves when adjusting pH.
*Disclaimer: All opinions and reviews are strictly my own. These formulations are designed for educational and experimental use only. User assumes all risks.
Read more about how salt thickens body wash here.
Here’s a printer friendly version. Happy Formulating!