Yes, I really do make Bee Queen Manuka Honey Lotion! As a matter of fact, I made a batch of unscented lotion today.
Making lotion is a lot like baking bread. Leave out one step and your nicely risen loaf turns into a hard lump of dough. I would like to share witih you a few things I’ve learned along the way.
- Always use quality ingredients. I purchase organic oils and ingredients to make my lotions and other products whenever possible. The FDA does not define or regulate the term organic when it comes to cosmetics or skin care products. To be considered organic, a product must contain 95% organic ingredients exlcuding salt and water. If the product contains 70% organic ingredients, it can be labled, “made with organic ingredients. What I’ve learned is to always read the label and decide for yourself what is important to you and your ski
- Skin care lotions consist of both an oil and water phases to create an emulsions. When done correctly, you get a creamy product. Over or under whipping can cause the product to lose stability and become watery or cause the oils to separate. Trust me, I’ve learned this the hard way. Seasonal variations can affect the stability of the product. Bee Queen products are handcrafted and made in small batches. Variations in scent occur from batch to batch. Sometimes it even surprises me, which can often times be fun and other times not so much!
- Preservatives are an important aspect in making skin care products. All Bee Queen products are paraben-free. Parabens in commercial preparations make the shelf life of a product last virtually forever. But parabens can irritate existing skin issues like rosacea. I use a combination of botanical preservatives in Bee Queen products to help maintain shelf-life. That being said, finding the balance of preservatives is a necessary evil. Even the slightest change in combination of preservatives can vary the ph and affect the stability of the emulsion. Another hard lesson, I have had to learn!
- Chemistry is your friend and yes, you have to use math! Creating a formula for a skin care product is a balance of chemistry and creativity. Bee Queen formulas are the brain-child of my mad-skilled chemist partner. They are proprietary but I will say that the combination of any product formula must end up at 100% in order to guarrantee stability.
- You can’t please everyone. Believe me, I really wish I could! But as you can see there are alot of issues involved when making skin care products at home. I love trying various scent combinations, some are sucessful and some are not. That being said, I love to hear from you. I take all of your suggestions, compliments and complaints seriously. I am always trying to make improvements. My goal is to provide you with the highest quality product I can produce. I sincerely hope you will give them a try. beequeennaturals.com
Creating a stable emulsion is key. The end product should be creamy by not greasy leaving your skin soft and supple.
4 oz jars of body butter are being added this month to the product line. Available in a variety of scents, it is a rich, emollient concentrated formula. Just in time to counteract the effects of harsh winter weather.
Please feel free to visit me at beequeennaturals.com
