Interested in making my own lotions and potions...

[crickett1234]

I have got some books on the subject and some recipes to have a go at...(though just had a look at the shampoo bar recipe on one of the other threads and kind of went ! That looks scary!!) However... I was wondering about where to get ingredients and jars and bottles and stuff from. I don't want to pay too much for them, and ideally would like them to be recycled... but I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any suppliers they would recommend? Is it okay to use bottles that commercial shampoos have come in? Obviously, they need to be washed out well and stuff, but would they be okay for my own concoctions to go into? I am not intending to turn this into an industry or anything, but I would like to give some away as presents and make enough for my purposes. Any advice, gratefully received. Any tips or hints welcomed as well. Thanks!

[Green Aura]

If you're making stuff just for your own use or to give away you can use any pots/bottles you like - as you say just give them a good clean out and label them accordingly.

As for ingredients there are various places - fresholi, soap kitchen etc. But I'm not sure what sort of ingredients you're after - you may be able to get some bits from the supermarket if you only want to try a little to start. Just go for cold-pressed and/or organic oil, not the regular bleached, deodorised stuff.

[Susie]

Hi, this might not be quite what you're after, but I've just made my first batch of soap and I got my ingredients from soap kitchen - they seemed to have anything you could need and my order came quickly (ordered on Monday I think, came on Friday), so I'd happily order from them again. I've had things like sweet almond oil from Holland and Barrett, also we have a wholefood co-operative near us that does lots of different kinds of oils (coconut oil etc). I can't help on the bottles though, I'm not doing very well with that myself.

[Green Aura]

It depends what you want them for susie. Re-using old containers is always the best option but if you need new because you're planning to sell then google colourlites - they're pretty good.

[crickett1234]

Thank you very much... apologies for the silence... I was "playing" in my garden!! :) I am off to look at soapkitchen and fresholi as well as colourlites. I can feel a shopping spree coming on! :)

[JillStephens7]

Hello

I prefer to use glass jars as I'm not keen on the idea of nasties leaching out of plastic but this isn't based on any understanding of the subject just a general fear of nasties. We save nice jars and family keep hold of food/ cosmetics jars for me. I have also bought glass jars off ebay but have no idea about their ethical origins.

I don't know if there's anywhere you can get recycled glas jars from at a reasonable price?

I think bath bombs and bathsalts and handcream are nice first recipes as the ingredients are pretty safe and as there are no complicated chemical transformations, there's only so wrong they can go. THey're what I started off with anyway.

Good luck

[Susie]

Just a quick question of my own - I'm interested in making perfume with essential oils - at the moment I've got as far as 'put sweet almond oil in a bottle with drops of various random things, shake, wear' but I'd like to get a bit further - has anyone got any websites/ books they'd recommend? Also, what kind of bottles would you use for that? I'd like to recycle something but I'm at a loss to think of something small/ dark glass that I can wash well enough.

[JillStephens7]

Mybe not what you are looking for Susie but I make solid perfume .. just a mix of oil and wax e.g. beeswax and almond oil with essential oils added. When I made one that didn't smell strongly enough a while ago I remelted it in the microwave in the pot and think I will just make it like this in future. I have small glass pots (15ml)? off ebay and also empty lip balm/ eye cream pots people have saved for me. Just put maybe a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of grated wax in, melt it and then stir in essential oils. I like cypress & orange or for summer lemongrass & lavender ... mildly insect repellant too!

Have also reused small glass spray bottles, filling with a mix of water and witch hazel mixed with essential oils which is nice and refreshing but the scent doesn't last as long.
xx

[Green Aura]

Just be careful with the lemony EOs in summer Jill - lemon, lemongrass, citronella, litsea etc. They can all cause photosensitivity. So if you put it on your neck or cleavage regularly, then go out in the sun, you can get brown patches. Not terribly attractive - and you a newlywed

You can buy proper perfumers alcohol on ebay - it dissolves the EOs and so the don't float, or sink. It's fantastic - I'd made some in vodka but of course none of the base oils mixed in properly You can also buy, usually very cheaply, used perfume bottles - I've got a couple of very beautiful Turkish bottles, cost pence. Great for presents.

If you're going to use oil for your base you want a very light oil - you don't want something that will leave an oil slick or colour on your neck and wrists! Watermelon seed oil is fab.

[JillStephens7]

Oops Thanks GA and sorry Susie
Ihave known this but tend to find skin sensitivity info hard to retain ... probably because my skin seems about as sensitive as a rhino's!

Since scrubbing my forehead with neat domestos and a pan scrubber in my teens (to try to reduce terrible 'henna head' stripe) to no ill effect, I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I don't have very sensitive skin!

Sorry again Susie

PS GA, I tend to avoid my cleveage - if i ever went in I might not be able to find my way out

xx

[Susie]

No problem, I've got the hide of a rhino as well! Thanks ever so much for the solid perfume recipe, I hadn't thought of making it but it sounds really nice and doable, I think I'll have a go. I also suspect I've got some little pots hanging about (or could get people to save for me) which would work. I only need to buy beeswax. I shall go and have a poke round Cambridge tomorrow. GA, thanks for that, I didn't know you could get perfumers alcohol on ebay, I will have a look. I was going to try vodka next so it's useful to know that isn't great. And I'll keep an eye out for used perfume bottles.

Off to ebay. This is exciting!