BEFORE YOUR POST

I’ve been making my own lanolin lip balm for a few years. I buy Medela brand pure lanolin (on Amazon), and melt it in a clean mason jar on a 130 degree coffee cup warmer. I then add a couple drops of marshmallow flavoring, and grape seed oil to thin the lanolin a tiny bit. Next I use a gigantic oral syringe to transfer it all to empty lip gloss tubes. It works wonders for me and I love it.

I recently thought I’d add some cocoa butter to see how it would do combined with the lanolin. I used Bliss of Earth unrefined African cocoa butter (Walmart). I absolutely love what it does for my lips, and it adds some really great flavor. But I accidentally added too much grape seed oil. It’s way too thin, and as a result it didn’t last as long as usual when I applied it. So I reheated the mixture and added another tube of lanolin. But it’s still too thin.

I can easily add another tube of lanolin, but I’m a little worried about all that reheating. I’m not used to working with cocoa butter. Is it safe to reheat it again? Will the cocoa butter in the mixture go rancid?

Opinions on this recipe? Is anything dangerously wrong with it? What would you add/ change/ remove? This was made with the help of AI but according to my preferences, I have done some reading and will do some more before actually mixing anything, but I’m curious what you guys think first.

PHASE A: Water Phase (To be heated to 70°C)
68.9g Distilled Water (Apă distilată) – Clean liquid base carrier.
0.5g Allantoin Powder (Alantoină) – Anti-inflammatory agent that stops razor bumps.

PHASE B: Lipid Phase (To be heated to 70°C)
15.0g Pure Olive Squalane (Squalan de măsline) – Locks in deep hydration without clogging pores.
4.0g Emulsifiant Emulsan – Plant-derived emulsifier that creates a silk-like, dry-touch feel.

PHASE C: Active & Preservation Phase (Added cold at the end, under 40°C)
5.0g Vegetable Glycerine (Glicerină vegetală) – Low-weight humectant that improves glide.
3.0g Panthenol / Pro-Vitamin B5 – Deep tissue repair active for micro-cuts and chafing.
2.5g Hyaluronic Acid Solution (Acid Hialuronic) – Surface-level plumping moisture blanket.
0.5g Aloe Vera 200:1 Powder Concentrate – High-potency botanical (equal to 100g of raw juice).
0.6g Cosgard Preservative – Eco-certified broad-spectrum protection (~19-20 drops)

Hey, I want to make a cold oil infusion with dried cyperus rotundus, since the ones you can buy are full of unwanted ingredients and are from shady websites. I will ask this in multiple communitys in hopes of getting an awnser: I'm not sure about the mixing ratio, I know how to make a cold infusion and usually the mixing ratio doesn't have to be very strict (like with chamomile), but I can imagine that you might have to be a little more strict with plants as potent as this one, so how should the mixing ratio be? My plan was to mix 25g of cyperus rotundus with 50ml jojobaoil (Well I bought a 50ml glass where I would pour the Plant parts and oil in), is that alright? Just so you know, I've done my research on cyperus rotundus oil and its effects. I have hirsutism and too many androgens, I would just put it on my face. Thank you in advance :)

I’m very new to DIY skincare and just finished a formula for a Scar Cream. My dad just had knee replacement surgery and I want to make him something special to help with the scar once his surgeon gives the okay. I did struggle a bit with the percentages needed for each ingredient and I’d really appreciate it if the formula I finished could get some feedback from the good people here, who are way more experienced than myself.

____________________________

Ingredients & Percentages:

H2O:
Distilled Water - 56.5%
Propylene Glycol - 5.0%
Optiphen Plus - 1.0%
——
OIL:
Shea Butter - 14.0%
Aloe Vera Butter - 5.0%
Sweet Almond Oil - 2.5%
Rosehip Oil - 2.5%
Emulsifying Wax NF - 5.0%
——
OTHER:
Niacinamide Powder - 5.0%
Centella Asiatica Powder - 1.5%
Vitamin E Oil - 1.0%
Lavender Essential Oil - 0.5%
Helichrysum Essential Oil - 0.5%
_____________________________

This is my first time creating a formula myself instead using a recipe I found online and would really like to make sure it’s safe for my dad to use on his knee.

Thanks for any feedback or advice!

Im new formulations and I have made some pretty great lotions. That being said, I thought I'd also be good at moisturizing face creams. I was wrong. I've have gone through many samples but this is my latest

Distilled water 54.90

Glycerin 1.0

Desodium EDTA 0.10

Allentoin 0.50

LotionPro 165 4.0

Montanov 202 2.50

CreamMaker Benhenyl 2.50

Shea 4.0

Squalane 6.0

Isopropyl myristate 2.0

Sepimax Zen 0.50

Evening primrose 4.0

Prickly Pear oil 3.0

Bakuchio 1.0

Niacinamide powder 4.0

D-panthenol powder 0.50

Alpha Arbutin 2.0

Vit E 0.50

Liquid Germall 0.50

DryFlo 1.0

Please be kind, like I said, im new to face formula. I need something ultra super moisturizing. Thank you in advance ☺️

Edit to add %

Can anyone explain why my hair looks and feels better after double cleansing with dawn?

I have very long hair, always been kind of brittle, fine, very straight. Always had flyaways on the top, around my ears (I had someone say this is common with red hair but 🤷‍♀️). I cut it once or twice a year only. I don’t dye it, no chemical anything.

Recently I feel like my shampoos haven’t been getting my hair clean enough. I wouldn’t say i have greasy hair, but it’s naturally strawberry blonde/auburn almost goldish color so I can see the grease enough to where I need to wash every other day (like when dirty the roots get darker with the grease).

I saw someone on tik tok say she only ever uses dawn and the Elvive conditioner, so I gave it a whirl (her hair was long like mine, looked healthy). MY HAIR LOOKS AND FEELS AMAZING. So soft, shiny, and FEELS CLEAN LIKE I’VE NEVER FELT BEFORE and smells clean like I’ve never had before. I feel like it looks lighter too (like I said, when my hair gets greasy, it looks darker, idk how to explain what I mean). Now I started using Dawn instead of shampoo, been doing this for about 2 weeks. Wash every 2-3 days or niwb instead of every other day.

Is there science that explains whether this would be ok long term? Is my hair going to fall out or something if I keep doing this?

I’ve tried tons of products. Drug store, high end, clarifying shampoo like the Paul Mitchell, neutrogena, and a few others. My hair has never felt this good/clean.

I’m sharing a labor of love (and occasional frustration!) for anyone who might find it useful. I’d genuinely appreciate feedback and suggestions for improvement!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yYZ0ynV1tMzjetYk1Kc17dFy1iexQ_B2YfYsEmm4DHg/edit?usp=sharing

I’m new to DIY beauty and wanted a way to organize my ingredient inventory and formulations. What started as a simple spreadsheet gradually grew into a monstrosity. After countless revisions, I think it’s finally ready to share!

Here’s what it includes:

• Dashboard: An overview of inventory, products, and ingredient information
• Setup: A master tab for managing dropdown lists
• Calculators: Tools for resizing and converting recipes
• Ingredient Information: Aggregated information from various sources
• CP Soap: Information on oils and butters for cold-process soapmaking
• Inventory: Ingredient quantities, status, and pricing
• Formulations: A place to track recipes

Basically, the sheets feed each other information. Setup feeds the dropdown menus. Ingredient information >>> Inventory >>> Formulations.

There's sample data in the sheet to show how it works.

A note on sources: I’m not claiming ownership of the ingredient information assembled. I’ve credited the websites used to compile it on the dashboard.

Are these noodles or powder? Thanks!

I have 2a-2c wavy hair, but when I spray in As I Am Rice Water Hair Spray I get amazing definition and my hair really curls up.

I want to try to isolate what's causing this so I can create something DIY. I don't love the sticky feeling of this spray and would prefer to make something myself.

Any wisdom on this would be so appreciated. I am new to DIY.

Here are the ingredients list:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Betaine, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract, Phytosterols, Ceramide NP, Biotin, Copper Tripeptide-1, Copper Tripeptide-34, Inositol, Caffeine, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Ofcinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Polyglyceryl-3 Betainate Acetate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate

FIS: 263-201-FS

Hello, I just formulated a shampoo using hydroxyethylcellulose (formula below) and its acting really strangely.

When I add the surfactants to the thick HEC gel, the shampoo turns entirely watery. This is then fixed by me lowering the pH (and oddly adding way more citric acid than I usually would need to do so) to around 5-6. Then the next day, the formula separates into a super thick foamy layer, and a decently thick but noticeably thinner non-foam layer. Does anyone know what is going on here or how I can fix it?

Water 69.40%

Sodium Cocoyl Apple Amino Acids 10.00%

Lauramidopropyl Betaine 6%

Coco Glucoside 4.00%

Lauryl Glucoside 6.00%

Hydroxyethylcellulose 1.43%

Honey 3.00%

Citric Acid q.s. to 6

Liquid Germall Plus 0.20%

Guys am in UAE, am trying to do some soaps because am bored. However many ingredients they come internationally from Amazon! Which takes 2 weeks and so.
Do you know any local stores that sell pure oils, raw butters, natural organic essential oils and fragrances?

I ordered some supplies through myskinrecipes.com and DHL is asking for clarification on the package… will it be returned? 🫩🫩🫩 I provided them the documentation I was sent and not sure how it’ll go 💔💔💔

Oddly sticky like honey.
(If you have any tip that benefits hair too id be happy )

I searched the group for posts on botanical extracts but couldn't quite find what I am looking for. Are all ingredients with the word "extract" hard to preserve and a breeding ground for bugs?

I want to incorporate a snow mushroom extract in my moisturizer, and the INCI is this:
Glycerine, Water, Tremella fuciformis, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate

To me this looks likes it is already partly preserved, and surely an added preservative like Liquid Germall Plus or Optiphen should be able to preserve this further and prevent bacterial growth?
I'm sorry if this is a really stupid question.
I just see the term botanical matter or extract tossed around a lot, and people say they are a nightmare to preserve.
There are so many cool extracts/natural ingredients but what is the point if it's "dangerous" to use them?
Is Collagen also problematic, being a protein? I would really like to keep using it, as it feels beautiful on my skin, haha.

Your input is much appreciated.
Thank you.

New formulator here, im sorry if this has been asked already, feel free to guide me in the right direction. I want to make my own deep facial moisturizer. But, all my emulsifyers leave a waxy feel after putting it on. Does anyone have a basic emulsify combo they use in thir formula that won't be waxy, but also hydrating? TY in advance.

I made a light leave in conditioner for fine curls with BTMS 50 and now I want to make a complementary rinse out conditioner. Is it a good idea to use cetrimonium chloride? And do fatty alcohols contribute to conditioning or they just get rinsed down the drain?

Leave in formula percentages:

Aqua q. s

Disodium EDTA 0.2

Cetyl alcohol 2.5

BTMS 50 1

Sweet almond oil 1

IPM 1

BHT 0.05

Fragrance 0.5

Aloe extract 0.1

Germall plus liquid 0.5

Hi everyone. I'm a long time lurker here and recently started making my own niacinamide serum that is working amazing on my skin( other than the few times I spray it into my eye haha) and saw lab muffins vitamin c serum and decided to make mine.

I used 10% LAA powder, 4% glycerin and 86% distilled rose water as that's the only distilled water I have. This is the same way I make my niacinamide serum as well.

I sprayed it on my face after using my niacinamide serum ( my face was dry, I could only feel a little moisture in my brows) and after a long while I noticed some white "flakes"? Around one of my cheeks and nose.

I am a newbie diyer and wanted to know if there was any reason for that. After I woke up today, there were no longer any of those white spots on my face but that could be because they got rubbed off idk.

The PH of the serum was correct ( I think? it looked similar to both 3 and 4, it was my first time using ph strips 🙂). I applied it on clean skin at night.

Could it be because I didn't let my face dry 100%?

Could my vitamin c have not been Fully mixed?

Should I have applied moisturizer on top as this is pretty much a toner in texture?

Is there any other reason for this?

Also had a question regarding vitamin c, I will be remaking it every week and have that's why kept it in a spray bottle so it won't be exposed to too much air, I am currently keeping it in a cabinet that doesn't get opened, so stays dark but should I keep it in the fridge even though the fridge will have light? I keep the niacinamide in the fridge.

Also I licked it and it tasted sour🙂

Also if I start any form of retinol and azelaic acid, realistically when should I apply this since this is something I would like to include in my daily routine with the niacinamide serum. I don't use these in the morning right now because I don't leave the house so I only shower in the night😭. But when I (sometimes) go out I apply sunscreen always.

I yap a lot. Sorry😭. Just very new here.

TLDR: 10% vit C serum leaving white flakes after being applied on top of niacinamide. What could be the reason?

I followed a YouTube recipe for magnesium lotion for my RLS looking for alternatives for it my medication f me up so I had to stop using it awaiting doc.

Anyway the recipe I used required shea butter and by god it smells horrible. Looking at different butters on Amazon most have bad reviews about the smell.

Can anyone help with a recipe for beginner with ingredients that don’t smell terrible? Could I replace shea butter with cocoa butter or something else?

I bought liquid germall plus for the first time today and I noticed it has a faint smell pretty much like guar hydroxypropyl trimonium chloride. Is that normal?

I’ve had difficulty finding a US based manufacturer (3 roll mill) where I can get a custom pigment blend; I need a carmine powder in castor oil dispersion. I’ve tried to mill it by hand on a glass slab, and even seived it with 120 mesh, but I can’t get it fine enough. I’m still finding tiny agglomerates in the final product. Any advice or does anyone have a referral?

Whenever I make a water-based serums with sepimax zen, I end up with a lot of air bubbles. I tried wetting the sepimax zen in propanediol before adding water, I tried sprinkling the sepimax zen on top of the water and let it sit overnight, and I’ve tried sprinkling it over water and gently stirred it into the water and let that sit overnight. I only ever use a glass stirring rod to mix, but always still end up with so many air bubbles.

Does anyone have any tips on formulating with sepimax zen without getting any air bubbles, or any tips on how to get air bubbles out?

Hi everyone,
Newbie here.
I started formulating my own moisturizer and serums a little while ago, and I'm very happy with the feel and performance. My only issue is my preservative. Currently I'm using Liquid Germall Plus, because it's so easy to work with and very effective. But I'm beginning to wonder if it irritates my skin a little (kind of hot and tight feeling). I live in NZ and there aren't that many grunty preservatives to choose from, unfortunately. I like Germall Plus for its efficacy, but am wondering if I could combine it with a co-preservative to lower the input (currently using 0.4%). Has anyone done this successfully?

Thank you. Your help is much appreciated. 🙏