Buddah Baby!

So I promised from my last post that I would get more into the body butters that I created in the beginning. It was very touch and go. At first I used unrefined Cocoa Butter, Grapeseed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and unrefined Shea Butter. Okay, so CB doesn't cool as fast as the other butters out there. So once I melted it using the double boiler method I waited for close to 3 hours for it to go from liquid amber to cloudy to almost solid. I will have to mention that I fell asleep during this waiting period and was deeply chagrined to wake up to find my butter solid, AGAIN! Arg! Okay, so this time I popped it in the microwave for 2 mins and then took it out to whisk with the SAO and Grapeseed Oil. During the whisking phase I had to remelt the unrefined Shea.

What I was not ready for was how grainy the Shea would become once it started to harden. Ew! Not to worry just whip, whip, whip it back to a smooth consistancy.

Not too shabby but it was hard to scoop back out and didn't melt on the skin with any light rubbing. Oh no! You had to really knead and massage to get it to melt. Now, flash forward 8 years and I discovered that if I melted my butters and then placed them in the freezer for 2 - 5 minutes they began to solidfy quicker. Oh boy! Now mama's cooking with gas! Out of the freezer they come, to the counter with the oils waiting and drizzle and whip with an electric mixer. Stop! Place back in the freezer because even though the oils and butters are thoroughly mixed there is a little extra moisture. 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 minutes, out they come back to the counter for a 3rd whipping ... er, um nevermind, and in goes the e.o. or f.o. to finish it off. Yay! A supple buddah!!

 

 

Yes, back in the day I thought that handwritten labels would look 'homy-er' yeah the just looked 'homlier' instead. Oh, well live, learn and apply.

 

Up next, a review of my fragrance creating journey. There are some doozies and some that I have absolutely loved over the years. Occasionally I will retire one and try out another. Other times I lease out my fragrances to spas and massage therapists.