Introducing Tutorials

I’m pretty excited to be able to introduce you to my very first tutorial - right here on the website!

Squee!

If you have been following me for a while, you already know I love working with botanicals of all types for all kinds of things. One increasing interest in recent years has been creating flavour oils. It began with lip balms in mind, but as I started getting more and more into combining ingredients to smell nice as well as taste nice, I kept coming up with even more things I wanted to try.

I’m not even going to mention how long my to-do list is at the moment.

This particular challenge (capturing the flavours of a classic gin and tonic) has taken much longer than I expected (that seems to be a bit of a pattern when I start out thinking I can ‘knock something out relatively quickly’). Many of the initial batches started out well, but then the fragrance faded, or flavour changed, or something else went annoyingly wrong.

Fast forward 3 years and a few more batches than I originally thought were going to be necessary, and finally I could say I was happy with the results.

The star of this tutorial is making the flavour oil (which is super for several different products), but I’ve also created a couple of lip balm formulas to use the flavour oil in: a vegan version and a version featuring beeswax.

Wouldn’t you know the balms also took a bit longer than expected to get right (I’m looking at you vegan waxes), but as it turned out, quite a bit of it was solved when I got the flavour oil right.

Does this sound complicated? Well, before I had figured out how to do it, it was, but when you know how to do it, it’s not that complicated. (Isn’t that true of so many things?)

Are you a little curious about getting busy making your own?

Click the picture below to read more.

Tutorials

Make your own bespoke ingredients and use them in your cosmetics. Tutorials feature immediate and unlimited access.

PS: The formulas for both of these balms as well as the flavour oil are free for LisaLise Club members. If you think you might want to check out becoming a member, click the picture below.

Club

If you love working with plants, making your own extracts, and incorporating them into your personal care products, then check out the Club where members have access to exclusive content. Please note: membership spots are limited.

How to Make a Fresh Tomato Hand Mask

Have you ever heard of doing a mask for your hands?

I hadn't until I had to come up with some way of demonstrating facial masks as part of Module 1 of the Formulation Course I developed for Tisserand Institute.

Because it was necessary for me to be able to photograph everything (and recalling all the previous times I have tried taking photos of myself wearing facial masks), I decided to use one hand as a model.

This turned out to be a really good idea.

Removing the First Mask

I was a little amazed when I removed the first trial mask. After a mere 15 minutes, the difference was immediately visible on my hand. Not only was it lighter and fresher looking, I'd swear the wrinkly knuckle-area was visibly softened and looked younger. My husband was immediately enlisted for a neutral, unbiased and (painfully) honest opinion. He saw the difference right away and asked why one hand looked older than the other one.

Guess who got busy developing a few masks for hands?

And guess who decided to share one with you?

Make Fresh For Best Results

This is a fresh food mask that is meant to be made and used immediately. Read: it won't keep so don't make more than you need for a single application.

This is enough for a single application to both hands, but if you want to go full out and include your face and neck just double up the amounts listed below.

LisaLise's Fresh Tomato Hand Mask

Ingredient	Grams	Ounces
Fresh Tomato	35.0	1.23
Brazilian Red Clay	7.5	0.26
Powdered Yoghurt Protein	2.5	0.09
Sweet Almond Oil	6.0	0.21

Method

1. Grind/chop/mash the tomato until smooth and transfer to a small bowl

2. Add dry ingredients and stir until homogenous

3. Add oil and stir

4. Apply to backs of hands in a thick layer

5. Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes

6. Remove mask by carefully scraping away the mixture with a spoon or similar

7. Rinse hands and pat dry.

Finish with a nourishing hand cream or a few drops of your favorite oil.

Substitutions

Tomato: As tomato is the main ingredient in this mask, you’ll probably want to rename it if you choose to substitute the tomato. Tomato has a natural content of lycopene which gives it its skin brightening properties.

Clay : Use any clay you like but be mindful that clays have different properties and will also absorb liquid differently so you may have to adjust the amounts to get the texture you like. Brazilian red clay is 100% montmorillonite, so you could in all likelihood substitute this clay for any montmorillonite clay without having to adjust amounts.

Powdered Yoghurt Protein: You could easily replace this with powdered milk or even coconut milk powder if you prefer a vegan version.

Sweet Almond Oil: I use sweet almond oil because I always have it in stock and it is a great all-around oil, but it can be replaced with the oil of your choosing without issue.

Enjoy!

Do Tell

Have you ever heard of a hand mask? Would you try one?

More Fresh Food Masks

There is an entire section on freshly made masks in the beginner friendly E-book below - and it’s even available in Spanish!

Make Your Own Preservative Free Natural Cosmetics With 21 Ingredients

Haz tus propios productos cosméticos naturales sin conservantes con 21 ingredientes

Why Ingredient Substitutions Don't Always Work

I regularly get asked if it is possible to switch one ingredient for another in products. Sometimes it is in relation to a formula I have shared on the blog or published in my e-books, but also for formulas others have created.

What Makes Sense

In many instances, it makes all kinds of sense to assume ingredients of the same type are interchangeable. For example, switching apricot kernel oil for sweet almond oil is hardly likely to make a huge impact on the outcome of a face oil or even an emulsion.

One could even get a little racy and exchange the apricot kernel for an oil with an entirely different lipid profile and still be successful. Imagine how pracaxi or babassu oil might influence the viscosity, feel and performance of an emulsion.

‘Clay is clay’ - one might be tempted to think. But clays have different properties and will react differently when liquids are introduced. Some will absorb much more liquid than others - so substituting one for another may not always be successful.

In some instances, substituting a single ingredient will change not only the function and texture of a product, it may even result in a massive fail.

To make things even more frustrating, it might even be an ingredient that is used in a very small percentage.

To illustrate, let's take a brief look at gums.

A Gum is a Gum is a Gum, Right?

Gums are generally used as texturisers and thickeners, but some offer additional (and super cool) functions.

There's a pretty wide selection of gums available on the cosmetics ingredients market these days

• acaia (also known as gum arabic)

• agar agar

• xanthan

• guar

• carragheenan

• cellulose gum

• konjac glucomannan

• locust bean

• sclerotium

These are all plant-based, often categorized as natural, and many can be found on the ingredients label of cosmetics products.

While some gums have similar properties, they are not necessarily interchangeable.

Take Guar

I've worked with (a specific) guar gum in numerous ways over the years and find it highly beneficial for some hair products because of the conditioning properties it offers.

When I first started working with it many years ago, I was so pleased with the results, I dubbed it the 'natural alternative to silicone'.

If it is included in a formula specifically for its hair conditioning properties, replacing it with any other gum is going to result in seriously unsatisfactory conditioning action. And to make things utterly confusing, guar gum is 2 very different things. I wrote a post about the differences on this blog.

So How Do We Know When We Can Substitute an Ingredient?

I wish I could give you an instant, snap-and-everything-is-perfect solution, but the best I can do is offer you a couple of tips:

1. If you are following a formula someone else has developed, stick to the suggested ingredients substitutions (if there are any).

   Alternatively, be prepared to do some experimenting (which can be loads of fun and very educational). Enter this 'substitutional experimentation phase' with a neutral mind and low expectations, and start with a SMALL batch size. You may have to bin the batch, but may also discover you've created something fabulous.

2. Research a bit about the properties of the ingredient you want to substitute. This will give you a better basis from which to choose an alternative. If you replace an ingredient that can be added cold with an ingredient that needs to be heated before being incorporated, you risk compromising the other ingredients and could be looking at a failed batch.

3. Substitute only one ingredient at a time when you are adapting a formula. This will help you troubleshoot any mishaps or fails.

4. If you are developing your own formula and aren’t sure which ingredients to select, set aside some time to get up close and personal with each ingredient you are considering. Apart from studying their properties and methods of use, make small A/B (side by side) test batches and see how your selected ingredients (and possible substitutions) react in different mixtures, at different temperatures, and using different methods.

   When your experiments are finished, you may very well find you've outdone yourself with your own brilliant formulating.

   Most importantly, enjoy the process while you are experimenting with substitutions!

Do Tell

What has been your boldest ingredient substitution and how did it turn out? Please feel free to add a comment below.

The publication below shows you how to compose your own tooth powders using a ‘toolkit’ of tried and tested ingredients.

Botanical Tooth Powders

Make Your own Bi-Phase Cleansers - a New Publication

I’m very excited to share the latest LisaLise publication with you! We’re playing with plant colorants and making a bit of fun-loving, colorful cleansing magic in the form of bi-phase cleansers.

I had a blast putting this one together with all of the different colorful options there are to try.

And guess what? This is all about being able to customise!

It’s a Formulation Template

The astute observer may notice that the cover design features a band of color along the left side (which isn’t very common in my publications). That’s a visual indication that this e-book is (what I have decided to call) a Formulation Template.

This is something I have been wracking my brains about for quite a while: how to create a formula that is fully customisable yet contains enough information to ensure as successful a result as humanly possible.

This self-appointed challenge came about because of the many questions I get on ingredient substitutions. And because not everyone can get every ingredient all over the planet (well, duh), I wanted to try and accommodate that situation by creating a kind of ‘ open formula with a set of guidelines for a successful outcome’.

So it became a Formulation Template.

What does all this mean? It means you get a ‘toolkit’ of ingredient information and additional useful stuff, a formulation template with instructions on how to use it, and some example formulas to show you a few possible variations and get you comfortable with the whole process.

The first formulation template was the tooth powder e-book and I’ve gotten so much positive feedback on it that I just had to do another one. (And if you have suggestions for additional e-books you’d like to see of this type, please feel free to drop a comment below - I’m all ears!)

3 Bespoke Formulas Included

While developing an e-book of this type, I make and test a lot of formulas in several different versions. I decided to include 3 of the formulas in this book. So apart from the template (which shows you how to create your own formulas), you can also dive right in and get busy making one of my formulas if you like.

Bi-Phase Cleansers are Both Versatile and Easy to Make

What I love most about this type of product is the absolute versatility it offers. You can use these as eye makeup removers or cleansers, dress them up with fancy ingredients or dress them down to the bare basics. You can create specifically for certain skin types or just have fun with color mixing for the sheer playfulness of it.

The book is illustrated with several of the versions I made and I better warn you right now. If you like playing around with colors, you might get little addicted to making and using these.

Click the picture below to learn more about this publication.

Bi-Phase Cleansers

Do Tell

Which kinds of products would you like to see available as Formulation Templates?? Please feel free to pop in a comment below!

Below is the first Formulation Template.

Botanical Tooth Powders

How to Make a Botanical Face Tea

How about a nice cuppa for your face? In truth, this is simply a different name for a traditional facial steam (except with added herbs and botanicals). But since it's herbs infused into hot water, I quite like the idea of calling it face tea.

Not only is this product easy to make, but it's a real skin pampering treat.

Let's make Face Tea!

Choosing Botanicals

Combine dried herbs and plants to your hearts content, but do keep in mind that you (or whoever you gift this to) will be enjoying the steam of your blend at a close distance.

I generally like to keep my dry herb blends at around 5-6, but there are no hard or set rules on this. Concentrate on combining plants that work well together and will create a good synergy.

Method

Gather your desired dried herbs.

For this face tea, I went for a calming theme and ended up with a sunny golden combination of chamomile, elderblossom, rose, orange blossom and calendula.

I find the task of choosing botanicals to be quite therapeutic. Apart from being possessors of magical properties, botanicals are a bit of eye candy in any form. I mean, who could look at these beauties and not smile?

But I digress.

Mix the herbs together thoroughly, then package.

How to Use a Face Tea

1. Remove make-up and wash face

2. In a large bowl, pour boiling water over 1-2 tablespoons of tea blend

3. Hold face over bowl for 5-10 minutes at a comfortable distance

4. If desired, place a towel over head to keep in steam. The steam will open pores and refresh.

5. Rinse face with lukewarm, then cool water.

6. Finish with a spritz of hydrosol or light skin tonic and a few drops of face oil

TIP: If you are a bit creative with packaging, these facial teas make lovely personal gifts for the special people in your life.

Who Face Tea is Not Ideal For

Anyone with a tendency to rosacea or with ultra sensitive skin, may not do well with a face tea. Hot steam can exacerbate some sensitive skin conditions, so be mindful if gifting your face tea to someone with sensitive skin.

My own 'ridiculously sensitive' skin is OK with most face teas, but I don't use them more often than every other month.

Do Tell

Have you ever made a face tea? Which herbs did you use?

The book below includes a section on herbs and their uses and there’s a bundle offer in the shop too!

Bundle Offer! Get Started Making Plant Extracts & Three Extracts Guide

LisaLise Newsletter

Sign up for the LisaLise Newsletter to stay in the loop about ingredients and processes. You’ll also get formulating tips & tricks, free formulas and how-to’s and loads of natural cosmetic inspiration.

How to Make a Fresh Blueberry Glycerite

This is an updated version of my original post from 2016.

Working with fresh fruits for cosmetic extracts (particularly blueberries) can be a bit tricky, but with careful attention to a few specific things (which I am going to share with you here), you'll be enjoying your own fabulous blueberry glycerite in under a week.

Let’s get busy!

LisaLise's Blueberry Glycerite Formula

Ingredient	Percent
Glycerine	50.0
Fresh blueberries	49.4
Preservative	0.6

Calculate your batch size. I have made a relatively small portion here.

Prep Tips

Blueberries can be sneaky. Sometimes a berry getting ready to go wonky will hide in the bunch. Since we don't want to add any wonky or even semi-wonky berries to our lovely glycerite, every single berry should be carefully examined. This may seem a bit tedious, but it will help ensure a successful result.

Use only firm, plump, pristine berries that are bursting with blueberry deliciousness (and keep a few extra on the side for scientific taste testing purposes)

Cutting each berry in half will increase the surface area while allowing you to carefully examine every berry.

Method

1. Prepare your workspace (sanitize the jar and your equipment)

2. Wash berries thoroughly in demineralised water and allow to dry

3. Inspect and slice berries

4. Weigh berries

5. Weigh and add glycerine

6. Add preservative

7. Place lid on jar

8. Keep jar at room temperature away from direct sunlight (I usually pop a clean dishtowel over my brews so they are easy to check on)

9. Agitate the jar once a day for 5-7 days

At the top of this post is a peek at the jar shortly after I put on the lid. One cannot help but fall in love with the color, can one?

Fast forward 6 days.

Straining the Glycerite

Straining any glycerite can be an exercise in patience if you do not have any special straining equipment, so here are a few tips to help ease the process. I call this the double manual filter process.

You'll need

• Container

• Funnel (or 2)

• Filters (shown here are paper coffee filters but you can use layers of tightly woven cheesecloth or muslin cloth as well)

• Protective gloves

• Bottle

Be sure your funnels, container and equipment are all sanitised before you start. Don a pair of protective latex or nitrile gloves, place the funnel over the container and line it with a filter.

Prepare a second filter (so it can be slotted into place with one hand)

Pour the mixture into the funnel.

Scoop out and discard any excess floating berries.

The liquid dripping though the filter will slow down after a while.

When that happens, gently gather the edges of the filter and lift it up while placing a new filter (or second funnel with filter) into place. You now have a handful of filter number 1 - containing mostly berries and some glycerite.

Ever so gently, squeeze the filter you are holding to extract as much liquid as possible.

Discard the fruit-laden filter.

You now have a setup that looks like this: a filter full of mixture that is slowly straining.

Key word: slowly.

They say patience is a virtue.

Prepare to be virtuous.

Here's how:

1. Place your filter/container setup in an undisturbed place.

2. Cover it loosely with a 'foil tent' or other material that will keep dust, bugs, etc away from the mixture.

3. Wait.

4. Wait some more.

5. Wait even longer.

6. If your glycerite stops dripping altogether, repeat the filter replacement process.

7. When the glycerite has finished straining, transfer it to your bottle.

8. Date and label the bottle.

9. Store your glycerite dark and cool.

Time Factor

This particular glycerite was strained using solely coffee filters and took a total of 5 and a half hours to filter through. It would in all likelihood have gone faster with some of the above mentioned cloth options.

TIP: If you use cloth filters, be sure the cloth is clean before use (wash new fabric before use as it is most often chemically treated)

How Long Does a Glycerite Last?

I have glycerites over 5 years old that are still good. That said, if you are using your glycerite in a cosmetic that is expected to have a reasonable shelf life, I recommend using it within 6 months of making.

Enjoy!

Blueberry fun facts

• Blueberries have an average water content of around 84%

• 100 grams of blueberries is about 57 calories

• Blueberries have a natural content of methylparaben

Do Tell

Do you make glycerites? Which products do you use them in?

PS: The book below is a complete guide to making your own glycerites for cosmetics and even shows you how to drop the preservative and make your own self preserving glycerites.

The Art of Making Glycerites for Cosmetics

LisaLise Newsletter

Sign up for the LisaLise Newsletter to stay in the loop about ingredients and processes. You’ll also get formulating tips & tricks, free formulas and how-to’s and loads of natural cosmetic inspiration.