Author: It's all in my hands

How to make a lotion – THEORY pt.1

LAB NOTES & SAFETY NOTICE
For educational purposes only. Content reflects personal, non-professional formulation experiments and is not instructional.
No formula or information on this site is intended for commercial use, consumer application, or third-party use.
Accessing this content means you accept all risks and full responsibility for safety, testing, legal compliance, and outcomes.
[Full Legal Disclaimer & Safety Requirements]

Escin and Caffeine Eye Cream14

My Lab Notes: The Four Pillars of a Great Emulsion

Hello Hello! 😀

When I first started playing with body butters, I realized pretty quickly that I needed to dig a bit deeper into the science of it all. I didn’t want to just follow “recipes”; I wanted to understand the why.

These are my personal notes on the core structure of every face and body cream I make. While formulation can get incredibly complex, I’ve realized that my most successful experiments always come down to these four essential pillars.

1. The Mechanics of Hydration (Water + Fats)

I used to think water was just a filler, but it’s actually the hydration hero! The problem is that water evaporates too fast on its own. That’s where the Lipids (my oils and butters) come in—they act as a shield to keep that moisture trapped in.

  • My Observation: I’ve noticed that an emulsified cream (where the water and oil are actually “glued” together) works so much better than just shaking up a bottle of oil and water. It feels better, and the skin stays hydrated longer!

2. Preservation: My Non-Negotiable Rule! 😀

PHEW! Let’s talk about preservatives. I know some people want to avoid them, but in my lab, preservation is NOT optional. * The Reality: Any time I add water to a formula, I’m basically inviting bacteria and mold to a party. Unless I want to keep my creams in the fridge and throw them away after three days (no thanks! 😉 ), I need a professional preservation system. I usually choose eco-friendly options around 0.5-1%. Safety first!

3. The Water Phase: Pure vs. “Poetic”

For my experiments, I always use demineralized, pure water to avoid any minerals messing with my emulsifiers.

  • A bit of Poetry: I love using Rose water or Witch Hazel, but I’ve started categorizing these as “poetic” ingredients. They smell amazing and feel luxurious, but I keep my expectations realistic—they are there for the soul of the cream, while the “active ingredients” do the heavy lifting!

4. The Lipid Phase: Balancing the “Fall”

I’ve stopped believing in “miracle oils.” Now, I focus on the Grease-Fall.

  • The Strategy: Instead of just picking one oil, I look at the density ($\rho$) and the viscosity. I want a blend of light, medium, and heavy fats so the cream feels balanced from the moment I put it on until it sinks in.

5. Emulsifiers: The Architecture

The emulsifier is the “bridge” that holds the whole thing together. I choose mine based on:

  • Temperature: Do I want a cozy hot-process session at 70°C, or a quick cold-process fluid?

  • The “Touch”: Some give a dry, powdery finish, while others feel rich and velvety.

These four pillars are the foundation of everything I do. Once I get these right, I can start playing with the fun stuff—the actives!

HAVE A GREAT DAY! 😄

My Sources :)

It is approximately two years I have been studying how to make soap and I love it 🙂
My source for learning how to make soap was the entire internet because, before I actually started making one, I think I read 23894738947 tutorials and watched at least the same amount of youtube videos 🙂

However right after learning how to make soap, I have started studying how to make creams, lotions, hair gels, serums… and so on 🙂

I am in love with this and this blogs will probably become my personal sum up of what I learn.
However, I do need to point out where I have been learning most of what I write here, because without these few websites I couldn’t definitely even imagine where to start from!

The first website where I started to SERIOUSLY learn how to make a cream was:
Point of Interest   
I had never thought it could be possible to actually make a lotion until I saw this page 😀

But after reading that page I felt more confused than before: I never thought it was possible to make a lotion at home BUT at the same time, reading what I was supposed to do, reading about Phase A, B and C… as a first reaction I got confused and I felt like it was too difficult for me.

However, difficult things don’t stop me and they actually make me even more curious so in the next days I started searching around the internet to try to find out something more, something more specific…
And TADAAA!!!

I found a forum in Italian all about cosmetics!
The people on this forum are very nice, helpful AND they share a lot of knowledge totally for free!
I was amazed on how many things they knew and I spent months just reading and reading and starting to purchase raw material online to attempt to make my first cream! 😀
This is the forum I am talking about L’ANGOLO DI LOLA 
Here is where I actually started studying things seriously 😀

In my blog I am going to write a sum up of what I have learnt and I am going to post my own recipes for creams, lotions, detergents, hair gels, shampoos…
None of my recipes is copied and in case I will ever copy a recipe I will, obviously, post the source (and, if possible, ask for the permission to the owner).
However the meaning of this post about my sources is that, if it wasn’t for L’angolo di Lola, I wouldn’t probably be in any way able to put together any of these recipes!
So a big thanks to them! 😀

How to: Hyaluronic Acid gel

LAB NOTES & SAFETY NOTICE
For educational purposes only. Content reflects personal, non-professional formulation experiments and is not instructional.
No formula or information on this site is intended for commercial use, consumer application, or third-party use.
Accessing this content means you accept all risks and full responsibility for safety, testing, legal compliance, and outcomes.
[Full Legal Disclaimer & Safety Requirements]

Hyaluronic Acid Gel

My Experience: Preparing Hyaluronic Acid Gel (1% Solution)

Hello Hello! 😀 One of the things I use most in my experiments is Hyaluronic Acid Gel. I’m obsessed with its ability to keep the skin hydrated—after all, it’s a substance naturally found in our own skin!

While I don’t believe in “miracle” anti-aging claims (commercials, right? 😉 ), I do notice that keeping the skin hydrated makes it look so much more plump and fresh. Here is how I’ve been preparing my 1% “stock” solution lately.

The “Experimental” Formula

In my lab, I usually aim for a clean 1% concentration. For a 100g batch, I use:

  • 1g Sodium Hyaluronate

  • 98.4g Distilled Water (Or sometimes Rose Water for that luxurious scent!)

  • 0.6g Cosgard (or whatever preservative my experiment requires)

How I do it (The 2026 Safe Method! :D)

Over the years, I’ve refined how I handle this. Sodium Hyaluronate is precious (and not exactly cheap!), so I want to avoid wasting a single grain.

  1. Safety First: In my experiments, I always add the preservative to the water FIRST. I’ve learned that protecting the water from the very start is much safer than waiting until the end.

  2. The “No-Stir” Layer: I gently sprinkle the powder on top of the preserved water. PHEW! I make sure NOT to stir yet. If I stir now, the powder sticks to my spoon in a stubborn clump and it’s all lost!

  3. The Wait: I cover the beaker and let it rest for a few hours (or overnight). The powder hydrates all by itself.

  4. The Finish: Once it’s fully hydrated into a beautiful gel, I give it a final, slow stir to make it perfectly smooth.

This is exactly why I started making my own cosmetics: I wanted to stop believing the commercials and see the real INCI for myself. It makes me feel like IT’S ALL IN MY HANDS! 😉Hyaluronic Acid Gel 3 Hyaluronic Acid Gel 2