Let's talk about butters. There are so many types of butters that you can use for soaps and lotions. I felt it important to learn at least a little about all the ingredients I will be using.
For lotion making, I started with the normal go-to butters, Cocoa butter and Shea butter. They are pretty much in everything, right?? So let's start this series of posts with Cocoa butter.
Cocoa butter (also called theobroma oil; like what?? Never heard it called that, right?), is pale yellow in color and is an edible vegetable fat that comes from Cocoa beans. It has a mild chocolate flavor and aroma. (Please don't eat soaps and lotions! Although, you could eat my unscented lotion bars. Everything in them is edible. I doubt they taste good though!)
It is one of the most stable fats and has a melting point of just below body temperature, making it perfect for lotion bars!
It contains antioxidants that help keep it from going rancid for a really long time, which helps to make products it is in more shelf stable.
It is a decent source of Vitamin E and contains a high amount of fatty acids which help hydrate the skin. The fat in it helps create a protective barrier that helps hold in moisture and keep skin from drying out.
So all in all, it seems like a good butter to use for soaps and lotions, right? Of course, there are people who don't like the color and/or the smell of it, so a process was created where they can remove the color and scent. Of course, just like everything else in life, the process also removes some of the good stuff about it. So when using Cocoa butter, I'm making sure to use the unadulterated version!
Some of this information came right from me, but I also used Brittanica.com and WebMD for facts.
Please feel free to respond if you have any comments, questions or would like further info on Cocoa butter.
See you all again next Tuesday when we'll talk about Shea butter.