So what is a hard lotion? Hard lotions are … well… hard. A lotion that holds its shape basically. They are anhydrous (no water added) and do not need a preservative. They are made with oils, butters, and essential or fragrance oils. It will not include ingredients that are water based such as Aloe Vera or glycerin. Remember, oil and water do not mix. In order to make a liquid lotion an emulsifier is needed. Liquid lotions also need a preservative.
A hard lotion will feel thicker and somewhat greasier than a liquid lotion. This type of lotion will “melt” on your skin and warming one on your hands first helps with spreading the lotion. I love using lotion bars. The oils and butters tend to stick better on my hands and create a nice barrier to the outside world. They also work great for those iffy spots like elbows, knees and feet. I have used them as lip balms and on my face during the winter as well.
I keep a hard lotion in my kitchen to use after washing dishes and after making soap. There is one on my nightstand to use before climbing under the covers. I also keep one in the car in the winter or cooler months. Be aware that on really hot summer days the hard lotions may melt more than you would like them too especially if left in the car… ask me how I know that! For this reason we will not ship hard lotions during warm weather times. Oh, and if you should have one melt, just pop it in the fridge for a bit!
A bit about A Touch of Eden’s lotion bars. Every bar is created by blending both hard and soft oils/butters with either beeswax or Candelilla wax. Each person will have a preference to specific oils or butters as some may be lighter or heavier on the skin. We chose our scents carefully for each blend. All of our products will include an ingredient list to help you in making your choices especially if you know you have a known allergy. If you want to learn more about the properties regarding a particular oil or butter there are good references online as well as in printed materials.
About the ingredients:
A comedogenic ingredient means it may clog pores or contribute to skin issues such as acne. Each individual’s own unique skin will affect how or if a specific ingredient will clog pores. Blending oils and butters for hard lotions will also contribute to the overall value or rating.
Did you know that the testing standards for the comedogenic values was determined based on how rabbit ears reacted to various cosmetic ingredients? These days testing is done on both animals and humans involving 4-8 week testing periods, biopsies and cell analyzing.
Comedogenic ratings go from zero (won’t clog pores at all) to 5 (high). Below are oils, butters and waxes you may find in one of A Touch of Eden’s products. The comedogenic rating is listed in parenthesis along with a short description of the oil or butter.
Almond Oil/Almond Butter: (2), good for any skin type especially dry, the butter is soft
Aloe Vera Butter: (0), the butter is soft but contains all the best of an aloe vera gel
Apricot Kernel Oil: (2), can be used to replace almond oil
Argan Oil: (0), dry oil, nicknamed Liquid Gold, a wonderful but rather expensive oil
Avocado Oil/Avocado Butter: (2/3), heavy oil, good for all skin types, easily absorbed
Babassu Oil: similar to coconut oil, hard oil, and not as greasy as coconut oil
Beeswax: (2), emollient and thickner, creates a barrier to skin
Candelilla Wax: (1) vegan alternative to beeswax, moisturizing
Castor Oil: (1), heavy moisturizer, penetrates skin, greasy with a shine… used in lip sticks!
Cocoa Butter: (4) creates a protective barrier to trap moisture, dry and combo skin, may be too emollient for oily skin, hard butter but emollient
Coconut Oil: (4) good for all skin types (maybe not for acne prone skin), moisturizing
Coffee Butter: contains coffee seed oil and a small percentage of natural caffeine
Fractionated Coconut Oil: (2), considered oil free, light, moisturizing, easily absorbed
Grapeseed Oil: (2), short shelf life, light and dry (good for massage)
Hemp Seed Oil; (0), another awesome oil, dry oil, short shelf life
Jojoba Oil: (2), technically not an oil but a wax ester, closely resembles human sebum, stable shelf life but an expensive oil
Kokum butter: all skin types, creates a thicker lotion (use less wax), dry oil
Kukui Nut: all skin types, easily absorbed
Lanolin: (1), emollient, creates a barrier on the skin, animal product (from sheep)
Mango Butter: Dry oil, all skin types, soft butter but emollient, 2 year shelf life,
Meadowfoam oil: light, medium greasy oil, good substitute for jojoba oil
Neem Oil: (2), semi-solid oil with a strong odor and a long history of skin use
Olive Oil: (2) humectant, medium to heavy oil
Rice Bran Oil: longer shelf life than sunflower oil, medium weight oil,
Rosehip Oil: (2), comes from the rosehip or the fruit behind the flower, rich in nutrients but may be irritating to sensitive skin
Shea Butter: (0) all skin types, 2 year shelf life, greasy, grainy shea butter is the result of the butter having different cooling points from the fatty acids so some parts may harden faster than others.
Sunflower Oil: (0), emollient, light oil, good for face oils, short shelf life
Tocopheral (Vitamin E): (2), added to increase shelf life of oils
A hard lotion will feel thicker and somewhat greasier than a liquid lotion. This type of lotion will “melt” on your skin and warming one on your hands first helps with spreading the lotion. I love using lotion bars. The oils and butters tend to stick better on my hands and create a nice barrier to the outside world. They also work great for those iffy spots like elbows, knees and feet. I have used them as lip balms and on my face during the winter as well.
I keep a hard lotion in my kitchen to use after washing dishes and after making soap. There is one on my nightstand to use before climbing under the covers. I also keep one in the car in the winter or cooler months. Be aware that on really hot summer days the hard lotions may melt more than you would like them too especially if left in the car… ask me how I know that! For this reason we will not ship hard lotions during warm weather times. Oh, and if you should have one melt, just pop it in the fridge for a bit!
A bit about A Touch of Eden’s lotion bars. Every bar is created by blending both hard and soft oils/butters with either beeswax or Candelilla wax. Each person will have a preference to specific oils or butters as some may be lighter or heavier on the skin. We chose our scents carefully for each blend. All of our products will include an ingredient list to help you in making your choices especially if you know you have a known allergy. If you want to learn more about the properties regarding a particular oil or butter there are good references online as well as in printed materials.
About the ingredients:
A comedogenic ingredient means it may clog pores or contribute to skin issues such as acne. Each individual’s own unique skin will affect how or if a specific ingredient will clog pores. Blending oils and butters for hard lotions will also contribute to the overall value or rating.
Did you know that the testing standards for the comedogenic values was determined based on how rabbit ears reacted to various cosmetic ingredients? These days testing is done on both animals and humans involving 4-8 week testing periods, biopsies and cell analyzing.
Comedogenic ratings go from zero (won’t clog pores at all) to 5 (high). Below are oils, butters and waxes you may find in one of A Touch of Eden’s products. The comedogenic rating is listed in parenthesis along with a short description of the oil or butter.
Almond Oil/Almond Butter: (2), good for any skin type especially dry, the butter is soft
Aloe Vera Butter: (0), the butter is soft but contains all the best of an aloe vera gel
Apricot Kernel Oil: (2), can be used to replace almond oil
Argan Oil: (0), dry oil, nicknamed Liquid Gold, a wonderful but rather expensive oil
Avocado Oil/Avocado Butter: (2/3), heavy oil, good for all skin types, easily absorbed
Babassu Oil: similar to coconut oil, hard oil, and not as greasy as coconut oil
Beeswax: (2), emollient and thickner, creates a barrier to skin
Candelilla Wax: (1) vegan alternative to beeswax, moisturizing
Castor Oil: (1), heavy moisturizer, penetrates skin, greasy with a shine… used in lip sticks!
Cocoa Butter: (4) creates a protective barrier to trap moisture, dry and combo skin, may be too emollient for oily skin, hard butter but emollient
Coconut Oil: (4) good for all skin types (maybe not for acne prone skin), moisturizing
Coffee Butter: contains coffee seed oil and a small percentage of natural caffeine
Fractionated Coconut Oil: (2), considered oil free, light, moisturizing, easily absorbed
Grapeseed Oil: (2), short shelf life, light and dry (good for massage)
Hemp Seed Oil; (0), another awesome oil, dry oil, short shelf life
Jojoba Oil: (2), technically not an oil but a wax ester, closely resembles human sebum, stable shelf life but an expensive oil
Kokum butter: all skin types, creates a thicker lotion (use less wax), dry oil
Kukui Nut: all skin types, easily absorbed
Lanolin: (1), emollient, creates a barrier on the skin, animal product (from sheep)
Mango Butter: Dry oil, all skin types, soft butter but emollient, 2 year shelf life,
Meadowfoam oil: light, medium greasy oil, good substitute for jojoba oil
Neem Oil: (2), semi-solid oil with a strong odor and a long history of skin use
Olive Oil: (2) humectant, medium to heavy oil
Rice Bran Oil: longer shelf life than sunflower oil, medium weight oil,
Rosehip Oil: (2), comes from the rosehip or the fruit behind the flower, rich in nutrients but may be irritating to sensitive skin
Shea Butter: (0) all skin types, 2 year shelf life, greasy, grainy shea butter is the result of the butter having different cooling points from the fatty acids so some parts may harden faster than others.
Sunflower Oil: (0), emollient, light oil, good for face oils, short shelf life
Tocopheral (Vitamin E): (2), added to increase shelf life of oils
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