Customize Products for the Spring + Information on Extracts and Pigments

Every season means something different here at Essential. For us, Spring usually makes us think of “spring cleaning” our inventory, pastel colored skin and hair care products, and the sweet smell of floral essential oils.

This year, we wanted to show you how we bring that first bloom of Spring into our products, by customizing our favorite body cream with a pop of Spring!

Browse through our essential oil blend category, where you’ll find seasonal scents, or for any mood. For Spring our favorites are:

Flower Power and Bouquet Essential Oil Blends

• Both have Lavender, Lemon and Ylang Ylang
• Flower Power Essential Oil Blend also has Geranium, and is a clean and mild scent of floral and citrus.
• Bouquet Essential Oil Blend has extra warmth and lush from Palmarosa, while Ho Wood adds depth.

Just like Spring flowers, color adds vibrancy to our world, affects our emotions and moods, and makes what may otherwise seem ordinary, extraordinary. As individuals we’re drawn to certain colors, and while you may not know exactly why, it probably has something to do with how that color makes you feel. With the powerful impact color has, it may be time to consider adding a little color or pigment to your hair and skincare products!

Working with Extracts and Pigments

While playing with color is certainly fun, there are a few important things you need to know when working with pigments and extracts.

1. Extracts and pigments are 2 completely different ways to add color to products.

• Extracts are natural, and are relatively easy to add to cosmetic products. They are fun powders from plant sources expertly combined to not only provide their beautiful innate color but to also impart the skin-loving benefits of each plant.
• On the other hand, most pigments are synthetic, though some natural ones do exist. Overall, the pigments are created for consistency in their color however, they do require a little extra attention before adding to a cosmetic product.
• Read to the end of this blog to see two different recipes. One for natural extracts, and one for pigments.

2. pH is a huge factor when it comes to color. You may have seen hydrangea bushes that are a brilliant blue one year, and then pink the next. This is due to the pH of the soil (and the availability of aluminum and other elements but that’s another topic). A higher pH will help produce a pink flower, and a lower pH will help produce a blue flower.  Be sure to experiment with this as adjusting pH to be ideal for skin may change the color significantly.

Extracts & Pigments FAQs

1. Will these stain my skin or clothes?
   In all of our testing, none of these colors and pigments have stained skin, however, it’s possible that staining could happen. We suggest testing a small area of skin before using it to make sure it doesn’t stain. We have noticed that they do tend to stain clothes so be sure to test colors on fabric before using.
2. Are these safe to use for kids?
   Yes, generally these are safe to use for kids, however, please seek medical advice if your child consumes any color or pigment.

We know you’ll have fun working with all of the different colors Essential offers. Share your favorite color projects with us on social media, we’d love to see what you create!

Customization Time! Spring Body Cream

Ingredients

• 1 gallon Moisturizing Body Cream - staff favorite!
• 2.5 net oz maximum of Flower Power Essential Oil Blend (or any essential oil or blend of your choosing)
• 0.0032 net oz - Katthari Violet Water Soluble Powder (or any similar water-based powder extract of your choosing)

Equipment:

1. Handheld immersion stick blender
2. 70% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol for sanitizing
3. 1 bowl for mixing the product
4. 2 small bowls for weighing out the ingredients

The Process

1. Can be done in your gallon container! OR for ease of mixing, you can pour into a bowl
2. Clean your working environment and equipment first and then sanitize with alcohol
3. Measure out your extract and your essential oil/essential oil blend
4. Pour the ingredients into your cream product and high shear mix until completely homogenized.
   a. For the extract, just sprinkle and stir until you get to the color you want. If you are doing this in a larger quantity perform your actual weighing of the extract.
5. Add more extract if desired— remember to start small and add more. Then transfer to fun jars or bottles and get creative with your packaging and labeling!
   a. Make it more vibrant by adding more extract, or keep it subtle for a pastel for spring. 
6. If you change any manufacturer's products and plan to go to market, make sure you are sending it to a third party lab for preservative efficacy testing.

Patch Test: Always do a patch test before using the blend extensively, especially if you have sensitive skin. Apply a small amount to the inside of your wrist or elbow and check for any irritation within 24 hours.

Bonus Recipe/Customization! For Pigments

Keep your color before summer comes with our Tinted Moisturizer customization.

Ingredients

• 1 gallon Jojoba Lotion (or whatever lotion of your choosing, we also love our Cucumber Lotion because of it’s fresh scent!)
• 0.0128 net oz to 3.84 net oz of Brown Iron Oxide (depending on the depth of bronzer you want)

Equipment + Process

Similar to our Spring Body Cream recipe listed above in this blog, however there are a few main differences.

How to Effectively Disperse Brown Iron Oxide

Since iron oxides are insoluble and tend to clump, proper dispersion is crucial, so pre-mix with a hemisqualane, or propylene glycol at about 10-20% pigment load.

Before adding a pigment to your product and attempting this Tinted Moisturizer recipe, be sure to view our video on working with pigments, so you know exactly how to work the into your product without having gritty bits, uneven tones, or unexpected results.