Magnus8;3234514 said:Things to Purchase (if you do not already have) to Make Lotions
Cannafan, this one's for the blog!
Like any new endeavour, making lotions requires some specialized equipment. Like playing basketball, you wouldn't think of it if all you had was a baseball and a hockey net. No, you would need to purchase a basketball and a hoop. Well, lotions are going to be like that. Most of this stuff is relatively inexpensive, but each is necessary. Nothing will substitute for what I am suggesting you purchase. Much of it can be found at a store like WalMart, but some of it you may have to go to Staples for (like the scale) or purchase from Amazon or some other online store (like a soapcrafter or lotioncrafter supply store). Nonetheless, it is all RELATIVELY inexpensive.
1) Scale: You need a scale that reads in grams, not ounces. I know you Americans are freaking out right now, but as there are 28 grams to the one ounce, grams are obviously much more accurate. And for lotions, we need to be accurate in our measurements.
2) Microwave: Okay, okay. So everyone's got one. But what if yours broke like mine has and you don't have a microwave on hand anymore? Then you either need to buy a new/used one or have a set of two crockpots on hand or have a set of two doubleboilers on hand. I vouch for the microwave first, the crockpots second, the doublboilers third. Enough said.
3) Digital Food Thermometre: Yes, you must have a digital one. They respond much more quickly to changes in temperature, they are relatively easy to read when you're in a rush, and they work great to read the temperature in your grow tent. Okay, so that last one has nothing to do with making lotions, but that's what mine is being used for at the moment. And don't forget the batteries!
4) 70% Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol): This is for sterilizing your equipment. If you can put some in a clean unused spray bottle (which you can get at a dollar store) then all the better. You use it to clean off your surfaces where you will work. You will use it to sterilize your spoons, spatulas, etc. You will use it to sterilize your stick blender. You will use it basically to sterilize everything and anything that will come into contact with your lotions. This includes the insides of your bottling bottles and their caps. Everything. Anything.
5) Stick Blender: This is the blender that you hold in one hand and blend with the "wand" that sticks out the bottom. I know that was a terrible way of describing it (and I'm supposed to be the writer here...) but I'm a little tired this morning. They're not too expensive and can be had from WalMart, too. Try to get a good one. You'll be wanting to use it in your smoothies later on when you're bored of making lotions.
6) RSO (Rick Simpson Oil): I don't know if CCO is the same thing as RSO (I don't even know what CCO stands for. Hence another reason for people on this site to use proper acronym attribution...). If it is, then I'm sure it could be used instead of RSO. I'm familiar with RSO, though, and know that it would do the trick. We will use this to add to our lotion oils before mixing with water and emulsifier to infuse them with the good stuff we all care about.
7) Other Stuff: Assorted jars, spoons, silicone spatulas (yes, silicone because it works best and doesn't absorb anything that would contaminate your lotion), bottles to store the lotion in (maybe with a pump?), clean cloths, etc.
And I think that about covers it. I would suggest that everyone who wants to make a lotion soon should begin to acquire this stuff as fast as you can. Because we have an important date coming up...
I'd like to propose that we set a date (afternoon or evening) where we all commit to making our lotions "together" and will all be available to chat about it during (if we have problems) and afterwards. I was thinking we could come up with a common date/time together and all commit to making our first lotion together, at the same time (accommodating for time zones, too, so that we really ARE all working together). I thought that would be the easiest way to support each other and the best way to show our solidarity to what we are trying to produce: our own cannabis infused lotion that we can use to relieve pain.
What do you all think of my idea?