Ok guys, I'm starting this thread to give people who are new to mixing their own lightening products a few tips. These tips can also be used in making any other cosmetics. I've made a lot of cosmetics although I have never made a lightening cream/lotion but the principle is the same.:p If anyone else have more tips, please do post it here.

In this forum I've read about people having different results or reaction to a substance that they've mix. Although, it could be that they are allergic to this particular substance or have sensitive skin etc; the culprit could also be the way they mixed the lotion or contamination etc.

This thread is to hopefully help you to mix your lotion in a safer way. Just deciding on the concentration % of the main substance and mixing it in any lotion is not right especially if you're turning your acid base substance into alkaline in the process. I would highly recommend that you make your own base cream if you have no idea what's in a commercially available one. Cream/lotion are very easy to make at home. There're usually 3 phases in cream making. The water phase, the oil phase and Preservation phase.

Before I start with the tips, let me outline the main substance in any cream/lotion and their function:

Emulsifiers - is a very important ingredient that allow oil and water to mix and stay together.

Emollients- used in almost every commercial cream/lotion; it has nourishing properties. E.g are natural waxes, butters and oil.

Humectants - is basically moisturisers.

Thickeners - to thickens the cream.

Stabilisers - maintain the properties of active ingredients and balance the pH value.

Active ingredients - are substance for specific result like skin lightening, anti-wrinkle etc

Preservatives - very important to preserve the cream and avoid contamination, molds, fungus etc

Of course, there's other things like vitamins, sunscreen, frangrance etc, which we all know what are for.

Below are some of the tips; do add your own tips for the benefit of others.

Ok, tips for today:

- Never mix a water-soluble substance straight into an oil based lotion. It's never going to work... Total waste of the substance as a water-soluble substance will never melt in an oil-based cream. If your lotion contains water, it might take quite a while for it to melt completely and by the time it starts to melt, your lotion will either be finished or you'll get fed up and give up. So if the substance has proven skin-lightening properties, no results will be seen whatsoever from applying the lotion and lumps will be formed in your lotion making it practically impossible to use.

How to know if your substance is soluble in water, oil or alcohol?

Ask the seller:p LOL... but seriously anyone selling genuine legal substance will have something called the "Material Safety Data Sheet"(MSDS) from the manufacturer and they will be able to tell you.

What to do if your substance is water-soluble and you want to mix it in a ready-made lotion?
Dilute the substance in distilled/deionised water (preferably warm) until it is fully dissolved. Make sure your ready-made cream has emulsifier, if not you'll have to warm some emulsifier to the same temperature of the water mixture and then mix the water mixture with the emulsifier. Leave it to cool and then mix it to your lotion.

Another tip:

- If you have to use water to disolve your active substance, try not to use tap water or mineral water. The chlorine, minerals etc can interfere with the substance. Instead use distilled water. Distilled water is basically obtained from the steam of boiling water; it's pure Ho2. Obviously, it'll take ages for you to do that but not to worry, you can buy it quite cheap from your local chemist or shops that sell car accessories like Halfords. Distilled water is used for car batteries but make sure it's pure and hasn't got anything else mixed in it. I've heard that some supermarket stock it too for steam irons. If you can't get distilled water, you can use deionised water which is more or less the same and available at the local chemist. Or you can use a distiller, to distill tap water if you have one or want to purchase one; but it's not necessary as it's quite cheap to buy.

.. you also need beeswax for water and oil to mix. (Great advice!)

Actually beeswax is an emulsifier. So beewax can be used or any other emulsifiers.

BTW, to know which ingredients are emulsifier and which are emollient etc, just go to any site that sells raw materials for cosmetics like garden of wisdon or somerset and click on emulsifiers etc and you'll find the ingredients.

Next tip:

Potential Hydrogen or pH is the measurement of acid or alkaline in ingredients. Basically anything above 7 is alkaline and anything below 7 is acid. If an acid is mixed with an alkaline, pH will change depending on the strength of the acid substance or alkaline substance. If the acid is stronger then the whole solution will turn acid and if the alkaline substance is stronger, then the solution will turn into alkaline. A pH balance skin care product is basically a product that has been adjusted to have the same pH as the skin.

Why do you need to bother about pH?
Well, if your main skin lightening agent is alkaline, you will want to keep it that way so it can do exactly want it was meant to (which is skin lightening). You wouldn't want it to turn it to acid by mixing it with a stronger acid substance, which will considerably reduce its benefit.

How to know if your substance is acid or alkaline?
Again, your supplier will be able to tell you what pH range is best for it to be most beneficial. And if it's above 7, then it's alkaline and below 7, it's an acid.

How to test the finished product to make sure the pH range of your substance didn't change?
PH is measured by using “litmus paper”. If an item is alkaline it will turn the paper purple or green. If the product is acid it will turn orange or pink.

What if my finished product is acid but my active substance is alkaline?
The good news is pH can be adjusted by adding more acid or alkaline agents to make the finished product either acid or alkaline.

Where to get litmus paper?
Local chemist, online cosmetics stores or raw material for cosmetics stores etc.

Shut the **** up and tell me to make my own bleaching cream.