One of the questions I frequently get when I’m teaching classes at Otion is:
I got this great recipe from my grandmother. It looks like fun. But, it’s all in %s! How can I turn this awesome balm recipe into something I can work with? Help!
Answer: Your grandmother’s (fictional!) balm recipe can be recreated. Here’s an example of how I would do this.
Step one:Formula in percentages – everything equals 101% (preservative isn’t included in the 100% since you need preserve 100% of the product)
Mango Butter 25%
Stearic Acid 19%
Sweet Almond Oil 40%
Jojoba 11%
Polysorbate 20 4%
Lemongrass EO 1%
Preservative 1%
Total: 101%
Step Two: Convert these percentages to decimal numbers. Here is how that is done:
25% divided by 100 = .25
19% divided by 100 = .19
40% divided by 100 = .40
11% divided by 100 = .11
4% divided by 100 = .04
1% divided by 100 = .01
Step 3: Finally, multiple the decimal by how much you want to make. In this case, I’d like to make 22.5 ounces so this is multiplied by 22.5
.25 x 22.5 = 5.625
.19 x 22.5 = 4.275
.40 x 22.5 = 9.0
.11 x 22.5 = 2.475
.04 x 22.5 = .9
.01 x 22.5 = .225
= 22.5
Optional: Now, let’s do this in grams. Wha? Why grams? Ounces are not as preferable as grams because the unit of measure is much larger and clunkier. Converting this to grams gives us: 638 grams (1 ounce = 28.3495231 grams)(22.5 ounces x 28.3495231 grams = 637.864)
.25 x 638 = 159.5
.19 x 638 = 121.22
.40 x 638 = 255.2
.11 x 638 = 70.18
.04 x 638 = 25.52
.01 x 638 = 6.38
= 638
Viola! Simple math gets you a recipe that you can use. As for this recipe, it will be heavy, waxy and spreadable. I imagine it would work well for an elbow and foot cream and will not absorb in quickly.
