Hi Stephanie!

So happy you like the website! :)

I first learned to make lotions and creams using beeswax and borax – which pair together to make an effective emulsifier. After several readers asked about avoiding borax, I experimented around and found that I liked creams & lotions made with beeswax and stearic acid. (Stearic acid is just a thickener for lotions & creams.) Neither of those is technically a stand-alone emulsifier or combine to make one (on the molecular level anyway), so you’re reliant on getting a good mechanical emulsion by mixing at just the right temperatures and amount – which is easier said than done! And eventually, those bonds are going to break down and separate. So, it’s a little trickier making beeswax-based creams.

I experimented with vegetable emulsifying wax NF and fell in love with just how much easier it is to make a lotion or cream and have it stay together. You can also incorporate a lot more water to get a lighter, non-greasy product. Vegetable emulsifying wax starts out a vegetable source (usually), but then gets highly processed, so some people don’t like to use it. I only get the kind from Mountain Rose Herbs, because I want to be sure it’s vegetable sourced instead of petroleum sourced. Emulsifying wax is similar, but not quite as processed, as soy wax – so depending on your personal definition of natural, you could use emulsifying wax NF and never worry about separating. If you want to stick with beeswax, you could add borax to it as an emulsifier to help with the separation issue. It’s been a few years since I used it, so I don’t quite recall the amount you’d need for that.

If you want to use emulsifying wax, it would probably be easier to start over with a new recipe, because the proportions are so different. If you look here: https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/diy-body-care/
under “Face, Body & Hand Creams” and also under “Lotions”, I have some recipes with e-wax NF – you could see the basic structure of them and sub out any oils, liquids at will to create your own recipe.

Happy lotion making! :)