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first, let me point out that the format of
this chart/calculator correlates to the formulas listed on the lotion
page. these don't have to be the items you work with. the ingredient
labels have no value attached to them ...they're merely for item
identification ...you can enter any name you want. also, the sections
are divided into oil, water, and miscellaneous phases. this is only for aesthetics. you can enter any ingredient on any line regardless of it's classification.
do note, however, that the "ranges" listed are for the default items. if
you enter a different item, the range listed obviously won't apply.
you'll have to compare the (%) with the usage rate recommended by the
supplier of the substituted ingredient.
some of the items are grouped together, (i.e. 5 oils/butters, 2 thickeners, 2 emulsifiers*,
2 silicone oils, 3 water items). the (%) and range for these groups are
indicated as one total. if you have more than the given number of items
in a group, (i.e. 7 oils/butters), the (%) for the items outside the
group will have to be added to the group total for comparison to the
listed "% range". |
* (this is
for when you use the hlb system and use a combination of emulsifiers.
this is not to be confused with [or combined with] "emulsifying wax"
which is usually used alone.
using the calculator:
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first enter the names of any substitutions [for the default items]. it's
most helpful if any substitutions are for like items ...especially if
the replaced item was part of a group (i.e. butters/oils). however, you
can enter any substitution anywhere on the chart. unwanted [unused]
items don't have to be deleted ...just don't enter any amount for them.
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other than the [above mentioned] item labels, the fields in the amount
column ...and the "factor" field ...are the only entry fields. these
field will only accept a number. anything else will generate a "nan"
(not-a-number) error. |
| | once an amount is entered, clicking [the
mouse] anywhere outside the entry field will trigger the calculation. on
some browsers (firefox, netscape), you can do this by hitting the
return key or enter key, but on other browsers (safari, explorer), that
action will reload the page instead.
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base your total amount on 100. this way, each individual amount is also
the percentage ...as reflected by the percentage shown in the (%)
column. of course, your total doesn't have to be 100 ...and the (%)
column will reflect the correct percentage ...but by using the 100-total
method, "tweaking" a recipe" can be done in terms of an item's
percentage.
this is an easy and efficient way to
control the percentages of all the items in the recipe. you start with a
100 total. then, when you make any adjustment, you also make an equal
and opposite adjustment to another item ...usually the water amount.
this way all the other percentages remain unchanged.
if you're entering an existing recipe (and entering each items percentage* in the amount column) the total will be 100, (i.e. 100%). |
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| | * (for the math-impaired, an item's percentage is determined by dividing its amount by the total.)
a convenient way to obtain these percentages is to enter the amount of
each item (grams or ounces) in the "amount" column. when all the
ingredients' amounts are entered, the (%) column will reflect the
percentage for each item.
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applying the factor:
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the "factor" is the means by which you adjust the total size of the
recipe. you can change the factor at any time ...before, during, or
after entering the ingredient amounts.
the totals at the bottom of the chart are shown in grams and ounces. by
adjusting the factor, you achieve the desired total (gram or ounce)
quantity. by doing so, you also adjust each item's (gram and ounce)
quantity to that needed to product the total quantity.
example: you've enter all your
amounts; your "total amount" is 100 (or whatever); the "total grams" is
the same as the total amount, and the "total ounces" is the equivalent
in ounces.
let's say the total grams are 100 and you want a 250 gm quantity. simply
enter 2.5 in the factor field and the gram total will change to 250.
all the individual ingredients will reflect the amount (in grams and
ounces) needed to produce that total.
now 250 grams is often equated with 8 ounces, but it's really 8.82
ounces ...and you want 8 ounces. by "tweaking" the factor (from 2.5 to
2.27) we arrive at 8.01 ounces ...and all the individual ingredients are
changed (in grams and ounces) to produce this total. |
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| | this chart also can be used for entering and
resizing any recipe where the ingredients are measure in grams or
ounces, (e.g. lotion, soap, even culinary).
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the default amount for the factor field is "1". there needs to be a
number in the field. if empty (or it was "0"), the chart would reflect
"0"s regardless of the quantities entered for the individual
ingredients. therefore, if you delete the factor, (or enter a "0"), the
field will automatically revert to "1" ...and recalculate the
ingredients for a factor of 1. |
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lotion chart help