Trihydroxystearin

So glad I finally tried this! It's basically an oil gelling agent, but if you just want to thicken oil, it is sooo much easier to use than silica dimethyl silicate or Sucragel type products. It will NOT provide the clarity and shine like the fumed silica, BUT it doesn't fly all over the place! And it doesn't emulsify like Sucragel, BUT you don't have to painfully mix drop by drop! It does need high-sheer to mix, and it must be mixed before combining it with other ingredients, but I just gently heated a portion of the oil and mixed with my Norpro in a side dish. If you're a making a small batch it mixes up pretty quickly. I read something that said to mix for 15-20 minutes, but that must be for very large amounts. So far I've used in for lip balm and anhydrous cleansers, but according to Incidecoder, it is in all kinds of products! TKB finally added a sample size, but if you make a lot of stuff, go ahead and buy a big bag. You'll definitely use it. Thank you TKB for providing this specialized ingredient for us not so special makers. I bet if you made a blog post or video about how to use it, your customers would really appreciate it. Or even do a collar with a DIY influencer like Marie Rayma or Tara Lee. I had to do a lot of digging to learn about it, but I have a lot more time and patience for that than average folks.

I was highly disappointed when I emailed TKB that I was told they couldn’t help me after seeing the other review. This is great if you want to have an easier time bottling thicker products because you can gently heat it back up and pour then when it cools it will be right back to its previous viscosity. I had such a hard time because there’s nothing much on the web about this. I use it in creams and lotions. Things that don’t pour well cold lol. I plan on using it in more as I get more experienced. I’ve been using it awhile now. It does work very well! It gives great slip as an emollient, a texture enhancer, gels oils, thickens and an excellent film former to enhance water resistance. I love that you can gel your oil phase for added stability, add an emollient, have it water resistant or enhance the texture of my deodorant or lipgloss all in one product! Frees my recipe for other ingredients. I’m not sure which is my favorite.

You almost need a magnetic stirrer or maybe an overhead stirrer (I’ll have to try it) to use this because it has to be stirred a minimum of 20 minutes after properly dispersing it in your oil and esters then add solids if using and using the right temperature. It’s cheap as it doesn’t take a lot most of the time. If you do it right it never fails to work. I’ve never tried hand stirring because I use it at at least 500 rpm.

Good luck!

TKB please do better with instructions. Need more sample formulations as well. I love your products. I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything I don’t like. You have the most affordable prices around on most products. Shipping is very reasonable and fast. I absolutely love the free gifts you sent except the versagel products as I’m strictly all naturally derived. I appreciate the thought and the hard work you put into great products with cheap prices and fast delivery. It was a nice surprise to get the samples. Thank you, mama Jane’s naturals look me up!

I really have no idea what to do with this. It's a complaint I've had about TKB for a while now. For a company that sells such a wide selection of cosmetic raw materials, they really need to improve the information they provide about their products. I had the same issue with citrine wax. Some sample recipes would be great as I feel their site lacks in that department as well. I have no idea what to do with this stuff and the internet really doesn't provide much help either..