Equipment
The equipment needed to make creams, ointments, tincture and extractions can be found in most kitckens.
This is a list of what I use to make commercial amounts of creams, lotions and ointments by hand:
2 stainless steel saucepans
Sieves, large and small
Pyrex measuring jugs, 1 large and 1 small
I large stainless steel jug
2 preserving thermometers (not sugar thermometers)
1 x 50 ml glass measuring cylinder (can be replaced by a 25ml tablespoon or a medicine measure at home)
1 x 100 ml glass measuring cylinder
1 x 10 ml glass measuring cylinder (if making small amounts you can use disposable pipettes that measure 1 ml accurately)
2 spatulas, silicon and plastic (I have just discovered silicon and love the spatulas)
Funnel to fit paper coffee filters (see below)
Digital scales to 2 kg
Other:
Paper towels
Muslin , old tea towels, flour sacks for straining
Paper coffee filters
Warning:
It is perfectly okay to use your normal everyday kitchen equipment, providing it is made from glass or stainless steel.
Plastic will absorb essential oils and taint everything it touches forever after, so keep some especially for this use.
Likewise, make sure you wash up in hot water, with lots of detergent, separeately from food dishes. I have had some ghastly cups of tea over the years, tasting of all sorts of strange things.
You will need to use a fresh sink cloth after washing up each time.
Ointments are very greasy and this can cause havoc with plumbing. Wipe all utensils with paper then return the heat proof ones to the stove to melt the residue. Turn onto several layers of newspaper to drain before washing in hot soapy water.
Likewise, wash all cloths in lots of soapy water. I have found some really useful 1kg flour sacks with a draw string that I have used for years now to strain extractions.
This is a list of what I use to make commercial amounts of creams, lotions and ointments by hand:
2 stainless steel saucepans
Sieves, large and small
Pyrex measuring jugs, 1 large and 1 small
I large stainless steel jug
2 preserving thermometers (not sugar thermometers)
1 x 50 ml glass measuring cylinder (can be replaced by a 25ml tablespoon or a medicine measure at home)
1 x 100 ml glass measuring cylinder
1 x 10 ml glass measuring cylinder (if making small amounts you can use disposable pipettes that measure 1 ml accurately)
2 spatulas, silicon and plastic (I have just discovered silicon and love the spatulas)
Funnel to fit paper coffee filters (see below)
Digital scales to 2 kg
Other:
Paper towels
Muslin , old tea towels, flour sacks for straining
Paper coffee filters
Warning:
It is perfectly okay to use your normal everyday kitchen equipment, providing it is made from glass or stainless steel.
Plastic will absorb essential oils and taint everything it touches forever after, so keep some especially for this use.
Likewise, make sure you wash up in hot water, with lots of detergent, separeately from food dishes. I have had some ghastly cups of tea over the years, tasting of all sorts of strange things.
You will need to use a fresh sink cloth after washing up each time.
Ointments are very greasy and this can cause havoc with plumbing. Wipe all utensils with paper then return the heat proof ones to the stove to melt the residue. Turn onto several layers of newspaper to drain before washing in hot soapy water.
Likewise, wash all cloths in lots of soapy water. I have found some really useful 1kg flour sacks with a draw string that I have used for years now to strain extractions.
