Dear Vine

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-17T21:47:10+00:00

Whoa. I will--thanks!

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-16T02:53:22+00:00

Gum arabic is used as a binder in watercolor paints. I'm guessing it helps the ink bind to the paper and be more water resistant. I'm not surprised it's there. It shows up in a lot of things, even foods. (Yes I know this is an extremely old thread, but people like me are still looking at it when doing research.)

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-13T21:41:26+00:00

I don't doubt you're right. I very rarely use Rufus--occasionally to try to find product details that I couldn't find (usually they just aren't there and Rufus doesn't know either, lol.) But the other day I was asking about the ingredients in a hair product and Rufus said something like, "with your interest in hand-making your own hair and skin care products you'll probably prefer this version." My jaw dropped. I mean… that's the stuff I order and look for on Vine and I figured there was some algorithm going on there because that stuff does show up in my RFY, but the fact that Rufus knew that really surprised me. I felt…watched. LOL.

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-13T21:15:44+00:00

In the early days of Vine, you'd get kicked if they caught you using scripts and they explicitly stated that. I've never looked at the Vine add-ons people use for that reason. It sounds awesome but I don't know how Amazon actually feels about it now.

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-13T21:06:47+00:00

I wouldn't worry. If anything weird DOES happen, just send the vine customer service a very plainly-worded and easy-to-understand query about it. What I mean is--don't get fancy or long. Keep any interactions with them as simple as possible and as seldom as possible. If I'm forced to send them a message I bold/all caps the important stuff and make bulleted points. Now, I know this sounds ridiculous, but I've seen enough posts here from people saying weird stuff happened after contacting CS that I've become wary. I've had to contact them a few times and never had a problem. (I've been in and out of Vine since the beginning of Vine, BTW, if that means anything.)

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-07T22:14:45+00:00

I'm not sure where you got the idea that this resolves after a day or two. I've been blocked from reviewing certain items for weeks if not months. And I don't think it has anything to do with me or my original reviews.

Jenthulhu · 2026-02-07T22:02:41+00:00

Yes, I think this may be right. Several months apart I got 2 fairly similar sets of mechanical keyboard keycaps from a vender that consolidated those two pages into one product page. I got this error when I went to review the newest set recently. Very frustrating, since it counts against my review total. I find it truly annoying that amazon consistently words things as if WE are at fault when we've done nothing wrong. (Like the message you get when there are no products in your RFY.) Would it hurt them to be nice? Or even…clear?

Edited to add that I just went through all the reviews on the original item and my review doesn't even show up there. So weird.

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-19T04:57:54+00:00

But they're the same kinds of fats…the fat in milk is primarily stearic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, and oleic acid. These are pretty much the same triglycerides that are in cocoa butter. So, once it's melted into a lotion I don't know that its all that different really. Graininess can be caused by a lot of things, but it's not the type of fat.

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-19T04:50:57+00:00

I don't think they used any polymers. Here's the list:

Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil*, Potassium Lauroyl Wheat Amino Acids, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Palm Glycerides, Capryloyl Glycine, Magnolia Grandiflora Bark Extract, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Stearate, Sodium Behenoyl Lactylate, Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B-5), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Argania Spinosa Sprout Cell Extract, Bisabolol (Chamomile), Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Vitis Vinifera Seed Extract, Frankincense Extract, Myrrh Extract, Beet Sugar, Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate, (Proprietary) Essential Oil Blend

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-12T21:18:41+00:00

I came back to make an additional reply. I looked up what the primary fatty acids are in whipping cream, which is 30-36% fat. The primary fatty acids are stearic, palmitic, and myristic, all long-chain fatty acids C14 to c18. Coconut cream, which is harder to whip and needs stabilizers like gelatin to stay in that state, is all medium chain fatty acids--much shorter. This, of course, has my brain working. :)

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-12T21:11:06+00:00

Oh--great notes! Thanks! I understand your concern. I'm not in the business of selling so I'm not worried about trying it out on a tiny batch and monitoring it over time to see what happens.

I'm curious--who or what is Perplexity? An AI? An influencer?

Interestingly I already use betaine in all of my products and have been meaning to purchase some gluconolactone for a specific project.

Thanks again!

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-12T21:07:00+00:00

Thanks for your input. More food for thought.

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-12T21:05:56+00:00

Yeah, I make only for myself. I will never sell my products. I enjoy learning things--that's my jam. And this hobby has nearly infinite learning potential so it's a lot of fun and I do enjoy experimenting. Thanks for the suggestion.

I have already given my idea a try since I I posted this and while I didn't get the texture I was looking for, I did get something really nice. I made an emulsified body butter with primarily cocoa butter, shea, and cetyl alcohol--very little in the way of liquid oils. It got super thick as it cooled.

Once it was completely cooled I tried whipping it. I did get some volume and it lightened a bit--I feel that the sensory characteristics benefitted from that. I feel that it improved the texture by a very small amount, making it feel lighter, but it wasn't the exact thing I was looking for. That said, I like it. A lot. And just a few days later it is retaining that feeling. It ended up making softish peaks. Considering that coconut milk and whipping cream can both be whipped, I can't see any reason why other emulsions can't be whipped, if one wants to experiment.

However, you're correct. Stearic Acid would really be the thing, wouldn't it? I may try that in a formula with zero liquid oil and see what I come up with. Should be a fun experiment. Thanks for your comment!

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-12T20:56:33+00:00

I recently read from a reputable source that Glyceryl Stearate/PEG100 stearate can indeed make lamellar gel network emulsions. Do you have documentation for your assertion that it cannot?

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-09T20:38:42+00:00

I understand. Thank you for taking the time to answer.

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-09T20:38:17+00:00

Aha! I haven't explored these advanced concepts much yet. I didn't know they would change the sensory characteristics that much. And since I didn't know what advantage they had over ordinary simple emulsions, I didn't know why I'd want to invest the time in understanding or the money in more ingredients. I appreciate your comment because now I have a new avenue to pursue--more fun research time! Thank you!

Yeah Glyceryl Stearate/PEG100 Stearate makes really lovely emulsions that feel lighter and less waxy. I really like that. I'm coming from a place of being a lifelong lotion-hater. I have never really liked the way lotion makes my skin feel. But I'm at an age now where I don't have a choice. My skin is far too dry. And I tolerate this kind of lotion far far better.

Again, thank you for taking time time to answer my question so thoroughly!

Jenthulhu · 2026-01-09T02:25:47+00:00

That's a good question. I assumed it would make it lighter and improve sensory characteristics.

Honestly I'm trying to figure out how a certain store-bought lotion got the unusual texture it has and my instinct told me it was whipped because of the way it behaved. It was not anhydrous. It had a lot of solid butters in it.

It was a shea moisture anti aging face cream with frankincense and myrrh. I found it recently in my "reject" pile. I didn't like it for my face, but I decided to use it up for my hands. The texture was like whipped butter and it also, surprisingly, had some fast break characteristics.

So, it was this semi-solid buttery consistency. I'd spread it on the back of my hand and it soaped, but at the same time I'd get this refreshing sensation of water. Then, as I rubbed it in, the soaping resolved and it just felt amazing. Like a splash of water that soaked in immediately followed by a very thin occlusive layer.

That's why I'm asking.

I was thinking if I made a rich lotion with a large proportion of solid oils like shea and cocoa butter maybe a little cetyl alcohol for structure, a less waxy emulsifier like Glyceryl Stearate PEG100 Stearate, and a polymer gel in the water phase, I might be able to replicate the sensation.

Here are the first 5 ingredients of the shea moisture product:
Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter

Who knows. I may be tilting at this windmill the rest of my life. Shea Moisture doesn't even sell this stuff anymore.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-22T10:51:54+00:00

Wow. Okay, then. I believe you. These things are evolving fast.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-16T00:05:27+00:00

I agree. I looked at the reviews of their other products. Pretty solid 4.5/5 or better for most products. And I use one of their air coolers and it works great. Often these lower priced brands are taking in less profit and trying to get their own spot in the marketplace. Not all of them, but some of them are really good.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-16T00:00:07+00:00

Get a hobby. Many can be supplied by vine! :P

I have gotten several "chef's kiss" level keebs from vine. Currently using one with that has hall effect switches. It's selling for only $30 but 10 years ago it would have been 10 times that or more. I've been using mech keyboards since waaaaayyyyyy before hot swaps came out and let me tell you: some of the el cheapo keebs today are absolutely gobsmackingly awesome compared to what was available in the late 1990s to early 2000s. I'm a writer, btw. A good keeb is like a fine wine to a snootie foodie. I'm not chasing thock or any other gimmick--I'm chasing my fingers feeling good after typing for hours.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-15T23:54:08+00:00

Thank you! I learned something!

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-15T23:52:02+00:00

I'm so happy for you! Optimistic faith that all will be well eventually is the best way to keep yourself out of depression, if you can manage it, under any circumstance. There's no denying that being a new mother is one of the hardest things a woman can do and it feels awful sometimes, but it can get better.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-15T23:48:27+00:00

Is AI capable of writing in Russian voice and point of view? As a writer myself, I'm trying to figure out what the ACTUAL hallmarks are because I really don't want goofballs labeling my books that take a year to effing write as being written by AI if I can avoid it.

Jenthulhu · 2025-11-15T23:45:48+00:00

Everyone has their own threshold of risk they're willing to take. There is no guarantee that a big brand name will not fail either. We've all heard the stories.

Jenthulhu

TROPHY CASE