Instead of infused oil which may contaminate a bit more? lol. And of course, you can get creative and come up with your own blends! :), Hello, thank you for sharing the results of your experiment, its very interesting and extremely helpful. Id be grateful for the benefit of your experiences. Heat to 160-170F and hold for 20 minutes. Here you can ask or answer questions All questions are queued and answered quickly during business hrs. I would love to explore challenge testing with these preservatives as well, I just have limited funds for my blog experiments.

Its really an amazing skill to have. Question + Answer. (And yes, most Etsy sellers break the rules or are unaware of them, which makes it even more frustrating.) :) It looks like I shouldve added it to the oil phase. Add around 16 drops of essential oil. While youre mixing, keep the beater as close to the base of the jug as possible as not to add too much air. :). Wondering what lovely things your microbial kits unearthed? I buy hydrosols that are preserved with Leucidal Liquid, so I know that one is good for liquids but otherwise havent really explored that aspect much. I dont like the sciencey stuff but looks like I dont have a choice! Its good to know there are some ecosafe options to use when making products. The skin pH is about 5.5, which is why acidic preservatives in your cream can be a very good thing! I have stuck with oil salves rather than getting into lotions for this reason, I really dont want to have to consider the pros and cons of preservatives! Just wondering how much of the Leucidal Liquid SF you add to each container of lotion? Nothing else they have tried has worked as well. My question is if I use powdered milk such as goat milk in my lip balm will I need a preservative if I want to market? Hi! I thought it was used for anhydrous preparations only? Thanks for an amazing job! If youre looking for some natural gift ideas, I share some essential oil gift ideas here. Very interesting read! sun lotion care recipes mixture step Do you know if any of these are ok to use in primarily liquid products. Tried & Tested DIY Crafts, For Mind, Body & Home, Gorgeous smelling, with coconut, beeswax, cocoa butter and oils chosen for their super relaxing qualities, This content is relevant as of April 28, 2022, Home Blog DIY Beauty Products Body How To Make Homemade Body Lotion From Scratch. Once everything has melted, add your water part to your oils part. Either unknowingly or just ignoring the rules? If youre not using a preservative, this is a requirement, not a suggestion. Thank you. Next time, Ill keep better track! :). So, this result isnt valid.). This is the '. But instead of store-bought moisturisers, I was planning to make a very simple one of just oil and water, and then changing the ratios of oil to water (or should I do occlusive to humectant?). Thank you so much for sharing all of your wonderful knowledge its a fascinating subject for sure! (I now use both of those when making lotions for extended family and friends.). Now place the 'water part' and the 'oil part' in a water bath or double boiler. Hi Tatiana! . Youre right that salves are very nice in that you dont have to worry about preservatives! Yes, you definitely want to weigh your preservatives and both liquid & solid lotion ingredients to get the most accurate amounts. :). I may try some of your positively tested ones as well. Its been so confusing and difficult knowing which preservative to use. Hi Annie, Im happy you enjoyed the article! We recommend adding it at cool-down when your formulation temperature is below 40C (104F) to avoid destabilization issues. For 4 oz of lotion, youd double that amount. When you make lotion, youre creating an emulsion. I bought another bottle thinking maybe it was just a bad batch. If Im using a scale do you know what that would measure out to? (Room temperature in my house hovers in the upper 70s.) Hi! They even have a handy PDF to print out. If so, heres how to make your own lotion with high-performance oils, to keep your skin feeling fresh and younger for longer. Hi Carina! This is all oil phase still - it has not been combined with water yet. Of course, there is always a question of how long this preservative can hold its strength?? I calculated 2% of total oz. NataPres isnice, but more expensive and I had heard of a few people that experienced mold with it. When I did my testing, I only used it at 2% and it still did an outstanding job, so you dont necessarily have to use it at the 3% rate. If youre using a jar with a wide lip you can use a spatula or spoon. 1% preservative would equal 1 gram When I called and talked to the people at Formulators Supply Shop they definitely recommend Lucidal PF at 2% combined with Amticide Coconut at 2%. Fact: if a cup of herbal tea sits out at room temperature for a few days, its going to getreally gross and smelly. Optiphen plus needs to be added below 60C. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Control lotion without preservative, refrigerated Speckled, but not quite as much as room temperature control. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/lavender-plantain-lotion/. Anyway the last 3 times I've made this lotion, the Optiphen Plus turns into a gooey solid and precipitates to the bottom. I am not familiar with this home bacterial test kit, but just wondering, do you have to incubate it at 37C? I hope that helps! Some of the links below are affiliate links, If you buy via the links we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. argan soapqueen Ive wanted to start using some more natural preservatives also. If you plan to use the max amount of 3%, then for 8 oz of lotion youd use 0.24 oz of aspen bark extract (This is the math I used to get that number: 8 oz of lotion x .03 usage rate = 0.24 oz of preservative needed) I was the same way too, until I tested it for myself & learned about safer options. 20 grams oil :). https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/chamomile-elder-sensitive-skin-lotion-recipe/ Ive done all the hard work for you with this set of 30 printable skincare product labels. Depending on the emulsifying wax used this could take a while, it may not fully thicken right away, so persevere with it. But how do we describe what its for to the consumer without SOME type of indication for what its for? Very impressive read this morning Jan. To apply this, treat it like you would any lotion. Im just starting out making my own natural products, and Im using Leucidal SF Complete as I thought it sounded the most natural and environmentally safe. Now, I know and thank you for this! If youre interested in making safe and effective lotions and creams for yourself and family, then I think youll find my Handmade Lotions & Creams eBook Collection very helpful! ", Posted By: WSP Staff|Date: October 07, 2019, "How do I calculate percentage for glycerin ? Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) is technically an antioxidant, but its also fraught with controversy. Sorry to hear that about your plant, but glad that you enjoyed the article! Thank you I appreciate this post very much! At that point, the lotion should be nicely emulsified & there shouldnt be an separation going on. I suspect theyre okay, but I think it would be best to double check with wherever you purchase from and see if they have a solid answer. Check out the Bumblebee Apothecary Shop here. :), Posted By: DORNE|Date: April 23, 2018, Posted By: catherine|February 04, 2018, "I was wondering if essential oils hold well in soapBetter than cold process soap? As I quickly discovered, making your own organic skincare products is super fun! You could try sweet almond oil and cocoa butter. Also, be sure to double check the math since its not always my strong point! Thank you so much for the helpful information !! If your oil is 100% oil with no added water/liquid, you wont need a preservative, but you might want to add some vitamin E or rosemary antioxidants (ROE/rosemary oleoresin extract) to help extend their shelf life even longer. Examples of this would be things like essential oils and soy wax and even potato chips. Youll just have to trust me that they were Gross (yes, with a capital G.). I also love to hear what you all think, including your questions, in the comments section below, Ill do my best to answer you. Hi Jan, would it be ok if i use Leucidal Liquid SF combined with AMTicide Coconut to preserve my pumpkin mask? But, the thing is, if we make something that contains water, and have it sit around at room temperature, we really do need to add something to keep it fresh and to prevent unwanted bacteria mold growth. Thanks!

I have some labeling information in that too I believe: The water + wax + oil adds up to 100 grams, meaning that Leucidal Liquid PT, used at 2% Significant speckles starting to develop on the yellow (bacteria) side. Soap Made Easy, Three Steps To Perfect Skin, & The Natural Oils Series. Try to keep it out of direct sunlight if youre using a fully transparent jar or bottle. as I get a lot of headaches In my quest for the purest and most natural skincare, I decided to try making some things. (Many people heat and hold for 20 minutes to reduce pathogen load and to ensure a better emulsion. Tinted lip balm recipe with honey and tallow. The manufacturer recommends adding below 176F but I usually emulsify my lotion betwee 105-120F. I didnt test that batch of lotion after 3 to 6 months, but have a new batch of preservatives testing going on now that should be ready for a big write up this fall. naturesgardencandles homemade cream The role of preservative is to kill all the bacteria/ mold introduced to the cream!!! You can totally substitute these two for any other liquid oils or butters that you want. And would you suggest 4% of EACH preservative? Blessings Jocelan, Hi Jocelan! Im curious too about the exact things that were in there I would love to send the lotions out for testing in a lab, but just dont have the funds to do that at this time. You might find this list helpful of 214 words you can use to name your products that shouldnt get you in trouble: !I will try using Leucidal Liquid SF from now on. You just want to make sure that you have a scale that can measure such a tiny weight as 1 gram if needed. If 72 hrs later you didnt detect any bacterial/mold growth at this temperature, this is a good preservative!!!) Apply to large areas of the skin and rub it in using a circular motion. Pour hot oil mixture into food processor. Can I assume they have 4 years shelf life without any preservation? Thats a really interesting idea about using a ginseng tincture instead of infused oil thanks! How much AMTicide coconut and leucidal SF did you use in conjuntion with one another? I use essential oils so I never like having them too hot to burn off. I havent tried it to be sure, but thats my best guess!

After that I just stuck with Optiphen. 6 g emulsifying wax NF When youre confident with your skills, you absolutely should consider gifting. Im just trying to get my math calculations correct, and also price out my materials. If thats the case, you could use something like this one: https://www.aussiesoapsupplies.com.au/emulsifying-wax-nf.html I did a formula with just Leucidal that failed and dont want to make another expensive mistake. emulsifying glycerin optiphen grapeseed You dont want it to boil, keep the heat very low. Im about to start a biology assignment into the effect of different moisturisers on retaining the water content of gelatine (as a model for human skin). There is something that can prevent it but ive forgotten what it is. Leucidal SF Complete contains the two and is also effective. (THIS STUDY demonstrates that jars are less than ideal for storing lotions; go with pump tops or flip caps instead. I completely forgot to include Leucidal Liquid in the winners list. Just a note, its much easier to calculate lotions & preservative rates in grams instead of ounces, but Im going to use ounces & type some mental math out loud here & see what we get! Unrefined shea butter has more beneficial nutrients compared to refined shea butter. YOU get to decide just what youre comfortable putting on your own skin! Ive been wanting to test my lotions for quite some time and you have encouraged me to get it done:) you rock! Nature-derived doesnt mean its necessarily healthier in all cases, but for some people myself included, the original source is an important factor when choosing ingredients.). Thank you very much. I'm an experienced soap maker, skincare formulator, author, busy Mom of 3, and recently a Grandma! http://www.usingeossafely.com/shelf-life-of-essential-oils-and-how-to-make-them-last-longer/ Glad you enjoyed it Katie! While Ive had consistent great luck with it, a few people have written to let me know that they experienced mold sooner, sometimes within a week or a month. Check out THIS EXCELLENT POST at Precision Laboratories. Im going to start making a hydrosol blend spray with plant extracts. Hi Virginia! I always add, after making the emulsion, and during cooldown.below 120F. I just want to say that I have literally spent hours upon hours researching preservatives because I am staring a handmade natural beauty brand. I just like the way you explain and help others.Ok I am a hair stylist i made some oil for hair and skin, but know I am trying to selling them thats why I try to know exactly what preservatives to use and with one is better.Thank you. I cantadvise on what specific product you should use for your own personal use or if you sell your items, because I just dont know the answer to that. Does it come with instructions for use? Good luck with your experiment! I hope you enjoy making your own homemade things! 3% preservative would equal 3 grams This is perfect. foaming formulate scrub optiphen Bouquet is a gorgeous floral scent. Its the way it glides across the skin, or perhaps its the gorgeous aromas of essential oils that does it for me. (Or about 2 1/2 ml or 1/2 teaspoon of each preservative. I even have Leucidal which is now very old, needs to be replaced. Main home made personal item I make is water based perfume with essential oils.

Distilled water should always be usedfor making lotionsince tap water can have all sorts of ickies lurking in it, but I know a lot of people start off using tap water anyway and I wanted to really test these preservatives, so I used tap water. (herbhedgerow.co.uk/214-words-to-legally-name-your-skincare-products-without-getting-into-trouble update, article has been removed) After one month, the lotions in each jar looked perfectly fine, but I figured theyd had plenty of time to accumulate an assortment of potentially gross microscopic stuff that should show up during testing, so I pulled out my microbial test kits. It should be the same as the Ginseng Root extract you bought. This question isnt completely related to preservativesbut how does one sell any type of diaper rash balm, postpartum spray for moms, eczema ointment etc., without registering it as a drug? Will be greatly appreciated!! Store in a cool, dark place at room temperature. The products we use on our skin is a huge part of this! I washed my hands before I did so, with soap, but not anything antibacterial as I wasnt trying to be totally germ free just the amount of bacteria a person would normally have on their hands after washing. Im so frustrated with this. Also, Ive started combining it with AMTicide Coconut to give an added boost against mold. milk goat lotion recipes csindy goats or what would be the correct preservative to purchase? It absorbs quickly, and the fragrance is lovely. Im going to try Leucidal SF (for bacteria) and Luecidal PT (for mold) together and see how that turns out. Each preservative has a range of temperature at which they do best added. For my favorite non toxic cleaning products, check out this post here. I use 4% Leucidal SF always and when I add the Amticide Coconut, Ive been using anywhere from 2 to 4%. :) :) :), Hi Savanes, Im happy you liked it! I agree completely that those selling handmade products should definitely test their products all sorts of ways, including challenge testing via a lab, before selling to the general public. :). And stir thoroughly once more. None of the lotions were irritating and all felt nice, though I noticed a slight medicinal smell initially from the Leucidal Liquid SF, and the lotion made with propolis tincture smelled downright boozy and unpleasant. Because they are likely to be exposed with some air during procedure before bottled. First of all, no matter what you do ( put your unwashed fingers in your cream, put your washed fingers in your cream, or put your sterile spatula in your cream), every time you open your cream outside of a very special sterilized (laboratory) environment (which is pretty much all the time! Making these lotions is fool proof. While typing this I realize that you would probably want to know how big my batches would be I do wish I had held and tested the lotions longer too next time for sure! Thank you for not only specifying what you did, but also why you did so. (*Nature-derived means that the product started out from somethingfound in nature and was then processed further into the end product. Without challenge testing, its hard to know for certain, but I feel a 6 month shelf life is not an unrealistic estimate. :), This is a great article. Hi Karen! Let your oils and waxes melt together. Ive only used it once and my moisturiser did go mouldy after a week or two. ", Posted By: WSP Staff|Date: July 23, 2020, Posted By: LIZZETTE|October 04, 2019, "Hi, can i use Germaben II as a preservative if i use 70% water and lets say 15% grapeseed and 20% mango butter? You can set up a water bath by simply pouring a few inches of water into a pan and leaving it on the stove to warm. Refrigerating will help slow down bacteria and mold growth, but wont completely stop it. Yes, some essential oils have been shown in studies to have antibacterial properties and might be useful. I really appreciate you sharing your perspective as a scientist with us! Hi Lily, Thank you so much for pointing that out! What I would do with those home kit test is to test your preservatives right when you receive them from supplier to check for contamination as there was case last year where Leucidal was culprit for large recall of baby sunscreen products. Its really very informative for a person like me who knows very little about preservative. The tiny amounts of ANY preservative type used in a beautiful handcrafted lotion is a much better option than the majority of commercial products out there. If you only used 2% or less, then youd get at least another batch out of the 1 ounce packet of aspen bark extract, or even more depending on the rate. https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/selling-handmade-products-faqs-series/ That way, everything lines up neatly with percentages. Place water into a heat safe container and oil soluble ingredients (oils, butters, emulsifying wax and stearic acid) into a separate heat safe container and place into your oven turned onto lowest setting (warm setting is usually around 170F). Hello Jan. Hi Kimberly, Thanks for letting me know about Neodefend Ill definitely have to check that one out! This will make sure its cool enough to add the next few ingredients. Youve made ordering the testing kit look like tons of fun as well. I appreciate how much detail you put into this post. Thanks. Some of my favorite premixed essential oil blends from Plant Therapy are Soft Skin and Bouquet. Im going to go in the post and edit to reflect that. Again, this is just so that everything is as pure as possible, with nothing unwanted getting into the finished lotion. Our seven-year-old granddaughter has eczema on her elbows and this clears it right up! :). However, I put that down to using a very old calendula/almond oil infusion and oat water (water that had steeped rolled oats in it before being strained). Do you happen to remember what usage rate you used for it? shampoo argan oil recipe uncovered overnight bottles pour five leave into To get to the bottom of it all, I started an experiment a few years ago in an attempt to try tofigure out if I really needed to worry about preservatives in my lotions and creams, or not. I keep a bottle of this magical formula topped up as often as I can. Hi Tracy, Thats a great question! There are a lot of factors as far as ingredients used, storage conditions and whether you use fingers/a clean spoon to scoop your lotion, or storing it in a pump style bottle to extend shelf life longer, so its hard to tell whats going wrong and why. If you find your brand of ewax makes the lotion too thin, then try 30%. You can formulate your own lotion recipe by using the percentages below.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. :). Oops! How to choose oils, butters, herbs & essential oils, for your creations. Decanter your mixture into your chosen storage container. Let me know in the comments! if someone is immune-compromised. I was surprised and intrigued! I recommend using distilled water for the water portion. Jan Berry is a writer, herbalist, soapmaker, and bestselling author of The Big Book of Homemade Products, Simple & Natural Soapmaking, and Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps. The smell does eventually fade out, or perhaps I just get more used to it? If you want 8% shea butter in your lotion, you just use 8 grams of shea butter. Im going to stick with salves for now! Dont we usually avoid preservatives in our food? Im so glad that you found the information helpful! Im currently favorite Leucidal SF Complete (from Formulator Sample Shop) but am still not 100% settled on any one favorite yet. Can I label Diaper Spray and then describe what each ingredient does? http://www.lotioncrafter.com/leucidal-liquid-sf.html Thanks for such a wonderful article, it was very interesting. Wow, I was concerned about the preserving part of it too, but, probably too lazy to find out. This morning I tried again and added the Optiphen to the water phase. I used it once and the product shortly after started molding. Id love to hear how your experiments go too! Thank You Remove your pyrex jug/beaker from the water bath and give it a quick stir. Can I say cooling, soothing? On first reading about it they called it the 'soap effect'as in appearance. I love that Lotioncrafter gives the suggested usage rates for all of the products too very convenient! However preservatives are designed so you can keep them at room temperature without them spoiling, and so you can keep them longer. You said that you noticed the smell initially. So if you need 2% of a preservative and your lotion is 100 grams total, you know you need 2 grams preservative. "How do i incorporate additives so that the recipe stays at 100%. Im sad you didnt have this one tested, but glad to see you tested all of the other ones I was looking at. Thank you so much for doing the work of testing these preservatives. Lotioncrafter says that PhytoCide Aspen Bark Extract can be used at 0.2% 3.0% usage rate, so much of that depends on what rate you plan on using it at. Once thats done, your DIY lotion is pretty much finished. AMTicide Coconut was developed to be used in conjunction with Active Micro Technologys broad-spectrum antimicrobials like Leucidal Liquid, but it can be used alongside any preservative system for extra protection against yeast and mold. If you check out the individual listings at LotionCrafter, they should tell you what types of products they do well in. Im just wondering why you didnt mention the Leucidal Liquid on the winners list as that shows as clear after 72 hours as well as the other two. The only exception to this recipe was the propolis batch, in which I used 65 g of water in the recipe and added 10 g propolis tincture, after the heating phase. I know you have an Etsy shop,which I see isnt selling skin products right now :(. It can be depressing. 2 ounces of lotion = about 57 grams. Just noticed:its growing mold!!!!! Hi Fawn, Im so happy that you enjoyed reading about the experiment and youre enjoying the recipes! Really appreciated this information; my essential oil group is always having a hard time with this as some think the refrigerator is enough or making smaller amounts is enough. thank you. So, if your ingredients (water, oils, wax) add up to 100 grams, youd use between 2 to 4 grams of preservative. Hi Leesa, Your perfume sounds lovely! Thank you so much! Each batch of lotion was poured into sanitized jars and allowed to cool before capping. Stay tuned! Thank you for the recipe. homemade ftempo plus Vitamin E and Rosemary Antioxidants (Extract) (also called ROE) are both excellent antioxidants that will slow down rancidity in oils, but theywont kill the germs in your lotion.