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Preserving Homemade Beauty Products
My sister is wondering about how to preserve beauty products, including creams for your face, hands and babies bottoms, so that they can last more than a couple of weeks. Thanks.
Good question, especially these days, given that paraben preservatives commonly found in personal care products are hormone disrupters and it is in our interest to find healthy alternatives!
I think that the easiest way to preserve kitchen cosmetics is to use grapefruit seed extract, easily found in health food stores and used by some personal care product manufacturers such as Aubrey Organics. This choice would be expensive for producing gallons of creams and lotions, but for small batches it is by far the most convenient. Use 6 drops per ounce of cream of oil, or 1/3 teaspoon per cup. You can also use antiseptic essential oils such as rose, clove, rosemary or lavender. Only use small amounts. Per ounce of cream or oil, use 3 drops or less (eye area), 5 drops or less (face), or 25 drops or less (body).
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add your comment »Make sure she stores these products in a dark place will help. In the cupboard or a drawer.
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www.pioneerliving.com has all kinds of beauty tips & how to preserve; www.craftbits.com has homemade herbal shampoos etc that have shelf life of 1 year; most all will tell you, if you google, etc, HOW to use preservatives; & the shelf life!
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Sterilising all implements and containers prior to making the product, as well as keeping the products refrigerated also helps to prevent rancidity. Using portioned applicatiors on the containers (pumps, sprays) which prevent contact with fingers or the air can also prevent bacterial infection.
I agree with Judi that pure Vitamin E is an excellent preservative; it can be blended into dry or liquid products. Vitamin C should be used more sparingly, as it may irritate some skins and may also create photo-sensitivity to skin, therby increasing the chance for sunburn.
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Some people are allergic to essential oils and extracts. It's a good idea to test before adding them to your beauty or other products. Try a tiny dab on the inside of your elbow. Better a small rash on your arm than a big one on your face--or all over your body!
It's also important to note that the concentrated nature of these "natural" substances has made many hazardous. For instance, lavender oil has been noted to have estrogenic effects. Tea tree oil is a respiratory irritant. Orange oil [D-Limonene] is a registered pesticide. Lastly, many essential oils are processed using hexane, a petrochemical, and people may react to it as they might a synthetic fragrance.
Caveat emptor!
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Hi Shannon,
Other options to preserve your home made personal care products is to use vitamin E and Vitamin C in your blends. You can purchase vitamin E in gel capsules, then prick and squeeze a couple into 4 ounces of product. Citric Acid (Vitamin C) disperses well in water, and can be easily incorporated into your blends as well. Judi, co-owner blume, Llc. Natural & Organic Personal Care.
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