we need preservatives (for homemade products)

[Crissi]

I have been thinking about this for a while, those of us that mix our own products. We tend to neglect the need for preservatives e.g. water, aloe, glycerin mix, we would need to preserve this to prevent bacteria growing in the bottle and what not. I have formulated a product thus I have been looking for preservatives to buy, but i just cant seem to find any. Could you ladies please help me?

TIA

Crissi, x

 

[ladylibra]

i've heard that vitamin E and sage essential oils are good preservatives. i used to use the sage in my rosemary tea/olive oil spritz back when i was transitioning, but SO didn't like the strong smell of sage so i quit using it.

 

[tiffers]

Tea tree eo is a natural preservative. Like LadyLibra said, so is vitamin E. www.lotioncrafter.com also sells a wide variety of preservatives

 

[lisana]

"Origins own blend of Organic Clove, Rose, Lavender, Patchouli and Red Thyme Essential Oils helps protect the purity of this product"

this is the statement on Origins website for their organics line. I've been interested in this for a while because they say this blend keeps the products pure and stable which sounds like a natural preservative to me. But I think that you would have to experiment with the rations to see what works thebest.

 

[Empress Yahudah]

Here is a great link on fnwl site about preservatives and it also has a search feature so u can find out what mixture needs what preservative.
Also there is a link on that page entitled "Using preservative to extend the shelf life of ur products" that break it all down and give u description of how much to use and what to use.

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/Preservatives.asp

 

[Afro-Indi]

T50, Rosemary oil extract,

This site is pretty good for all kinds of ingredients.
http://www.thesoapdish.com/haircare.htm

 

[adw425]

I use tea tree oil.

 

[Irresistible]

*subscribing for the lhcf link*

 

[almond eyes]

Unless one uses the product immediately, it is key to use a preservative. Without a preservative one can run the risk of a serious staph infection or worse case scenario blindness (if it is a product that gets into your eyes).

Best,
Almond Eyes

 

[scorpian]

I copied my post from the homemade hair recipes forum
Vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract are natural preservatives
I have both and ordered them from
From Nature with Love


I also order preservatives from http://www.lotioncrafter.com/
here are 2 that I've used

Optiphen™
ISP’s first globally approved preservative in the Optiphen family developed as an alternative for personal care formulations requiring a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative system. Optiphen consists of Phenoxyethanol in an emollient base of Caprylyl Glycol. The combination of these ingredients provides optimized protection against microbial growth while imparting exceptional feel to the finished product. Optiphen can be used in a wide variety of personal care products including aqueous and anhydrous systems and emulsions. It can be added directly to the formulation during pre- or post-emulsification at or below 60°C (140°F). There are no pH restrictions and it is compatible with most raw materials.
Recommended use levels: 0.5 – 1.5%.
Appearance: Clear liquid
INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol
Click here to access Technical Data Sheet and MSDS. Optiphen can be used in a wide variety of personal care products including aqueous and anhydrous systems and emulsions. It can be added directly to the formulation during pre- or post-emulsification at or below 60°C (140°F). There are no pH restrictions and it is compatible with most raw materials.

 

[JustKiya]

I use TTO in all of my homemade stuff, and most of it, I tend to also store in the fridge/freezer until it's time to use. My spritz is the only homemade thing left out, and it's made of products that have preservatives in them, PLUS a dab of TTO, so I'm not concerned about that, at all.

 

[Crissi]

Thank you ladies for your responses, you definately helped alot

 

[adw425]

I use TTO in all of my homemade stuff, and most of it, I tend to also store in the fridge/freezer until it's time to use. My spritz is the only homemade thing left out, and it's made of products that have preservatives in them, PLUS a dab of TTO, so I'm not concerned about that, at all.

Same here...what she said (smile)...I don't refrigerate my moisture spritz/mist, but I add the tea tree (which also has moisturizing properties), a bit of Right On curl activator (for the glycerin, but it has preservatives) and a bit of Breck Kid's detangler (which has panthenol. aloe vera, vitamin E and preservatives) that I get at Dollar Tree for the sole purpose of adding it to my moisture mist for the preservatives contained therein.

 

[SouthernTease]

3 Vitamin E capsules for every 8 oz of whatever