Perservatives question?
Written by admin on November 12th, 2008
Caryn B
I’m trying to make natural skin care products outta oatmeal, honey, lemon, sugar, etc but need to put perservatives in them to make them last so where should I go to inquire about this? If anyone has any helpful advice about this subject i’ll really appreciate this. God Bless You All!!
I’m trying to make natural skin care products outta oatmeal, honey, lemon, sugar, etc but need to put perservatives in them to make them last so where should I go to inquire about this? If anyone has any helpful advice about this subject i’ll really appreciate this. God Bless You All!!
Tags: Natural Skin Care, Natural Skin Care Products, Oatmeal
November 12th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Frauen ansprechen
here is a site explaining about cosmetic preservatives and sells them…..
November 13th, 2008 at 3:04 am
Sleeping Bags for Kids
The nice thing about whipping up your own, say, honey-and-oatmeal mask, is you know exactly what’s in it,” Herro says. It’s the same as making your own food. When you make it yourself, you don’t put anything in that you don’t like or you can’t eat.”
Home beauty recipes have been around since before the ancient Greeks.
Remember the peaches-and-cream complexion? It really is achieved by making a mask of just peaches and cream whipped together. But our fascination in the last half of the 20th century with synthetic, laboratory-produced concoctions, and the heavy marketing of these products, has corroded our understanding and appreciation of nature’s bounty.
Take oatmeal, for example. You can take your leftover oatmeal from breakfast and put it on your face as a soothing skin mask.
For scrubs and lotions, start with oils that are solid at room temperature, such as coconut oil or cocoa butter. She’ll occasionally splurge on shea butter, rarer and more expensive than the others, but very soothing to the skin.
“When you’re making these things, a 50-50 ratio is a good rule of thumb,” Krueger says, meaning 50% solid oil and 50% of another ingredient, such as turbinado sugar or salt, which makes a bath scrub. The only way you can really ruin something is by putting in something that stinks.
Benzoin is a fixative that extends the fragrance in your bath products, soap or potpourri. Currently, Juniper Tree in Berkeley carries Benzoin in an one ounce bottle for $10.50. On the bottle it states is 100% steam distilled essential oil. According to Juniper Tree, it is a preservative so it will not go bad like essential oils will. But, it does have a slight vanilla aroma which will not detract from your original scent since vanilla goes just about with anything.
When adding benzoin to your melt and pour soup, Juniper Tree recommends 2 to 5 drops. That is probably a good guideline when making individual batches of soap, bath salts, body scrubs. etc. I am planning to do some experimenting to let you know about adding this preservative to other bath products.
According to E. Joy Bowles, author of The A to Z of essentials oils…what they are, where they come from…how they work, says that Benzoin is used as a fixative in perfurmery and is a preservative in cosemetics because the coniferyl esters have high boiling points and are antifungal and antibacterial. There are two different types of Benzoin. There is the Siam version and the Sumatra version. The Siam version is described as a balsamic or vanilla like, where as the Sumatra is still balsamic in fragrance, it is more harsh and more bitter in its aroma.
Here are some good Recipes
Lemon cleanses skin and improves microcirculation; the ancient Romans valued parsley as a skin tonic. Oatmeal is a natural softener.
Lemon, Ginger and Parsley Bath Soak
1/2 cup grated lemon peel
1/4 cup dried parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons old-fashioned rolled oats
Combine ingredients and add to bath water. Makes enough for 1 bath.
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Avocado is high in vitamin E; carrot in vitamin A. Cream is high in calcium and protein.
Avocado, Carrot and Cream Mask
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed
1 carrot, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons honey
Combine ingredients and spread over face and neck. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with cool water. Makes 1 mask.
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Herro says this calming cucumber mask also can be used up to three times a day for sunburned skin – although she’d rather we all use sunscreen, even on cloudy days, and prevent burned skin altogether.
Cucumber Mask
1 small cucumber, peeled and seeded
4 tablespoons chamomile tea, steeped and strained
4 tablespoons green tea, steeped and strained
1 packet unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
Puree cucumber in blender until smooth. Strain through a coffee filter or tea strainer and reserve juice. In small saucepan, combine chamomile tea, green tea and gelatin. Stir over low heat until gelatin has dissolved. Remove from heat and pour in glass bowl. Add cucumber juice and aloe vera gel. Refrigerate 25 minutes or until mask begins to thicken.
Apply to face and neck and allow to dry – about 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry. Makes 1 mask.
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Grapefruit seed oil used in this recipe acts as a natural preservative, according to Cynthia Krueger of Outpost Natural Foods. The amount of essential oils used should be to individual preference.
Outpost and most health-food stores sell beeswax, food-grade essential oils and non-food-grade aromatherapy oils. It is wise when making these recipes to use Pyrex or old metal pots no longer used for cooking food. Pots and stirring spoons can be cleaned with very hot water and dish soap.
Cynthia’s Healing Hand and Foot Salve
1 bar (2 ounces) beeswax
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
10 drops rosemary oil
10 drops calendula oil
10 drops tea tree oil
10 drops grapefruit seed oil
Using double boiler, melt beeswax in olive oil over low heat. Add essential oils and heat, stirring, about 2 minutes more. Let mixture cool slightly. Pour into aluminum muffin cups and let solidify.
Use within a month or store in fridge. Makes 9 salves.
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We tested this bath scrub with lavender oil for a soothing fragrance, but those with allergies or extra sensitive skin should omit the fragrance.
Cynthia’s Sugar Scrub
1 cup coconut oil, cocoa butter or shea butter
1 cup turbinado (raw) sugar (see note)
8 to 10 drops lavender oil (optional)
Using a double boiler over low heat, liquefy coconut oil, cocoa butter or shea butter. Add lavender oil and stir a few seconds. Remove from heat and add turbinado sugar. Transfer to plastic or glass container with storage lid. Stir occasionally as mixture solidifies to keep sugar evenly suspended in oil.
Use immediately or store in refrigerator. Keeps about 1 month. Makes 2 scrubs.
Note: Turbinado sugar is a raw sugar usually sold in bulk in health food stores or over the Internet. It is grainier and darker than refined sugar. Kosher salt may be used as a substitute in this recipe.
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Variations of this recipe, shown on the cover of the Food section, can be found at, and other home-spa Web sites. This is from.
Strawberry Foot Exfoliant
8 ripe strawberries
3 tablespoons kosher salt or coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Lightly mash strawberries. Add olive and salt. Don’t overblend or mixture will be too runny. Rub over feet to smooth rough calluses. Rinse.
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This recipe for cornstarch clay – teacher Sandra Szymkowski’s favorite – comes from.
Cornstarch Play Clay
1 cup cornstarch
2 cups (1 pound) baking soda
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon liquid food coloring, or 1 to 2 teaspoons food color paste
In medium saucepan, stir cornstarch and baking soda. Add water and oil all at once and stir until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until mixture reaches the consistency of slightly dry mashed potatoes. (Mixture will come to a boil, then start to thicken, first in lumps and then in a thick mass; it should hold its shape.)
Remove from heat. Do not overcook clay; crafts may crack.
Turn out onto plate and cover with damp cloth and let cool. Makes about 2 pounds.
Mrs. S’ Salt Dough
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons food coloring
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Mix flour, salt and cream of tartar in a saucepan. Add water, food coloring and oil. Stir mixture over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes. When it forms a ball, remove from heat and roll on a floured surface. Continue to work until glob forms a smooth dough. Store in plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature. Makes 1 large ball.
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Dwayne Siever, who sells his own milk paints and pigments at, located these recipes for casein paint. His cottage cheese version is a durable, weather-resistant paint, but takes longer to make.
1870 Milk Paint Formula
1 quart non-fat milk (divided)
1 ounce hydrated lime (see note)
1 to 2 1/2 pounds of chalk for filler
Limeproof pigment powder (optional, for color)
Stir enough milk into hydrated lime to make a cream. Add remaining milk. Add chalk to desired consistency. Add pigment to desired color and mix well.
Apply paint in a thin coat with a natural bristle brush. Allow to dry sufficiently before applying next coat. Milk paint will not bubble, even if underlayer is not completely dry.
Allow project to dry 3 to 4 hours before using.
Note: Hydrated lime – lime that has been soaked in water and then dried – is sold at building centers and farm supply stores. Do not use quicklime; it will react with water and heat up. Lime is non-toxic and is often used to purify water or to raise the pH level of soil.
Chalk and pigment powder are available at the same stores.
Cottage Cheese/Dry Curd Paint
1 part hydrated lime
Water
5 parts cottage cheese or dry-curd cheese (see note)
limeproof pigment powder (optional, for color)
Non-fat milk powder, if needed
Mix hydrated lime with enough water to form a paste. Add to cheese and stir well. Let sit for several hours while cheese lumps dissolve. Add powdered pigment to solution. If too thick, add water. If too thin, add non-fat milk powder.
For a finer paint, strain through nylon stocking or cheesecloth.
Note: Dry-curd cheese is cottage cheese without cream or whey. Make your own by straining cottage cheese through cheesecloth or yogurt strainer.
November 14th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Faschingskost