itunu

I teach how to make skin and hair care products and am doing a diploma in cosmetic science in the UK. I have recently been interviewed by the saponifier magazine for an article which on the HLB system and preservatives and have copied and pasted some of the info below.

If your product contains water or will come into contact with water (eg a scrub used with wet fingers) a preservative is essential to help prevent microbes (bacteria, mold, and yeast) growing. Preservatives stop growth by killing cells and spores (usually by disrupting cell membranes) or by making the product hostile to growth. It’s a common myth that anti-oxidants like vitamin E, Grapefruit Seed Extract and rosemary extract are preservatives but they are not. Oxidation of oils and butters leads to rancidity and anti-oxidants slow down this process. These anti-oxidants do not prevent bacteria, yeast, or mold from entering your product.

There are many different types of preservatives – you will need one which is broad spectrum – stops (a) gram positive and gram negative bacteria, ( mold; and © yeast growing - http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2010/10/preservatives-what-can-get-into-our.html

Preservatives – these 3 below are very effective, reliable and easy to use.

- Liquid germall plus – this very effective and easy to use preservative is a favourite amongst DIYers including swiftcraftymonkey - INCI: Propylene Glycol (and) Diazolidinyl Urea (and) Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. use 0.5% cool down phase – good for emulsions eg lotions but can’t be used in all oil creations.

- Phenonip – another very effective preservative. Use Phenonip in the heated phase of our creations as it dissolves around 60˚C to 70˚C. If you are making a lotion, it's suggested to divide the product up between the water and oil phases – 0.5% each phase. If you want to use it in a cold product, heat up some propylene glycol or glycerin and add the Phenonip to that before adding it to your product. If you want to use it in a surfactant mix - say, a shampoo bar or body wash - then add it to the heated surfactant phase. INCI: Phenoxyethanol (and) Methylparaben (and) Ethylparaben (and) Butylparaben (and) Propylparaben (and) Isobutylparaben. Usage: In the heated phase of your product. Divide into the oil and water phases in lotions. Suitable for all products, including anhydrous products. NOTE: Phenonip is inactivated by some non-ionic ingredients, such as polysorbate 80 (at 5%, Phenonip is completely inactivated by polysorbate 80), and slightly by polysorbate 20 and 80 at 2.5%. It doesn't do well with ceteareth-20 - it's inactivated by 5% - but it is not affected by cetearyl alcohol.

- Germaben II – Another very effective preservative – very good for hard to preserve products eg those with lots of extracts. The INCI is Propylene Glycol (56%),Diazolidinyl Urea (30%), Methylparaben (11%), and Propylparaben (3%), 0.5% to 1% in the cool down phase. Water soluble, so it's not suitable for anhydrous creations. It is ready-to-use in emulsions with an oil phase of about 25% or less and water soluble formulations.

Step by step instructions on how to make all of the above (plus lip balm and cp soap cupcakes) - equipment, ingredients, recipes etc - http://diybathandbody.wordpress.com/

Thought I'd resurrect this post to see if there are any updates on Elite 200's performance.

- How are you finding the hot throw (which % of FO is best),

- is cracking an issue (I don't intend to "rip the wick")

- is the pull away issue solved by pouring at 180f and cooling slowly etc??

Try jojoba, macadamia or hazelnut oil instead. Also add 10% polysorbate

I've been told these ones - http://www.instanta.com/Productlist.aspx?aid=47 have a larger tap/faucet on them than the other 2 boilers in my post above. I am struggling to find the technical specs though. I think I will have to go on just the info on the website. I am hoping that the tap/faucet on this one won't clog up with wax so I don't have to fit a spigot.

I live in the UK so can't get a presto pot or turkey fryer over here. Choices are limited in the UK for cheap melters so I'm wondering about purchasing this - http://www.kochstar.de/shop/detail.php?cat=277&productid=1513&dataset=3 or this http://www.wardscatering.co.uk/catalogue/view/burco-safety-boiler Any ideas on whether either could be suitable? I'm worried the wax might clog the tap (or do i need to fit a spigot?). Also, when would I add the FO? presumably after it's out of the tap, into the separate pouring pot?

I'm wicking for the first time using paraffin container wax a 3 wick candle (just over 4.5 inches in diameter) using pure cotton wick - 30/20.

I'm having difficulty deciding how my wick test is going. I've just done a video of it - I lit it 2 hours 35 mins ago (first time burning it). I think the flame might be too small although the melt pool looks Ok, I think. Any advice would be great on flame size - how to wick for next time? Also, how to assess horizontal melt pool - i guess the usual 1 inch per hour doesn't apply to 3 wicks?

Here's the video - http://youtu.be/i2Wjti96icA

forgot to say, I'm using paraffin container wax.

If I add either: (a) 3% more fragrance or ( decide to add dye - how does that generally affect wicking. Does this mean I need to go up one wick size for either adding dye or slightly more fragrance?

Also, is it necessary to wait for the wax to cool if you are pouring into a tin as the tin will not show up wet spots?

Thanks.

Thanks so much everyone. Good suggestions to try.

The candle warmer is very interesting - will see what I can find in the UK.

Thanks but I'm not allowed to use the oven so any other ways would be great. I'm in the UK, we don't have a walmart but I will google flatwarmer to see what it is.

I'm afraid there isn't one. Do you mean sunscreen? http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.ca/2009/07/please-do-not-make-your-own-sunscreen.html

I have a hexagonal jam jar -

http://www.jamjarshop.com/images/shop/product/jarhex8_01.jpg which is full of wax

would I be able to re-use this jar for another candle ?

If I can, does anyone have any tricks/tips for getting the wax out of the jar so I can re-use it (I am prohibited from using the oven though)?

Yes fragrance oils/essential oils will keep for longer if they are stored in the fridge.

The sustainer is glued to the bottom of the inside of the container (the tin doesn't have anything stuck underneath it). I have in the past tried pulling out the wick with pliers but because it is attached to the sustainer I couldn't get it out even when it's warmed. If I inserted a new wick (no sustainer) then when the candle melts near the bottom I would get a floating wick??

I've been looking at ways to easily swap wicks in a container candle. I was browsing a homeware shop today and thought I'd try an apple corer. I tested it just now (photo http://flic.kr/p/ebN7VP ) - it went in easily (I'm a wimp can't even open water bottles) and the sustainer automatically came out with it. So happy. Now I can remove the wick with pliers, chop up the wax I removed, glue a new wick/sustainer in and put the pieces of wax I removed back in the hole and melt with a blowtorch/heat gun. This way I don't have to create a new candle. Thought I'd post this here in case it was useful to anyone.

I don't sell, so this is just for personal use. Of course, I should ideally test a wick properly and burn the whole of the candle.

Thanks so much - so I don't think I'll bother with pre-heating the glass containers.

re: memory - if I want to get rid of the memory do you think my suggestion would work?

Thanks again.

I keep reading conflicting advice on whether a paraffin container wax needs a memory burn - some say it's only soy which has a "memory" and some say it's both types of waxes. I'm confused.

If, you are unable to complete the first "memory burn" (ie have to extinguish the candle after only burning it for 1 hour) then can you get rid of the "memory" by blowtorching/heat gunning the whole of the surface so the edges melt thereby eliminating the indentation of where the original melt pool ended??

Another question - when using paraffin container wax - is it really necessary to pre-heat glass containers??

Thanks OldGlory - that makes a lot of sense. I am going to try some LX wicks next.

Thanks, but unfortunately I can't get zinc core winks in the UK (shipping from the US is a nightmare!).

the tin is 60mm high (measured on the outside). Not sure how many inches I burnt per hour. I will try some more 14c

I read the type of wick I have does mushroom a lot.

What are the LX and ECO wicks like?

I did one candle with the 14c and burnt it over a few evenings - so probably 5 burns

I live in the UK (so I can't get many of the waxes/wicks that those of you who live in the US can) and am using 4candles.co.uk candleshack paraffin pro container wax. I'm trying to wick a tin - inside diameter 70mm (2.8 inches which I think is 2 inches and fifth eighths - my maths is terrible and i'm not used to working in inches!). I've tested their wickwell cotton core wicks using a few different fragrances and here are my results:-

The 14 cotton core wick is too small - leaves some wax on the outside of the container and mushrooms.

The 16 cotton core wick is too big - large flame, mushrooms - the melt pool is very deep. When the candle was halfway full, I noticed the whole of the wax had melted so I could see the sustainer!!

I also have some hexagonal glass jars but haven't tried wicking them yet.

So it looks like both their cotton core wicks aren't suitable - and of course I discovered this too late as I bought 50 of all the sizes!!

Which of their wicks http://www.4candles.co.uk/wick/candle_wick.html would you recommend trying out next??

that's really sweet of you to say deisel