Can this be made more like a lotion?

[iammommytwo]

I liked this soy & shea lotion bar recipe, but I want to make it more of a lotion and don't want any chemical preservatives in it. I'd like to start making my own and have a supply of wax. I have been searching, but cannot find anything without chemicals.

I'd like to use Aloe Vera Gel, and some other oils- perhaps Jojoba and Grapeseed.

Any thoughts/suggestions are greatly appreciated.

http://www.craftserver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73883

[nursenancy]

I don't have a whole lot of experience with B&B, but I think that to make this into a lotion consistancy you need add water, an emulsifier and some a preservative if it has water in it.

[Sister Kya]

I have been searching, but cannot find anything without chemicals.

Yup. There's pretty much nothing on Earth without chemicals in it...

You're looking for an anhydrous lotion recipe that's not a solid or a "butter"? I haven't seen one but it doesn't mean it isn't out there.

Most lotions use water to create an emulsion and will require a preservative to prevent the water from growing beasties. If you can find a "lotion" that doesn't incorporate water, you're probably on the right track.

Good Luck!

[iammommytwo]

if I were to use water, what can I preserve it with that's NOT chemical?

I'm doing alot of reading and seeing things mentioned, such as Grapefruitseed Extract, and Hydrosols

[adillenal]

if I were to use water, what can I preserve it with that's NOT chemical?

I'm doing alot of reading and seeing things mentioned, such as Grapefruitseed Extract, and Hydrosols

Nothing

[Faerywren]

if I were to use water, what can I preserve it with that's NOT chemical?

I'm doing alot of reading and seeing things mentioned, such as Grapefruitseed Extract, and Hydrosols

most things touted as "natural" preservatives are anti-oxidants and won't prevent your lotion from growing cooties.

[cdesousa5]

Nothing and the bugs it would grow are worse than the minute amount of chemical preservative used to protect yourself.

[van_yulay]

There is nothing natural to preserve a lotion, believe me-I have tried for over 11 years now. For all the newbie’s , please take note. I am so worried for the public on this topic. I have watched on this topic for about 2 years now and haven’t spoken up. You can actually kill someone with lotion. I know that is dramatic , but it true. Anyone that is trying to make lotion needs to do testing for their lotion and research every item that is going in their products. I want to see the people here succeed. So here is some information that everyone needs to know.

1. Even though you don’t see green growing in your lotion. Does not mean it not full of bacteria.

2. Every natural ingredient as well as chemical has an effect on the body( Don’t take this statement lightly)

3. 1/3 of herbal extracts can kill or overdose a person. Even just topically.

4. Not every statement on the internet is true.

I at one time wanted everything natural . There has to be a way. I thought grapefruit extract would be perfect. I made some lotion with it and it looked fine. But when I tested it for a full spectrum testing. It did not pass. The more I researched on GSE , the more I got worried. My father is on heart medication and just by eating one grapefruit can kill him. Yikes.Thank goodness, I talk with my father about everything. Because I know for a fact my father would have not read the ingredients. He would have taken my product at face value, that I knew what was in the product and it would be good for him.

After talking to a chemist, the concentrations that GSE is used as a preservative would have the same effect on him. I almost sent some lotion to my father to test. So this is a lesson I learned almost 10 years ago. I could have killed my father. Please people , I don’t want to scare you but the skin is the largest organ we have. Everything that you put on the skin, get digested as if we had consumed it. After some research on GSE it can mess up your hormones at the levels used as a preservative.

SO please , please do research. Test your products and know what you are talking about. Hire a chemist, lab and such.

http://www.blood-pressure-updates.com/bp/high-blood-pressure/high-blood-pressure-treatment/food-that-lowers-high-blood-pressure.htm

http://www.gaiaresearch.co.za/grapefruitseedextract.html

Grapefruit Seed Extract

For argument's sake, let's assume that the quaternary ammonium compounds in GSE have similar activity to benzalkonium chloride, a well known hard surface cleaner and disinfectant. Efficacy in a hard surface cleaner does not translate directly to efficacy as an antimicrobial agent in cosmetic formulations nor does it translate to in vivo efficacy against the wide variety of organisms claimed by the purveyors of such products. I could be convinced by properly managed studies published in reputable refereed journals, but to date none have been delivered to me.

The cited studies do not include cosmetic challenge tests which are done on formulated products. Basically you inoculate the product with a variety of bacteria and fungi and see how they grow. The desired result is that they all go away or are their growth is inhibited. Since each type of product has a different distribution of components, a wide variety of products must be tested to ensure efficacy. Oil in water lotion has different chemical characteristics than water in oil lotion and a preservation system that works in one may not work in the other. The function of some preservative systems is pH dependent. This effect also has not been investigated adequately. Other naturally occurring preservative systems such as the sorbic acid and benzoic acid based systems have been well studied in a wide variety of applications and meet the criteria for a preservation system. Their restrictions are well known.

But there is a far more serious issue with grapefruit seed extract. That is its potential endocrine disrupting activity. The compounds which the sellers claim are in GSE are known to have estrogenic activity. GSE has never been evaluated for its estrogenic activity using the OECD protocols.

Phytoestrogens are wide spread in the foods which we consume and mammalian systems have adequate means to cope with low level exposure. GSE will probably not pose a problem for your customers at the recommended usage levels, but your own safety is another matter. Over exposure to endocrine disrupting substances (including phytoestrogens) can have serous impacts on reproductive biology in both males and females.

Genistien and Diadzien are the phytoestrogens which occur in soy products. These phytoestrogens occur at levels of 500-3000 milligrams per Kg in soy beans, and in lower levels in soy products such as miso, soy milk, and tofu. Asian cultures understand the dangers associated with regular exposure to phytoestrogens which is why soy beans are heavily processed prior to consumption. This is at about the normal usage level for GSE in cosmetic products. This is why I stated that GSE would probably not be a problem for consumers. The risk is in use of the concentrate during production work.

This NIH document examines both the good and risks associated with phytoestrogens. Pay attention to the section on risks.

A class of compounds has activity because of its basic shape, but each compound in the class has a different level of activity. Flavones differ from the more widely studied isoflavones by a change in the connection of the phenolic group to oxygen containing ring.

[CareBear]

everything in existence is comprised of chemicals.

[Kitn]

Thank you for posting that, some people just do not understand the concept.

[Starr]

You might be able to make something similar as a salve. It'd be closer to a lotion but you wouldn't have to introduce water into the mix. I make one without any waxes or water but haven't had the guts to try to do it without a chemical preservative. I worry too much about all the oils getting ick'd.