Hair Concotion Gone Wrong, Help?

[FebeeSigns]

I've been using my trusty Glycerin + Water + tiny bit of 2 drops of acv to make a solution thats has a ph of 4.5. It is acidic.

This solution is in a spray bottle that is never opened. The tiny hole where the water is sprayed is extremely minuscule.

It is stored on my dresser. Not exposed to any sun but artificial light in my room.

I JUST NOW NOTICED WHITE, SMALL FUZZY FLOATING PARTICLES IN MY SPRAY BOTTLE.

It looks nasty. I'm not sure what the hell these things are and how they got in there because my solution was clear after I finished shaking it up one week prior.

May you please tell me if this is mold and if i should discontinue use? And what's causing it?

 

[iri9109]

fuzzy?? sounds like mold to me...i wouldnt use it...is it hot where you live? a week is enough time for mold to flourish, especially in a hot and moist environment...next time try adding vitamin e oil or a couple drops of an essential oil as a preservative.

 

[curlyninjagirl]

That is definitely mold. This is the major issue with homemade beauty products, it's that there is no preservative to keep fungi and bacteria out. Your best bet is to refrigerate your mixes and keep them for no longer than a week.

Check out this article from beauty brains: The Number 1 Danger Of Mixing Your Own Cosmetics

 

[Carisa]

I've mixed glycerin and water together only without any issues, i wonder is the acv causing the mold? Maybe the glycerin and acv are incompatible because i have read in articles that acv is actually used to get rid of mold.

 

[EllePixie]

Anytime I make my own mix, I put it in the fridge. I think ACV can mold, but I'm not sure...if you want a more moisturizing mix, you may also want to use aloe vera juice instead of ACV.

 

[Tiye]

Yes vinegar can mold you should throw it out. If you want to keep vinegar in a spray bottle without preservative of some sort then you'll need small batches that you can use up in 2-3 days or keep it in the fridge. I haven't used acv in years but imo this is more useful as a rinse than as a daily leave in.

 

[classychic1908]

Any mix that contains water can grow mold if it isn't preserved. It's a good idea to add an essential oil or a preserving oil like grapeseed to homemade mixes. They are also best kept in the fridge.

side bar... Why use acv in your daily spritz?

 

[lilsparkle825]

Balance the pH with AV juice or gel, not ACV.

 

[Urban]

I'm pretty sure it's mold. Even if the bottle is closed, any of the equipment you used may not have been completely sterile i.e. they have been exposed to the air, so there's still a huge change that something got in before you closed the bottle up.

I guess the only way to really avoid mold colonies is to use completely sterile equipment (which is hard to achieve outside a lab), the use of preservatives, or making a small batch at a time that you can keep in the fridge and use up in a couple of days or so.

Vitamin E is not a preservative that stops bacteria and mold from growing . It's a great antioxidant though and will slow down the oxidation process.

 

[lalla]

Any product containing water can and will be contaminated by mold, bacteria and yeast. There are micro organisms in the water, in the air, probably in your container too.Even if you didn't see anything, chances are very high that many microorganisms would live in your solution. You have to use a preservative in order to limit the amount of microorganisms in your concoction or make small amounts and use them quickly.

Adding vinegar will lower the pH-better for your hair- but not eliminate bacteria ( BTW vinegar is the product of bacterial activity).

Vitamin E is a good antioxydant (keeps oils from getting rancid) but cannot preserve a product.

 

[Noir]

YES it is mold. Throw it away if you don't want to cause yourself harm.

I think that I am going to start a separate thread for this issue because I am so disturbed by the amount of ladies concocting their own products (containing liquid) WITHOUT preservatives.

Please please be clear vitamin E, rosemary oleoresin extract, neem extract, grapeseed extract and (a few) essential oils are absolutely NOT preservatives. They are antioxidants. As of now broad-spectrum natural preservatives do not exist, unfortunately. The few that been attempted have failed broad-spectrum challenge testing. Alcohol over 60% works as a preservative but this would be very very drying. Any product you make with water (or other liquids) should stay in the fridge and be used within 3 days. Even then you are still taking a risk and I personally do not advise this, as liquids such as aloe, glycerine, SAA, liquid extracts are BUG food and will grow microorganisms VERY VERY rapidly.


The other issue I have is that, if the concoction has not been formulated in a 'GMP' (good manufacturing practice) compliant environment; or the very least an 'ideal' environment the product has already been contaminated from the start - if you ladies are not heating and holding all liquids at a temp of 76o for 20 mins, sterilizing/sanitizing ALL equipment/work top areas and not wearing the correct protective gear, then you are contaminating your products. This is imperative for any products again containing water.

This does not apply to anhydrous which do not contain water (such as oils, butters etc).

 

[Noir]

Oh and another important thing to remember is that bacteria and microbes most of the time can not been seen by the naked eye, so just because you do not see it does not mean that your concoction is not contaminated with bugs. I guarantee you, they are there. And I have seen what non-preserved products can do to people. Staph and fungal mold infections are not pretty

next time try adding vitamin e oil or a couple drops of an essential oil as a preservative.

Essential oils and Vitamin E are not preservatives. Vitamin E is a wonderful antioxidant that will help to slow down oxidation (ie. rancidity) BUT it will NOT protect water/liquid based products from mold, bacteria, microbes, yeast and fungi. The only type of GRAPESEED EXTRACT that is able to preserve are the one with a synthetic preservative added to it. Some companies do that but don't disclose this information, which is misleading because people assume that they are getting natural grapeseed and they are not.

Ladies I formulate beauty products for a living and say all this out of love. Please be careful.

 

[luckiestdestiny]

^^^Please start a thread!!

 

[Noir]

luckiestdestiny No problem. Just gimmie a day or so. I will also add tips on how to formulate in a safe environment and prevent contamination from the start.

 

[FebeeSigns]

Thanks so much ladies! <3 Sad about it because I love my mixture so much. Looks like I'll have to sterilize my spray bottle before mixing anything and just refridgerate it, then use it within a certain amount of time. I made a leave in conditioner with Knot Today, Oil and aloe vera juice and it's been in the fridge for 2 weeks in a covered container, and I've had no problems with mold. I'll try substituting the acv for aloe vera juice instead and keeping it in the fridge.