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It's important so mixologists come on in!!

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SimplyBlessed

SimplyBlessed

Well-Known Member
Ok so u know I love yall ladies....we all know that one of the fun things about learning about hair care is learning that we can create our own products even from things around the house but....

Beware!!

A lot of these 100% natural things can grow mold (i.e. 100% aloe/shea butter) so ladies please be careful when mixing things and keep them in the fridge if needed

Also make sure what ur mixing is not toooo potent for u skin...under ur hair there is a scalp and our skin can be very sensitive...ALWAYS use a carrier oil when using EO oils

Make sure ur mixes are meant to mix..to often I see ladies stating spritz with water and oil and as we know water and oil do not mix...

Enjoy keeping it natural ladies and enjoy trying new things but keep it safe!!!

Any other advice or big warning signs would be appreciated !!!

also try mixing maybe 2-3 things at a time and then adding more product b/c if there are allergic reactions or bad results u know what to attribute it to!!

Take care ladies!!
 
SimplyBlessed said:
to often I see ladies stating spritz with water and oil and as we know water and oil do not mix...
Click to expand...

Nice thread.

One thing that stood out to me was the above quote. The reason it's said that oil and water don't mix is because they will separate if you mix them then let it sit. This means that you will need to shake up the mixture before using it if it has been sitting. It doesn't mean you can't mix them or that mixing them is bad or harmful to you.

Otherwise good advice. Can't wait to see the tips from others.
 
knt1229 said:
Nice thread.

One thing that stood out to me was the above quote. The reason it's said that oil and water don't mix is because they will separate if you mix them then let it sit. This means that you will need to shake up the mixture before using it if it has been sitting. .
Click to expand...

Oh yea it is def not harmful but yea make sure to shake up ur mixes!
 
I experienced this too - molding. Thankfully I only mixed a bit.
I'd like to know more about microkill.
 
I leave my mixes inthe back of the fridge until it is ready to use.. but thanks for the info
 
I use Vitamin E T-50 when I want heavy duty a preservative, but a regular high IU E should do fine (at least 12,000 IU) The E also has it's own benefits in your mix, so you really can't go wrong. Just a dash'll do ya.
 
Peppermint EO can have a numbing effect, so don't use too much when adding it to your mixes.

Good natural preservatives: as mentioned earlier, Vitamin E- Tocopherol, and pure Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Natural products will always have shorter shelf lives than the artificially preserved products. Even your best natural products will last 6 mos. - 12 mos.
So if you make or purchase such products, use it up within this time frame!

Anything mixed with water should be refrigerated and used within a week.

Certain essential oils can also have anti-bacterial properties (i.e., peppermint, lemon, etc.) also remember there's a difference between a pure, natural essential oil and a fragrance oil.
 
If you're mixing something that only has oils in it, then you should be fine. Bacteria and mould can't grown in plain oil.The only thing you'd have to worry about is it going rancid, which any oil will do eventually ... if it's kept long enough. You can curb this by using an antioxidant ... vit E etc. You really only have to worry about this perservatives issue if you are including water or things like aloe vera juice that have water in them.

Which brings me to my next point, in a lot of these threads, I see a lot of people recommending oils like Vitamin E as a preservative. While it is a fantastic antioxidant, it's not so great at inhibiting microbial growth. I know there'll be people coming to defend the practice. But I'll just say this, just because you don't see a wierd looking patch of growth in your mix it doesn't mean it's not teeming with bacteria.
 
This is a really good thread. Please answer the following questions for this newbie:

1) How would each of you experienced mixologists preserve 1 lb of pure unrefined shea butter.

2) What is the shelf life of shea butter if you mix nothing with it and what is the best way to store it.
 
Choirgirl said:
This is a really good thread. Please answer the following questions for this newbie:

1) How would each of you experienced mixologists preserve 1 lb of pure unrefined shea butter.

2) What is the shelf life of shea butter if you mix nothing with it and what is the best way to store it.
Click to expand...


#1 I would add Grapefruit Seed Extract. It's a good preservative and also doubles as an antioxidant.

#2 I would say the shelf life would be around 6 mos. Definitely store it in an airtight/resealable container in a dry cool place.
 
Subscribing........ Keep em' comin ladies pretty please! Ive been looking for more info on preserving my mixes, but there isnt one SPECIFIC thread
(with tons of info BEGINNING from base ONE)
so Ive been catching bits and pieces of info here and there by doing a search on older threads. It'd be nice to have ONE synonymous thread on product preservation. woo hoo!:grin:

Thx OP!
 
I know some people use rubbing alcohol (just a tad) in their mixes to preserve it but I don't know how reputable that is.

And if possible always use distilled water and just boiling it doesn't make it distilled. Yet it is possible to make a batch at home.
 
Quick question...

so if u buy a product that is 98% or say 99% natural (which means its natural with a preservative in it) and mix it with say shea butter....

another preservative isn't needed right??

just thought about that and didn't know if we needed to still add more preservatives...
 
GodivaChocolate said:
Correct me if I am wrong but I think honey is a natural preservative also.
Click to expand...


I've heard of this as well. But is it true that only certain types of honey are effective as a preservative? Alot of us are in colder climates, thus we must adjust the level of humectants we use. Is it advisable to use honey as a preservative in the winter?
 
SimplyBlessed said:
Almost forgot it is ok to get products that say they are 98% or 99% natural...b/c they have preservatives!!
Click to expand...

Tres tres tres important :yep:

Another poster mentioned this, but oils can count as preservatives. Particularly essential oils.

Does anyone freeze their products to preserve?

As for shea, I keep mine in a dark cool-cold cupboard. It is usually wrapped in plastic or in an aluminum tin. You break off what you need an wrap it all back up.
 
sunhun said:
Tres tres tres important :yep:

Another poster mentioned this, but oils can count as preservatives. Particularly essential oils.

Does anyone freeze their products to preserve?

As for shea, I keep mine in a dark cool-cold cupboard. It is usually wrapped in plastic or in an aluminum tin. You break off what you need an wrap it all back up.
Click to expand...

I freeze my shea butter!
 
Yes, honey's a natural perservative. However, it has issues of being highly allergenic for some folks, so only use it if you KNOW you aren't allergic and whoever else uses that product.

I've never frozen my butters because fats don't seem to hold up well being thawed. Besides, you can get freezer smells in your oils (yuck). If it works for you, keep on truckin'.
 
Urban said:
If you're mixing something that only has oils in it, then you should be fine. Bacteria and mould can't grown in plain oil.The only thing you'd have to worry about is it going rancid, which any oil will do eventually ... if it's kept long enough. You can curb this by using an antioxidant ... vit E etc. You really only have to worry about this perservatives issue if you are including water or things like aloe vera juice that have water in them.

Which brings me to my next point, in a lot of these threads, I see a lot of people recommending oils like Vitamin E as a preservative. While it is a fantastic antioxidant, it's not so great at inhibiting microbial growth. I know there'll be people coming to defend the practice. But I'll just say this, just because you don't see a wierd looking patch of growth in your mix it doesn't mean it's not teeming with bacteria.
Click to expand...

Good points, I tend towards mixing already infused oils rather than straight from herbs. There's NEVER any guarantee that a natural product doesn't have microbial issues, for many reasons.

I'll suggest to anyone doing infusions to always make sure your herb is always covered fully by oil. The oil does tend to keep the herbiage free from visible problems. Again for what you can't see, there are no guarantees on anything.
 
I use a preservative I got from here: www.aromantics.co.uk - I use Preservative-12. It's a mix of Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin. It works really well for me and allows me to keep my mixes for many, many weeks. I make my own skin creams/butters, and I usually make a big batch that lasts me a bit more than a month (divided into 3 containers). Because I use so many ingredients (butters, oils, fatty alcohols, emulsifiers, glycerine, etc.), I really do need something that will keep my mix over a lengthy period. It definitely works. I still keep whatever I haven't used in the fridge just in case ;).
 
Choirgirl said:
I've heard of this as well. But is it true that only certain types of honey are effective as a preservative? Alot of us are in colder climates, thus we must adjust the level of humectants we use. Is it advisable to use honey as a preservative in the winter?
Click to expand...

While honey does possess anti-microbial properties, I would say *not* to use it as your sole or primary preservative. I have used honey in addition to other preservatives, but never honey alone as it wouldn't be strong enough for whatever you're mixing it with.
 
I mixed a bunch of stuff for condiitioning (Several Conditioners, EVVO, CO,Vatika Oil, Alma Oil ...)and then when rinsiing it out I rub my eys with my hands. I got the worst reaaction and got gummy eyes. I lost some of vision and had got scared and went to to dr. He even said since I mixed so many things he couldn't pin point what cause the reaction. He gave me some drops and a coworkers give me so dried flowers to mix with tea.

So definitely be carefully about mixing stuff and rinising it out.
 
Question:

Ok so i'm thinking of adding aloe to my shea butter mix....is honey enough to preserve it and keeping it in the fridge...

Also if I spritz my hair with water then apply shealoe will I get mold in my hair?!? b/c wont water cause the mix to mold?!?

HELP!!!
 
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