aloe vera and preservatives

[Louise]

Hi I'm new ands so glad to find this forum!! Thank you!!!

So I usually make lotions but throw away any left after 4 weeks as I never know what preservatives to use and I add water. This time I want it to last so will not be adding water but am thinking about adding a little aloe vera juice instead. Will aloe vera still need a preservative or is it best to leave it out?

Thank you.

 

[Hazel]

Hi Louise,

Welcome to the forum!

You will need to use a preservative with aloe vera juice. It will go bad just like water since liquid and oil don't play nice together. Have you seen Susan Barclay-Nichols' blog? She has excellent info about preservatives. http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2 ... tives.html

BTW, I wouldn't recommend using unpreserved lotion for 4 weeks. Bacteria, mold, fungi, etc can start growing within days. You can prevent this by storing a lotion in a frig but I wouldn't suggest for longer than a week or so.