Body Cream without preservatives--Youtube Video and Question

[Guywithsoap?]

I want to make a body cream. I asked about the Body Shop Sesame body butter and was informed it was a cream---had a "water phase" and "oil phase"

I am really not inters ted in making a lotion/cream with exotic preservatives but I do like the consistency of the Body Shop Cream. It is much lighter than the whipped shea I made.


I saw a video where the host made a cream/lotion and only added Vitamin E.

She did say it must be kept in the refrigerator. From what I have read Vitamin E is not enough if you are using water?

Here is the video.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19fj90Rqbw[/ame]


Also, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the texture of a cream/lotion without having to worry about keeping it from getting bacteria?


Are all lotions going to need cetyl alcohol, IPM, etc...?

 

[IrishLass]

Re: Body Cream without preservatives--Youtube Video and Ques

I want to make a body cream. I asked about the Body Shop Sesame body butter and was informed it was a cream---had a "water phase" and "oil phase"

I am really not inters ted in making a lotion/cream with exotic preservatives but I do like the consistency of the Body Shop Cream. It is much lighter than the whipped shea I made.

Your whipped shea was probably anhydrous (waterless), am I right? The thing that makes the Body Shop product feel much lighter to you is the water content (I looked at the Body Shop Shea Butter & Sesame Balm ingredients and the first listed is water). Anytime you make a lotion/cream/emulsified-type body butter (all of which contain water), you will definitely need a preservative if you want to keep the buggies at bay.

You may be able to get by without a preservative by refrigerating it, but not for very long. If you choose to do that, the best advice I could give is that you only make it for yourself in small quantities, and make sure it is used up within a few days.

I saw a video where the host made a cream/lotion and only added Vitamin E.

She did say it must be kept in the refrigerator. From what I have read Vitamin E is not enough if you are using water?

Correct. Vitamin E is not a preservative, just an antioxidant. It can help to extend the shelf life of an oil, but it does not inhibit bacteria, yeasts, molds, etc... all the things that like to make their home and multiply in unpreserved lotions.

Here is the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19fj90Rqbw

Cool! I remember Finola Hughes from when I used to watch General Hospital back in the '80's. She still looks great.

Now about the video..... yikes! :shock: I hope the host is not as careless and unsanitary when she's making this lotion off-camera as she was on-camera. The way she instructed Finola to stick her bare fingers directly into the different phases to check their temperatures made me gasp, especially seeing as how the lotion contained no preservatives. I'm glad that she was going to refrigerate it, but I sure hope she used it up within a few days.

I guess I just approach my lotion-making process with a much more cautious attitute than what was depicted in this video. Call me anal, but I make sure my workspace and all my equipment is sanitised, and I wear disposable latex gloves, facial mask, etc... Never in a million years would I ever even consider sticking my bare fingers into my oil or water phase to check the temps. No way!

Also, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get the texture of a cream/lotion without having to worry about keeping it from getting bacteria?

I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally don't know of any.

Are all lotions going to need cetyl alcohol, IPM, etc..

No, not necessarily. It all depends on your lotion formula. But they are going to need an emulsifier and water.


For a really good lotion making tutorial, go here (SwiftCraftMonkey's site):

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1020026/introdu ... hingie.pdf

She knows her stuff!


IrishLass

 

[Lindy]

I totally agree with everything that Irish Lass said.

I will add that not all preservatives are equal and there are some that are less harsh than others while still doing the job. I've moved to Germall Plus Powder to get away from propylene glycol and it does a very good job. I like the feel of creams made with water over a body butter with just oils and it would seem you do too. It doesn't even have to have a lot of fancy oils to feel good. You will need emulsifying wax as well as a preservative and I can tell you that you will love the results.

Cheers

 

[carebear]

the selection of preservative will be based on your formulation. swift's info is marvelous.

 

[frieda]

I hear of using some drops of extract of grapefruit kernals as a preservative. But I never made any lotion (just reading about it lately)...

 

[soapbuddy]

I hear of using some drops of extract of grapefruit kernals as a preservative. But I never made any lotion (just reading about it lately)...

Grapefruit seed extract is NOT a preservative.