Body Mist & Room Spray Advice

[Mom2LilMan]

Hi, I'm new! I'll introduce myself in the Introduction section, but I have a couple of questions.

For now, I'm interested in making my own scented body mists and room sprays. I'm sure I won't limit myself to just these in the long run, but it's a simple place to start.

1) I'm interested in this body spray recipe:
http://chickensintheroad.com/house/craf ... ay-recipe/

5 ounces distilled water
2 ounces vodka, perfumer’s alcohol, or witch hazel
1/2 ounce Polysorbate 20
1-2 teaspoons fragrance oil or essential oil
1/2 teaspoon liquid glycerin

Does this need a preservative since it's being sprayed on the skin? If so, what would be appropriate? I've been trying to read Swiftcraftymonkey's blog, but there's SO MUCH I don't understand! She recommends GermAll Plus in her toner recipe. Would that be appropriate?

2) I'm interested in this basic room spray:

4 oz. Distilled Water
2 oz. Witch Hazel
1 Tbsp. Scented Oil

Does it need a preservative or an emulsifer? I mean, gee, just shake it up and spray it in the air, right?

Thanks for your help!

 

[krissy]

polysorbate 20 is a good emulsifier and is not overly expensive. i would at least add that. i dont make room sprays but i *think* anything with water needs some sort of preservative. others can correct me if i am wrong though.

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I made room/body sprays a long time ago, like your first recipe. I never used a preservative. I think the vodka takes care of it, but I could be wrong. Always use the polysorbate 20, they you don't have to worry about the shaking!

 

[Mom2LilMan]

I'll use witch hazel in the room spray. Going to make the room spray today without preservative and see how it goes.

I'll have to order polysorbate 20 and glycerin from somewhere.

I ordered a book about cosmetic and soap making, so I'll probably wait until that arrives before ordering anything.

Thank goodness I have other hobbies to work on too! :wink:

 

[carebear]

Yes preservative in either. That amount of vodka ain't gonna cut it.

 

[Mom2LilMan]

I'm learning that any body product made with water needs a preservative, but I can't figure out what preservative to use. Some of this stuff is still Greek to me. Is there a good all-around preservative for stuff like body wash and body sprays? So I don't have to buy a million different ingredients just for my own use?

And, oh, CRAP! I've got unpreserved homemade body wash in my bathrooms right now! Unless citric acid or raw honey counts as a preservative? Should I dump it? I guess that's what I get for making a recipe off the internet, huh? It's more of a water-in-oil recipe, so more oil than water. Should I be concerned about it or keep using it? Add a separate preservative or not?

 

[krissy]

if it is someting that you have put your hands into or water from the shower has gotten into, then i would dump it. i dont know what preservative you should use but i do know you need one.

 

[raysofcolorado]

You absolutely should have a preservative, I use potassium sorbate in my room sprays, it is very difficult to find natural preservatives that actually preserve your products. There are also other preservatives called Germaben II, Germall Plus, LiquaPar, etc. Good luck!

 

[Araseth]

Welcome to the forum

I know you've read Susan's blog but have you read this chart? http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1020026/preservativechart.pdf
It should tell you all you need to know about starting off with preservatives.

For your body/room sprays you'll want to be looking at the water soluble ones. If adding polysorbates you'll want to check that they don't de-activate your preservative.

The three that pop out at me would be:

Geoguard Ultra, Liquid Germall Plus and Suttocide A.

However if you want to avoid those parabens and formaldehyde releasers then you're left with one choice which seems to be Geoguard Ultra. As I understand this is a popular preservative and should be easy to get your hands on.

If you don't have a problem with parabens and choose not to use polysorbates then a good choice might be Phenonip as it is suitable for both water soluble and anhydrous (no water) products- so if you decide to try out things like whipped body butters, you'll spend less money and time waiting for new orders of anhydrous suitable preservatives. Phenonip may be deactivated by polysorbates though and I don't know how to avoid this or solve that problem. I've only dabbled in lotion-making/preservatives.

Hope that isn't too long winded and helps some, if it were me I'd try the Geoguard Ultra. Goodluck with the sprays and your sudsy fragrant journey

 

[EnchantedSoaps]

Honey has properties that kill bacteria, viruses and fungus. But the ratio of honey to other stuff would have to be huge on the honey side for it to kill all the germs wet hands put into the container lol