syndet bar preservative?

[Obsidian]

Is a preservative absolutely necessary for syndet shampoo bars? I've bought a kit that makes three bars but it has no preservative, should I add my own?

 

[decisions]

Surprised that there aren't any answers - I would think that since the product will be wet and likely has proteins and plant extracts, you would need a preservative.

 

[lsg]

Susan Swift uses .5% Liquid Germall Plus in some of her syndet recipes.

 

[amd]

I use liquid germall plus in mine, but I don't like it because I have to wait for the mixture to cool. By the time it gets below 120°F to add the preservative, the mixture is almost too cool to be easily workable into a mold. It's on my list to find the correct preservative for the type of product and higher temp. (I've been saying that for months now, so you see how concerned I am about the time I spend fiddling with getting it into the mold.)

 

[atiz]

I would think if you dry the bar between uses then a preservative is not strictly necessary -- but I would include one anyway to be safe. I only make liquid syndets so can't really help here (for the liquid I use LGP as well; since I don't have to put it into a mold it works great, and it's not pH finicky).

ETA: Oops, I just noticed how old this thread it. I bet @Obsidian has figured it out since then

 

[Obsidian]

Yep, I used preservative