As we all know, when making our own skin care and hair care products, the shelf life is not as long as commercial products. Commercial products contain preservatives, and other chemicals to extend shelf life for months if not years. And that's the main reason why most of us like to make our own products, to avoid these harsh chemicals. So, what can we do to prolong the shelf life of natural beauty products? Here's a few ideas....
- If working with food in your recipes, it's best just to stick to one use batches. Don't make anymore then what you can use at a single time. Or make just enough to last 1 week and store in the fridge.
- Always keep water away from your jars! Even dipping a wet finger into a jar of your fresh lotion can contaminate it. Always make sure fingers are clean and dry or use an application to remove your lotion.
- Store your products in dark containers or opaque packaging to keep them away from the harmful effects of sunlight
- If going preservative-free.... It's important to remember that your natural products will not stay fresh for as long as commercial products do. By making your products in small batches that you use up within a short period of time, your products will stay fresh and you eliminate the need to preserve your products with harsh chemical preservatives.
There are a few natural preservative methods out there. Let's explore those:
Using Antioxidants to extend the shelf life of homemade beauty products:
An anti-oxidant is a preservative that reduces the rate of oxidation in oils that oxidize quickly. Oxidation is a chemical process that occurs when oils or other natural ingredients are exposed to oxygen. Anti-oxidants extend the shelf life of your natural homemade beauty products by reducing the rate of oxidation of your oils.
When to use an antioxidant:
You'll want to use an antioxidant in any formulation which contains fragile oils such as sweet almond, hemp, avocado, flax or evening primrose. Any product containing oils can benefit from the addition of an antioxidant.
Which Antioxidants to use in skin, nail and hair care recipes:
- T-50 Vitamin E Oil: T-50 Vitamin E Oil contain larger amounts of gamma tocopherols, natural antioxidants, then regular Vitamin E oils.
- Rosemary Oil Extract: Rosemary Oil Extract is also a wonderful natural antioxidant. Use at a ratio rate of .15 to .5 %
Using Anti-Microbials to extend the shelf life of homemade beauty products:
An anti-microbial is an ingredient or substance that helps to destroy unwanted micro-organisms such as bacteria.
Which Antioxidants to use in skin, nail and hair care recipes:
Grapefruit Seed Extract: Grapefruit Seed Extract is a citrus seed based anti-microbial used as a preservative in skin care products. Use GSE at .5 to 1%
Some essential oils that have demonstrated antimicrobial properties are caraway, cinnamon, clove, cumin, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, rose, rosemary, sage, sandalwood, tea tree, thyme. To properly preserve products for long periods of time, you'll need to exceed the recommendations for safe amounts in skin care products. If using these EOs to preserve products, make batches smaller and use them quickly.
Your safest way to preserve your natural recipes is to avoid water in the formulation and make small amounts!
How to preserve and extend the shelf life of your skin, nail and hair care products you make at home.
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