Made your own ?

[SoapAlchemist]

Hunny, you've put some very disturbing images in my mind........

 

[henkverhaar]

E wax is an easy to use emulsifier which is available in small quantities on Ebay; however, don't believe the seller who says it doesn't contain SLS as it does. It should also thicken the mixture. Would you agree that this should work, Henk? I am still a bit vague about HLB values.

Ewax would work. Problem is, ewax is not a trade name or otherwise strictly defined name (just an abbreviation for 'emulsifying wax'). There are different versions of ewax available, with slightly different compositions. More specifically, EU and US ewaxes differ.

Ewaxes are self-emulsifying mixtures of vegetable-derived surfactants. As such, it is not very likely that they would contain SLS, an anionic surfactant, since they would not really be compatible. I now that the ewax that I use does not contain SLS.

Preservative is harder to source, or at least to source in the small quantities that you would want. But it can be found for example on sites such as soapkitchen. You will need a scales that measures very small quantities very accurately, as it is usually used at .5 - 1%.

In NL, there are at least 5 suppliers, catering to the home soap- and cosmetics makers, that carry parabens and other preservatives in amounts down to 5 mL. You wouldn't really need scales to quantify preservative, since the actual amount isn't critical; you can just count drops. As a rule of thumb there are 20 drops in a mL, so 0.5-1% in 100 mL translates to 10-20 drops.

I agree with Henk that grapefruit seed extract should not be relied on, and it can also be an irritant. Some people do make their own lotions without preservative, keep in the fridge and use within a week or two. Whether they are in danger of going blind as a result, Henk can no doubt tell us.

Non-preserved o/w emulsions keep for 1-2 weeks when refrigerated. If you want them to keep longer, or if you don't want to refridgerate your creams and lotions, you NEED to use preservatives. Not that a cream that has gone off is a major health hazard (unless you use it to treat open wounds...), but they can get gross real quickly.

Henk

 

[SoapAlchemist]

Henk, these are the ingredients of the E wax I bought to experiment with -
Cetearyl Alcohol
1- hexadecanol
1- octadecanol
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Basically, I should have insisted on the full ingredients list before buying, but was just in a hurry to play with lotions, and getting a bit fed up with the lack of success with lecithin.

I've now got some stuff that is Ecocert approved; it contains Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerol stearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate. I haven't tried it yet, so can't compare to the E wax (which certainly worked fine).

As regards, preservatives, I thought a lot of them have maximum permitted amounts, so it was important to be very accurate......that's why I bought a jewellers scales........

 

[henkverhaar]

Henk, these are the ingredients of the E wax I bought to experiment with -
Cetearyl Alcohol
1- hexadecanol
1- octadecanol
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Most definitely a US e-wax. My supplier lists his ingredients as follows:

E-wax bevat de volgende stoffen volgens INCI: Cetearyl alcohol, PEG 20 stearate.

PEG-20 stearate is a nonionic surfactant (emulsifier) with an HLB of ca. 12. Cetearyl alcohol is a co-emulsifier wiht a low HLB, and a consistency giver. Your formula has 3 co-emulsifiers and SLS. My experience with emulsion science is limited, but I would not have thought this to be a very useful formula.

Basically, I should have insisted on the full ingredients list before buying, but was just in a hurry to play with lotions, and getting a bit fed up with the lack of success with lecithin.

Lecithin is a difficult emulsifier to start with. I think the easiest to start with is lamecreme (glyceryl stearate, glyceryl stearate citrate); drawback is that it gives somewhat heavy creams.

I've now got some stuff that is Ecocert approved; it contains Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerol stearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate. I haven't tried it yet, so can't compare to the E wax (which certainly worked fine).

SOunds like a useful self-emulsifying wax; like a lamecreme or xyliance.

As regards, preservatives, I thought a lot of them have maximum permitted amounts, so it was important to be very accurate......that's why I bought a jewellers scales........

Some of them do, but you can easily find that out from the EU guidelines. Jewellers scales are useful, but not necessarily for dosing your preservatives. In general, a stick blender is a more useful investment ;-)

 

[henkverhaar]

Henk, these are the ingredients of the E wax I bought to experiment with -
Cetearyl Alcohol
1- hexadecanol
1- octadecanol
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate

Most definitely a US e-wax. My supplier lists his ingredients as follows:

E-wax bevat de volgende stoffen volgens INCI: Cetearyl alcohol, PEG 20 stearate.

PEG-20 stearate is a nonionic surfactant (emulsifier) with an HLB of ca. 12. Cetearyl alcohol is a co-emulsifier wiht a low HLB, and a consistency giver. Your formula has 3 co-emulsifiers and SLS. My experience with emulsion science is limited, but I would not have thought this to be a very useful formula.

Basically, I should have insisted on the full ingredients list before buying, but was just in a hurry to play with lotions, and getting a bit fed up with the lack of success with lecithin.

Lecithin is a difficult emulsifier to start with. I think the easiest to start with is lamecreme (glyceryl stearate, glyceryl stearate citrate); drawback is that it gives somewhat heavy creams.

I've now got some stuff that is Ecocert approved; it contains Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerol stearate, sodium stearoyl lactylate. I haven't tried it yet, so can't compare to the E wax (which certainly worked fine).

Sounds like a useful self-emulsifying wax; like a lamecreme or xyliance.

As regards, preservatives, I thought a lot of them have maximum permitted amounts, so it was important to be very accurate......that's why I bought a jewellers scales........

Some of them do, but you can easily find that out from the EU guidelines. Jewellers scales are useful, but not necessarily for dosing your preservatives. In general, a stick blender is a more useful investment ;-)

 

[SoapAlchemist]

For sure the £5 I spent on my stick blender was money very well spent!