Making poultice?

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Equestrian

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Making poultice? Edited for clarification

So I have a bunch of clay and want to make some poultice and masks. Can't find much information on if they need a stabilizer or preservatives . Any help would be great.

Edit added to bottom post too:
So I guess I should be a little more specific. I thought saying a mask would be less confusy. But what my treal goal is is to be able to use all the ingredients I have on hand (which are a ton!) To save !myself money on the poultice I use on my own ankle and on my horses legs. Here is a list of ingredients from a basic poultice that I would like to try to save money by reproducing with what I have on hand

Bentonite (bowie type clay) and a proprietary extract of witch hazel bark and leaves with the following common herbs: arnica (Arnica montana), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), lavender (Lavendula officinalis), lobelia (Lobelia inflata) and sodium borate (as a preservative)
 
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A product that you add the manufacturer add a water based liquid to (aloe vera, water, hydrosols, etc.) does need a preservative. Yes.
 
A product that you add the manufacturer add a water based liquid to (aloe vera, water, hydrosols, etc.) does need a preservative. Yes.

That is what is what I thought. I saw a lot use borax as a preservative in things. Any idea at what ratio to try? Just experimenting
 
Although borax is a preservative I am not sure I would try using it in something to go on my face (masks). Borax can be a skin irritant and is higher on the ph scale.

I haven't experimented with it but if you want to I would suggest starting with smaller batches and dissolving it in the water before mixing the water into the clay.

Make several small batches (enough for say 3 applications) each with a different level of borax. Use small containers (1oz or so) for these. Then for each level of borax I would keep one container closed and one open. For the open one, each morning stick your fingers into it.

Hold this experiment for a minimum of 6 months (a year would be better) and see which jars go bad.

Discard and take very good notes.

At the six month mark if some jars are still good I would definitely try using them on the face and other areas for skin irritation.

As I said this is not something I would do, there are plenty of good, safe, and proven preservatives out there and safety must be the top priority.
 
Although borax is a preservative I am not sure I would try using it in something to go on my face (masks). Borax can be a skin irritant and is higher on the ph scale.

I haven't experimented with it but if you want to I would suggest starting with smaller batches and dissolving it in the water before mixing the water into the clay.

Make several small batches (enough for say 3 applications) each with a different level of borax. Use small containers (1oz or so) for these. Then for each level of borax I would keep one container closed and one open. For the open one, each morning stick your fingers into it.

Hold this experiment for a minimum of 6 months (a year would be better) and see which jars go bad.

Discard and take very good notes.

At the six month mark if some jars are still good I would definitely try using them on the face and other areas for skin irritation.

As I said this is not something I would do, there are plenty of good, safe, and proven preservatives out there and safety must be the top priority.

What would you suggest as a preservative then? And thanks for the help :)
 
What would you suggest as a preservative then? And thanks for the help :)

I would use liquid germall plus. It is non paraben if that concerns you. You can find it at lotion crafters as well as other suppliers. You can use it at .1-.5 percent of your recipe. For a face product I would stay on the higher end, between .3-.5 because of the water content. Here is a link:

http://www.lotioncrafter.com/liquid-germall_plus.html

here is another:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.co...roductID=4767&ProductName=Germall+Plus+Liquid
 
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So I guess I should be a little more specific. I thought saying a mask would be less confusy. But what my treal goal is is to be able to use all the ingredients I have on hand (which are a ton!) To save !myself money on the poultice I use on my own ankle and on my horses legs. Here is a list of ingredients from a basic poultice that I would like to try to save money by reproducing with what I have on hand

Bentonite (bowie type clay) and a proprietary extract of witch hazel bark and leaves with the following common herbs: arnica (Arnica montana), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), lavender (Lavendula officinalis), lobelia (Lobelia inflata) and sodium borate (as a preservative)
 
I would still use liquid germall plus. Probably not in the high range but I would still use it.

I know this isn't going on your face but there are still some really serious infections you can get right on the surface of your skin, which once take hold can spread. As with anything we don't intend I realize that the chances of infection are not high, but they are serious enough for me to want to eliminate them as much as possible.
 
I would still use liquid germall plus. Probably not in the high range but I would still use it.

I know this isn't going on your face but there are still some really serious infections you can get right on the surface of your skin, which once take hold can spread. As with anything we don't intend I realize that the chances of infection are not high, but they are serious enough for me to want to eliminate them as much as possible.

Do you mind me asking how you go about calculating the amount to put in of the liquid germall plus?
 
Calculate by weight so if the weight of your poultice material is 500grams you would multiply that by between .1 and .5 percent. So if we chose .3 percent it would be:

500 grams X .3 percent = 1.5 grams
 
Calculate by weight so if the weight of your poultice material is 500grams you would multiply that by between .1 and .5 percent. So if we chose .3 percent it would be:

500 grams X .3 percent = 1.5 grams
Thank you :) I will order some and experiment. Do you have any idea why the original product used what it did as a preservative instead of what you recommended? This is my first try at a poultice if you can't tell. And no it isn't for reselling , just for me but I like to do things right and new I could ask questions on here
 
I really don't know why they chose borax. They must have known the exact amount to make it safe. From what I understand in most recipes the amount of borax you would need doesn't make it a feasible preservative. Perhaps in their recipe it worked out. It may have also helped to emulsify the recipe so the ingredients did not separate. If you find that the liquids do not stay mixed you might try adding a little borax, but I wouldn't depend on it for a preservative.
 
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