Any reports on making "lotion" from whipping aloe vera gel (gelly) and oils?

[Serena]

I've seen several recipes at blogs for making a whipped lotion/creme from aloe vera gel and various oils.

Some scrape the gel from the aloe vera plant. Others use various brands.

Some say to use a brand of aloe gel with an emulsifier and a preservative.

There are more opinions about which oils to use.

Anyone here made this type of "lotion"?

If so, what did you find worked well, and what did you find did not work well?

Thanks very much.

 

[AliOop]

I haven't tried making lotion with AVG, but I do make a hyaluronic acid face serum with AVG, HA powder, EOs, and a preservative. It is stored in a dark blue glass pump bottle in a dark cabinet. I make very small batches that are used up within six months, and have never had problems. I would never try it without a preservative, esp if using fresh AVG. Due to high water content + sugar + other organic matter, that goes bad within weeks even if refrigerated.

 

[justjacqui]

Just whipping together oils and aloe vera gel is not going to form any sort of stable lotion. You will definitely need an emulsifier and a preservative.

If you are keen to make a lotion look for formulations from reputable raw material suppliers (eg. Lotioncrafter, Making Cosmetics, Brambleberry etc).

I would recommend taking up a subscription to swiftcraftymonkeys blog (Minimum cost $1/month) (Blog – Point of Interest) This is a great resource for beginners with hundreds of formulations using materials available to homecrafters.

The Making Skincare website also offers great advice for beginners (Learn to Make Natural Lotion, Cream, Moisturiser & Body Butter)

HTH

 

[Misschief]

If you're thinking of using just the aloe gel and oils, don't. You're just asking for a bacterial cocktail. Adding any kind of "raw" botannical to a lotion is asking for mold, and it doesn't take long at all, even refrigerated.

I've been making creams and lotions for 20 years and, even being near paranoid about cleanliness, still ended up with mold more often than I like to think about.

 

[Serena]

Thank you very much for your helpful posts. @justjacqui I appreciate the links. Looks like I have some studying to do.

Thank you, all, for your kind help.