Lotions & deodorising sprays - Ingredients

[Ryvyan]

Edited because there was TMI!

I'm looking to make for friends and myself body lotions and linen/room deodorising sprays. I'm not well-versed in chemistry at all but I'm interested in making safe products for me and my family.

(My brother denies it but he is constantly worrying about his chronic illness causing him to be a terrible insomniac, which only messes up his body even more, and I hope to use a calming room/linen spray on top of a diffuser to see if it helps him. I'll also be using a similar formula as a linen spray for when I travel; won't need a big bottle because it's just a couple of days trip.)

My priority will probably be linen/room sprays first since I'm quite clumsy...

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For lotions, I will be using the one on SwiftCraftyMonkey's site. It is easy to follow for someone new to crafting so I only have one question about emulsifier (see question #2 below).

For deodorising sprays, I'm hoping to modify the following recipe from this thread by moonjelly:

1/2 cup distilled water
1/2 cup vinegar
8 drops lavender oil
4 drops bergamot oil
4 drops clove oil
2 drops oil of peppermint
(all mixed together in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. You can substitute/add other essential oils as well - adapt this recipe to your own preferences)

I would be adding a solubilizer and preservative (tropical country here; need as much of this as possible), and would like to clarify some doubts before I make an order as international shipping is really rather pricey.

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1. Witch hazel instead of vinegar?
This is for linen/room/body spray. I'm assuming the vinegar is what helps to deodorise. I would use baking soda but not a good idea with too many dark clothes and fear of having a dusting of white powder.

Do the EOs mask the initial vinegar scent much initially, or does the vinegar smell linger?

Does witch hazel help with deodorising? I don't want the EOs to simply mask the scent. Do I need to care about whether there is alcohol or water present in witch hazel?

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2. Emulsifiers and solubilisers?
From what I read, and I hope I got this right: lotions require an emulsifier because it adds greasiness while dissolving water and oil (carrier + essential) while a solubilizer dissolves essential oils and water. They cannot be used interchangeably even if the product contains both oil and water, or rather be used in different proportions because of the way they work.

NDA lists polysorbate 20 as a solubilizer, while from what I understood SCM listed it for use as either solubilizer or emulsifier (I am slightly confused here, because I thought that a solubilizer is like a weaker cousin of sorts?).

It seems more difficult to work with for a beginner, because the amount needed seems to vary depending on the EOs in the linen/room spray and they still separate somewhat. Are there easily-found alternatives (preferably NDA) for this in a linen/room spray, or would Polawax in the lotion work for the spray as well?

On the other hand, does either vodka, vinegar, or alcohol in witch hazel act as solubilizers to help to 'bind'/dissolve the oils and water already?

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3. Preservative
I read that Liquid Germall Plus is not suitable for use in a spray formula, but SCM has used it to make both lotion and a fragrance spray. I'm prone to trust SCM, but why the difference in opinion?

If it is safe, would 0.1% be sufficient or do I max it out at 0.5%? How does one know how much preservative to put or is the maximum the safest?

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Sorry, that is really pushing a million questions. I would really appreciate the input from this community (by the way, I will be posting in NDA's forum to ask for help as well; sorry if you're a member on there) or other deodorising spray recipes.

Thanks in advance!

 

[itunu]

No need for the alcohol, witch hazel or vinegar. Why not keep it simple and just do - 2% essential oil, 3% polysorbate 20, 0.5% liquid germall plus and the rest deionized/distilled water.

I've used this exact recipe for linen sprays with different essential oils so it should work with any essential oil.

Good luck.

 

[Genny]

I'm going to answer your questions backwards.

3) Liquid Germall Plus is fine in a spray, as long as it's not an aerosol. As for how much to use, I'd go with 0.3%.

2)Emulsifiers and solubilizers are very similar and for the most part do the same kind of work, which is to make water and oil mix. Solubilizers don't make anything dissolve. Polysorbates are high HLB systems and lotions require low HLB systems. So that's why they're not interchangeable, because of the base you're using them in.
Vodka, vinegar and alcohol would not solubilize or bind oils in water.

1)I think moonjelly chose vinegar for that recipe because they were going for a more "natural" recipe. I'm honestly not sure if the smell of the vinegar would still be there. Vinegar is pretty strong smelling, much stronger than witch hazel.

If you're using the spray for a "calming" spray, I'd replace the clove and peppermint eo's with eo's that have calming and sedative properties. Also, I'm not sure what your brother's illness is, but make sure that whatever EO's you use can be used with someone with his illness.

 

[Ryvyan]

No need for the alcohol, witch hazel or vinegar. Why not keep it simple and just do - 2% essential oil, 3% polysorbate 20, 0.5% liquid germall plus and the rest deionized/distilled water.

I've used this exact recipe for linen sprays with different essential oils so it should work with any essential oil.

Good luck.

Hi ituna,

Thanks for the tip! I wanted something simple, but I'm just a little iffy about spraying it on linen and having it being damp for even a bit. Would the alcohol/vinegar/witch hazel evaporate quicker, leaving just the scent?

Polysorbates are high HLB systems and lotions require low HLB systems. So that's why they're not interchangeable, because of the base you're using them in.

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If you're using the spray for a "calming" spray, I'd replace the clove and peppermint eo's with eo's that have calming and sedative properties. Also, I'm not sure what your brother's illness is, but make sure that whatever EO's you use can be used with someone with his illness.

Hi Genny,

Thanks for the tip on % for preservative and the clarification on HLB! I did a lot more reading the entire afternoon and understand the HLB system a bit better (I like Maths haha). I'm going to assume and say because of the lack of a carrier oil (lower HLB) and the high HLB of essential oils in general, that Polysorbate-20 would be suitable?

And if I want to make a body spray, it would be to change the preservative to CME as it is slightly more emollient (yet still a water-soluble [mainly water in mixture?] emulsifier?)? Or Polysorbate-20 with a carrier oil?


Yes, I forgot to mention that I'll be substituting the EOs with soothing ones (essential oils book on hold in library), and speaking to my brother's nutritionist before using the blend on him. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year (considered late in childhood) and has been keeping his glucose level under control which is good. However, he has been an insomniac since and seems a little depressed/moody whenever the topic comes up. He has plenty of demanding work at school, so I wish he would get a better night's sleep because an irregular sleeping pattern does affect his health.

Thank you!