Sugar/Salt scrub preservatives...

[LJA]

Is Liqua-par oil the only effective preservative for scrubs? I've noticed it's a little pricey.

 

[jbarad]

I use Germall Plus Liquid for mine.

 

[lsg]

I use Optiphen Plus.

 

[LJA]

Thanks guys.

 

[IanT]

since they arent made with water could you use Vit E or ROE? as an antioxidant/preservative?

also seen potassium chloride used in food products...so i think itd be safe in B&B too

 

[jbarad]

since they arent made with water could you use Vit E or ROE? as an antioxidant/preservative?

But there will most certainly be water added to them once the consumer has them People scooping out some scrub with wet hands, having it open in the shower or tub, etc.

So I wouldn't risk just using VitE or ROE which are really just natural antioxidants not preservatives.

 

[IanT]

truee that

 

[I love soap!]

What is the purpose of a preservative in a scrub?

 

[LJA]

I'm just now researching and trying to make them for the first time, but as I understand it - they are exposed to water and some very nasty bacteria and microbes can grow if left without a preservative. Someone more experienced can probably explain it better for you, though. I'm not taking any chances on not using one.

 

[rszuba]

how come aubrey organics gets away without a synthetic pres.? he uses roe, grapeseed, antioxidants?

 

[KSL]

I'm wondering about something along these lines...
First, packaging... when you get your bottles and jars, do you sanitize them? I contacted a supplier and the bottles do not come sanitized.

Now, for the bacterial growth, is there a "home test kit" available so that one can test whether or not something has grown a bunch of nasty bacteria? I see them use little testing plates on tv showe (you know the two ladies cleaning really nasty homes?) and wonder if anyone sells a resonably priced kit to test products?

Good point about the wet fingers going in the pot! That's reason enough to use a preservative eh?

And oh, one more thing.. how do you know when something expires? Does anyone put use by dates on thier products?

 

[beachgurl]

I do sanitize by soaking the containers in a bleach solution and warm water for about 20 minutes. You can also buy commercial sanitizers, but bleach is cheap and effective. I also sanitize the equipment that I use (bowls, pitchers, spoons, etc). Snowdrift has an at home test kit, but I ran across a site the other day that offered pretty affordable testing (I want to say it was $25 USD a sample). I'll see if I can find it again.

I *think* that Germaben II can be used in scrubs, but don't quote me on that. I think that the oil phase has to be greater than 25% of the total formulation for one to use Germaben IIe. I'm sure you could research that. Phenonip and Optiphen might be an additional alternative.

Aubry gets away with using just ROE and other antioxidants because it's like that the organization is making an anhydrogenous scrub .. aka, not water in it. Theoretically one could get by with this; the problem is though, think about where you use a scrub... in the shower ... where there's water that will likely be introduced into the formulation. When you introduce water into the forumlation you have to worry about mold, mildew, and yeast .. those are just the things that you'll find growing in there. You can't even see the bacteria. I understand that many people want to use a natural preservative; I do as well. However, until someone comes out with something that's both natural an effective (so that I can protect the health and well being of my customers) then I'll have to stick with the synthetics.

 

[carolynp]

So how does that effect the previous mentioned that do not use a synthetic preservative? Is the packaging such that no water CAN be intoduced into it?

 

[beachgurl]

I honestly don't know because I've never even heard of that company. My guess is that #1, they package it in smaller containers so it can be used up faster. #2, then willingly take a chance when they do this. Since I'm small scale and can't really afford a lawsuit, just like a lot of the people here, it is too risky for my shoes

 

[KSL]

I have to agree with your line of thinking.
I mean, that last thing you need is a jar full of great smelling bacteria...
I would assume that some people just *trust* that the scrub would be used up pretty quickly. And I have seen Otiphen (sp?) so maybe I'll try that.. I guess some experimenting will be in order. Let me know if you find that testing kit. What I'd like to do is make some scrub up and then add water to it, and test it over time to see how it holds up... even if it ends up just being for my own use.

Bleach huh? I was thinking of putting them through the dishwasher - the heat should kill anything yucky on the containers. Or boil them for a short period and rinse through the dishwasher

Thanks for the imput ladies!

 

[KSL]

hmm just another thought... I was eating chicken sandwiches for dinner, and put some Hellman's on it... now mayo lasts a long time, and food certainly needs preservatives... what do they use in food?? If i eat it, I'll put it on my skin... LOL!!!!!

 

[Sirona71]

How about grapefruit seed extract and/or vitamin E? Tea tree especially, but almost any other essential oil will have a preservative effect. But the GSE has no scent so that would be a good option...

Kim