I used a Gram-stain test to detect bacteria in the gels as they were. I've been thinking of adding a little bit of or a combination of the following: horsetail, oat straw, Nettle, chamomile, burdock root, and fenugreek. If it's 2, I'll just change the package. Trish, Essential oils and teas will contain some of the same "active ingredients" - but probably in very different concentrations because for an essential oil - the oils are extracted from the plant. Thank you so much for your help! Like up to 6 months? I recently started making my own flaxseed gel and I absolutely love it. Can I actually preserver the gel 1-2 years?2. A preservative might solve the problem. For really sensitive skin, you might try this combination (from the post above): Citric acid (1/8 tsp), potassium sorbate (0.2%), vitamin E (0.2-0.3%), EDTA (disodium or tetrasodium EDTA) at 0.2%. Hello,Getting a 1-2 year shelf life requires that you are able to create products in a sterile environment - which means air flow must be filtered and controlled, all surfaces sterilized, all tools thoroughly sterilized - inside and out.Flax gel has a tendency to break down, so it's very challenging to preservatives, so a 1-2 year shelf life is going to take some work to achieve - and some microbial testing and trial and error with different concentrations of preservative.Jessicurl Rockin' Ringlets which is a flax gel sold commercially has a shelf life of 2.5 years, but 1 year after opening. Contaminated flaxseed gel has the advantage of becoming cloudy at low contamination levels. This is a different method than used by cosmetics companies - but it gives us a rough idea of how our preservatives are working. Hello D,In the US, you can buy Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate or "Suttocide A" online from Ingredients To Die For, Essential Wholesale, Florida Natural Supply. Their preservatives might have a cumulatively helpful effect. When youre done with your gel, if you wish to re-use the container, wash it well with soap and water (and a bottle brush if you have one), then use diluted bleach or rubbing alcohol (or un-diluted white vinegar) to sterilize. Hello,Citric acid adjusts pH, so it may help preservatives work better - most preservatives have a pH range in which they work best. But dont count on the preservative in there to protect your product. Sterilize everything that touches your product with isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol or bleach solution (dilute it as it directs on the back of the bottle for cleaning). Any change in smell, texture, separation (separation is a BIG giveaway that your preservative has failed, even subtle separation like a little watery patch), change in clarity is telling you not to use this product. (I don't have any sensitivities with any preservatives)*As I sanitize everything how long do I need to leave the alcohol or rinse right away? Preservative: Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate (0.5%) and citric acid to balance the pH: There was no evidence of bacterial or fungal contamination in the refrigerated or unrefrigerated samples. That's why I started researching DIY hair gel and landed on your blog. So you'd probably start with 1%. I've read this article so many times, it's really helpful. The reason I started making it is because I stopped buying plastic. I created my gelatin protein treatment recipe in the summer of 2010 and I've been using it ever since to reduce the frizz in my w What is a film-forming humectant? It's not available to buy over here (under that name at least). If so, how much should I use for my 8oz recipe? I have used astragalus gummifier gum (Tracaganth gum), and I wasn't really impressed, but I have not worked with it very much. Check out all the "broad spectrum" preservatives and see what the specs are and if they might work for your product. I did a un-preserved control too. W, I want to make a combination of gel aloe vera gel product commercial two months validity inside the cooler Is sodium benzoate suitable and what is the best way. Thank you! It is used in very small amounts, but should be compatible with flax gel as long as you do not add any cationic ingredients like hair conditioner. Oh, I see. Hello,I admit I've never commented on a blog/youtube before. Good day! I plan to try adding some rosemary oil unless you think that would be an insufficient preservative? I haven't tried this product - it's fairly new. *Is EDTA interchangeable with vitamin e for anti rancidity or is one better than the other?P.S I know it's a lot of questions, I would appreciate any help you can give.Thank you, Hello Karla,-A stick blender (immersion blender) probably does the best job of assuring the preservative is thoroughly distributed. Just in case your hair is picking up odors from your tap water, or from your environment that are usually masked by fragrances in products. This is not a problem with storebought gel. I am making a flax seed hair gel with only it, water, and Aloe vera juice. Read the specifications for whichever preservative you choose - it MUST be compatible with anionic ingredients because flax gel is anionic. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Disodium EDTA is a good addition also to act as a co-preservative and keep everything stable. Therefore, the use of NeoDefend and L-Ascorbic Acid and Citric Acid in the same cosmetic formulations should be avoided." Hello, I have a flax seed gel recipe using a base of rosemary and thyme water (boiled) and added oils to the finished gel such as, coconut, castor, olive and essential oils. When I first make it, it's thick and gooey. I have tested some preservatives, and my data have been added to by some other people with preservatives I have not yet tested. Thank you so much for your response! The ingredients in my gel are Water, Carbomer Triethanolamine, Poluacrylate Acid, Glycerin, Fragrance, Phenylcarbinol, Methylchloisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Pathenol, Aloe Vera Extract, Tetrasodiaum EDTA, Colorant FD&C Violet #2. But, what do you think? :-) The flaxseed gel recipe with added xanthan gum, acacia gum, vitamin E, GSE (probably due to the glycerin in it) and Bronner's creme is working for me phenomenally well in Atlanta humidity, without a separate conditioner. to mess with your preservation. I make flaxseed gel using commercial gel. Hi Sciencey, thanks for your hard work all the time. Hi, can i use sodium benzoate without gluconolactone as a preservative? And where would I buy the products? I just have to refrigerate it or find a proper preservative. With flax gel, you need to aim for the middle to higher end of the recommended use because the carbohydrates in the gel are challenging to preserve.http://www.makingcosmetics.com/Phenoxyethanol-SA_p_243.htmlhttp://www.lotioncrafter.com/optiphen-plus.htmlhttp://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item/Optiphen_PLUS/87?category=32http://www.makingcosmetics.com/Gluconolactone-SB_p_978.htmlhttp://www.lotioncrafter.com/neodefend.htmlhttp://www.ingredientstodiefor.com/item/Gluconolactone_Sodium_Benzoate_GSB_/565?category=32http://www.makingcosmetics.com/Benzylalcohol-DHA_p_236.htmlI have also wondered about dehydrating flaxseed gel on a food dehydrator sheet to pack along and re-hydrate. Can you recommend a preservative that will work with this recipe? I am trying to use ingredients that are whole foods compliant. I began with 2 bases, one was flaxseed gel with agave nectar and hydroxyethylcellulose, the other had olive oil added as well. In any case it seems that they have reformulated to use Leucidal, as the ingredients listed on Aubrey's website are not the same as the back of my bottle, bought months ago when the line came out:INGREDIENTS: Aqua, glycerin, cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar) gum, alcohol denat. I've been looking into making my own detangler out of the following ingredients: marshmallow root, slippery elm bark, aloe Vera juice and an oil of choice. Of course I always refrigerate it. Citric Acid is not thought to induce significant benzene production in combination with Benzoic Acid, but some evidence suggests that in the presence of ascorbic acid and benzoic acid, citric acid may accelerate the production of benzene. If the Aloe gets some crystals in it alone - that might be the problem. The presence of ascorbic acid and benzoates alone does not lead to the formation of benzene. You have been such a big help to me, thank you so very much. In my head, I jumped to the conclusion that you were planning to sell the flaxseed gel - that requires a lot more stringent testing because one's liability is higher. I'm interested in doing a flaxseed gel with both argon & olive oil. my recipe makes 8 oz. For each gel, one sample was refrigerated and one was left at room temperature. Rosemary extract on its own is probably not an anti-microbal, but its preservative may help, like the others. Don't share with anybody else, though. Also just wondering if you had heard of this problem. Then rinse with distilled or boiled-then-cooled water and air dry all your tools. If your homemade natural hair gel becomes cloudy, changes color, changes odor or viscosity (thickness, texture), throw it out! W. Hi,Thank you. Hello! Even so - the shelf life would be limited to 1-3 months before the product would be unsafe to use. I do not plan on making much gel at the moment. Sometimes I was adding the preservative at just under 100 F. And other times I was adding it at whatever temperature my refrigerator is! The full 1/2 teaspoon can be a bit too thick.Good luck! It is better to weigh the gel and the preservative so you're certain to have 1% (or 1 gram preservative per 100 grams gel). And keeping it in as cool a place as possible.These ingredients need to be weighed out where 1% = 1 gram per 100 grams. -Blending up the gel does not change the texture permanently. If you use ingredients such as prepared protein additives, these are pre-preserved. I, also, add about 20 drops of the Neutral Protein Filler to this recipe for added protein (as my hair craves it). Right after the quinoa protein, I see alcohol again, but there is no way the total alcohol content is even close to the ~65% needed to be anti-microbial.So it's down to 2-3 things.1) They're putting their faith in the leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate.2) The ascorbic acid may lower the pH enough to discourage some species of bacteria.3) The quinoa protein (and every botanical extract) has its own preservative. But I was shocked because PAD is antimicrobial and it was even stored in the fridgeThen I made another one:5% Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate1% Glycerin0.85% Phenoxyethanol (and) Ethylhexylglycerin0.75% Xanthan GumLactic Acid to 6.5 pH.It was ok in room temperature, but after like 3 weeks it went a little cloudy. And, do you think adding Optiphen or some other preservative would solve the problem? At first I thought it might be my electric hand mixer but then I read on your blog that it was the Optiphen and I had an AH HA moment. Theme images by. Citric acid lowers the pH to discourage bacteria and mold that can't grow at low pH (might need less if your tap water is not pH 10 like mine), potassium sorbate helps control mold and works best at low pH, Vitamin E is an antioxidant that will help with any oils you might have added to your gel and EDTA is an anti-microbial and ingredient stabilizer.Gluconolactone and sodium benzoate (Geoguard Ultra, Microguard) is also marketed for sensitive skin. My concern is that my hair/head start to stink if I don't wash my hair everyday. I am going to Africa this summer for 3 weeks and need to find a way to preserve it with no refrigeration. And make it last outside refrigerating for a week or in the refrigerator. That's not meant to sound snarky - it's a difficult compromise people who formulate products must make. Remove the water and it's much more difficult for microbes to grow.If you're not having a problem with commercial products smelling bad in your hair, then adding a preservative to flaxseed gel (and sterilizing all your equipment and containers) should solve this worry.I keep my flax gel in the refrigerator or freezer - I never put my fingers in it to avoid contamination - and I've never had a problem with it smelling bad in my hair. Hello Trish,Optiphen Plus would be a good choice as a broad-spectrum preservative. I try to avoid adding the maximum percentage because I use it in other products (f.e. Or can i just add the preservative without subtracting anything?. Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant for the oil phase only.Good luck! If you are making a total of 100 grams of gel and you're using 1g of preservative, to assure the full 1% preservative concentration, you would use 99 grams of gel + 1 gram of preservative.But when you're dealing with such small amounts and simple formulas, using 100g of gel with 1 g of preservative won't move the total percentage of preservative all that much.But let's say your product had 30 grams of "other ingredients." Updated May 2016 Low porosity hair is not necessarily difficult hair or problem hair. I appreciate it. Is minimally processed.3. Best wishes - W. I'm making a flaxseed/marshmallow root hair gel. http://www.lotioncrafter.com/neodefend.html. If so, can you recommend a broad spectrum preservative that won't make flaxseed gel stringy? We need them to be carefully processed so the active constituents are concentrated and present in exactly the amount it says on the label of the raw ingredient. Those do not need to be listed on the label. Use a flip-top bottle so you don't contaminate the product with your fingers. Not a hair product question, but still about preserving Xanthan Gum gel.I think my preservative failed or it didn't mix well enough in my face serums with 0.75% Xanthan Gum :(The first one:10% Potassium Azeloyl Diglycinate1% Glycerin0.75% Xanthan Gum0.5% Phenoxyethanol (and) EthylhexylglycerinIt went a little smelly. I'm still getting pH drift with GSB but at least it's not crystallizing anymore! (38b, lavender), aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, chenopodium quinoa seed extract*, alcohol*, astragalus gummifer gum, leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate, xanthan gum, panthenol (vitamin B-5), rosa rubiginosa (Rosa Mosqueta) seed oil*, fragrance, alcohol, citrus grandis (grapefruit) extract, salvia hispanica seed oil* (chia), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), camellia sinensis leaf extract (black tea), hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, aspalathus linearis extract (rooibos tea), camellia sinensis leaf extract (green tea), citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) flower/leaf/stem extract*, salvia officinalis (sage) flower/leaf/stem extract*, equisetum hiemale extract (horsetail), tussilago farfara (coltsfoot) leaf extract, aesculus hippocastanum (horse chestnut) extract. Or mix the preservative with Glycerin and Xanthan Gum and then add water? Thanks so much for your post. Do you know were I can find some clarity on how I can make my own natural leave-in and gel to sell. This needs to be protected from *all* light because potassium sorbate is light-sensitive. I mean, when I add the preservative at the end, it's hard to mix it, because the gel is thick already.Or should I add more of it - 1%? You might look into SwiftCraftyMonkey of Patreon. W, Hello I understood everything but the part where you said "Ideally, we subtract the weight of each additive from the total when formulating products (add one gram preservative, subtract one gram gel)." So the aloe, protein, and all the other herbal extracts also contribute their preservatives (although diluted) to the mixture. I have a question, if I use Optiphen Plus as my preservative for Flaxseed Gel and still put it in the fridge, would it really really extend the shelf life? I like the idea of natural (ie rosemary oil) but saw elsewhere that perhaps rosemary oil was insufficient. My question is are the preservatives you mentioned above safe for kids is there one formulation you that you could recommend for my personal situation I love the way the product works if only I can make it last longer. It must have a 3-6 month shelf life. Astri, Hello Astri, sorry this response is so delayed. Is a combination of the fewest ingredients possible.5. Is easy to say.4. It's a term for a group of ingredients that are moisturizers par excellence! Best wishes - Wendy, Howdy! http://www.lotioncrafter.com/silverion-2400.html You use just a several drops for an 8 oz bottle of gel - so you would need very little for your mini-batch of hair gel. Bacteria or fungi can grow, using the sugar and nutrient-rich gel for food, also excreting their metabolic wastes into the gel causing cloudiness, fermentation, changes in thickness and texture and odor. This is "redox" chemistry (oxidation and reduction). For your oils and shea butter, some vitamin E would be nice to prevent oxidation (rancidity). That said, I looked at Aubrey's chia gel to see how they preserved a watery formulation with chia protein, thinking it would be analogous to flaxseed gel.By the way, I mistook ascorbic acid for citric acid in the usage note above. I will not be adding oils directly to the gel, instead I plan on sealing my hair with a oils afterwards. I usually put 4oz in a pour out clear bottle, and then freeze the remainder until I need it. Hello BritCurl,Rubbing alcohol is a colloquial name for isopropyl alcohol or isopropanol. And when in doubt - THROW IT OUT! I think I'm going to try the GSB, since I'm trying to reverse engineer (and improve) Aubrey Organics' chia gel:Ingredients: Aqua, glycerin, cyamopsis tetragonoloba (guar) gum, alcohol denat. *Will liquid germall plus make polysaccharide gels more stringy like optiphen plus? I used 15,000 I.U. If you're adding a conditioner base - you need something compatible with cationics too.Citric acid is a pH adjustor. If you use oils in your product, add some Vitamin E. Any hair conditioners will inactivate the preservative.Preservatives are picky about ingredients - so it isn't as easy as it seems like it should be.My skin is extremely reactive to preservatives and I manage that by skipping preservatives and freezing hair gel in a silicone ice cube tray, then popping out the gel-cubes once frozen and thawing gel as I need it.Best wishes - W. Hi. Of the two above - keeping products in the dark - opaque bottles or out of light will help the preservatives work best.Pronunciation cannot be an issue. I make FSG with distilled water & keep in the fridge. To kill bacteria in cheesecloth, you'd need to boil it, or heat it under pressure for spore-formers.-EDTA and Vitamin E are not interchangeable. This preservative raises pH and it is necessary to bring it back down with citric acid so that it is not damaging to the hair. Ingredients: filtered water, organic flax seed, organic aloe vera juice, gluconolactone SB.If it's 1 what pH do you think the product should be to not crystalized. Both should not have any interactions with your ingredients.Your formula will require using the preservative at the higher end of the recommended use because you have multiple challenges to preservation - herbal "tea," and flax gel. The previous blog post included information about how oil pre-shampoo treatments work. We need not fear bacteria everywhere. Best wishes - WS. For herbs that are boiled for more than a few minutes, some of these microbes will be killed. Here is a link to a post about cleaning bottles for your homemade gel. This is not an issue with storebought gel. I noticed you reply to everyone's questions and concerns, for that I say thank you because in many instances I've had the same questions/concerns. Potassium sorbate inhibits mold growth in products. Even then, I would refrigerate the product. If not, can I use water soluble shea butter and no emulsifier? I would be happy to get just a few weeks, non-refrigerated. Updated: June 2016 Plant oils are emollients used to soften hair or add plasticity or pliability. I'm not sure that was clear. Pour a little in the bottle, cap it, and shake it up. Silver citrate and citric acid (sold as SIlverion) is another option for a "natural" preservative. I use mine up within a month or so and have never experienced any changes in texture or smell. But then people like me get angry when we get a blister-y rash for 2 weeks because we didn't know an ingredient was in there. You can freeze the preserved gel. The result was beautiful on my hair. I have some more in-depth information about using hydrolyzed protein in your hair on this blog - like here and here . Therefore, a product containing ascorbic acid and benzoates will not necessarily contain any detectable levels of benzene. I am wondering what you would suggest as a preservative to make this shelf stable. Hello Melissa,I'm going to answer you in the form of links to ingredients. There may be a case for adding them while hotter to kill bacteria - but it might also de-activate preservatives in your additives.- Better to sterilize a metal strainer. If you added oils, vitamin E might help them stay un-oxidized. But others may not be if you just pour hot water over herbs and let them steep. Is it only for calculations or do I have to actually subtract "one gram of gel" before adding the "one gram of preservative"? We know preservatives can present environmental problems and can irritate some people's skin and contaminate water, but if we don't use them, we risk anything from minor annoyance at products going bad too soon, to minor skin infections, to life-threatening infections. Sometimes it would be hours later before I would get back to my product and add the preservative. Any idea? (After straining, while boiling etc)* Can a cheesecloth be sanitized and safe enough to strain the gel and still last 1 month? Thank you! Hi WS,This is such an amazing and informative post and the comments and yourresponses are just as great.I am very new to the DIY hair products and I'm a bit confused with the preservation aspect. A very high proof ethanol will work for sterilizing also. If you didn't subtract those 30 grams and you added them to the 100 grams of gel (new total =130 grams), the 1g of preservative that was supposed to equal 1% would be present only at 0.75% and in some cases, that could cause preservative failure. If you're using distilled water and herbal extracts, you probably don't need citric acid to lower the pH, it should stay around 6. All the plants used to make the detangler are growing out in the real world and will have bacteria and fungi living on them naturally. I have to order them from hundreds of miles away too.You'd need to sterilize absolutely everything that touches the product with rubbing (isopropyl alcohol 70% or greater) or bleach solution to kill bacteria. April, Hello April,You might be able to get a 3 month shelf life for flaxseed gel - possibly more than 3 months if it is stored properly and everything that touches the gel is sterilized - by using a broad-spectrum preservative. Good luck - W. Hi. Btw this article is awesime! I see that the ascorbic acid would bring the pH down and that the rosemary extract might be in there as an antioxidant.Thank you again.Dali. I like hair spray now and then. Is Xanthan the best emulsifier? The main difference is that it has a perservative plus citric acid. I hope that helps! Gluconolactone/Sodium benzoate is another. If you want to preserve your flax-based or gum-based gels, there are some safe, easy ways to do this. (ethanol), but it's listed after the guar gum, so it's preserving powers aren't much help. If you must "fudge" and use measuring spoons (approximate measurements, you will probably not get exactly this percent using a measuring spoon): Ideally, we subtract the weight of each additive from the total when formulating products (add one gram preservative, subtract one gram gel). If you use this - make sure you are testing pH levels because the pH of the final product once you add the preservative will be too high, be ready to lower it to around 5 to 6 with citric acid. Hello, Thank you for providing such detailed responses, I'm learning SO MUCH. A word of caution: this preservative is a potential formaldehyde releaser and may irritate skin which is sensitive to formaldehydes. I prefer to store gels in clear bottles so I can see into the gel - but cover them with dark paper or aluminum foil to keep the light out.If you're putting any oil in your gel, you might add Vitamin E also to keep it from turning rancid. P.S. When diluted in a product, it may not do that - but you'd need to observe the product carefully for that effect when you put it in the 'fridge. Am I doing a mistake by adding the preservative to the formed gel and better option would be to mix it first with water and then with a Xanthan Gum and Glycerin? Flaxseed gel is anionic - that's important to know for predicting preservative interactions.Good luck - W. Hello,I am new to the DIY products I love the flax seed guar gum combo I use it for my 1 1/2 year old curly haired child. Today I am having issue with my product crystalizing over time and clogging the trigger sprayer that applies the product. Let me get up on my soapbox for a moment. If you only want one week of room-temperature preservation, citric acid and potassium sorbate might be adequate if you've sterilized your equipment well - the percentages are listed above. WS I'm trying to make a gel that'll at least 1 month room temperature. Turns out GSB does not like to get cold. "Extracts" are usually water-based ingredients.Rosemary essential oil (not extract) has antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, but essential oils are not thought of as preservatives. Leave the bleach or alcohol in there for 20 minutes, shaking several times during the interval. GREAT post. These are the biggies, not only because they ruin your gel, but because the bacteria (or fungi) growing in your un-preserved, un-refrigerated gel could be pathogenic. I have used it in other products and I know of another person who used it in a complex flaxseed gel mixture with no evidence of contamination after almost a month. Thanks for the info. The new product (ingredients posted by you above) has alcohol denat. My concern is about homemade FSG without preservatives going "bad" on the hair itself. Hello Unknown, The Soap Dish forum might be a good place to look for product DIY resources for products to sell. May I ask, what's the equivalent of 'rubbing alcohol' in the UK, England? The only potential problem I can think of, which may not be a problem at all when using a preservative around the 1% range is that Optiphen Plus alone can solidify at refrigerator temperatures. The water-soluble "ingredients" are not. If not, what do you suspect is the longest I can preserve it and why?4. Preservatives by their required effect must prevent the growth of bacteria and molds and in doing that - they are not 100% gentle and benign or they would not work. It is usually at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. Would it be possible to the flax seed gel, adding coconut oil, honey and vitamin e. Would that allow it to be stored out of the fridge for an extended period without issue? Hello again,I was a faithful user of the old Aubrey B-5 Design Gel, and mixed it as needed with Dr. Bronner's styling creme. You want to use as little as necessary for preservation to avoid skin irritation. I love your blog and use it all the time! Will I get the same benefits from these herbs if I use essential oils vs the straight tea? Not sure why they discontinued that one (the B5 design gel) but this one looks pretty good too. Other things to do are store the product out of the light and use bottles with flip-tops so you are not putting your hands into the product to use it. Thank you so much. The smell is ok.What can I do to prevent it from spoiling? Here's my recipe:7oz Gel1oz OilEmulsifier (Xanthan or something better)FragrancePreservative (Optiphen PLUS)Problem: Optiphen PLUS breaks down the viscosity of my gel. Cinnamon, green tea and vinegar are not preservatives and do not necessarily assist in preservation. The Vitamin E can help prevent the oil from going rancid (oxidation), but the gel will spoil at the same rate as without any of these additives - honey might even speed up spoilage, it is also food for bacteria. It does NOT mean that rosemary oil is a preservative. Those can benefit from stabilizers like EDTA, but there are others like Sodium gluconate. If your nose is particularly sensitive to the odor of flaxseed gel - adding a fragrance would help also.If your gel isn't made with sterilized equipment (and your hair takes a long time to dry) - then it may be harboring something smelly.It might be worth trying some time when you have nowhere to go to use no products at all in your hair and see how it smells with nothing in it, too.
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