- Avoid Purchasing Harsh Cosmetic Ingredients
There are many cosmetic ingredients available on the market which have
long been shown to be harsh and irritating to skin. Please check the
list below showing skin-irritant ingredients to learn which agents
should be avoided based on dermatological testing. Using exclusively
mild, natural and tested ingredients is a major advantage of homemade
cosmetics!
- Avoid Buying Cosmetic Ingredients With Poor Labeling
Never use cosmetic ingredients that are sold with poor or
lacking labeling! Typically, vitamins and other active ingredients are
sold without any information about their activity (e.g. units per
weight) or concentration. Often such ingredients are not pure, are
highly diluted and not of cosmetic-grade quality. In addition,
ingredients are sometimes sold with only a trade name but no generic
name of the substance (e.g. surfactants, emulsifiers). You should
never use ingredients without knowing the composition and
concentration.
- Store Cosmetic Ingredients Properly
Most ingredients have a long shelf-life (months and years)
when stored correctly. Whatever type of ingredient, always use a
tightly closed container, and avoid moisture and extreme temperatures
as these conditions can accelerate spoiling. Certain ingredients (e.g.
vitamin C and E) should be stored at light-protected places, while
others should be placed in the refrigerator (e.g. sheabutter, cocoa
butter and vitamin A).
- Use Heat-Resistant Containers
Many recipes require the ingredients to be heated up to 150oF (67oC)
or more. Therefore, heat-resistant containers like glas or metal jars
are recommended to prevent breaking or even melting of the container.
If you like to use the microwave to heat things up, you should, of
course, use microwave-proof containers.
- Avoid Overheating Oils & Other Cosmetic Ingredients
Be careful when heating oils since they are flammable at
certain temperatures, spilling can produce severe burns, and when
heated too long or at too high temperatures, many ingredients lose
their activity and will no longer be effective. In general, active
ingredients do not like to be heated and should therefore be added
only after the mixture has cooled down.
- Avoid Overdosing Cosmetic Ingredients
While commercial cosmetic manufacturers may add active
ingredients at too low a concentration, home-based producers
overcompensate and tend to use ingredients at too high a
concentration. With most ingredients, this does no harm. There are,
however, ingredients which can induce skin irritations when added at
higher-than-recommended concentrations, including surfactants,
fragrances, essential oils and preservatives.
- Avoid Extreme Acidity & Alkalinity of Your Products
Extreme acidity and alkalinity can result in poor product
performance or even skin irritation. The optimal pH range for
cosmetics and personal care products is between 5 to 7. We recommend
using a pH indicator (e.g. paper strips) to determine the pH value of
your cosmetic product. When a product becomes too acidic (pH too low)
or too alkaline (pH too high), you can easily correct the pH value by
adding small amounts of soda (sodium carbonate prediluted in distilled
water) or lemon juice, respectively.
- Disinfect the Containers
Avoiding spoiling and growth of bacteria and fungi is
important when creating homemade cosmetics. Microorganisms can not
only damage your cosmetic product, but also induce skin infections.
Therefore, always disinfect all containers you intend to use for
making and storing your products. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol),
70% alcohol (ethyl alcohol) or any other commercial disinfectant are
all acceptable for this purpose.
- Use Preservatives
Another measure to prevent bacterial contamination is the use
of preservatives. They are natural or synthetic substances that
inhibit the growth of microorganisms including bacteria or fungi, or
both (see also our special article about preservatives).
Natural preservatives are less effective than synthetic ones and are
usually active only against gram-positive bacteria (except grapefruit
seed extract). Synthetic preservatives that are most often used for
cosmetic purposes include methylparaben, propylparaben, diazolidinyl
urea, phenoxyethanol, DMDM hydantoin, sorbic acid, benzyl alcohol,
formaldehyde and triclosan. We recommend methylparaben,
propylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, potassium sorbate and
phenoxyethanol because they have been used successfully for a long
time already with extremely few adverse reactions. Thiomersal,
quaterniumm-15 and formaldehyde have often been found to cause skin
reactions.
- Take Precautions When Using Lyes
Lyes used for soapmaking, such as potassium hydroxide and
sodium hydroxide, are caustic and can cause chemical burns on contact.
Always use goggles and gloves when handling raw flakes, lye solutions
and unneutralized soaps. Store these substances away from children in
well-sealed, breakproof and clearly labeled containers. In case of
contact with skin or eyes, rinse for several minutes with water. Lemon
juice or vinegar is also effective for instant neutralization of
hydroxide on the skin.
- Label All Your Products
When your cosmetic product is completed, remember to attach a
label that provides information about the type of product, date of
production and perhaps also the ingredients used. The date is
particularly important to monitor shelf-life. If you consider selling
your products, please check the FDA labeling regulations.
- Avoid Unsafe Ingredients
Please refer to our special page about
Unsafe Ingredients.
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