Everyone make mistakes when we start something new . Every skill implies a journey. Over the last few years I have noticed that people who wants to make cosmetic products at home make same mistakes that lead to frustration and not very nice end products. They keep trying , making same mistakes until finally they decide to attend a workshop or skincare class run by a qualified teacher. Then they realize what mistakes here and there they have been doing for a long time that caused waste of ingredients, time and money. When they attend my classes they feel clarity finally on how to make safe and high standard skincare products.
Following bloggers recipes. With all my respect to them , the majority of beauty bloggers are not professional cosmetic makers nor have relevant background. They literally invent a recipe and share it or even worse they copy and paste from somewhere else, fill it up with nice words and images…and there you go….! You follow that recipe thinking that is correct and that you are making a nice skincare product for you and family that will have a long shelf life without getting spoiled. Unfortunately they overlook the shelf life matter of the product and this is an important issue to consider
Using beeswax as a emulsifying wax .
Beeswax from bees is a natural ingredient with occlusive properties meaning creating a barrier to protect the skin from environment and locking in moist. It also used to harden/thicken an oil based product like a balm or ointment. Beeswax was used to make “cold creams” a few centuries ago but since natural skincare has evolved we do not use beeswax and borax acid (which is considered highly toxic) to make skincare products. These cold creams do not contain preservatives therefore it will have a very short shelf life, one week maximum.
Emulsifying wax is a man-made product with INCI International Nomenclature Cosmetics Ingredients) with a ingredient list that can vary , basically it can be made from 2 or more ingredients, the ingredient list (INCI) will show what is the emulsifying wax is actually made of therefore you can choose the best and most suitable one for the product you are making and most importantly it will allow you to pick the “greener” ones, more eco and skin friendly. Emulsifying wax has a maximum percentage of use. You use emulsifying wax when you make an emulsion (cream, moisturizers, hair conditioner, serums, and many more) that combines water and oils. Every emulsifying wax follows a different method and deliver different result such as appearance, textures and consistency.
Beeswax and emulsifying wax are completely different ingredients for different purposes with a different role in cosmetic making.
Following an unbalance recipe. A recipe must total up 100 %. We are not taking about grams, mls , just percentage.
Following a recipe using cups and spoons measurements. Accuracy is essential in cosmetic making. ALWAYS weight your ingredients. ALWAYS !!! work by weight .
This is a biggy !! Adding any amount of any essential oils without following percentage safety guidelines and claiming all sort of benefits. Aromatherapy is a beautiful but complex subject that only qualified people would know how to use . At least follow a good book by an aromatherapist which can offer you an introduction to the fascinating world of essential oils. Also you can see a lot of bloggers adding essential oils when the product is in the heat. I know that there are some professional (chemists that I personally know) who believe that doing this does not actually affect the essential oil . I totally respect their criteria but I have always learned during my training years that essential oils must be added in the cool phase (under 40 degrees). I definitely believe that adding essential oils in the heat phase aroma will be affected and also their properties.
Storing a cosmetic product that contains essential oils in a plastic container is a common mistake in cosmetic making. Essential oils are botanical extracts with more than 200 chemical compounds that many of them can react badly to plastic causing corrosive action therefore plastic chemical compounds will end up in your product. Best packaging to store natural skincare products are glass (preferably dark) and aluminium.
Actually this should be in mistake number one !! When a skincare product contains water and/or water soluble ingredient and this includes the well-known and popular aloe vera gel . Aloe Vera gel is 98% water naturally and 2% active ingredients, therefore aloe vera gel is a water ingredient . Products that contain water not matter if is mixed or not with oils must have a preservative otherwise the product will only stay safe 5-7 days , after this period nasty things will start growing without you even notice them. Most importantly when a product contains vegetable juice (aloe vera ) or herbal infusions, these water ingredients are harder to preserve and will need an specific preservative.
See pic of a product that I made containing aloe vera gel and coconut oil and some essential oils that I got from a very popular blogger in USA, I think you heard about her . She publish this recipe as a homemade shaving cream. First of all it didn’t work well as shaving cream as it does not slide properly when you use the razor (i used my husband as guinea pig ) and secondly this is what happens after only 3-4 weeks . The oil phase separated from the water phase as no emulsifier was used and the color of aloe vera gel changes from transparent to brownish . The smell was starting to change too.
See pic of Aloe vera juice without preservative after 2 weeks was made
See pic of emulsion/cream wrong recipe from Internet ….nasty !!! Only after 2 months of making the cream with wrong preservative and wrong emulsifying agent.
Cosmetic making is not only about mixing ingredients that you like . Natural chemistry is a fact that need to be respected when you are making skincare products .
If you fancy coming to my skincare workshops see full info, dates and fees HERE
Carpe diem
La Mayca x
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