Preserving DIY Skincare Creations
Posted by Brendan Leonard on Apr 12th 2022
Preservative.
That’s a word we’ve gotten pretty used to hearing advertising over the past 30+ years isn’t it. It’s usually presented in a context like it’s a slur.
The concept that preservatives are somehow a negative or corrupting force has permeated American health culture after decades of repetition. The idea comes from the notion that in agri-business food labs across the country, chemicals are being designed to make food-products more profitable at the expense of the health of consumers.
What can we say, that is a fair observation.
Radical developments in food and medical technology have come with unexpected side-effects and have been marketed in ways that are sometimes adopted at cross purposes with their original intent. This can lead to actual harm being done to the health of consumers and erodes trust between customers and manufacturers.
But the word “preservative” is incredibly broad. The word “preservative” can basically be used to describe any ingredient or process that will extend the life of well…just about anything.
What about salt? Salt has been used by ancient peoples for thousands of years to prolong the edibility of meat.
What about pasteurization? The only way that your milk doesn’t turn rancid within a day or so is because it’s been pasteurized.
What about refrigeration? Without it, contemporary cooking would not exist.
Now, we’re not trying to make a black and white case. As with all things in the Skin Actives Way, we are looking to the Golden Mean. Some is probably better than none, but too much is as harmful as too little.
Why Are Preservatives Necessary?
While Americans may have legitimate reasons to distrust the food-industrial complex, let’s be real, preservation is for your health. It exists to keep you from getting sick when you eat something, or from developing an infection when you apply a serum or a lotion topically.
The products that you purchase from Skin Actives Scientific are formulated with these factors in mind. It’s part of our fundamental responsibility to you, the Skin Actives Family, that we make sure we are selling you a product that:
a.) doesn’t hurt you.
b.) works as described.
c.) It is effective long enough for you to use all the product in the container.
Preservation, preservatives, are what make this scientifically possible.
Preservation For DIY Skincare
When it comes to your at home DIY products, preservation can be a big deal. Of course you want to make sure that your creations are going to last, but you also want them to be healthy.
Today we’re going to hear from Skin Actives’ very own DIY Expert, Rachel! You may remember Rachel from her profile piece, here.
When Rachel isn’t working on making sure that the Skin Actives customer experience is running smoothly, she’s playing with her boy or brewing up new skincare concoctions in her Stevie-Nicks-style witch’s cauldron.
Let’s hear what she has to say about preserving your DIY creations.
Take it away Rachel!
Preservation For DIY Skincare
When it comes to your at home DIY products, preservation can be a big deal. Of course you want to make sure that your creations are going to last, but you also want them to be healthy.
Today we’re going to hear from Skin Actives’ very own DIY Expert, Rachel! You may remember Rachel from her profile piece, here.
When Rachel isn’t working on making sure that the Skin Actives customer experience is running smoothly, she’s playing with her boy or brewing up new skincare concoctions in her Stevie-Nicks-style witch’s cauldron.
Let’s hear what she has to say about preserving your DIY creations.
Take it away Rachel!
Preservation Systems – DIY tips for distilled water sprays and building serums from distilled water
“Buckle up! It’s time to talk about preservation systems. Those ingredients that work to keep dangerous microbes from multiplying causing bacterial growth that can lead to infection or product degradation.
When making DIY products it’s important that your product is preserved. You can use readymade base creams and serums or you can create a serum from scratch using distilled water as the base and build your serum from there.
So for peptide/protein-rich distilled water sprays such as: toners, refresher/setting sprays, as well as healing sprays used after exfoliation, post-micro needling, or device use, read on!
With preservation systems it's best to have some pH strips for testing the product to know what your base is to start with.
You can purchase some pH strips from Amazon (or your local retailer), something like this: Macherey-Nagel 92110 0-14 pH Indicator Strips 100/Box: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
With the Optiphen Plus for example, the usage is: 0.75-1.5% and in pH range 3-6 in formulations.
For 4 oz of product (approximately 120 ml/gm of distilled water in this case) add 0.90 gm - 1.8 grams of the Optiphen.
These little hand held mixers are great for small batches, use the silver attachment shown: Amazon.com: Norpro Cordless Mini Mixer, 5 Piece Set, One Size, White: Electric Hand Blenders: Home & Kitchen
Create a vortex with your mixer and add the preservative of your choice. Next add the peptide or protein of your choice.
Peptides and proteins are best if you add them as your last ingredient and don't over mix them.
To create your own Hyaluronic Acid Serum we offer the Hyaluronic Acid Powder here: Purchase Hyaluronic Acid for Skin | Topical Ingredient | Skin Actives
You can add this HA Powder to distilled water that has been preserved with Optipen. It will form clumps. Allow it to hydrate for a few hours or overnight and then mix until smooth the next day.
Sometimes using preservatives are a little hard to work with when you first start doing DIY. It can be easier to start with an already preserved base product to add ingredients too like the following:
To read more about preservations from Dr Sivak, read about it on her blog here: Preservatives - Dr. Hannah Sivak, PhD | Skincare Expert”
Thanks Rachel!
Skin Actives carries Optiphen Plus year ‘round to help you with your DIY preservation needs. Click here and you’ll find it in our online store. While you are there, shop our wide range of DIY active ingredients as well as our line of base creams to help you get started creating fast!
Right now you can get stocked up for your very own DIY projects with a Buy-One-Get-One FREE deal on Optiphen Plus. Put one in your cart and enter Coupon Code: OPTIBOGO and get 1 Optiphen Plus 100% free for each one your purchase at full cost.
Thanks for reading everyone, we’ll be back again on Friday with another installment of the Skin Actives blog. Have a great week!
