Spicy Ointment

Here’s a peek at the ingredients of an ointment I put together not long ago. The inspiration came from fire cider.

If you are not familiar with fire cider, I can reveal it is a spicy, strong, multifunctional immune boosting cocktail of herbs in a vinegar base. If you want to make your own (it’s super easy!), please visit this page for more information.

Fire cider is a great tonic to have at hand and can be used in any number of delicious ways. (It is the only vinegar I use in my salad dressings now).

So how did fire cider inspire me to make a spicy ointment? Blame my feet. A ‘warming, pain-relieving, soothing, spicy ointment’ was something my feet decided I should try, so I did.

Pictured above: several handcrafted macerations with spices and oils. To mention just a few of the spices included: ginger, cloves, black pepper, nigella seed, coriander seed, fennel, chili, turmeric, and cinnamon. How do all these combine? To my delight, beautifully! The fragrance of the final product even has full husband approval.

Although the result is a fabulous foot-friendly ointment that does everything I hoped it would do, it comes with requirements. I learned (the hard way) that it is imperative to wash hands thoroughly immediately after applying. Do not even think about rubbing anything even remotely close to your eyes. Do not consider applying to lips (too late — I did and it took about a nanosecond before I was removing it again).

Do Tell

Have you ever made a spicy ointment? Which spices did you use?

The book below shows you how to make several spicy lip balms with your own spice-infused oils.

Book of Natural Balms - Volume 1

Mixed Butter Balm - Next Batch

Pictured: the ingredients for a mixed butter balm I have been tweaking since last year. The featured butters are cocoa butter, mango butter, murumuru butter, and kombo butter. I’ve also included a few handcrafted herb-infused oils.

Why so much tweaking?

Getting plant butters to play nice together can be a bit trickier than expected. Each butter has its own melt point and fatty acid profile.

What does this mean?

It means if the butters aren’t treated optimally (despite their varying requirements for butter happiness) the resulting balm could crystallise (develop unwanted graininess) over time.

Getting them all to play nice and stay happy with each other may sound like boring work to some, but I find this part of formulation development quite fascinating and educational.

Do Tell

Are you a tweaker? Which types of formulas are your favorites to tinker with?

If you love making balms as much as I do, you might find the book below interesting.

Book of Natural Balms - Volume 1

How to Know When to Use a Preservative

“If a product is anhydrous, surely a preservative isn't necessary?”

“An emulsion requires a preservative – no matter what, right?”

Preservatives are (understandably) a challenge for many artisan formulators. Knowing how (and when) to include them is among the most common type of questions I get from my readers, clients, and students.

I wish there was an easy one-size-fits-all answer.

There are so many different types of cosmetics (and methods of making) that it can be confusing to sort through all the ‘if’s, but’s, and maybes’ of cosmetic preservation.

This article is my attempt at an answer to the many of you who have asked. Please note this is a general guide and will not be able to answer every question you may have.

Rules and Exceptions

Also, as it is with many rules, there are going to be exceptions. For example: despite what you may have been taught/have heard about cosmetics with water content, it is indeed possible to make a safe, long-lasting emulsion without adding a preservative. It is also possible to make an anhydrous product that can result in mouldy growth. Sometimes, including a preservative is going to be a judgement call you will have to make depending on the ingredients you are using, your production method, how your product is packaged, stored, and even how it is used by your customer.

In the guide below, I’ve created categories for the types of formulations and included a few tips as well. I hope you find it useful !

Anhydrous Products

Anhydrous: Minimal Exposure to Moisture

This includes water-free products that have a minimal chance of the contents being exposed to moisture during storage and use.

Examples of ‘minimal moisture’ products are:

• Face oil

• Body oil

• Massage oil

• Balm

• Leave-on oleogels

• Lotion bars

• Ointments

• Hair wax

• Body butters (water-free)

PRESERVATIVE: Unnecessary

TIPS 

• Addition of an antioxidant can help retard rancidity

• Body butter is a term that is used to describe both completely water-free products as well as rich emulsions.

Anhydrous: Some Exposure to Moisture

These are products that have some chance of introduction of moisture during use such as:

• Cleansing balms

• Body scrubs

• Oil-to-milk cleansers

• Pressed powder makeup

PRESERVATIVE: Judgement Call

TIPS

1. Packaging can be a deciding factor (for example if the product is dispensed instead of dipped into).

2. Adding specific instructions can also be a deciding factor (‘keep contents free of moisture- use within 3 months’, etc)

3. Although pressed powder makeup is anhydrous, note that some people will wet their makeup brush before dipping into the product, thereby introducing moisture. If you are selling your products and risk customers (mis)using them in this manner, consider adding preservative or including a disclaimer on the label.

Anhydrous: Moisture Exposure Unavoidable

This includes products where introduction of moisture to the content during use product is a given and includes examples such as:

• Tooth powders

• Wet and apply color cosmetics

• Cleansing powders/grains

• Cleansing balms (packaged in jars where the product is dipped into)

• Exfoliating scrubs (packaged in jars where the product is dipped into)

PRESERVATIVE: Recommended / Judgement Call

TIPS

1. Products such as cleansing powders/grains can be preservative free if explicit instructions are included on the label that the contents must be kept free of moisture. Consider packaging that allows the product to be dispensed without introduction to moisture for optimal shelf life without added preservatives.

2. Some scrubs can be preservative free if sold with spoon/scoop to dispense the product along with clear instruction on the label to keep the contents moisture free.

Anhydrous After Production With High pH

These are products that use water/liquids during production but are cured/dried before use and also have a high pH (generally pH 9-10).

Examples include products such as

• Cold process soap

• Hot process soap

• Beldi soap

PRESERVATIVE: Unnecessary

Anhydrous After Production

These are products that use water/liquids during production but are cured/dried before they are used and include:

• Bath bombs

• Shower steamers

• Solid shampoo bars

• Solid (SYNDET) body wash bars

• Solid conditioner bars

PRESERVATIVE: Unnecessary (in most cases), Judgement Call

TIPS

1. Microbial testing may be the deciding factor.

2. Packaging could be an integral part of the formula. Storage and use could be with explicit instructions. Example: individually wrapped portions/bath bombs that are used immediately after unwrapping.

Products with Water Content

Very Low Water Content

These are products that are predominantly anhydrous but contain a small percentage of ingredients that contain water (such as extracts, tinctures, etc.)

Examples of this type of product includes:

• Cleansing balms (some types)

• Balms (some types)

• Stick deodorants

• Hair styling products (some types)

• Body butters (some)

PRESERVATIVE: Judgement Call

TIPS

1. Microbial testing may be the deciding factor.

2. Packaging could be an integral part of the formula to avoid additional introduction of moisture.

Some Water Content

These products have some content of water but it is not the dominant ingredient. Examples of products of this type can:

• Salves

• Oil-rich lotions

• Rich, thick creams

• Emulsified body butters

PRESERVATIVE: (Generally) Necessary

TIPS

1. Packaging can be a deciding factor as to how much and which type of preservative is required

High Water Content

Water is the predominant ingredient in these products and generally listed first in ingredients list. Examples include:

• Water-based serums

• Lotions

• Creams

• Skin tonics

• Cream Cleansers

• Liquid shampoos

• Liquid hair conditioners

• Ready to use face masks

• Water-based gels (hydrogels)

PRESERVATIVE: (Almost Always) Necessary

TIPS 

1. Packaging can be a deciding factor as to how much preservative is required. Examples: products that are dispensed (pump bottle, serum bottle) or packaged in airless containers may not require as much preservative as a product that is packaged in a wide-neck jar that is dipped into.

Find More (from LisaLise) About Preserving Cosmetics

Overpreserving - as Bad as Underpreserving.

Download a free Natural Preservatives e-book right here

Hurdle Technology - the new Norm for Cosmetics Preservation

Preservative Free Cleansers with Hurdle Technology

Do Tell

Do you work with preservatives in your products? Which kinds of products do you normally add preservative to?

PS: The products in the books below are all preservative free

Make Your Own Preservative Free Natural Cosmetics With 21 Ingredients

Haz tus propios productos cosméticos naturales sin conservantes con 21 ingredientes

Solid Skincare

Here’s a peek at something I have been working on since last Fall. This is a solid serum/stick/balm that contains a very short ingredients list.

One would think a short ingredients list is equal to easy peasy, but sometimes achieving perfection with very few ingredients is much harder than expected. I have been testing the limits of the chosen ingredients to try and make them all play nice together and stay that way.

The ‘stay that way’ part has been the biggest challenge, but it’s getting there.

Just a few more batches, and I think this will be good to go. When it’s ready, I plan to add the formula to an upcoming publication.

Book of Natural Balms - Volume 1

Sneak Preview for 2022

Here’s a little sneak preview of something coming up in the new year. Pictured: a matcha and mint cleansing balm that smells absolutely stunning. This is a variation of the cleansing balm featured on page 92 of the book linked below.

Are you a little curious?

I promise to follow up and give you more hints soon, but for now, you’ll have to make do with this.

Make Your Own Preservative Free Natural Cosmetics With 21 Ingredients

Preservative Free Salve Batch Umpty-Dillion

See that bottle up there? It’s batch number umpty-dillion of a preservative-free salve that pretty much defies the normal rules of cosmetics making.

How does it defy the rules?

• It contains water, but no preservative, yet stays fresh for months

• It is an emulsion without a (standard) emulsifier, yet remains stable for months

• It contains handcrafted botanical infusions and tinctures, yet defies contamination and stays fresh for months

Cool, huh?

The (homegrown) botanicals in the pictured batch are rosemary (tincture) and helichrysum (infused oil).

Counting Batches

I’ve been using this salve formula for many years and have made so many variations of it (both with and without preservative) that I would probably have a hard time counting the actual batch size. It’s great for sensitive, dry and mature skin and I use it for everything from night cream to foot balm, so there is at any given time a bottle of it in my stock.

If you’re interested in making a version of it (that contains preservative) , there’s a how to in the book below.

Do Tell

Do you have a favorite formula that is easily tweakable just keeps on going? Please share in a comment below

An Introduction to Natural Cosmetic Emulsions - Hand-Stirred Lotions and Creams

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