How to Make a Strawberry Glycerite with Preservative

Today, we’re making strawberry glycerite.

You: Lise, it’s not summer, and there are no strawberries available.

Me: It’s summer in Australia right now, so somewhere on the planet, this is a timely post.

Important: Use the ripest, plumpest, freshest (organic) strawberries available to you for optimal results. If that means you have to wait for summer, then wait. Trust me when I say it will be worth it.

Because we are using fresh strawberries (which are about 92% water), there is no need to add any water.

Ingredients

• Fresh strawberries

• Glycerine

• Preservative (I used benzyl alcohol)

Water to Glycerine Ratios

One of the most common ratios of water-to-glycerine for an extract with preservative is 50/50. It’s easy to work with too.

I generally start by seeing how much preservative is recommended, choose a dosage a little higher than middle, then calculate ‘backwards’ to find how much glycerine and strawberry to add. I used benzyl alcohol in this extract which has a recommended max dosage of 1%. But because glycerine is ‘aiding’ the preservative, I chose to use less than max: 0.6%. I made this pictured batch some years ago and it performed beautifully so if I were to repeat this today, I would use the same amounts.

Strawberry Glycerite with Preservative

Ingredient	%
Preservative	0.6
Organic Strawberries	49.7
Glycerine	49.7

Method

1. Sanitise the jar and equipment

2. Place the jar on a scale and set to 0

3. Slice or chop the strawberries

4. Add strawberries to jar to desired weight

5. Set scale to 0

6. Weigh up glycerine to desired weight

7. Weigh and add preservative

8. Place lid on jar (TIP: If your lid isn’t in pristine condition, place a protective layer of food-safe paper or plastic between the lid and jar)

9. Place jar out of direct sunlight at room temperature. I find putting a tea towel over the jar works well.

10. Gently agitate the jar once a day for 7-10 days. The strawberries will start to look a little ‘spent’ and ‘tired’ when the mixture is ready for straining.

You Might be Wondering…

If we are using a preservative, can we add it after straining instead of before infusing?

Yes you can. To do so, weigh up the amount of strained liquid and then calculate how much preservative to add.

Why I don’t do it this way.

I prefer adding preservative at the beginning because the water to glycerine ratio is lower than when making a self-preserving glycerite (read: the preservative is working while the infusion is ongoing), and I just find it easier (and makes for less math) all around.

Straining

1. Sanitise your equipment

2. Place funnel in receptacle

3. Place filter/ lining in funnel (1-2 layers of clean muslin, cheesecloth, or suitable paper filters)

4. Pour mixture into funnel and allow to strain

5. Decant into bottle

6. Label and date the bottle

7. Store the extract cool, and use within 6 months.

Do Tell

Are you a fan of strawberries in your skincare? Please share in a comment below.

Are you a member of LisaLise Club? If not, you may want to check out what it has to offer you by clicking the picture below.

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Vinegar as Medicine and For Cosmetics

You might be shaking your head at this title, and I really don't blame you. Not too terribly many years ago, I would probably have scoffed a little at the idea of using vinegar in anything cosmetics related.

I mean, seriously?

It's vinegar!

Think salad, think cooking, but cosmetics?

But before you dismiss this pungent liquid from your cosmetics ingredients list, let's take a closer look at some of vinegar's uses and capabilities.

Historic Vinegar

Vinegar has been used for centuries for health and well being. You might have heard of the historically famous 4 Thieves Vinegar: a vinegar brew with a selection of carefully chosen herbs.

As the story goes, this herbal-infused vinegar functioned as an antibacterial guard for 4 plundering thieves during the plague. They doused themselves in the mixture (and perhaps drank some too) to stave off bacteria as they ruthlessly (and successfully) robbed plague victims without becoming ill.

When they were finally caught after a lengthy spree of robbing the sick and dying, the authorities were amazed they had been able to survive without catching the plague themselves and demanded to know their secret. They promised to share if they were granted some leniency.

And after revealing their recipe, they were subsequently executed for their crimes.

Is this story true? No one knows.

I imagine you're curious, so here's what is claimed as the most historically accepted version of this magical concoction.

Classic Four Thieves Vinegar

Ingredient	Amount
White wine vinegar	3 pints
Wild Marjoram	handful
Juniper Berries	handful
Meadowsweet	handful
Wormwood	handful
Sage	handful
Elecampane Root	2 ounces
Angelica	2 ounces
Rosemary	2 ounces
Horehound	2 ounces
Cloves	50
Camphor	3 grams

The method for making it was described in few words.

1. Add ingredients to liquid

2. Allow to brew for 7 days, then strain

I couldn't help but smile at the lack of continuity of these measurements. Ounces, grams and 'handfuls'.

Nonetheless, the combination of herbs with this common liquid has been the basis for several beneficial uses throughout history.

Among other things, it has been tested and studied as an antibacterial agent that helps aid wound healing. (links below).

Vinegar for Hair

It has been common knowledge for ages that a vinegar rinse helps remove any last remains of shampoo and provide a healthy shine to the hair.

Does it work?

Yes, indeedy.

And if you check this link to the Korean Institute of Science and Technology, you'll find vinegar has shown promise as a hair-growth-boosting ingredient in a study (using rodents).

It's quite fun to see science catching up with grandma's old haircare tips, wouldn't you say?

What About Now

In this day and age, vinegar is just as useful and multifunctional as it has always been. There are numerous bonuses to working with vinegar. Not only is it widely available, but it can be made from a plethora of sources and is so pocketbook friendly, you can allow yourself to splash out a bit in the experimenting department.

Vinegar can be a very useful component of cosmetics. Transformed into a tincture, it can function as a colorant, fragrance (yes, you read correctly), pH adjuster, and even more.

Which brings me to the picture at the top of this post. That, my friends, is an example of vinegar transformed. What you are looking at is the aftermath of a hibiscus-vinegar squeezing pH performance of multicolored magnificence that demanded to be photographed and shared with you.

Do Tell

Have you ever used a vinegar hair rinse? Did it make your hair shiny?

More About Vinegar

Medicinal Uses and Antiglycemic effect, ncbi, Medscape General Medicine (LINK)

Assessment of antifungal potential of apple cider vinegar, Iraqi Scientific Academic Journals (LINK)

Evaluation of Stability in Purified Wood Vinegar for Hair Growth, Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (LINK)

Effect of Apple Cider Vinegar on the Healing of Experimentally Induced Wounds... Reasearchgate (LINK)

Wound Healing Through the Ages, Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery (LINK)

The History of Vinegar and of its Acetification Systems, (article) Archives Des Sciences, 2009, 62: 147-160

Four Thieves Historic Anti-plague remedy, Kitchen Doctor (LINK)

Four Thieves Vinegar by Kami McBride (LINK)

PS: in the LisaLisa Club members area there is a section on making (and using) vinegar tinctures. If you think you’d like to join us, click the picture below to read what’s in it for you.

Club

If you love working with plants, making your own extracts, and incorporating them into your personal care products, then check out the Club where members have access to exclusive content. Please note: membership spots are limited.

How Preservative-Free Products With Honey, Clay, and Water is Possible

Today we're going to look something that might seem to defy normal formulating logic – a honey and clay mask that not only contains water, but has NO added preservative.

You: That's impossible! It would be a teeming mass of bacteria and microbes in a second and could never ever pass a challenge test.

Like, ever!

That's a perfectly understandable knee-jerk reaction.

But guess what.

This honey and clay mask passed challenge testing.

Want to know how? Read on to get the dirt! (little teensy pun intended)

The Clay and Honey Mask

Cosmetic chemist Amanda Foxon-Hill created a 'Simple Honey and Clay Mask' formula (link below) for one of her cosmetic-making workshops.

Her formula includes:

• Honey

• Clay

• Water (or other liquid as desired)

Despite this ‘notoriously difficult to preserve’ combination of ingredients, Amanda’s formula does not include any preservative.

Not only was this particular mask made during a workshop full of students (without gloves, hairnets etc), but Amanda subsequently used the product, and then proceeded to leave it standing out in her hot (Australian) office for a couple of weeks (!).

Then she shipped the product off to be challenge tested.

And it passed.

But How?

Because of the way this formula is designed, it is self-preserving. Read: because it keeps itself preserved, there is no need to add preservative.

How is it even possible to create a self-preserving formula?

The answer lies not in one thing, but in several things, and the method is called Hurdle Technology.

Hurdle Technology

Hurdle technology involves using a combination of techniques to control (or completely eliminate) pathogens from a product.

In short, necessary 'hurdles' are 'placed' in a formulation to successfully inhibit unwanted organisms.

These hurdles might include

• Heat-treating some ingredients prior to use

• Using specific combinations of ingredients

• Employing a particular set of methods during production

• Maintaining a specific pH

• Packaging requirements (think airless containers or containers where the product is pumped out and not exposed directly to fingers during use).

Hurdle technology is - relatively speaking - new on the scene and has its roots in the food industry. In the cosmetics industry, it is even newer.

Now, I know you’re wondering if there is a 'one-size-fits-all' easy-peasy way of employing hurdle technology to our cosmetic formulas, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way.

Creating a successful self-preserving formula requires in-depth knowledge of the ingredients you are using, how they react (or don't react) with each other, experience, and loads of testing.

If you're interested in reading a bit more about hurdle technology, check the links below.

Meantime, find Amanda's self preserving Clay and Honey Mask formula right here.

Do Tell

Have you ever employed hurdle technology in your formulations? Were you successful? Please share in a comment below.

Find More Info

Amanda’s Post on Overpreserving with her Honey and Clay Mask Formula (LINK)

Self preserving cosmetics containing honey and water is possible (Botanical Formulations) (LINK)

Effect of Hurdle Technology in Food Preservation (pubMed) (LINK)

Principles and Applications of Hurdle Technology (Springer) (LINK)

Hurdle Technology (sample chapters - PDF format)

Why Honey Never Goes Bad (this blog)

How to Sterilize Clay for Your Cosmetics (this blog)

Club Highlights

There’s a quick and easy how-to in the members area that shows you how to take advantage of leftover herbs you might not know what to use for and can’t bear to throw out. Not a member? Click the picture below to check out what the Club has to offer you!

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If you love working with plants, making your own extracts, and incorporating them into your personal care products, then check out the Club where members have access to exclusive content. Please note: membership spots are limited.

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PS: There’s a bundle offer on these 2 e-books that show you how to make self-preserving glycerites as well as self preserving cleansers

Self Preserving BUNDLE

Why Raw Honey Never Goes Bad

Ever wonder why the raw honey you have in your kitchen can sit in the cupboard for months on end (or even years) without going bad?

It's because of GOx.

GOx is short for glucose oxidase.

Protein With a Punch

Glucose oxidase is an enzyme that oxidizes glucose into glucolactone which converts oxygen into hydrogen peroxide in the process.

What this means is: it acts as a preservative.

In short, GOx is an all natural bactericide – built right into the all natural chemical composition of raw honey.

Apart from keeping honey from going bad, it has scads of other uses. In fact, glucose oxidase has so many uses, it plays a major role in the biotech industry.

GOx Rocks

Among many other things, glucose oxidase is used for measuring blood glucose (REF ). It works by turning the glucose in blood (which is difficult to measure) into hydrogen peroxide (which is easy to measure). This makes it an ideal biosensor for diabetes.

Here's a short-list of some of its other uses.

GOx Uses:

• Food preservative

• In baking: helps increase dough consistency and quality

• Color stabilizer

• In wine production (lowers alcohol content and adds bactericidal effect)

• Antimicrobial agent in oral hygiene products

• Acidity regulator in food production

• Biofuel cells

• In packaging: removes oxygen from food packaging

Honey on The Skin and Hair

Raw honey is fabulous for skin. You can use it straight up to wash your face or leave it on as a moisturising, cleansing mask. I have used it as the base for my morning cleanser for many years.

Try applying and leaving honey on the skin (and in the hair!) for as long as you please as an all natural nourishing mask. I've experimented with the leave-on time, and a 2 hour honey mask is a real treat for the skin.

Worried about stickiness? Keep in mind honey easily dissolves in water, so the mask rinses out like a dream.

Bonus Tip: if you decide to do a lengthy honey mask, don't be tempted to steam iron anything while you are wearing the mask (so I learned after having to re-wash my freshly ironed, honey-dripped tablecloth)

Extra bonus tip: Pop a blank sheet mask over the freshly applied honey to keep dripping at a minimum.

Unlike Some, Honey Doesn't Like it Hot

Sometimes raw honey will crystallize and some will recommend heating honey to decrystallize it. The problem is, heat compromises the glucose oxidase activity, so do stick to storing and using honey at room temperature. Here’s a link to a study that examines how the glucose oxidase in honey reacts when it is heated (PDF ARTICLE ON RESEARCHGATE)

Do Tell

Do you work with honey in your cosmetics? If so, how? Please pop in a comment below.

Links to More Info about Honey and Glucose Oxidase

Glucose oxidase, applications, sources and recombinant production (LINK)

Glucose oxidase: an enzyme ferrari (LINK)

PubMed: glucose oxidase (LINK)

PubChem: glucolactone (LINK)

American Bee Journal: Inhibine and glucose oxidase in honey - a review (1966) (LINK)

Club Highlights

The formulas section has a selection of natural skincare and haircare formulas that are free for all members. Look forward to a self-preserving, honey-rich formulation during the next couple of weeks if you’re a member. Not a member yet? Check out what the Club has to offer by clicking the picture below.

Club

If you love working with plants, making your own extracts, and incorporating them into your personal care products, then check out the Club where members have access to exclusive content. Please note: membership spots are limited.

PS: The book below shows you how to use honey as one of the main ingredients to make a series of self preserving facial cleansers.

Self-Preserving Natural Cleansers

Witch Hazel: One Name, Different Things

I get all sorts of interesting comments on my blog posts, and some of them lead to new acquaintances as well as learning new things.

Today's post is one such example.

Penny posted comment on an previous post about witch hazel hydrosol that prompted me to get in touch with her and ask for more information. As it turned out, she had loads to offer because she and her husband happened to be artisan distillers of pulp free, botanically certified witch hazel.

After our communications, Penny graciously allowed me to share what I learned from her.

Witch Hazel isn't Just Witch Hazel

Depending on where you live on the planet, witch hazel is different things.

To North Americans, witch hazel is a bottled liquid sold in drug stores as an over-the-counter medicine for skin irritation.

In my (European) experience, I have never come across a product called 'witch hazel' in a drug store – bottled or otherwise. One might find dried twigs and leaves of the plant available in some specialist shops, or find a hydrosol (steam distillation) available from some herbalists or cosmetic ingredient suppliers.

There's a reason for this, and today, we're going to take a closer look at why.

One Plant – Many Applications

The botanical name for witch hazel is Hamamelis Virginiana. It is one of the most widely used plants in the world. You will find it in products for internal as well as external use, in pharmaceuticals as well as cosmetics.

There are three primary types of processes and witch hazel products, each using a different part of the plant and different processing method:

• Tinctures (made with alcohol and distilled)

• Witch Hazel USP (where it is allowed to make medical claims)

• Witch Hazel INCI (for cosmetics use)

Witch Hazel Tincture

A tincture is made by adding witch hazel bark, twigs or leaves to pure, fine grain alcohol where it is allowed to infuse over a period of time. The resulting product is a concentration of actives in an alcohol base. A witch hazel tincture can be used both externally and internally. Taken internally, it helps control diarrhoea, reduce inflammation and promotes a healthy digestive tract. Applied externally, it encourages healing of bruises, sprains, and even bleeding haemorrhoids. Tinctures are most commonly found in specialty stores in the USA and Canada.

Witch Hazel - USP (United States Pharmacopeia)

Witch hazel for use in American pharmaceutical products is referred to as USP. There are numerous production processes which will each give varying properties to the end product. The American Pharmacopeia calls for use of 'dormant twigs' for the production of USP witch hazel. (see the complete description of requirements here) http://www.pharmacopeia.cn/v29240/usp29nf24s0_m89070.html

Witch Hazel - INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetics Ingredients)

This is witch hazel for cosmetics use and is commonly a steam distillation using the leaves (or in Europe, and/or the flowers). Sometimes, alcohol is added to the end product.

Penny, who is in the USA, explains:

In the USA, the FDA does not include leaf distillation in its cosmetic manufacturing standards.

In 1994, the FDA declared they were "changing the name of the ingredient 'Hamamelis water' to 'witch hazel' in the final monograph for OTC (over-the-counter) astringent skin protectant drug products.' Read the entire document here.

This places witch hazel for cosmetics use in a sort of limbo-land, making it impossible for American consumers to know whether the witch hazel they are buying is a distillate from leaves or a diluted version of a USP distillate with alcohol.

Witch Hazel Production Methods

The world's leading producer of witch hazel is American Distilling, Inc. Located in Connecticut USA, they produce witch hazel that is exported around the world and used in everything from salves and creams to toothpastes and shampoos.

It is reported that industrial witch hazel is made using the entire tree rather than the dormant twigs (which is called for in the prescribed formulas - link). Although it might sound like a good idea to use the whole tree, this actually dilutes the end product considerably as the actives are concentrated in the leaves and dormant twigs.

Traditional Witch Hazel Production

Traditionally, the witch hazel wood is cut in such a manner that the plant can grow back. As one might imagine, re-harvesting the same trees over a period of time is not just environmentally friendly, but Penny explains it is also practical.

Modern Witch Hazel Production

American Distilling's website (LINK) states that the tree is 'cut to the stump, then chipped whole and delivered to the factory'. (Edit: this information was on their website at the time of the original post in 2013 but has since been removed)

Penny offered these thoughts on this production process:

"In reality, only about 12 % of the tree is bark, which – while not the legally required twigs – still contains some active ingredients. What puzzles me most is that pulp wood is not a legally accepted ingredient for any witch hazel formula in any country, yet the witch hazel factory in Connecticut gets deliveries of at least 300 tons of pulp wood every year.

Since the annual production of witch hazel USP runs in the neighbourhood of 3 million gallons, a whopping 20 million tons of witch hazel twigs would be required. I have to wonder if commercial witch hazel contains any active ingredients other than alcohol."

Penny told me she even contacted the FDA about this and was both surprised and disappointed with what she learned:

"They reported that there was no audit of raw-materials-to-final-product to insure the formula was being followed. In other words, the witch hazel may or may not be consistent from product to product. The FDA will test for solvents and alcohol – but not the active ingredients or phyto (plant) chemicals".

The European Pharmacopeia Standard(s)

In Europe, there are variations on the standards – each depending on the individual country's pharmacopeia. For a detailed report, read the European Assessment Report of the different witch hazel uses and production methods here.

As For Me

The witch hazel I know best and have used throughout the years is a hydrosol (steam distilled plant material using the flowers). My primary source of the distillate has been the French company Aroma Zone who write this about their product which is produced in France.

Concentration

To make 1 liter of hydrosol, 0.2 kilo of aerial parts are necessary, we speak of a ratio of 1/5. This extraction ratio, lower than that required for most other hydrosols (1/1), is necessary because this hydrosol is obtained from dried flowers that are much richer aromatically. So in this case this ratio makes it possible to obtain a pleasant olfactory result and to ensure good conservation of the hydrosol.

Visit the page here.

More

Visit Penny's website right here

Find organic Witch Hazel hydrosol at Aroma Zone here.

Do Tell

Do you work with witch hazel under any form? Please share which in a comment below.

Bundle Offer! Get Started Making Plant Extracts & Three Extracts Guide

Easy Rose Exfoliating Paste

This simple exfoliant ticks all of my favourite boxes:

• All natural (read: plant-based and organic)

• Vegan-friendly

• Beginner-friendly

• Gentle

• Effective

• Planet friendly

• Reasonably priced

The best part? It contains a mere 3 ingredients – one of which I know you have already guessed.

Are you ready to make your own rose exfoliant?

It Starts With Rose-Infused Oil

This product begins with your own rose-infused oil, so if you don't happen to have one brewing, you can learn how to make one right here.

If you have followed me for a while, you will probably know I have been making rose-infused oils for many years.

With that in mind, I'm almost embarrassed to tell you this next part.

Up until 2018, I discarded the spent plant material after straining my rose infusions.

(insert shock-faced emoji here)

But when my batches (finally) started resulting in the most heavenly fragranced oil, it became physically impossible for me to toss the spent material.

Then it hit me: Repurpose!

Instead of tossing the roses, I turned them into a luxuriously fragrant exfoliant. Here’s how easy it is to make your own.

Making Rose Exfoliating Paste

After straining your rose infusion, you are left with a straining cloth full of roses with some residual oil.

1. Place the oily roses into a chopper/grinder

2. Pulse until you have a paste

3. Test the texture for the skin feel you like and if necessary, keep pulsing/grinding until you are happy with the texture

4. Transfer the paste to a jar

5. Label and date the jar

6. Keep the contents free of moisture and use within 3 months (alternatively, add a preservative if you want to be able to dip wet fingers into the jar and use with abandon)

Here's what it looks like straight out of the jar. This paste makes a lovely hand exfoliant without the addition of anything else, but you could also add some fine himalayan pink salt to extend the amount and turn it into a luxurious rose body exfoliant.

Enjoy!

Do Tell

What do you do with the spent plant material from your oil infusions?

Want to incorporate your essential oil blends safely into a series of fabulous bath products? The e-book below might be just the thing!

Create Your Own Bath Products With Essential Oils