Teach Soap

OK so I didn't have any waxes to use in my lotion so I used fruit pectin ( the stuff used to make jams and jellies). To my surprise it made a really lovely lotion that's not greasy and leaves the skin silky smooth.

Now here is my issue. I know pectin works well as a preservative for jams and jellies ( my jams last 1 year easy with this), but will it work for my lotion? It's for personal use but I would love to make it in larger batches that 16 oz. so every member of my family can have their own bottle.

my ingredients are equal parts Olive oil and Shea butter, water, alcohol and pectin and ascorbic acid (vitamin c).

If I should use a preservative, what would be a good one to use and in what amount for a 16 oz batch? My kids have eczema so I would like to use a preservative that is mild on sensitive skin.

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If I was you, I would leave the alcohol out. It could make your skin drier over time. I'm not sure if pectin is GRAS in lotions or creams. You might want to do some research on it. As far as a preservative I usually use Cosmocil CQ since it's paraben free.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Thank's for the heads up on the alcohol I will make another batch with no alcohol to test the difference.

Pectin is natural and found in toothpaste some cosmetics and even food. It's a natural thickener and preservative.

I went to the FDA site and did a search and this is what I found.
"b]
Pectins [/b](including pectin modified) - EMUL, STAB, GRAS, GMP - 184.1588; sodium methyl sulfate may be present in pectins < 0.1%, 173.385; Part 145, Cnd Fruit; Part 150, Fruit Butters, Jellies & Preserves"

This is the link where I found the info. The list is huge but is a great resource.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredients ... 091048.htm

I also found another site that talks about cosmetic ingredients and this is what they said: "Pectin : Natural substance. Used in cosmetics, toothpaste, hair setting lotion, barrier cream, foods, anti-diarrheal medicines as an emulsifier and thickener. Contains partially methoxylated polygalacturonic acids."

here is the link for this site: http://www.mbm.net.au/health/cosmetics/p.html

if any of you know of any other links that can be useful for researching this ingredient or others, please let me know.

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Did you check the pH? I don't know the pectin you are using but I do know that methoxylated pectins require a low pH. Lotion and creams are usually 5.5 to 6.5 PH. Just because it's natural, or it's good in food doesn't mean it would be good for lotions or creams.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

OK so I checked the ph of my lotion, with a ph testing kit i have. The verdict is 4.8

Now I know this is low, but for people with skin problems like my self and my kids this great. Our dermatologist has recommended that we use products in the 3.8 to 5.0 range for cleansing and moisturizing. Anything higher will cause flair ups on the Eczema. FYI- most skin problems like Eczema, Acne dermatitis etc. occur when the ph of the skin is 7.0 or higher. Using a low ph product allows the body to balance the ph levels with out over compensating.

Like I said before this lotion is for personal use only as I'm testing it and it will be months before I can see what the true results would be.

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I'd never heard that pectin was a preservative - it's a thickener, which is the function it's serving in both jellies and your lotions. And it isn't the pectin that keeps jams and jellies safe, it's the canning process itself. Try making jam without sealing the jars like you do in canning, and you're likely to see fuzzy green growth. That's why so many canned products require refrigeration after opening.

I'd be really hesitant to use this - at least make very small batches and refrigerate, and discard after a very short time period.

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So true, magic_hands. I did put some preservative in it to be on the safe side. I used Germaben II.

The consistency is nice and does the job well as lotion, but now I just have to see how stable it is. I have 1/2 the batch in the fridge and the other 1/2 on my dresser. I will be sending it of to a lab for culture in about 3 more weeks.

I'm curious to find out what the results are from the lab as well as the behavior of the oils and the pectin together.

I will post about the progress and let you all know the final verdict on this lil project.

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Please, do post any updates - this is very interesting, and not like anything I ever tried, so I'd love to hear more!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Week 1 Results:

The lotion is very stable right now but a bit thicker than I would like. It still gives the same results as it did at the start of the project. 4.8 PH, very soft skin and There's no visible signs of rancid oils or spoiling at this point (but lets see what the lab has to say), and no changes in the color. So so far it looks good.

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The lotion is at the lab I will have the results in about a week or so.

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I made some lotion with beeswax, fruit pectin, grape seed oil, shea butter, and goats milk and its so rich and awesome. I wasn't surprised that it worked, but I was surprised at how well it blended.

did Dolly ever post the lab results? i'd be interested in seeing them..

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~Shell