Ads

Wednesday 9 February 2011

Natural cosmetics recipes

Soap can be produced by mixing water and lye with olive oil castille soap and also coconut oil to produce a natural and mild soap. 


shampoo can be produced by mixing water, with a mild surfactant such as decyl glucoside, a plant gum like xanthan gum as a thickener, salt, and emmolients such as coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, honey and essential oils. An alternative to decyl glucoside is the use of saponin containing plants. Natural surfactants include Quillaja saponariaAcacia concinna or Sapindus. Many other herbs have conditioner effects on the hair such as nettles or amla


body butter can be produced by mixing oils (such as a base of olive and coconut oils) with beeswax. A natural body lotion can be produced by mixing water and lecithin, cocoa or coconut butter, and dry oils such as grapeseed oil or thistle oil, beeswax, plant extracts such as witch hazelcalendula or aloe verahydrosols and essential oilsNatural preservatives is cosmetics are a controversial issue; these might include vitamin E (only protects oil shelf-life, not against bacteria or mold), rosemary oil, neem oil, tea tree oil, honey, propolis, salt, vinegar, lemon juice or green tea extracts, or by eliminating the use of water (replacing with hydrosols or aloe vera gel). If this does not work, then using organic alcohol or potassium sorbate are two chemical alternatives, that do not present significant risks to our health. 


A natural toothpaste can be made by mixing baking soda, glycerin and water as a paste, with some antibacterial (e.g. sage) essential oils. There are many recipes for natural cosmetics in the internet.