Plant Aromatics ** SAFETY Advice on Making Lotions and Creams

[Guest guest]

Hi Rusty,

 

Welcome to the best list around. :-)

 

I'm gonna skip what you wrote as I am sure the other folks will reply ..

I know nothing about making anything except Black Russians and a few

other mixed drinks .. I deal in single source oils.

 

I'll leave your post intact in hopes that other folks will jump in and

assist you in the areas of their expertise.

 

But .. as today is Thursday and Thursday is Ad Day on the list .. its a

good time to tell you that one of the things you and everyone else who

makes products for sale should consider is safe dilution .. and I mean

not having too much of this or that in a product.

 

Even though Martin Watt is an argumentative rascal when tawking about

products that haven't been blessed by the crooked agencies that are

supposed to be looking out for the health and welfare of the folks in

the USA .. he still does pretty good research in other areas. ;-)

 

The basic reference publication you need afore you get into production

of Lotions and Creams and whatsoever for sale to others .. or for use by

you and yours .. is THE Safety Manual .. " Plant Aromatics. "

 

Martin did the research and compiled the Safety Manual .. its his baby.

 

> Hello to the list! I'm a new member, and new to the world of

> aromatherapy and essential oils, etc. Anyway, I jumped in with both

> feet, purchasing a wide assortment of oils and stuff (after doing

> quite a bit of reading and " research " ). My goal is to be able to make

> wonderful creams and lotions, primarily for personal and family use,

> but hey, if things work out, who knows? Maybe I'll set up a little

> online shop as well. First things first, I have to be able to MAKE

> something that is worthy of use. )

>

> I have no experience (and no scale, either - so I'm using tsp/ml

> equivalents) and my first couple of attempts turned out too thick,

> and under-emulsified. If I could tell you what ingredients I have,

> perhaps someone could give me some insight as to what I need to mix

> for success. Like I mentioned, I have plenty of liquid oils (almond,

> hazelnut, rose hips, evening primrose, vit E, hemp, grapeseed, etc.)

> and kokum and shea butters. I have beeswax, vegetable glycerin, aloe

> vera gel, and plenty of EOs. Also I have acacia gum, stearic acid,

> lecithin and sodium borate. I'm HOPING that is enough to make some

> quality lotions and creams. Can anyone give me some guidance on how

> much and what/which of these " extra " ingredients to put together?

> I've made some great oils, and I can tell they're helping my skin,

> but I don't like applying an oil during the day when my hands feel

> dry, I dislike the " greasy " feeling. I understand about heating the

> oil phase and water phase separately. Apparently I'm doing something

> not quite right when it comes to the mixing, or the amounts/types of

> emulsifier(s) to use. Oh, I have glass mixing devices and a hand and

> stick blender to use just for this, as well as containers, etc. All I

> need is a working formula and to decide what EO's go in for what

> specific purposes (scar reducing, healing, anti-wrinkle, etc.)

>

> Thanks in advance for your help!!

>

> Rusty

 

Someone asked once:

> Why are some oils safe for the skin and some not? Does this mean

> that it is not safe directly on the skin? And if some are not safe

> on the skin, if it was diluted by lotions, wouldn't then be safe?

 

And I replied:

The reason is that some chemicals are known irritants and/or known

sensitizers .. others can cause photosensitization .. others can absorb

with frequent use and eventually build up a level of toxicity that can

stress or damage the liver. Not a lot different than asking why we can

rub Rose Petals on our skin with no problem but Poison Ivy is a no-no.

 

Much like " a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, " dilution

cuts back on the harshness of chemicals .. not a lot different than

drinking straight bourbon .. few folks can do that .. most prefer it

mixed, or diluted. A matter of reducing concentration and harshness.

 

The final result of dilution of essential oils is less likelihood of

irritation and/or sensitization.

 

Though it's important to avoid irritation, it's more important to avoid

sensitization as irritation is a temporary condition - we remove the

irritant and things go back to normal .. not so for sensitization, it's

for life!

 

Most essential oils have been tested and safe level of dilution is

known. There is ONE reference publication available that presents the

data on this testing .. " Plant Aromatics. " This is a compilation of

data researched over many years by Martin Watt, Cert. Phyt. Medical

Herbalist & Essential Oil Educator. The primary source of the research

was the R.I.F.M. (Research Institute for Fragrance Materials) and their

sister organization the I.F.R.A. (International Fragrance Research

Association).

 

These organizations collect safety data on essential oils in a number of

ways: they gather scientific information and assess it, member companies

report adverse reactions to materials to them, and if necessary, they in

turn circulate warning notices to member companies.

 

Finally, they have commissioned significant research evaluations for

well over 35 years, and have published their findings on essential oil

safety in the journal - Food and Chemicals Toxicity.

 

So - you have a choice of disregarding safety, shooting in the dark and

keeping fingers crossed .. or going to the library and researching the

back issues of Food and Chemicals Toxicity for the past 35 plus years,

or if you are short on time, acquiring this Safety Manual. ;-)

 

" Plant Aromatics " , New Edition 2001, includes (in one bound copy):

 

Skin Irritation

Sensitization

Photo sensitization

Oral & Dermal Toxicity

 

It goes into:

 

Reactions to Individual Chemicals

Testing for Adverse Effects

Skin Absorption

Oils Not Recommended

Absolute and Concrete Extracts

Maximum Levels of Oils in Perfumes/Cosmetics

Toxicity Levels

Referenced Adverse Effects on the Skin

And many more subjects

 

Why does one need this Safety Manual? I can think of three reasons.

 

1. Ethics and Personal Safety: Why should we use an EO in a dilution

that is larger than that which has been tested as being safe? We have

responsibility to ensure those who use our products - as well as our

selves, are not injured due to our not knowing the safe dilutions.

 

2. Legal Liability: When we sell a product, we're considered as being

professionals .. like it or not, we then become liable for any harm we

might cause. Ignorance is no defense. Will use of this safety data get

us off the hook if we are hauled into court for a lawsuit? I don't know

but if we can quote safety data I would think we would be in a better

position to show we took reasonable and prudent care to do the right

thing, we made informed decisions using available information. Intent

can mean much and a good defense can not hurt - methinks. Is it enough

to get us off the hook? Depends on too many variables.

 

3. Professional Development and Knowledge: " Plant Aromatics " is more

than rumor and is quotable as scientifically sound. The date/time/who

conducted the tests are referenced.

 

The old edition of Martin's " Plant Aromatics " was $75. I published his

new, revised edition and offer it for $44.90 .. it can now be seen and

ordered at URL http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html The new,

revised edition came out in November 2001 and is already in the Fourth

Printing. I am exclusive dealer for North and South America.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com