How much science?
Many times when I get to talk in more detail about my products, people wonder about the science behind mixing various natural ingredients into a smooth butter or mousse. Without over-simplifying things I must say I don’t actually employ a lot of science. Just because when you are mixing oils and butters, they simply bind to each other naturally. There is absolutely no need for emulsifiers, slide-on agents, preservatives, emollients, humectants or who-knows-what. Lucky me!!!
My process is fairly simple: melt the beeswax, butters and coconut oil, add the liquid plants oils, mix well with a kitchen spoon, wait for the mixture to cool down a bit and then add the essential oils and mix again vigorously. That’s it! Nothing else added. It sounds simple, doesn’t it?
The problem is when you mix oils / butters with water. That’s when you need to add, at a very minimum, an emulsifier and a preservative. Because oils don’t mix with water and because water is the perfect environment for bacteria, fungi and mold. So just by adding a drop of water, you get at least these 2 problems. And from here on it gets complicated. Preservatives don’t smell nice, problem no 3, and so you now need to add some sort of fragrance. Given essential oils are expensive, the big manufacturers prefer synthetic ‘perfume’ which comes at a fraction of the cost.
Speaking of essential oils, I should say I totally love them not only for their scents but even more so for their therapeutic properties. Double awesomeness!
I won’t delve any further into the science of synthetic cosmetics as my interest doesn’t lay there.
If the ingredients listing on a product starts with water, then pay more attention to what follows.
Besides, why paying big bucks for water?!?
Love,
Stefania
