Rave: homemade “Pearl Paste” + Hpjrt's Recipes
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » DIY and Home-based Company Skincare Product Reviews

free skin care · Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:00 am

Ooh, coffee! I like that idea, it sounds really simple and nice. A good place to start experimenting with agar agar.

yum!

thanks, addicted-to-nice-things-girl!

free skin care · Mon Feb 26, 2007 3:03 am

skincareaddicted wrote:

poohlisey, me too! it's plain agar, so i have to add sugar and flavoring. do you ever add flavoring, if so, what do you use? i plan on using my lime and orange essential oils (yes properly extracted for comsumption) for flavoring as I know that can be done but am not sure what percentage is safe.

I add sugar, cocoa, etc, and some food colorings. Essential oils? Never tried that before!! Sounds really interesting!! Tell me how it goes! Smile

free skin care · Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:55 pm

catski, "addicted-to-nice-things-girl". thank you what a compliment, lol. I wish it were true though!

Hi poohlisey,

Of course I will update Very Happy

. In the meanwhile, here is an article about cooking with EOs:

http://www.aroma-essence.com/cooking.html

I also want to say a HUGE thank you to Mary and of course Carrie for formulating and relaying this information about pearl powder to us all. It has done incredible things for my skin!

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 12:52 am

Has anyone tried mixing the pearl powder with Skin Actives Sea kelp bioferment? Do you think it would be a compatible mix?
I have no DIY experience!

Thanks.

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:31 pm

Hi joani,

I have the SKB but I also have seamollient which I am planning to use (which looks very similar but in my opnion, acts a lot better on my skin than the SKB).

I am planning to dissolve some pearl powder to my liquid BGs (mostly water) as a base and add a dollop of the seamollient after the pearl powder dissolves.

I am not sure if pearl powder will dissolve in the SKB since pearl powder was to be dissolve in a water type medium first.

maybe anyone else has tried it?

Kristen

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 2:40 pm

Kristen - the SKBIo is water based, so in theory (lol, we all know how that goes) it should dissolve.

skincareaddicted wrote:

Hi joani,

I have the SKB but I also have seamollient which I am planning to use (which looks very similar but in my opnion, acts a lot better on my skin than the SKB).

I am planning to dissolve some pearl powder to my liquid BGs (mostly water) as a base and add a dollop of the seamollient after the pearl powder dissolves.

I am not sure if pearl powder will dissolve in the SKB since pearl powder was to be dissolve in a water type medium first.

maybe anyone else has tried it?

Kristen

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:42 pm

Just for alls info too..Mary is now making her recipe and selling it, incase your as lazy as I am!!!! Theres a thread listing the addy and such!!
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=21404

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 3:45 pm

Hi Candy,

I am worried that the water to agar (SKB) or carageenan (seamollient) proportion would keep the pearl powder from dissolving properly.

I don't think i have always gotten the pearl powder to dissolve properly even using either water or liquid oat beta glucans after patiently waiting. Is the pearl powder supposed to dissolve into almost invisible particles? if so, i have never gotten that.

I might trying using warm water as suggested over at GoW but hesitate about warming the liquid BGs for fear of ruining its good properties.

Kristen

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 7:59 pm

Hi skincareaddicted,

Every once in a while I have a problem with pearl powder dissolving properly. It can be stuff from the same batch that dissolved perfectly two days ago ... but every once in a while there seem to be large "chunks" that just don't seem to want to dissolve. Confused

[This generally happens when I really need it to dissolve properly ... naturally!]

So ... if I'm really "on the ball" I'll run the pearl powder through the coffee grinder for a bit ... and that generally helps the dissolving along. If I forget to do that [which happens more often than I care to admit] ... a bit of warmer water generally takes care of it.

I'd probably dissolve the pearl powder in a little water first ... and then add the SKB ...

Mary

free skin care · Fri Mar 09, 2007 8:51 pm

Hi Mary,

I hope you received my emailed order yesterday. I am so anxious to try the Pearl products that everyone raves about!!

Question: The Rich Pearl paste has Rose Hip Seed oil in it, right? Is that okay for dry skin that sometimes breaks out? (hormonal breakouts)

Thanks,
Mary

free skin care · Sat Mar 10, 2007 10:11 am

Hi Mary,

Yes I did get it Very Happy

... thank you very much ... and I also received the long awaited raw ingredients that I'd been expecting all week Very Happy

... so I'll be making up more of the Silken Pearl Paste on Monday ... and your order should go out mid next week! Very Happy

Mary

free skin care · Sun Mar 11, 2007 7:33 pm

Ooooo, freshly made Silken Pearl Paste!!! Sounds fabulous! I will anxiously await the beloved UPS/USPS delivery man. Laughing

Thanks Mary!

free skin care · Mon Mar 12, 2007 3:18 pm

Are there any way of making home pearl paste (recipes) without using aloe vera gel and alcohol? I am also interested in mixing it with SKBio and other actives. Does it matter which website I order pearl powder from? Of course I would want the better one Smile

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:20 am

Hi Wildcat,

You don't need to add either the aloe vera or the alcohol. I was using the alcohol because I didn't have any other preservative ... however, as it turned out I wasn't using enough alcohol to actually "preserve" it! Rolling Eyes

I don't use the alcohol now because I do have preservatives ... however, the small amount of alcohol in the recipe probably does assist as a penetration enhancer ... which may or may not be of benefit.

As for the Aloe Vera [which is the health food store type ... not the drug store type] ... I included that because otherwise I found it just too dry ... but you can certainly leave it out and include other things.

The trick with the recipe is to get "just enough" liquid mixed with the pearl powder. Very Happy

Too little and the pearl powder absorbs it all and you get either a "pearl rock" or you will get lumps/chunks of undissolved pearl powder. You also have to be fast because pearl powder absorbs the liquid very quickly. Mad

Too little and it's the wrong consistency ... and depending upon the other ingredients, may separate a bit. Sad

As for your source of pearl powder, the one Markey sells at GoW is supposed to be finer ... but a look at her website says that it's not fine enough for use in MMU ...

I've found the pearl powder from TKB Trading to be great ... and I just run it through the coffee grinder a few times for use in my Primer. Otherwise it dissolves very well in water ...

I think the people who think they have a problem getting it to dissolve aren't using enough liquid and as I said above, pearl powder absorbs liquid really fast. You'll want to add about double the liquid to the amount of pearl powder ... more or less depending upon the nature of the liquid. Very Happy

Good luck!

Mary

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:21 am

Thanks hpjrt,
So do you think SKBio alone on its own can be an effective preservative? Can I use rose water to dissolve pearl powders first then use the mixture to dilute the SKBio? Also, its it necessary to have a mixer or blender on hand? All my previous DIY mixtures, I was able to get by without one.

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 9:50 am

Hi Wild Cat,

I don't know if SKB has its own preservative or not ... so I don't know if you need anything more or not. Laughing

I've never worked with actual SKB. Laughing

However, if you make small batches and keep them in the fridge, preservatives might not be an issue.

As for mixing it by hand ... if you work in small batches it would probably be okay ... but you might get more lumps/chunks that way. At least I did ... but that's how I made my first couple of batches.

A blender or at least a mixer is very handy as you will get a smoother result.

Rosewater is fine for dissolving the pearl powder.

HTH

Mary

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 10:25 am

Hello Mary,
I remember reading somewhere that seakelp can act as a preservative on its own. Maybe I am wrong. I though its like jojoba oil that can extend the shelf life of mixed in essential oils. Think

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 1:24 pm

Hi again Wild Cat,

Any idea where you read that? I'd be interested in seeing that ... I wonder what percentage of the sea kelp you'd need in a product to get that protection?

Mary

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:37 pm

skincareaddicted wrote:

catski, "addicted-to-nice-things-girl". thank you what a compliment, lol. I wish it were true though!

Hi poohlisey,

Of course I will update Very Happy

. In the meanwhile, here is an article about cooking with EOs:

http://www.aroma-essence.com/cooking.html

I also want to say a HUGE thank you to Mary and of course Carrie for formulating and relaying this information about pearl powder to us all. It has done incredible things for my skin!

Those are neat. I think my mom uses these, especially the lemon oil. Have you tried any yet? How was the outcome on your agar agar? Smile

free skin care · Tue Mar 13, 2007 3:10 pm

hpjrt wrote:

Hi again Wild Cat,

Any idea where you read that? I'd be interested in seeing that ... I wonder what percentage of the sea kelp you'd need in a product to get that protection?

Mary

Hello Mary,
I asked on another thread regarding SKBio's preservative property. The answer I received from Ari said that preservative is not needed unless you are using non-distilled water. She said the main stash of SKBio is self-preserving...
I am still trying to find a source where I can back it up but my laptop is broken and all my links are in there.

free skin care · Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:38 pm

skincareaddicted wrote:

Hi joani,

I have the SKB but I also have seamollient which I am planning to use (which looks very similar but in my opnion, acts a lot better on my skin than the SKB).

I am planning to dissolve some pearl powder to my liquid BGs (mostly water) as a base and add a dollop of the seamollient after the pearl powder dissolves.

I am not sure if pearl powder will dissolve in the SKB since pearl powder was to be dissolve in a water type medium first.

maybe anyone else has tried it?

Kristen

Kristen,
Have you tried dissolving pearl powder in liquid BG and/or SKbio yet? Love to know if it worked.

free skin care · Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:02 pm

I just went through the whole thread again before I try to make my own. I am wondering if its okay to ask Carekate to post her formulation? I know Mary is still working on her new version... Embarassed

free skin care · Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:23 pm

Wild Cat wrote:

Hello Mary,
I remember reading somewhere that seakelp can act as a preservative on its own. Maybe I am wrong. I though its like jojoba oil that can extend the shelf life of mixed in essential oils. Think

No, no, if left untouched (nothing added to it and kept clean), it's self-preserving for up to 2 years. SKB is not a preservative. Anything you make with it will have to be refrigerated (short-term) or a preservative added (long-term)*.

Ari

Edit: Consider anything 3-4 weeks "short-term" and anything greater than that "long-term" just to be on the safe side. If your creation is a small batch that can be used within a couple of weeks, it should be okay sitting out for that length of time.

free skin care · Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:27 pm

Arielle wrote:

Wild Cat wrote:

Hello Mary,
I remember reading somewhere that seakelp can act as a preservative on its own. Maybe I am wrong. I though its like jojoba oil that can extend the shelf life of mixed in essential oils. Think

No, no, if left untouched (nothing added to it and kept clean), it's self-preserving. SKB is not a preservative. Anything you make with it will have to be refrigerated (short-term) or a preservative added (long-term).

Ari

Hello Ari,
So does that mean if I dilute the SKbio with some rose hydrosol, it can only be preserved for a short-term in fridge? without a preservative?
Sorry if its a dumb question...
Wild Cat

free skin care · Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:33 pm

Not at all a dumb question. I'll admit that I'm erring on the side of caution with those timeframes. If you are making more than you can use in just a few weeks, please keep it in the fridge and take out only what you'll be using for a 2-3 week period. For DIY, if you aren't using preservatives, smaller batches are better for freshness, potency of actives and economy (prevent waste), anyway. If you're using distilled water you aren't really adding anything that microbes can grow in as there's nothing in clean distilled water to feed them. If your Rose Hydrosol is a true distillate, the same would apply. I do propose caution, though. I've never used preservatives in my stuff and haven't had any problems following these guidelines.

hth

Ari

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