are the Glycols and Parabens really necessary?
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:53 pm

I was going to purchase some SAS ready made items but this always holds me back. They must be in there for a reason, right? It is just too overwhelming to make things up myself when they have so many ingredients.

free skin care · Wed Jul 04, 2007 11:06 pm

They are just preservatives.. I wouldn't worry too much. Smile

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 1:19 pm

For what it's worth, even though they are just preservatives, I always try and avoid them.

Glycols are petrochemicals that are also used in things like antifreeze, harsh solvents, etc. They help the texture of products, but at what price? In my opinion, this is not something we should put on our faces. I know there's very mixed sentiments about such ingredients, but I'm against 'em - I figure there are so many wonderful, well-formulated natural products out nowadays, that there's no reason to use stuff with glycols if you're at all skeptical.

As for parabens, while I'm not sure what I Think about the hype behind their potential health concerns (some say it's all a big hoax, others say they really are linked to cancers), I personally again don't think they're necessary. It's true that many products can get gunky without a good preserving agent, but I think that a) products aren't meant to have THAT long a shelf life anyway, and b) there's enough bad buzz about parabens to keep me away, at least. I tend to use tea tree oil and other antiseptic essential oils, and to just be very careful about how I mix and apply product, and pay attention to any changes in the texture or smell or color and throw it out if it gets funky.

I know there are lots of people who think I'm crazy for being as chemicalphobic as I am, but I'm just extremely conservative when it comes tu what I'll put on my skin, and I don't think said caution has ever caused me any harm, you know? Maybe I'm overly paranoid and all the chemicals out there are fine, but I figure there's no need to risk it when there's a huge natural market out there catering to gals like me. Smile

Hope this helps!

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 2:01 pm

I wonder if there are other alternatives then? I do use up products slowly and unfortunately I am just not such an advanced DIYer.

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 2:13 pm

There are lots of potential alternatives, though it's tough to tell what does and doesn't really work. I can recommend talking to Justin from Best Bath Store or looking at some of his old posts (search in the threads for ID bestbathstore) and John C. Hill has always been quite informative too. Those are going to be two fairly different perspectives, I think.

Like I said, I'm a fan of EOs - tea tree and neem oils are very antibacterial and antifungal. Lavender and rosemary help too. I'm sure there are lots more, plus alternatives I'm not even aware of - anyone care to chime in ? Smile

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 3:22 pm

I like to keep things as simple and natural as possible but I'd rather see a preservative or two on the ingredient list than fungus growing on my face....

When Kim at I Feel Pretty was first sending out samples of her Pearl Cream a few months ago, I picked up a couple samples and within one week noticed mold growing in one of the jars! Shock

I emailed her, she was horrified and sent me more THE SAME DAY!! She also thanked me for telling her and told me she was going to change the preservative. I haven't noticed any more unwanted growth in her second batch and she will STILL get my business because she demonstrated how she handles things when they go wrong..

Just goes to show you that there's reasons for these things... Also reminds me of the time I was going to make my own lavendar oil by steeping lavendar flowers in a jar of almond oil, then I learned about this method can lead to botulism and how the essential oil has to be extracted to make use of it.

This is also why I'm not a very advance DIY'er and tend to stick to very simple concoctions Laughing

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 4:11 pm

I wonder just to be safe, if I should be refrigerating my more natural items. I use them up very slowly. I think I may star dishing things out into smaller containers and leaving the rest in the fridge. I use some of this on my son and he has very sensitive skin. I don't want anything growing that can't be seen with the naked eye.

free skin care · Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:22 pm

athena123 wrote:

I like to keep things as simple and natural as possible but I'd rather see a preservative or two on the ingredient list than fungus growing on my face....

Exactly. Unless you are intending to do small batches often enough.

Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:38 am

There are safer preservatives out there besides parabens.

Once you see mold growing in something I will bet money you will use them.

The scary part is all the bacteria you don't see. I don't want that anywhere near me.

free skin care · Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:51 am

nikkic wrote:

There are safer preservatives out there besides parabens.

Once you see mold growing in something I will bet money you will use them.

The scary part is all the bacteria you don't see. I don't want that anywhere near me.

oh I agree I don't want that stuff in my products either. Especially since I use some of them on my son. But just wanted to know if maybe they worked better than the more alternative ones like Germaben?

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