Many people fear using preservatives because they consider them to be unnatural or dangerous. A preservative will help guard against a variety of pathogenic microbes like mold and unwanted bacteria. So, emulsifiers and preservatives generally go hand in hand. Once you add water to your homemade cosmetics, you’ll also need to add a preservative if you want your product to be safe and free of contaminants. This helps detangle hair and reduce frizziness. What really sets conditioners apart from “regular” lotions is that they are normally made with cationic emulsifiers and/or other cationic ingredients that help “condition” the hair. You could use your homemade body lotions on your hair, but in your hair, it’s easy to notice the difference between different types of emulsifiers. Because they are used for the face, they also often have other additives like vitamins and antioxidants to help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.Ĭonditioners seem like a totally different type of product, but they are really just a lotion for hair. They are often a bit thicker than a lotion, but not always. Most facial lotions are called moisturizers. So, I guess you could say that moisturizers are more of a specialized lotion. Others consider lotions to be a moisturizer for their body vs. ![]() Some people say that a lotion is thinner and has more water. Then, it’s all held together with the emulsifier. ![]() They may use only distilled water or may add some floral waters or distillates. They may use only one oil or a variety of oils. There is really very little difference between what one would call a “lotion” and what one would call a “moisturizer.” They use a variety of oils, water, and some sort of emulsifier. conditionersĪll emulsion-based cosmetics have a lot in common. Gone are the days of only being able to buy a general “emulsifying wax.” Now, one can find natural and synthetic options made with a variety of ingredients. There are many types of emulsifiers on the market. To allow for these ingredients to stay together in a homogenous mixture, emulsifiers are used. Lotions, moisturizers, and conditioners generally have a mixture of aqueous ingredients like water or hydrosols and non-aqueous ingredients like oils, butters, and/or waxes. I made this drawing to show what a micelle looks like in micellar water, but the concept is basically the same. Because the water-loving head is in contact with the water, the oil droplets are no longer “rejected” and repelled from the water. The emulsifier molecules come together around the oil droplets with the water-loving part on the outside. The oil-loving tails get drawn to the droplets of oil. How do they work?Įmulsifiers have both a water-loving part and an oil-loving part. They are usually sold as solid beads or flakes. Most emulsifiers used in cosmetics are referred to as emulsifying waxes because of their waxy-like texture. ![]() These stabilizers prevent the tiny droplets from coming back together and forming their own layer. What is an emulsifier?Īn emulsifier is basically a type of stabilizer that helps keep the oil droplets dispersed throughout the aqueous ingredients (like water). To keep the small droplets of oil dispersed within the water so that they don’t separate into their own layer again, we need an emulsifier. Once you allow them to settle, though, they separate into 2 layers with the oil layer floating on top of the water layer. If you shake hard enough, the oil may initially break up into small droplets that are dispersed within the water, giving the appearance that they’ve mixed. If you’ve ever tried mixing oil and water by shaking them up in a bottle, you’ll notice that the oil and water don’t mix together well. Because they include water, along with the oils, they also do a better job of hydrating the skin. They tend to be cheaper to make because the main ingredient is normally water. Lotions and moisturizers are lighter and generally more pleasant to apply. Those recipes have their limitations, though. Body butters and lotion bars are great recipes for those who are beginning their cosmetic making journey. Many people stick to making simple recipes like body butters or lotion bars because they are too intimidated to work with emulsifiers and preservatives.
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