Introduction:

     This is an essential oil preservative, that is, a preservative for skin care products made solely from essential oils.  Firstly, one must start with a clean lotion or cream made in the most fastidious way with clean ingredients, clean hands, clean equipment and secondly when the product is made it must be bottled in clean containers. The preservative is added along with the liquid ingredients in the formula. Your formula will preserve the product for over a year. However, it is best not to try to keep any plant-based product too long. My suggestion is make your products, use them up and then make more. It is always best use fresh. Products and preservatives are taught in the Aromatherapy Seminars and various herbal and aromatherapy classes as well as in our home-study herbal and aromatherapy course.


Preserve Formula
The following formula should be used at 1.5%, that is, 1.5 ml to a 4 oz. jar:

Too much Cinnamon? – Reduce the amount

• 2 ml Oregano CT carvacrol

• 2 ml Palmarosa with geraniol

• 1.5 ml Cinnamon leaf

• 2 ml Thyme [50% para-cymene and 50% Thymus vulgaris with thymol]
   

     I used the above formula in a lotion that had no preservatives in 10/05.  I divided the lotion in half and only preserved half. At this time, two years later, my lotion is still clean and free of mold and bacteria and still retains a fresh Cinnamon scent.

     It would have to be in the lotion at least 1%.  Of course, this might make up the entire fragrance of a mixture and would be most useful for a lotion used in jobs that are particularly prone to bacteria such as hospitals, plumbing, digging in the dirt, etc.

Your preservative should have the following properties:

• Anti-bacterial

• Anti-fungal

• Anti-viral

Should be able to kill Eschericia coli and all sorts of nasty things

It should be composed of essential oils that have these properties:
(See the article Anti-Bacterial/Acne Fighting Essential Oils by Jeanne Rose)

• Cinnamon (bacteria)

• Palmarosa (yeast)

• Frankincense (fungus)

• Rosemary verbenone (fungus)

• Thymus vulgaris or Oregano (bacterial)

• Spikenard (fungus)

• Litsea cubeba or anything with a high Citral count (anti-virus)
   

Source:

The formula is available by Special Order only from Aromatherapy Course at 415-564-6785.

Bibliography:

Rose, Jeanne • SPA/Skin Booklet for Skin Care seminar. Jeanne Rose books and kits.
Rose, Jeanne • Herbal Body Book at 415-564-6785.



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