15+ Best Natural Preservatives

You may use these natural preservatives when either in your cooking, or your medicine making. The uniqueness of your creation is quite infinite here.

ESSENTIAL OILS [ EO's ] AS PRESERVATIVES

Natural Preservatives: Caraway, cinnamon, clove, cumin, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon,

oregano, rose, rosemary,

sage, sandalwood

and thyme.

PLANT + SEED CARRIER OILS

Oils extracted from plants and seeds form much of the basis of any natural skin care product.

To get the best possible result, you will need to get to know your oils, how they work, what they mix best with, their shelf life, their major constituents and healing/health/beauty benefits.

Not all oils are created equal, some are better economical performers whilst others are fragile but contain a greater percentage of a desired component such as, for example, Ferulic Acid which can help in the fight against wrinkles. Moreover, one must consider the cost effectiveness of oils as the price range varies drastically with quality and availability.

THE BEST PLANT, FLOWER & SEED CARRIER OILS

Jojoba

Hemp seed

Sesame

Apricot seed

Argan seed

Sunflower

Kukui nut

Coconut

Grapeseed

Rosehip seed

Passion Fruit

Walnut

Virgin Olive

Almond

Safflower

Castor Seed

Evening Primrose

Sea Buckthorn Berry

Tamanu seed

& many more...

RANCIDITY OF PLANT OILS

Oils are volatile and best kept away from direct sunlight and heat. Extreme temperatures, wrong storage, and inherent fragility can cause oxidation in your oils.

Once they turn rancid, that’s it I’m afraid. You’ll have no choice but to throw them out and start again from scratch with a fresh supply. The work around, is finding oils with stabilizing qualities, that when mixed with other oils, can either enhance shelf life of an oil or at the very least make certain that you reach the suppliers use by date.

PLANT WAXES

There are two main groups of waxes, which can be sub-divided into further categories. Natural waxes include hydrocarbon, mineral, vegetable, and animal waxes. Synthetic waxes include polymer waxes, usually called synthetic wax (wow, that was helpful, eh?) I’m not going into synthetic waxes here as they are not readily available to the home crafter and I haven’t used them enough to make any suggestions.

Vegetable waxes are probably the most popular of the waxes because of their vegan friendly profile and availability from local suppliers.

Candelilla wax: Produced from the Euphorbia cerifera and Euphorbia antisiphlitica trees found in Mexico.

It is composed of hydrocarbons and esters, meaning it confers some moisturizing properties. It’s melting point is high at 70C, and it confers strength to stick products.

It offers a nice gloss, which is always a bonus in lip products. A good substitute for carnauba wax.

Carnauba wax: Produced from the Copernica prunifera tree (Tree of Life, a Brazilian palm tree).

It is composed of 85% (or so) esters, so it offers some great moisturizing qualities. Its high melting point of 85C offers great rigidity to a lipstick and it will contract as it cools, making it easier to remove your product from a mould.

Rice wax: This is the hydrogenation of crude rice oil.

The melting point is high at 75C, so it sounds suitable for making a hard lipstick or bar, but it has an unpleasant odor.

Animal waxes are waxes derived from animal products, primarily beeswax and lanolin & fats like tallow.

Beeswax: Composed of 70% fatty esters and 10 to 13% hydrocarbons, beeswax offers flexibility and plasticity to a lipstick or lotion bar.

It generally has a pleasant odor, which is a plus for a product you’re going to use on your lips. Its melting point is 50 to 55C, so it is generally combined with another wax to offer a higher melting point for warm days in your pocket. Too much beeswax can lead to poor stability and drag in a lipstick. it plays very well with castor oil – it is partially soluble in it, so it creates a viscous but tacky system that will keep the lip color from seeping into fine lines in the lips or lip area. Include it in your lip sticks, but use another wax that will have a higher melting point and add more rigidity to your stick.