The Low-Down on Borax & GSE

I still use the same lotion (homemade) that I began making a couple years ago. It does contain a tiny amount of borax. I guess it's worth trying baking soda as an emulsifier but honestly, I am not terribly worried about the borax. It still makes a lot more sense than buying commercially made lotion, and honestly I don't use a ton of lotion. I went back and read some of the comments on that other post - no wonder you're not up for the product testing and development! Good grief.

I don't use GSE, but I have not had any issues with lotion going bad (despite not using it all the time and I certainly do not keep it in the fridge!!).

I do also make lotion bars, but they're for a different purpose - I put in some eo's like thyme and lavender that are good anti-bacterial/anti-septic/anti-viral/whatever so that when we're out and have to touch suspicious things, we can at least run a lotion bar over the hands as a precautionary measure. Lotion bars have also been great for really stubborn dry/cracked heels. Easier to rub on.

Making lip balm was the way I found your blog...it came up in a search for recipes. FWIW, I did find your video demonstrating how to make simple soap helpful...it gave me the nudge to try making soap on my own since it looked far less scary than reading instructions (I'm primarily a visual learner).

I started with lotion bars, which work nicely (I use a 3d massage mold which is a nice way to cast them). Last winter I alternated between using a body butter (no water in that), and a blend of oils (one mix of heavier oils for body, another with light oils for facial use), and they all worked well with no issues regarding preservatives.

This past summer I tried a water-oil lotion, using soy lecithin as the emulsifier and a bit of GSE and Vitamin E (MT-50 Full Spectrum). The emulsifier worked. I used it in a bottle with a pump dispenser to minimize contamination. The lotion had a delicious texture. It was wonderful. And in a month it was off. But I had only made a small bottle's worth and it was almost empty, so not much was wasted. I might try it again in the spring when I want something lighter, but I have no expectation it will last long. My next batch of winter moisturizer is going to be a loose mix of oil and shea butter...something I can pour or glop out of a glass bottle.

I make homemade lotion in amounts that last several months - I guess you might call it a body butter rather than lotion since it contains no water which is the biggest problem in having it go bad. I use essential oils and vitamin e oil which help extend "shelf life" but tend to store my extra little tubs (not the one I'm currently using) in the fridge anyways b/c they contain a fair amount of coconut butter which melts when it is warm - although doesn't wreck it at all.

During the coldest parts of our winters my legs can start feeling a little dry and I know a lotion with water content could help with this but I am happier making my own and knowing exactly what goes into it - plus it is fun.

I don't use borax in my home. I'm sure the small amount in your lotion is fine but I've seen no reason to use it since I have an alternative that I'm happy with. In life I compromise regularly, though. Whenever I've gone to 'extremes' I end up miserable and feeling like a huge failure.

Glad you shared that you, too, have flops on occasion:)

I have not ventured into soap-making yet. I've tried a few body butter type of recipes. They're so heavy...which is good for dry skin but I don't like that greasy feeling. Currently I use coconut oil as an all-in-one -- I remove my make-up with it in conjuction with a warm cloth. I then add a dab more after the 'cleaning' is done. It's helping my complexion so much. I use it as a body moisturizer also...two reasons - I adore the smell and it's simple (no mixing). It seems to soak in much quicker than any body butter recipe I've tried also. I do use it on my face prior to make-up application. I don't wear a lot of make-up anymore and haven't had any trouble with it causing my make-up to melt away. I also brush my toddler's teeth with it. I don't like the ingredients in the readily-available children's toothpaste/gels. I do use one by Weleda occassionally but it's so pricey...using quality coconut oil helps off-set that cost and she absolutely loves it.

Great post as always and I just love your photography! Christmas blessings to you and your family.

I have oily skin and deal with adult acne. Ugh! I mix baking soda and vinegar and wash my face daily with this. Sometimes twice. It's gentle and strong. I can use it as a mask or wash it right off. When I read "borax" in lotion I was intrigued but I don't think I'll be mixing Borax and vinegar, though I'm so tempted! The rest of my body is dry so I use olive oil there. When it gets really bad, I soak in oatmeal, baking soda and epsom salt.

I've been using Sonoma Garden's hand lotion recipe and now I prefer her beeswax lotion. This dry winter time of year has it soaking into my skin in minutes. In this post, she mentions what she uses as a preservative: http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/how-to-make-hand-lotion-with-preservative/

My mom is an LMT, and she always used coconut oil for massage, unless of course someone had an allergy. It is great for your skin, is odorless, and feels great. I know this personally because we use it ourselves, not as a daily face lotion, but for dry areas or massage.

Thanks for revisiting this question here, Renee. I am a big fan of Rosemary's face cream, and feel comfortable improvising off the recipe. If I make too much, it will go bad even in the fridge (after six months...), but it always lasts on the shelf till a small jar is empty. Though perhaps our climate contributes to that? I've never used borax so I'm not really sure what I'm missing out on, but appreciate your points about not living in a pure world, and not sweating the small stuff. I'm also a big fan of just simple herbal oils, and will put that on my face too.

The one and only time I have made lotion I followed Rosemary Gladstar's "Perfect Cream" recipe and it turned out fine, didn't separate and hasn't gone bad, even stored on the shelf in my bathroom. Maybe it was just beginner's luck, or maybe there's some kind of natural preservative/emulsifier in her recipe. maybe aloe vera? and/or the lavender oil I used? I know I didn't use borax or GSE. hmm.

I've always wondered about borax, so much so that I never have used it, and therefore, have made very little personal care products since they call for it.

The only products that I have found to be somewhat okay and/or totally okay are Nature Clean's hand lotion, coconut oil, and lanolin (that breastfeeding cream) I use on the splits I get down the sides of my fingers. Its the only thing that works. Not totally sure its all okay or all the best, but its better than most and that's all I can do for my time, energy, and money.

Interesting take on GSE...I cured my kids of oral thrush as babies that way when NOTHING else worked. I took the info from Dr. Jay Gordon. I think I would have had to suffer during breastfeeding (horrible pain, shooting pains, etc) without it. I took it internally and also dipped it in some water and painted the thrush in the baby's mouth. Maybe for the short time we used it it was fine, but I know of no other treatment that was any safer/worked.

Renee, I was inspired by your earlier lotion posts to make my own and had great success with this body butter: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/02/make-your-own-moisturizing-body-butter.html. It is really rich but not greasy and kept on my shelf without preservatives. I added lemon essential oil and it's pretty zippy and fun for winter (I'm not really into the heavier scents of lavender or vanilla). I am still going to try your rich lotion, but wanted to start with this as it was so basic. I love your lotion and soap posts, I know that it's not "on the edge of your learning curve" but I'd certainly read with great interest the odd soap or lotion making post to let us know about any recipes you try. I was tantalized by your tweet about possibly making a Lemon Lift soap and would hear how that turned out.

Greetings!    Have been curious about recipes that call for an extract as a preservative.  GSE by itself is fascinating to me.  Wondering though - do you think it's possible that it's the alcohol in the extract that's actually doing the preserving? Have a friend with very dry and sensitive skin and have been trying to make a lotion she likes. Worried about the alcohol in the extract. What do you think?

sorry for commenting on such an old thread!

I saw my husband making toothpaste with coconut oil and baking soda. The texture looked good as lotion. I recently made a cream. I did not like the texture; I used bees wax only. I do not want to use borax or GSE since I read a few negative articles. I satarted thinking using baking soda along with bees wax as emulcifying agents. I needed some supporting articles on baking soda as an emulsifying agent. Thank you! I have courage now. After I use up my lotion, i will try baking soda. ^_^

I make my own creams and absolutely love it. I don't use commercial products at all. I was giving them away with my coconut oil soaps and bath salts as gifts.  People then were requesting orders and that is how I started selling Thank you for the info on borax.  I make my cream from Coconut oil, rose water, witch hazel, a few essenatial oils and emulsifying wax.  This is the best cream I have ever made and it does not go off.  Not that I know of yet.  I am now selling it privately on special order and it seems to be doing very well.  I am going to try a small batch with borax instead of the wax and see what happens.  I just need to get the quantities right for the borax.

Borax is safer than table salt and half as toxic as table salt. It can cure a disease that would take down our health industry so the government labels it poisonous to keep that from happening. Eventually they will make it unavailable in the U.S. like many other countries have done already.

Yes I agree with the above comment. I personally know several people who take small doses of watered down bora(diluted a spoonful a day). And have had amazing relief from chronic arthritis. I would have no problem at all with the small amount in a lotion when a small amount internally seems to do very well. The history of this treatment is something to read. I assume that most of us reading these kind of websites about making your own lotions are not massive fans of multinational drug companies. So it doesn't take much of a stretch to believe that possibly borax has been given a bad rep for the sake of profits. And with the damage caused by sodium chloride (salt) that we ingest constantly, surely this other naturally occurring salt can't be all that bad... 

http://www.health-science-spirit.com/borax.htm

Scroll down and read the 

The Arthritis Cure of Rex Newnham 

What did you replace the borax with? I am under the assumption you didnt replace it. Which would be why your recipe failed. I am also going to attempt not using borax but was thinking since borax is a salt used to be an emulsifier then table salt or sea salt (which are also counted as preservatives and can be used as an emulsifier) would just replace one for the other. again this is a theory. im afraid to even make a small batch and have it ruined. but i will and let you know what happens.

My Mother tried to make a Shea Butter facial cream for me, but I think she was hasty and didn't allow the Borax and water mix to dissolve completely (the previous batch was fine). Now I have a gritty cream that I'm not enjoying applying. Is there any way of fixing the 2 large tubs of cream that she sent me? Can I re-melt it and try to dissolve the Borax in it?

Ok, here is the deal with GSE: natural grapefruit seed extract does not have antimicrobial or preservative properties, but many commercial preparations do because of adulteration with synthetic preservatives. GSE does have antioxidant properties that may help prevent your oils from going rancid, etc, but it does not protect against microbial contaminants.

I see two plausible explanations for the observation that this recipe does not grow mold, etc, and appears well preserved. One is that the GSE product you use is adulterated with synthetic preservatives, but the other is that borax is actually a preservative as well. I am uncertain whether the borax in such a recipe is sufficient as a preservative, but it may be that borax is the real preservative here.

Borax alone is not really an emulsifier, it works in conjunction with the beeswax. They react to form a natural emulsifying agent. Borax, however, is not nearly so dangerous as some have suggested. Its toxicity is low, similar to table salt. Consumption of large quantities over an extended time cause reproductive harm in lab animals. But you don’t eat your skin creams. Dermal absorption is very low, you could soak your entire body in a concentrated solution and never absorb a toxic dose.

Borax is actually a natural source of the nutrient boron. Much of the boron in our diets is in the form of borates, including in fresh fruits and vegetables. Borax is actually even used as a boron supplement in some studies. Safe range of consumption of boron is pretty wide. And many studies have found positive effects from supplementing boron, which suggests that we may be more likely getting too little boron, rather than too much.

Borax can be a skin irritant if used inappropriately, but should be quite safe in small amounts used in borax/beeswax creams. Borax is even found in contact solution that you put in your eyes. So I wouldn’t worry so much about the borax if that formula is working for you.